Student

Teachers Name: Danielle Wilson

Date: 3/2/15
Lesson Title: Evolution History
Subject: Biology
Instruction time: 42 minutes
Students grade Level: 10th Grade

State Standard(s):
Species evolve over time. (S.912.LS.8)
Evolution is consequence of: population potential, genetic variability, finite resources and environmental selection.
(S.912.LS.8)
Natural selection explains molecular similarity of diverse species. (S.912.LS.9)
Natural selection is a mechanism for evolution leading to organism diversity. (S.912.LS.9)

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to explain what factors contribute to the evolution of a species.
Students will know that evolution of a species takes time.
Students will use inquiry to find the cause of a phenomenon.
Students will be able to identify different ideas regarding the Nature of Science.

Student Needs/Differentiation:
A student in the special education program will be paired with a student he enjoys working with in order to increase
his motivation.
Other students may receive extra support as I circulate around the room during individual and group work times. If
they are struggling to understand a question or task, I can reword it and use questioning strategies to help scaffold the
lesson better for them.
Some students will receive additional assistance from a resource teacher.

Resources/Materials:
Charles Darwin, A Gentle Revolutionary
Peppered Moth Worksheet
A few Cartesian Divers

Instructional method(s) used in this lesson:
Think/Write/Pair/Share
Discussion with higher-order thinking questions

Lesson Sequence:

Review Article:
Instruct students to get into the groups they were assigned the day before. Ask them to summarize their part of
Darwins story for their group, going in order from one to four.
Ask them to review the questions they answered in their section with their group members as they go. (5 min)
When students are done with this, have them discuss their answers to the questions on the slip of paper that was
attached to the article. Though they answered these questions for their section of reading as homework, they should
now be able to answer them in scope of the story as a whole. (5 min)
As a class, ask students these questions regarding the Nature of Science:
o How did Darwins story illustrate the length of time science takes?
! Write on the board: Science takes time
o To what extent did Darwin follow the Scientific Method as he developed his ideas behind evolution? How does
this contrast your ideas about how science is done?
! Write on the board: Science doesnt always follow the Scientific Method
o To what extent is science a collaborative effort? How did Darwin benefit from the ideas of his fellow scientists?
! Write on the board: Science is social/collaborative
o To what extend did Darwin rely on evidence? Even though he didnt use the Scientific Method, students should
agree he relied on empirical evidence.
! Write on the board: Science relies on empirical evidence
Tell students that the ideas on the board all have to do with the Nature of Science. There are more ideas revolving
around the Nature of Science, but these are a few that are apparent in the story of Charles Darwin. (10-15 min)

Cartesian Diver Magic Trick (Hook):

Pull out a Cartesian Diver. Walk around and show the students the test tube inside the water-filled 2 liter bottle,
asking them to describe what they see and confirm that there are no strings inside or any other device to make the
test tube move. Take it back to the front of the room and make the test tube sink. To do this, place a large amount of
pressure on the back of the 2 liter with your thumb. Make a show of it, using a magic wand or ruler and make it
seem as though a great amount of mental concentration is causing this to happen.
Ask students, How did I get that test tube to sink like that?
Students will know that its a magic trick, and will guess how you did it. Ask students, How can you test your ideas
about how this magic trick is done? Students should suggest trying it for themselves.
Pass out cartesian divers to groups of 4, telling students that they must not flip the bottle over (or lean it very far).
They also are not allowed to open the bottle. Let them test their ideas. (7 min)
Bring their attention back to you, and ask, How is the trick done? Take their suggestions. Ask, Without someone telling
you the answer about how its done, how can you be sure that you have the right answer? After taking some answers,
refer again to the idea on the board that science relies on empirical evidence. Scientists dont have someone there to
tell them when theyve got the right answer.
Ask, Why is it not okay to just explain the trick by saying, Its magic? Students should be able to surmise that
explaining it that way would stop you from knowing trying your ideas out and finding out how it really works. Draw
an arrow on the board with gaps in its line. Tell students that science is a longer process than the magic trick, but
similarly, there may be gaps in which we dont understand how something works. The problem with filling that gap
by saying, Its magic is that all scientific investigation stops. As scientists, we still want to strive to understand
nature and investigate our questions about it. Therefore, it is not useful to inject explanations that rely on magic
into the scientific process. (8-10 min)

Closure of the Lesson:
Ask students, What questions do you have about the Nature of Science?
Hand out the peppered moth worksheet. Students may start reading this if time allows, but it will be assigned as
homework. Tell students to add these questions to the worksheet (maybe on the back): How is this story about
peppered moths like the M&M Survival Activity? How did the four factors that contribute to evolution play a part in this
story?

Check(s) for understanding and scaffolding of student learning
As students work in groups, I will walk around and listen to their conversations. I will also ask to look over their
answers from the homework.
Assessment of student understanding will happen during the whole class discussion.

Assessment of/for learning
I will check student answers from the homework they prepared for class.
Students will have a chance to apply content ideas to new situations by filling out the peppered moth worksheet. This
will help them to self-evaluate their understanding of the content, and I will check student work the following day to
make sure they are on the right track.

Bridge to next lesson
The peppered moth worksheet adds to what students have been learning about evolution, and shows another
historical example of evidence for evolution. We will use the historical account of Darwin tomorrow to make the jump
from evolution on a smaller scale to evolution on a larger scale, looking at the fossil record.