AGENDAS FOR THE WEEK:
February 2nd – February 7th
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Objective(s): SWBAT
*Explain what a scientific
theory is
*Explain how DNA is used to
defend the theory of evolution
Objective(s): SWBAT
*Define “vestigial structure” and
“homologous structure”
*Explain why homologous and
vestigial structures are used by
scientists to defend the theory of
evolution
Objective(s): SWBAT
*Describe how scientists use
fossils to learn about how
current organisms developed
*Discuss(?) the process of
discovering fossil remains and
determining the organism they
belonged to
*Relate the evidence provided
by fossil remains to the
evidence provided by vestigial
organs with respect to the
theory of evolution
Objective(s): SWBAT
*Use multiple sources of
scientific content to draw
conclusions based on analysis
of research
*Explain how current research
of the fossil record is updating
our knowledge about the
history of human ancestry
Objective(s): SWBAT
* Use multiple sources of
scientific content to draw
conclusions based on analysis
of research
*Explain how current
research of the fossil record is
updating our knowledge
about the history of human
ancestry
Standards:
SC.7.L.15.2 - Explore the
scientific theory of evolution
by recognizing and explaining
ways in which genetic
variation and environmental
factors contribute to evolution
by natural selection and
diversity of organisms.
Standards:
SC.912.L.15.1 - Explain how the
scientific theory of evolution is
supported by the fossil record,
comparative anatomy,
comparative embryology,
biogeography, molecular
biology, and observed
evolutionary change.
Standards:
SC.7.L.15.1 - Recognize that
fossil evidence is consistent
with the scientific theory of
evolution that living things
evolved from earlier species.
Standards:
SC.7.L.15.1 - Recognize that
fossil evidence is consistent
with the scientific theory of
evolution that living things
evolved from earlier species.
SC.912.L.15.11 - Discuss
specific fossil hominids and
what they show about human
evolution.
SC.912.L.15.1 - Explain how
the scientific theory of
evolution is supported by the
fossil record, comparative
anatomy, comparative
embryology, biogeography,
molecular biology, and
observed evolutionary change.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.rst.68.1 – Cite specific textual
evidence to support analysis
of science and technical texts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.rst.68.2 – Determine the central
ideas or conclusions of a text;
provide an accurate summary
of the text distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions
Standards:
SC.7.L.15.1 - Recognize that
fossil evidence is consistent
with the scientific theory of
evolution that living things
evolved from earlier species.
SC.912.L.15.11 - Discuss
specific fossil hominids and
what they show about human
evolution.
SC.912.L.15.1 - Explain how
the scientific theory of
evolution is supported by the
fossil record, comparative
anatomy, comparative
embryology, biogeography,
molecular biology, and
observed evolutionary
change.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.rst.6-8.1 – Cite
specific textual evidence to
support analysis of science
and technical texts
CCSS.ELALITERACY.rst.6-8.2 –
Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; provide
an accurate summary of the
text distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions
Engage: (7 mins.)
(slide 1,2) Can you observe
changes through time in
collections of everyday
objects? What are some
examples?
~Students discuss within
groups, followed by class
discussion of what each group
(slide 3,4)
Engage: (8 mins.)
-Review the previous day’s
concepts by calling on students
who did not do well or show
understanding on their exit
tickets. Ask them to define a
scientific theory, how DNA can
be used as evidence of evolution,
and how a tree of life is a
representation of that.
-Have students recall the two
other categories of evolutionary
evidence (biological and fossil),
and say that the day’s topic will
focus on different areas of
biological evidence, the first
being vestigial organs.
-Have students try to define
what a vestigial structure is
(without giving affirmation to
right or wrong answers) before
beginning the slide show (slide
12)
-10 Useless Human Body Parts
Video
Engage: (4 mins.)
-Have students begin class
with a class discussion of what
evidence has been provided
about the theory of evolution,
and see if they remember what
the final one (fossils) is
-Engage student background
knowledge by asking for
different experiences the
students have had with fossils
Engage: (15 mins.)
-Have students take notes on
the Whale Evolution video,
and make sure that they
understand that their notes are
important for an assignment
they will have to complete
and turn in. Ask them to have
you pause or rewind the video
if they wish to write
something important down
without missing possibly
other important information
-After the video has ended,
have the students write a 3-5
sentence summary of the main
points of the video
Engage: (5 mins.)
Whiteboard Activity – Have
students form groups and pass
a whiteboard and marker to
each group. Have them
discuss the following
question, then write an
answer: Name 3 differences
between humans and chimps,
and give one advantage or
disadvantage that humans
have as a result
-Once students have finished
writing, have a class
discussion of their answers
Explore: (15 mins.)
Modified
Predict/Explain/Observe (PEO)
(P&E) Whiteboard Activity
(slide 5)
-Ask students “What is a
scientific theory?” Open slide
5, and have the students
discuss the question in their
groups before writing down a
final definition. Call on each
group to read their definition,
and ask them for their
justification of the definition.
-(slide 6) Show PBS Video:
Isn’t Evolution Just A Theory?
-Have students write on a piece
of paper their own personal
definition of what a scientific
Explore: (20 mins.)
-Give the students 2-3 minutes
to discuss the video and how it
relates to evolution, then begin
the next activity
-Homologous Structures
Activity
-Pass out the worksheets as
students collect the necessary
colored pencils, glue, and
scissors. Once the materials are
prepared, have one student read
the goals of the activity, then
another read the background
information.
-Instruct the students to follow
each step in the directions, and
begin circulating the class.
Students can work with their
Explore: (33 mins.)
-Introduce the Great Fossil
Find activity by bringing the
students to the lab area, which
should be set up beforehand
with the appropriate stations
and materials.
-Inform the students of their
learning objectives (Scientists
working together can be more
effective than working alone,
how to hypothesize and test
hypotheses, how scientists use
"fair test" criteria to determine
the "best" solutions to certain
questions or problems, and to
gain some experience working
with "fossils", as prep. for
future understanding of work
Explore: (15 mins.)
-Have the students read the
Discover article on whales
individually. As they read,
have them write similarities
and differences between the
article and the video. Also,
have them write down any
vocabulary which they may
not be familiar with.
-When they have finished,
have them write a 3-5
sentence summary of the
article
Explore: (20 mins.)
-Pass out the students’ papers
from the previous day. Have
the students read the
ScienceNews articles on
human remains individually.
As they read, have them write
similarities and differences
between the articles. Also,
have them write down any
vocabulary which they may
not be familiar with.
-When they have finished,
have them write a 3-5
sentence summary of the
articles.
P
L
A
Explain: (10 mins.)
-When everyone has finished,
have a class discussion about
similarities between it and the
Explain: (15 mins.)
-Ask the class how they feel
theory is, their justification for
it including quotes/reasonings
from the video, and how it
differed from their group’s
original definition and
justification.
Explain: (4 mins.)
-Have students share their
updated definitions before
moving on to slide 7.
-Discuss with students what
kind of evidence they think
could be used to support the
theory of evolution, then move
on to slide 8
Elaborate: (20 mins.)
-(slide 8) Briefly introduce the
three evidence categories for
evolution
-(slide 9) Ask the students
what the picture shows about
the relationship between
chimps and humans
-Ask students what they think
the similarities and differences
in the picture would manifest
in real life
-Ask students if they think
mouse DNA will be more or
less similar to humans than
chimp DNA is (slide 10)
-Describe how DNA
similarities are used to
determine how closely related
organisms are evolutionarily,
and how those relationships
can be represented via a “tree
of life”
-(slide 11) Tree of Life Video
and interactive tree of life sites
group mates for steps 1-5, but
should finish the rest of the
worksheet on their own.
Explain: (8 mins.)
-Have students share their
answers for numbers 6-9 with
the class to get a sense of how
well the students understand
what homologous structures are
and how they provide evidence
for the theory of evolution
Elaborate: (8 mins.)
-Introduce the concept of
embryological structure as
another example of biological
evidence in support of the theory
of evolution
-(slide 13) En utero Nova videos
(Human, Pig, Chicken, Fish)
Have the students guess what
animal is being shown as you
pause the videos at 3, 6, 10, 15
sec. marks
-Ask the students how the
embryological structures are
related to the homologous
structures they learned about in
the previous activity, including
similarities and differences
with human fossils)
-Students should also be
reminded that each part, A-E,
needs to be followed as a class,
and no one should work ahead
or lag behind.
-Once everyone is clear on the
directions, follow the
narration, and circulate during
each “day” to make sure all
groups are staying on track
-Once students have finished
parts A-E, return to the
classroom and have each
student finish their questions
individually
Explain: (10 mins.)
-Review with the students their
responses for #1-4,6,9 and
guide them towards
understanding of their
experience and how it
translates to the “real world”
Elaborate: (3 mins.)
(VERY unlikely to have more
time)
-Show slides 14-15 to give
students background
information on the animal they
just “discovered’ in the lab!
previous video
-Also, have the students read
off what vocabulary words
they struggled with, and help
them work out simple
definitions based on context
clues before giving them a
more official definition
Elaborate: (10 mins.)
-Have students form groups
and have each group compile
a list of similarities and
differences between ancient
and today’s whales based on
evidence found in the video
(notes) and the article
learning about their potential
species ancestors
-Ask the students if they think
enough evidence has been
provided to say that
Ardipithecus was an ancestral
human, why or why not?
-Ask students to find
connections between the
whale and human/hominid
readings, and why they may
have been assigned
-Ask students how they can
apply what they did in the
Great Fossil Find activity to
their readings and what they
believe about the research
behind the readings
Elaborate: (10 mins.)
Future Fossils - Have each
student pick their favorite
(generic) animal (i.e. dog, cat,
horse, bunny) and draw how
they imagine the current bone
structure of the animal, one
future “fossil” bone structure
of the animal, and a picture of
the living form of the future
animal.
-Have students describe the
phenotypic changes which
occurred in the animal and
why those changes were
necessary for the animal’s
survival in the futuristic
landscape
N
Resources:
Evaluate and Summary (4
mins.) Exit Ticket:
-Descibe the elements of a
scientific theory.
-How are genetic similarities
used to defend the theory of
evolution?
-What other kinds of evidence
could scientists use to explain
the theory of evolution?
-Textbook (p. 197)
-6 whiteboards and markers
-PBS and T.o.L. Video
-Change through Time
powerpoint presentation
Evaluate and Summary (6
mins.)
Exit Ticket:
-What is a vestigial organ?
-What are homologous
structures?
-What do you find the most
compelling evidence for the
theory of evoloution? (Genetics,
Vestigial Organs, Homologous
structures, Embryological
development) Why?
-Useless Parts Video
-Homologous Structures activity
(Source:
http://msdalby.weebly.com/uplo
ads/1/4/9/2/14923682/comparing
_homologous_structures_lab1.p
df) - 1 pair of scissors, 1 box of
colored pencils, 1 container of
glue per group, and 1 copy of
each of the 5 pages of the
worksheet per student
-Nova videos (links on
powerpoint presentation slide
12)
Evaluate and Summary (0
mins.)
Filled in worksheet from the
lab will be collected and
graded
Evaluate and Summary (0
mins.)
Notes, summaries, and group
comparison lists will be
collected and evaluated for
evidence of the lesson’s
objectives
Evaluate and Summary
A SmartResponse Quiz will
take place the following
Monday (2/10) on the week’s
information
-The Great Fossil Find
worksheets: 1 copy of the
narration for the teacher, 1
copy of the worksheet (p. 3)
for each student, 1 envelope
with “bones” cut out from
sheet per group, 1 skeletal
resource manual per group
-Whale Evolution Video
-Discover Whale Article
-ScienceNews (5/18/13) p. 13
all articles (Bower)