Unit 2: Getting to Know the Scientists
Concepts: Individuals and teams have contributed and will continue to contribute
to the scientific enterprise. Doing science or engineering can be as simple as an
individual conducting field studies or as complex as hundreds of people working
on major scientific question or technological problem. Pursuing science as a
career or as a hobby can be both fascination and intellectually rewarding.(NSES)
Objective: The students will learn about scientists in the fields of microscopes,
classification and phycology by researching and creating a Biography Poem, or
Biopoem.
Summary: This lesson provides students a unique way to share information about
scientist. The students will create a Biopoem of themselves and then they will
research an assigned scientist and create a Biopoem for the scientist. Students will
share their information with the class and then display information for reference
throughout the unit.
Teacher Notes: A Biopoem is a combination of a biography in a poem format. It
has a specific format which is outlined on the handout. Biopoems provide students
a different way to present information about a scientist and requires critical and
creative thinking. Students should create a Biopoem of themselves initially to help
understand the format. They will then collect information about the assigned
scientist and create a Biopoem to be shared. This activity can be completed
individually or in groups.
This activity also addresses a number of the Language Arts standards which allows
for an integrated approach to teaching science.
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Equipment/Materials:
Biopoem handout
Biopoem information sheet
Sample Biopoem
Computer with Internet access
List of scientists to be explored
Rubric
Useful Websites:
Wikipedia (all names)
http://wikipedia.org
Carl Linnaeus
http://linnaeus.c18.net/Doc/lbio.php
Carl Woese
http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/Carl_Woese?fwd=1&src=abop&qpvt=car
l+woese&q=carl+woese
Anton Leeuwenhoek
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/leeuwenhoek.html
Robert Hooke
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/hooke.html
Harold Bold
http://www.botany.utexas.edu/facstaff/facpages/mbrown/Mbrownhome/bold/Bold
UT/Bold4.htm
*Felix Eugen Fritsch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Eugen_Fritsch ;
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k704037g07603x6q/
*Friedrich Hustedt
http://www.awi.de/en/research/research_divisions/biosciences/biological_
oceanography/diatom_centre/friedrich_hustedt/
*Gilbert Morgan Smith
http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/HIBD/Departments/Art/Smith.shtml
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Engage:
1. Ask the students to name some famous scientists they know about and share
some information about each.
2. Hold up a picture of your favorite scientist and share some information
about that scientist. Share a biopoem about that scientist that you have
created. (A sample Biopoem of Albert Einstien is included if you choose to
use that instead of your own.)
Explore:
1. Begin by asking students to write down four traits that describe them.
2. Continue by asking them to list several relatives (brother, sister, parent, aunt,
uncle, etc.
3. Next have them write down things they love.
4. Continue with the following:
a. Feeling they have and when they feel them.
b. Things they need.
c. Fears they have.
d. Things the person gives (help with chores, friendship, etc.)
e. Things they would like to see.
5. Hand out the Biopoem format and have the students fill in the information
about themselves.
6. Share Biopoems in small groups.
Explain:
1. Ask students what they learned about each other from the personal
Biopoems. Students share what they learned about each other in small
groups.
2. Ask the students if they learned more about each other than just facts.
3. Explain that the students that a Biopoem is a way to synthesize
information they have learned about a person.
4. Tell the students that they will be looking up information about scientists
that are important for this unit of study on Algae. Each group (or person)
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
will be given the name of a scientist to research. They will use the
information they find to write a Biopoem about their scientist.
5. The groups (individuals) will share their findings with the class and then
display their work.
Extend:
1. Assign each group (individual) a scientist from the following list:
*Use a-e first, if more scientists are needed, use f, g, and h)
a. Carl Linnaeus
b. Carl Woese
c. Anton Leeuwenhoek
d. Robert Hooke
e. Harold Bold
f. Felix Eugen Fritsch
g. Friedrich Hustedt
h. Gilbert Morgan Smith
2. Allow the students time to research the scientist and record important
information using a variety of resources.
3. The students will create a Biopoem based on the information they found.
4. Students should also include a picture of the scientist and could include
additional pictures of important contributions to the field of science.
5. Students share the completed Biopoems with the class.
Evaluate:
1. Students will be assessed on their Biopoem using a rubric.
2. Students will complete an exit card listing at least one item of interest about
each scientist.
Enrichment Activity:
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Teacher Background:
The following websites provide more information about writing a Biopoem.
How to write a Biopoem
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson398/biopoem.p
df
Biopoem Instructions (You can write your own and have it e-mailed to you)
http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~adarice/cwsite/poems/poembio.htm
Rubric
Rubric for Biopoem
Construction of
poem
Information
Illustration
Presentation
Mechanics
3
Contains all 23
parts required for a
Biopoem
2
Contains 20-22
parts required for a
Biopoem
1
Contains less than
22 parts required
for a Biopoem
Information about
the scientist
accurate and
complete
Picture of Scientist
and additional
pictures
Presented
information in an
engaging, clear,
and understandable
way
Spelling and
grammar, without
error
Information about
the scientist
accurate
Inaccurate
information about
the scientist
Picture of scientist
No pictures
Presented
information in an
understandable
way
Information
presented was
unclear and
confusing
Minor errors in
spelling and/or
grammar
Multiple errors in
spelling and/or
grammar
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Teacher Sheets
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
A Biopoem is a poem that describes a person in 11 lines. The pattern for the
biopoem allows the writer to synthesize what they have learned about a person.
The following is formula to use when writing a biopoem:
First name
Four traits that describe the person
Relative (brother, sister, daughter, etc.) of …..
Lover of … (three things the person loves)
Who feels … (three feelings and when they feel them)
Who needs… (three things the person needs)
Who fears … (three things the person fears)
Who gives … ( three things the person gives)
Who would like to see … (three things the person would like to see)
Resident of … (description of where the person lives)
Last Name
 Students should start out by writing their own biopoem. After 5-10 minutes,
have the students share biopoems with their partner.
 Students will use a variety of resources to collect information about their
assigned scientist. Each group will write a biopoem about their scientist
using the biopoem format.
 Groups share their biopoems with class and then post on the bulletin board.
Exit Card:
Each student will write one fact about each scientist on an exit card. Collect the
exit cards and then share facts as a class.
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Scientists for this module include:
Carl Linnaeus, Carl Woese, Anton Leeuwenhoek, Robert Hooke, Harold Bold,
Felix Eugen Fritsch, Friedrich Hustedt, Gilbert Morgan Smith
Sample Biopoem-Albert Einstein
Albert
Curious, Smart, Teacher, US Citizen
Son of Herman and Pauline Einstein
Lover of science, music, and learning
Who feels happy about life, determined to solve physics problems, and passionate
about starting a Hebrew University in Jerusalem
Who needs his own space to work, to relax with his music, and mathematics to
explain his theories
Who fears his theory was flawed, he would not get into the university, and his sons
don’t care about him
Who gives his writing, his theories, his name to many science ideas such as Baby
Einstein
Who would like to see peace in Israel, science celebrated, and the many advances
in science that started with his work
Resident of Princeton, New Jersey
Einstein
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/einstein-bio.html
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Student Handouts
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb
Biopoem Template
First Name __________________
Four Traits that describe you
1.
2.
3.
4.
Son…, daughter…, brother…, sister… of __________________
Lover of (three things you love or enjoy)
1.
2.
3.
Who feels (three feelings you have and when you have them)
1.
2.
3.
Who needs (three things you need)
1.
2.
3.
Who fears (three things you fear)
1.
2.
3.
Who gives (three things you give)
1.
2.
3.
Who would like to see (three things you would like to see)
1.
2.
3.
Who lives (brief description of where you live)
Last Name ________________
© 2010, Ohio Northern University: Dr. Kenneth Reid, Dr. Debra Gallagher and Dr. Robert Verb