Discover Darwin An Education Resource for Key Stage Two © 2010
Front cover: Extract from one of Darwin’s notebooks. Facing page: Darwin’s ‘Tree of Life’ sketch. Foreword
Introduction
Map of Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory
Darwin’s ways of working: Unit 1
Seed dispersal: Unit 2
Worms: Unit 3
Entangled bank: Unit 4
Acknowledgements
Useful contacts
Contents Why Darwin for nine to fi fteen year-olds? Because when he was their age, he was already watching the natural life around him and beginning to think about what he saw! Generations of young scientists have been inspired by Darwin, and if we point young people to what he was focusing on and prompt them to explore it as he did, we can help them to share his insights together with the whole experience of wonder and discovery that led him into science.
Schools that can visit Darwin’s home at Downe have a special opportunity to see how he worked there with the plants and animals in the countryside around. But almost all schools should be able to fi nd suitable plants, insects and other creatures somewhere near them for their own investigations. Do bring your pupils to Down House if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t. The lessons and the pupils’ own studies should work very well on their own.
At the end of his life Darwin was asked by a friend to provide a foreword for a book the friend had written about plants and insects, based on Darwin’s science. Darwin liked the book very much and wrote that if any ‘young and ardent observer’ read it, and then ‘observes for himself, giving full play to his imagination, but rigidly checking it by testing each notion experimentally, he will, if I may judge by my own experience, receive much pleasure from his work.’
This education pack will be a wonderful encouragement for all the young and ardent observers in our schools today.
Randal Keynes Great great grandson of Charles Darwin
Darwin’s waysForeword of working: Lesson 1 1 Discover Darwin
One hundred and fi fty years after it was published on November 24th 1859, The Origin of Species is still relevant to science and this Discover Darwin pack is intended to help teachers to introduce Charles Darwin’s ideas and explore his achievements. It is perhaps more important now than it has ever been to understand what Darwin thought and how his ideas are applicable to the issues affecting the natural world today.
This celebratory educational pack has been produced by The London Borough of Bromley, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund to encourage children to follow in Darwin’s Footsteps using The Origin of Species as a route map. From this revolutionary book, and subsequent books we have selected four themes suitable for Key Stage 2. Accompanying PowerPoints supporting each theme can be downloaded from www.darwinslandscape.co.uk.
In The Origin of Species, Darwin drew together many ideas and impressions he formed on his Beagle voyage around the world, and distilled knowledge from experiments he carried out in the 40 years he spent at his home in Downe1 village, Bromley. The landscape around Downe was his laboratory, the source of his wildlife specimens and his inspiration, as he tested and refi ned his notions of geological time, variability within species, animal and plant adaptations in response to changes in the environment over millions of years, inheritance of characteristics and the struggle for life. He walked through species-rich meadows at High Elms and along the Downe and Cudham Valleys. He crossed the heaths to collect the remarkable insect-devouring plants he noticed in boggy areas, and collected mud from local ponds. Neither worm casts on the verges nor birds and butterfl ies in 1 The original spelling of the village was Down – hence Down House. In the mid-nineteenth century, the spelling of the village name was changed to Downe, but Charles Darwin refused the hedgerows escaped his attention, and all take centre stage in the fi nal to alter the name of his home – hence Down House at Downe. paragraph of The Origin of Species.
Darwin’s waysIntroduction of working: Lesson 1 1 The kitchen garden provided food for his wife and his children, butler, maids, Using these Resources gardeners, governess and frequent visitors including the leading scientists of The lessons included for Key Stage 2 cover curriculum topics in an integrated the time. Growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables alerted Darwin to the way; science, literacy, numeracy, art, history and ICT are included. Each gardeners’ ability to breed plants to improve their size, colour and fl avour. lesson is self-contained but together they form a module that might He appreciated the results of artifi cial selection and realised that the same be attempted in a science or environment week. It would be helpful if process must occur in the natural world; natural selection was happening all teachers read all of the lesson plans and supporting notes in association around him. with the PowerPoint presentations available to download from www. darwinslandscape.co.uk to make the most effective use of the resources. Darwin used simple experiments and techniques in his work that can be Both still images and video clips are included on the slides to illustrate replicated in schools. Most of all he showed that observation, thinking deeply concepts and show examples that might otherwise be diffi cult to source. and refl ection were vital tools that drove his scientifi c enquiry. He walked Short-term and longer-term experiments are suggested and there is advice around his thinking path, the Sandwalk at Down House, three or more times on how to incorporate the school grounds and local green spaces or parks if a each day and mulled over his ideas, planned his experiments and cogitated visit to the countryside around Downe village is impractical. on his results. Time for thinking and refl ection is a rare commodity in a child’s life, especially during the school day so we aim to afford opportunities in Enquiry-based learning is encouraged to enable children to gain knowledge these lessons. and develop a broad understanding of the many concepts, principles, models and theories Darwin initiated in the fi eld of natural science. Children are encouraged to work like him so that they begin to understand the nature of science; making observations, asking questions, experimenting to investigate the natural world, collaborating with others, reading and researching. Finding evidence and making good arguments that children explain to each other emulates Darwin’s way of working.
Children can follow their own interests to gain deeper understanding and improve their skills. There are references to Gifted and Talented and Special Educational Needs activities but teachers can adapt these resources by using the appropriate language and styles of learning individuals in their class need to aid progression. Creative skills and group work are encouraged both indoors and out-of-doors but effective grouping is a strategic choice. All activities, however short, need clear outcomes and a specifi ed time limit.
Introduction An important element of these lessons is that Darwin’s scientifi c work is Health and Safety linked with the decisions that children make now and in the future. There are Teachers should ensure that they have read the appropriate local authority opportunities for everyone to express an opinion. and school guidelines. Before making a visit they should carry out a risk assessment and a preliminary visit. Where a specifi c issue has been Evaluation anticipated it is highlighted in the lesson plan and access to appropriate Ways of revealing gaps in knowledge and misconceptions have been organisation’s websites suggested. included. Individuals can show what they have learned either in writing frames, models, experiments or poems. Peer assessment is promoted so Lesson Planning that students clarify their own and others understanding in the process. It The lessons in this pack are designed to introduce children to Darwin’s would be helpful if children use a single notebook when working with these experiments in his garden and the countryside around Down House. A visit resources. Darwin looked back on his notebooks to refl ect on his ideas to the area would be particularly helpful because children will see how the and to gain inspiration and used effectively, for individual note making (not simplest of habitats, plants and animals were at the centre of Darwin’s work. classwork), they would provide teachers with a useful assessment tool. Thereafter the school ground, a local park or even wasteland may become the key to stimulating student’s interest in the distinctive value for local scientifi c Technology investigations. Darwin used simple scientifi c equipment. All schools have access to a If only one visit to Down House and Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory is microscope which is probably better than the one he used. Hand lenses are possible, students can be directed to concentrate on Darwin’s study, the helpful for seeing the things that might be overlooked out-of-doors. Digital wormstone, broad classifi cation of fruits and vegetables e.g. the many bean, cameras will be helpful especially if everyone in the class has opportunities to cabbage, gooseberry varieties in the garden and thinking about his work as use one. Website addresses have been included but children may need help they walk around the Sandwalk. A visit can stimulate questions and provide in locating specifi c information. Parents might be encouraged to engage in evidence of Darwin’s work to support the lessons that follow. Each unit uses science activities taken from the resources e.g. collecting and weighing worm themes which Darwin summarised in The Origin of Species. casts, and fi nding relevant information using the internet. Bromley Environmental Education Centre at High Elms (BEECHE) provides an additional environment for students to study and observe Darwin’s landscape. For further information email: environmental.education@bromley. gov.uk.
Unit 1 takes Darwin’s Study as its theme, because it was here that he wrote The Origin of Species. By recreating the space, placing scientifi c equipment in it and adding collections from their surroundings, children may clarify their
Introduction ideas about Darwin’s ways of working. The design process also has great potential to engage children in creative problem solving.
Unit 2 investigates how and why seeds move. In the chapter entitled Struggle for Existence, Darwin sets out the diffi culties plants have in colonising new territory. Those seeds exquisitely adapted to travel may have a slight advantage. If children can collect mud from Keston pond or a pond near their school they can follow Darwin’s germination experiment. Ducks may feature in a pond visit and they too facilitate seed dispersal. Those seeds attached to or inside a duck can fl y with it from the pond to some ‘foreign’ environment. By modelling seeds children can show their understanding of the basic principles of seed dispersal.
Unit 3 explores the world beneath our feet. In the fi nal paragraph of The Origin of Species Darwin mentions worms because they are crucial to the complex web of life. That something so small could also change the landscape fascinated Darwin. Children can do simple experiments and basic calculations to reveal the extent of worm activity locally. In this lesson too, children’s appreciation of their part in the continuation of the web of life Darwin described is explored.
Unit 4 asks children to consider how Darwin wrote about his fi ndings. As a piece of literature, the last paragraph of The Origin of Species is poetic and stirring. As a concept, Darwin’s ‘entangled bank’ underpins the study of ecology and biodiversity today.
Introduction Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory
Bromley Environmental Keston Education Centre at Common High Elms - BEECHE & Ponds
High Elms Country Park
Down House y e ll a V
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© Barry Small Time of year Darwin’s ways of working Any time. Timing 3 days work including Overview one day visit to Down House if possible. In 1842, fi ve years after returning from his Beagle voyage, Darwin moved from Equipment London to Down House in Downe village, now in the London Borough of Bromley. scientifi c equipment. The ‘Old Study’ at Down House is where he wrote The Origin of Species. This Resources lesson explores the study as a means of learning about Darwin’s ways of working post-it notes, and ends with pupils recreating the study in the classroom as an art project. paper, pens, ‘After fi ve years work [after the Beagle voyage] I allowed myself to Origin quotes, desktops/laptops with speculate on the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged internet access, in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions, which then seemed to me worksheet and sketchbooks. probable: from that period to the present day I have steadily pursued the Keywords same object.’ Introduction to The Origin of Species, 1859. Darwin’s study at Down House today scientifi c methods, sketching, Lesson outcomes ICT: design, • fi nd reliable information on the internet installation, at the end of this lesson children will be able to: exhibition and History: • describe Darwin’s ways of working Old Study. • describe and recreate Darwin’s study • researching lives of people in history; questioning; Skills development Victorian Britain • go through the design process for an art installation communication, Literacy: ICT, collaboration, Curriculum links • speaking and listening, understanding and responding to improving own learning others; team work and performance, Art: • scanning and skimming texts problem solving, • fi rst-hand observation; sketchbook skills, working in information processing, 2D and 3D; exploring a range of starting points • writing in different forms and contexts; review and comment reasoning and Science: enquiry. • thinking creatively; testing ideas; observation and experiment
Darwin’s ways of working:working: Unit 1 1 Lesson Sequence Main activity Split the class into 4 groups to investigate different parts Introduction of the room: Prior knowledge of Darwin. In small groups, children: • The oval table • write on a post-it note, one thing they know about • The square table Charles Darwin; • The pictures on the walls • stick these post-its on the wall and discuss what the • The bookcases (for more able pupils; the books cannot Darwin topic will cover. be seen clearly but these pupils could search on the internet for information about books in Darwin’s In the introduction to The Origin of Species, Darwin library) explains how he wrote his book. Read the quotation to the class. In small groups, children: Using Activity Sheet 2.1.1 provided, children write • write on a post-it what they would like to fi nd out down what they can see, what use they think was made about the way Darwin worked; of each object and what that tells us about Darwin’s ways of working. • stick the post-its on the wall next to things already known. Compare and discuss the post-its. It may Bring each group together away from the computers become clear that some questions need to be The oval table in Darwin’s study and ask them to discuss what individuals have seen. Ask rewritten or new questions added. Write these down them to come to an agreement about what the study tells us about Darwin’s and add them to the post-it wall; ways of working and report their fi ndings back to the rest of the class. • keep the post-its up to refer to during the lesson and at the end. Finish with a discussion of any objects or parts of the room that are unclear Make sure every pupil has access to a computer that can connect to the or that are diffi cult to interpret and ask pupils to identify what questions they internet. Introduce the class to Darwin’s study. want to fi nd the answers to on a visit to Down House or by searching the Go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/Darwin2009/index.html and ask internet. pupils to fi nd Darwin’s study. (Tip: Click on the Explore tab, Start the Tour and a map should come up Extension activity where you can click on the Old Study). For those who fi nish their computer work early, ask them to look around the By holding the left-hand mouse button and moving the mouse you can get study closely to fi nd other items that tell us about Darwin’s ways of working. a panoramic view of the study. Ask children for their fi rst impressions of the Ask them to keep a note of these extra items and report back to the class at room. the end of the lesson.
2 Darwin’s ways of workingworking:: Unit 1 Lesson Sequence continued The website of an exhibition put together by the American Museum of Natural History and was hosted by the Natural History Museum in London Outdoor Lesson from October 2008 has a video tour of Down House: www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/work/ If you can visit Down House There is a page devoted to his study: (This visit can be on the same day as the visit to the Sandwalk at Down House www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/work/where.php which was for Unit 4 in this series.) recreated for the exhibition. Each child has a sketchbook, an activity sheet and a copy of the questions they want to answer on their visit. Follow up Action • Allow one group at a time ten minutes in the study. Each looks at the Explain to the children that they are going to recreate Darwin’s study in the objects from their investigation in more detail. classroom. • Ask them to add detail to their Activity sheet and make some • Will it be in a corner or transform the whole classroom? sketches of objects. • Discuss how accurate the recreation needs to be. Do all • Each group can also visit other parts of the house to see if they the objects need to be recreated? Can some of the objects can get more clues elsewhere (Tip: Visit the Billiard Room be painted/modelled? Can pupils bring in similar objects and the fi rst fl oor). to those in Darwin’s study? (e.g. seashells, fossils, animal • Visit the garden and make sure each child walks around the bones, stones, snail shells, seed heads, plum stones). Sandwalk where Darwin went to think. • Each group designs a part of the study and labels their design with ideas about how each object will be recreated. Make sure they refer back to their Extension activity visit sketches. Ask the more able pupils to work out or fi nd out what the alcove in the corner of • Spend time in the next week setting up Darwin’s study. Darwin’s study was for. (Clue: Darwin had gastric problems for most of his life.) • Open Darwin’s study to other classes and ask the children to explain what the objects tell us about Darwin’s ways of working. What do you do if you can’t visit Down House? • Have a class discussion after the open day to review the methods and Use the Down House website to explore the rest of the ground fl oor: materials used to recreate Darwin’s study and whether they would change www.english-heritage.org.uk/Darwin2009/index.html anything or do some differently to make it more effective. There is also some information about Darwin from the homepage of that website. Another website to explore is www.darwinslandscape.co.uk Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) which has information about Down House and gardens under the heading Each child can make a guide book for a friend or more able pupils might do so ‘Where Darwin Worked’. for visitors of different ages like the reception class or governors.
Darwin’s ways of working:working: Unit 1 3 Activity sheet 2.1.1: Exploring Darwin’s study
Investigator: ...... The part of the study I am investigating: ......
ListÊ whatÊ youÊ canÊ see: SketchÊ oneÊ orÊ twoÊ ofÊ theÊ mostÊ interestingÊ objects
WhatÊ doÊ youÊ thinkÊ theÊ objectsÊ wereÊ usedÊ for?
AreÊ thereÊ anyÊ objectsÊ thatÊ you'reÊ unsureÊ whatÊ theyÊ areÊ orÊ howÊ theyÊ wereÊ used?
WhatÊ doesÊ thatÊ tellÊ usÊ aboutÊ theÊ wayÊ DarwinÊ worked?
4 Darwin’s ways of working:working: Lesson 1 Supporting Notes & PowerPoint PowerPoint Investigator: ...... The part of the study I am investigating: ...... Slides 1 and 2 show the old study where Darwin wrote The Origin of Introduction Species and quotations from it relevant to the way he worked. The composite slide (Slide 6) has the following ways of working: The 1-minute video of David Attenborough on the English Heritage website is a good way to start the pre-visit lesson (after the post-it note activity). Top row www.english-heritage.org.uk/Darwin2009/index.html Pollination experiments (he knew that there must be a means by which plants inherited their characteristics > weed patch experiment (struggle for Information about the books in Darwin’s library can be found here: life) > carnivorous plants (he fed them on various materials) > worm stone www.darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=A313&viewtyp measuring tool (see wormstone) > wild gooseberries (he was interesting in e=image&pageseq=1 Look at pages 11-18. selective breeding of fruit and vegetables) www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Darwin/captions.html Middle row Look at Cases 3, 9, 10 and 11. Thrum eyed and pin eyed Primulas grown in the garden (variation within a www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3620514/The-buccaneer-who- species) > small weed - struggle for life (see weed patch) > parasitic plants measured-the-world.html (toothwort grows at Down House) it has evolved with its host plant – co-evolution > the wormstone (the amount of soil brought to the surface by Make a note of the questions the class has generated and have the list ready worms) > Darwin bred pigeon to understand variability within a species for them to take on the visit or use with the website tour. Bottom row He studied orchid structure - Orchids in Downe Valley here again co-evolution took place > superfecundity of seeds (see weed patch experiment) > climbing plants in his greenhouse (different clinging methods and adaptation that helped plants reach the light and grow well) > The Sandwalk (his thinking path) > he grew a range of cabbages (54 varieties) in his garden to look at life cycles, pollination and variability in plants.
The fi rst run of 1250 copies were sold out on the fi rst day
Darwin’s ways of working:working: Unit 1 5 Supporting Notes & PowerPoint continued More quotes from the introduction of The Origin of Species for you to use
Ring 020 7499 5676 to book a visit to Down House. For details online, ‘When on board the H.M.S. Beagle as naturalist, I was much struck go to: www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1578 with certain facts in the distribution of the organic beings inhabiting Entry is free for education visitors. South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent.’ Follow up Action
Children should fi nd out that Darwin used many different scientifi c research ‘My work is now (1859) nearly fi nished; but as it will take me many methods. He: more years to complete it, and as my health is far from strong, I have • read many books by earlier scientists and thinkers that shaped his ideas, been urged to publish this Abstract.’ • observed, noted and sketched the interesting things he saw while on the Beagle voyage or around Downe in Kent and referred back to these later, ‘This Abstract, which I now publish, must necessarily be imperfect. I • collected animal and plant specimens and got other scientists and enthusiasts to send him specimens to study, cannot here give references and authorities for my several statements; and I must trust the reader reposing some confi dence in my accuracy.’ • experimented by using living plants and animals, • corresponded and talked with many scientists and enthusiasts in different fi elds to help him formulate his ideas and ‘I much regret that want of space prevents my having the satisfaction of acknowledging the generous assistance which I have received from • made notes, worked those up into an outline and then added detail to make a book. He didn’t write The Origin of Species all in one go. very many naturalists, some of them personally unknown to me.’
‘At the commencement of my observations it seemed to me probable that a careful study of domesticated animals and of cultivated plants would offer the best chance of making out this obscure problem. (That problem being natural selection)’
6 Darwin’s ways of workingworking:: Unit 1 Time of year Autumn & when plants are in seed. Seed dispersal Timing 2 x 1 hour lessons, a Overview 2 hour visit and a long-term experiment. On the Beagle Darwin thought about the plants he saw on both sides of the Equipment Atlantic Ocean and decided that they were similar in many respects. In the Kent science notebook, countryside he observed the ways in which seeds were dispersed. Some travelled digital camera, spoons, only a short distance from their parent plant and competed with it for light, plastic boxes and nutrients and water. Other seeds travelled further and could arrive, hundreds of plastic bags. miles away, in a place that had a different climate and soil and had to compete with Resources the plants that grew there already. Field Studies Council (FSC) identifi cation ‘Seeds are widely dispersed by various means, and some will occasionally charts, art/craft materials and be brought from distant stations, where their parents have grown under string. somewhat different conditions…from a more shady or sunny, dry or moist Keywords Dandelion seeds are transported by the wind place, or from a different kind of soil containing other organic or inorganic weather, matter.’ Charles Darwin, The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable wind, drought, kingdom, 1876. frost, waterlogging, food chain, Lesson outcomes Curriculum links theorising, fresh water and • children will fi nd evidence of Darwin’s ideas about why so Science: sea water. many seeds are produced, how seeds are distributed and • life processes common to plants include reproduction whether his conclusions are still valid Skills development • life processes in familiar animals and plants and the observation, environments in which they are found reasoning from • the life cycle of fl owering plants, including seed dispersal and evidence, germination argumentation and creativity. • different plants and animals found in different habitats; adaptation and competition Health & Safety pond visit.
Seed dispersaldispersal:: Unit 2 1 Lesson Sequence Outdoor Lesson If you can visit Keston Ponds Introduction Keston or Cudham Ponds could have provided the mud Darwin used in his Give out the picture of a duck (Activity Sheet 2.2.1). Individually, children germination experiment but mud from a school pond or local pond will work are given 3 minutes to mark on the duck in blue pencil/pen where ducks may too. Explain what Darwin did at the pond. carry seeds. Darwin’s instructions on how to collect pond mud: Starter activity ‘I took in February three table-spoonfuls of mud from three different points, beneath water, on the edge of a little pond.’ PowerPoint Darwin investigated how seeds moved from place to place. In pairs children Look at the plants around the pond and up to 5 metres away. Try to identify discuss the different distances seeds may travel according to the dispersal them. Find evidence of the animals using the pond (sightings and evidence method. They complete the luggage labels (Activity Sheet 2.2.2) and use e.g. feathers, tracks, droppings). string to tie the labels to a line across the classroom. Take photographs of ducks, droppings, or plants around the pond.
Plenary Make a table of the advantages and disadvantages of each method. In pairs, children use their duck picture again and, in a different colour, add more information about where the duck might be carrying seeds (outside and inside).
M a rs h M ar igold
Keston Ponds
2 Seed dispersal:dispersal: Unit 2 Lesson Sequence continued
Follow up Action
Long-term activity Treat the pond mud as Darwin did: ‘I kept it covered up in my study for six months pulling up and counting each plant as it grew; the plants were of many kinds, and were altogether 537 in number.’
If you could pull out the seedlings carefully and plant them in a seed tray the Seedlings growing in Darwin’s Greenhouse plants that grow can be identifi ed. How they came to the pond is a point for discussion. Long-term extension activity When all of the seeds have germinated, dry and weigh the mud. The mud Scientists in Darwin’s day thought that continents must have sunk. Islands Darwin collected ‘when dry weighed only 6 ounces.’ Why is the amount of in the ocean were thought to be the tops of mountains. Similar plants would soil important? grow right across the continent and so, when the sea drowned some of the land, similar sorts of plants would continue to grow on the edges of the new sea. Darwin thought this nonsense. Read the letter in the Gardener’s Short-term activities Chronicle (see Supporting Notes & PowerPoint page 7) and think about In groups children prepare a presentation about the pond visit and the how this experiment would help him to make his case. evidence they found regarding seed dispersal on, in or near the pond. Debate the idea that seeds cannot survive a journey across the oceans to Darwin was interested in how seeds could withstand sea water to populate reach land hundreds of miles away. islands. Using the data in the table, children complete the germination rates. They suggest how Darwin could conclude that: ‘some plants might under Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) favourable conditions be transported over ... the sea 300 or even more miles …and if cast on the shore of an island not well stocked with species, might Individually children use art materials to make a model of a seed that ‘they become naturalised.’ have discovered’ and explain how it is distributed.
Seed dispersal: Unit 2 3 Activity Sheet 2.2.1: Seed dispersal
Activity Sheet 2.2.2: Seed dispersal luggage label
Seed Name: ......
Travel by ......
Distance ...... metres/kilometres
Possible delays? ......
...... Supporting Notes & PowerPoint He theorised that if the bird died soon after eating the seed, this seed would remain viable. It takes from 12 to 18 hours for seed to pass into the gizzard. If the bird migrates during this time, seed could move hundreds of miles. In Introduction some cases ‘A bird in this interval might easily be blown to the distance of 500 The Duck: PowerPoint slide 2 and Activity Sheet 2.2.1. miles.’ But on average ‘We may safely assume that … their rate of fl ight would often be 35 miles an hour.’
PowerPoint At its new destination Darwin’s next observation is important ‘In the course Each of the slides can be used to generate questions. of two months, I picked up in my garden 12 kinds of seeds, out of the Slide 13 may help when reconsidering where ducks carry seeds. Ducks excrement of small birds, and these seemed perfect, and some of them, can trap seeds in the feathers and on their beaks. They carry mud which which were tried, germinated.’ may contain seeds on the underside of their feet and seeds can lodge on the webbed upper part of the foot. Migratory birds are mobile and carry seeds, they can take the seeds far from the parent plant and into a new environment entirely in a very short time. The Darwin made the following observations: ‘The crops of birds do not secrete big questions then are a) will the seed germinate, b) whether seedlings can gastric juice, and do not, as I know by trial, injure in the least the germination compete with plants that are established at the new site and c) if seeds do of seeds.’ germinate and grow, whether they can survive in this new environment.
Sketch of the insides of a duck Ducks may remove external seeds by preening, dropping mud and from weed they bring out of the water. The duck leaves its droppings, which may contain seeds, on the bank.
Other ways in which seeds cross oceans include travel on weed rafts, drift wood, on ships (and now aircraft) and some very large seeds fl oat e.g. coconut (inside its large green outer husk).
6 Seed dispersal:dispersal: Unit 2 Supporting Notes & PowerPoint continued Outdoor Lesson Pond visit Use the other PowerPoint slides to complete the following activity. (A view of Keston Ponds is on PowerPoint Slide 12) Luggage Label A differentiated exercise: each child fi lls in the label. Some dispersal methods Health & Safety - follow school and local authority guidelines on are easier to describe than others e.g. an acorn drops from the tree and visits that include being near water. All children should be given the bounces a few metres away or it can be buried by a bird a few metres or a few opportunity to take photographs. They can make notes, collect specimens kilometres away. e.g. leaves, seeds, and look for wildlife or collect evidence of wildlife.
In pairs, the children compare their labels and talk about the pros and cons of Extension activity their method. Children can be asked to think about how they would set up an experiment They turn their label over and on the top half they write one reason why it is to fi nd out whether they can answer Darwin’s question. Does sea-water kill a good dispersal method and one reason why it is not. On the bottom half of seeds? the label they draw a picture of the seed being dispersed. ‘I have begun making some few experiments on the effects of immersion in Plenary sea-water on the germinating powers of seeds, in the hope of being able to throw a very little light on the distribution of plants, more especially in regard Make a table of the advantages and disadvantages of each method. to the same species being found in many cases in far outlying islands and on the mainland. Will any Example of your readers be so kind as to inform me whether Examples: the wind blows seeds but there is no such experiments have already been tried? And, certainty that the seed will reach an ideal location to secondly, what class of seeds, or particular species, germinate. If an acorn stays near its parent plant then they have any reason to suppose would be eminently it has to compete for light but a sudden removal of an liable to be killed by sea-water? The results at which I oak tree allows acorns to germinate and grow rapidly. have already arrived are too few and unimportant to The soil conditions may be exactly right near the be worth mentioning.’ Charles Darwin, Gardener’s parent plant and moving away from this area could Chronicle. make germination or growth less likely.
Acorns
Seed dispersal: Unit 2 7 Darwin’s seed water experiment This is a potential maths activity If you decide to repeat this experiment with some of the seeds mentioned, the table can be extended where indicated to add (a) Germination rate for our experiment and (b) Observations on our germination rate. The saline solution is made with 1 litre of water to approximately 2 tablespoons sea salt.
Seed type Number of days Number that Germination rate (a) Observation on the (b) in salt water germinated (Darwin) germination rate
Red Pepper 137 30 out of 56 Came up well
Celery 137 6 out of 100
Oats 120 50 out of 100 Pretty well
Spinach 120 Not stated Very well
White broccoli 11 Not stated Came up excellently
White broccoli 22 All killed
Lettuce, carrot, 85 Not stated Very few germinated Cress, radish
Dwarf kidney 11 Not stated killed beans
Peas 14 Not stated killed
Darwin worked out that seeds will survive in sea water for 10 days on average Debate: Use all of the information in these 3 lessons to look at the and, with the help of ocean currents running at an average of 33 miles a day, a arguments for and against the proposition: Seeds cannot survive a journey seed could fl oat some 330 miles. across the oceans to reach land hundreds of miles away.
8 Seed dispersal:dispersal: Unit 2 Time of year Spring or autumn (not during drought or Worms frost). Overview Timing 3 x 1 hour lessons and Darwin investigated the place of living things in the formation of the an experiment taking 1 week. landscape. The amount of earth that earthworms bring to the surface can be judged by two methods; the rate at which objects left on the Equipment surface are buried, and more accurately by weighing the quantity science notebook, camera, brought up within a given time. Worm casts are then spread out more spoons, or less completely by the rain and wind. Earthworms not only transform plastic boxes and quadrats (or string to landscape but also take raw materials and turn them into nutrients that enclose a specifi c area). are taken up by plants to become part of their tissue. Plants are the Earthworm Resources source of almost all organic life. table 1 and identifi cation keys. Darwin wrote about earthworms as agents of change: ‘It is a marvellous refl ection that the whole of the superfi cial mould Keywords [soil] ….. has passed, and will again pass, every few years through the bodies of worms.’ Charles Darwin, The formation of weather, vegetables mould through the action of worms, 1881. drought, frost, water logging, food chain, digestion, Lesson outcomes Curriculum links decomposition, indicator and • children will appreciate that worms make small changes to Science: theorising. the landscape that lead to large changes over time • links between life processes in familiar animals and plants and Skills development the environments in which they are found observation, • food chains showing feeding relationships in a habitat reasoning from evidence and • living things and the environment need protection argumentation. Health & Safety hand washing after touching soil.
Worms:Worms: Unit 3 1 Lesson Sequence Outdoor Lesson Understanding worm activity Introduction For Darwin’s wormstone experiment (see Supporting Notes & PowerPoint). The tasks can be completed at Down House, in a local park or Starter activity school grounds. In pairs children use the words in Activity Sheet 2.3.1 to explain what is going on under their feet. (SEN groups can be given a selected set, G&T Task1: fi nding worm casts. In groups children look for and record where they groups use all). Everyone adds to the drawing of a soil profi le on Activity fi nd worm casts. They photograph the site and the worm cast. They collect a Sheet 2.3.2 and the resulting frieze is displayed. sample of a worm cast using a spoon and put it in a small plastic box.
Task 2: In groups they then look for worm casts in specifi c environments: PowerPoint • under a deciduous tree/hedge; Ask the children to think about each of the questions and how they might set up investigations to fi nd the answer. • under a coniferous tree/hedge; • in an open area of ground; • in a fl ower/vegetable plot and • in pots/containers.
Task 3: There is a regrouping so that someone from each of the different groups makes up new groups. They feedback their information and decide whether worm activity is different under different conditions and kinds of vegetation. These groups think about why they think this is happening Earthworm burrow (Observation, thinking about variables W wn orm casts on a la and theorising).
2 WormsWorms:: Unit 3 Lesson Sequence continued Creative activity using IT Make an internet search for worm facts e.g. Follow up Action www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfi les/416.shtml. tail How would children test Darwin’s ideas? • an investigation based on worms bringing soil to the surface One of these facts will be that an earthworm is • an investigation based on the effect of worms on soil fertility segmented. Make a segmented worm by creating fact a table about 6cm down an A4 page that has 12 fact Each group presents its proposal under these headings and the best ones are rows each 4cm wide and all 2cm deep except the attempted. 8th row down, make that 3cm deep. In each row fact type a worm fact from the search and in the 8th row write about the saddle. *Draw an elongated fact Extension activity rounded tail that will fi t on the end furthest from fact Role play/simulation (Activity Sheet 2.3.3). Children take part in the the saddle and a rounded head at the saddle end. activity as individuals representing the roles and the audience that votes or Write information about eyes and other head - fact groups take on the roles (more diffi cult when it comes to the vote). related facts on the head and add facts to the tail. Shade the table in brown making sure that the fact Everyone puts forward their views on the effect of decisions that humans writing is visible. Print the table onto thin card. fact make on wildlife. Cut out the table, making a small v-shaped cut at each of the intersections. Display the worms saddle The maths extension activity (page 7) applies maths to the movement of soil going head fi rst into burrows drawn on a long, in different environments. narrow sheet of brown wrapping paper at fl oor level. *If children fi nd this too diffi cult draw the head fact and tail separately, add the facts by typing them out and sticking them on the head and tail and attaching the head and tail with a paper fastener head to the main body.
Discuss the facts the children have found. Example of a segmented earthworm Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) Use Activity Sheet 2.3.1 again. Individuals then add to Activity Sheet 2.3.2 and the frieze is displayed again.
Worms:Worms: Unit 3 3 Activity Sheet 2.3.1
Words that help to show what is happening in the soil under our feet.
Worm cast Roots Worm Humus Burrow Water Bury Stem Leaf Grinding Bones Stones Nutrients Flower Seeds Dead plants Landscape Clay Twigs Snail shells Flowers Mole Oxygen Coins
4 Seed dispersal: Lesson 2 Activity sheet 2.3.2: Soil profile Activity Sheet 2.3.3: Moles in the park
A brief outline of the confl ict:Ê TheÊ parkÊ andÊ childrenÕsÊ 3.Ê TheÊ BoroughÊ CouncilÊ caresÊ forÊ theÊ parkÊ atÊ aÊ costÊ ofÊ £200,000Ê aÊ year.Ê ItÊ wantsÊ theÊ parkÊ toÊ beÊ wildlifeÊ friendlyÊ butÊ itÊ hasÊ toÊ takeÊ playgroundÊ hasÊ aÊ moleÊ problem.Ê TheÊ LÊ shapedÊ parkÊ hasÊ noÊ molesÊ accountÊ ofÊ healthÊ andÊ safetyÊ regulations.Ê IfÊ molesÊ areÊ creatingÊ aÊ inÊ theÊ playgroundÊ area,Ê onÊ theÊ shortÊ sideÊ ofÊ theÊ LÊ andÊ theyÊ onlyÊ healthÊ andÊ safetyÊ hazardÊ thenÊ itÊ mustÊ takeÊ action.Ê appearÊ toÊ beÊ atÊ theÊ veryÊ topÊ edgeÊ ofÊ theÊ LÊ shape,Ê furthestÊ awayÊ fromÊ theÊ playgroundÊ andÊ thisÊ areaÊ isÊ leastÊ usedÊ becauseÊ thereÊ isÊ 4.Ê TheÊ localÊ BiodiversityÊ ActionÊ GroupÊ wantsÊ theÊ molesÊ toÊ beÊ noÊ seatingÊ here.Ê SomeÊ peopleÊ wantÊ toÊ getÊ ridÊ ofÊ theÊ molesÊ toÊ makeÊ leftÊ inÊ peace.Ê MolesÊ areÊ onlyÊ inÊ theÊ parkÊ becauseÊ thereÊ areÊ plentyÊ theÊ parkÊ lookÊ neatÊ andÊ tidy.Ê WildlifeÊ groupsÊ areÊ againstÊ killingÊ ofÊ earthworms.Ê TheÊ molesÊ liveÊ inÊ theÊ leastÊ usedÊ partÊ ofÊ theÊ parkÊ molesÊ becauseÊ thereÊ areÊ fewerÊ habitatsÊ nowÊ forÊ molesÊ inÊ towns.Ê whereÊ fewÊ peopleÊ go.Ê TheÊ wholeÊ ofÊ thisÊ areaÊ couldÊ beÊ leftÊ forÊ wildlifeÊ becauseÊ thereÊ areÊ soÊ fewÊ wildÊ habitatsÊ leftÊ inÊ theÊ borough.Ê TheÊ meetingÊ isÊ toÊ discussÊ andÊ decideÊ whatÊ shouldÊ beÊ doneÊ aboutÊ ItÊ isÊ unlikelyÊ thatÊ theÊ molesÊ willÊ digÊ downÊ toÊ undermineÊ anyÊ treesÊ theÊ moles.Ê Ê becauseÊ earthwormsÊ usuallyÊ liveÊ withinÊ aÊ metreÊ ofÊ theÊ surfaceÊ andÊ theyÊ areÊ lessÊ likelyÊ toÊ liveÊ inÊ theÊ dryÊ areaÊ underÊ trees. 1.Ê PeopleÊ whoÊ useÊ theÊ parkÊ andÊ areÊ forÊ theÊ molesÊ stayingÊ sayÊ thatÊ theyÊ areÊ quiteÊ happyÊ toÊ shareÊ theÊ parkÊ withÊ molesÊ becauseÊ 5.Ê TheÊ LocalÊ gardenÊ clubÊ wouldÊ preferÊ theÊ molesÊ toÊ stayÊ inÊ theÊ theyÊ areÊ doingÊ noÊ realÊ harm.Ê Ê WhyÊ doesÊ theÊ parkÊ needÊ toÊ beÊ neatÊ parkÊ andÊ notÊ beÊ inÊ everyÊ gardenÊ aroundÊ about.Ê SomeÊ goÊ toÊ theÊ andÊ tidy?Ê EveryÊ weekÊ orÊ so,Ê humansÊ digÊ holesÊ toÊ plantÊ treesÊ orÊ parkÊ everyÊ yearÊ andÊ takeÊ theÊ soilÊ fromÊ moleÊ hillsÊ toÊ useÊ asÊ pottingÊ bulbsÊ butÊ molesÊ onlyÊ digÊ forÊ food.Ê compost because it is so fi ne and weed free. They suggest sowing grass seed on the fl attened mole hills to make the park look 2.Ê PeopleÊ whoÊ useÊ theÊ parkÊ andÊ areÊ againstÊ theÊ molesÊ sayÊ better.Ê TheyÊ thinkÊ molesÊ areÊ lessÊ likelyÊ toÊ goÊ intoÊ theÊ playgroundÊ thatÊ theÊ molesÊ makeÊ theÊ parkÊ lookÊ untidyÊ andÊ theyÊ donÕtÊ wantÊ toÊ becauseÊ theÊ soilÊ hasÊ beenÊ turnedÊ overÊ andÊ theÊ earthwormsÊ theÊ comeÊ toÊ seeÊ aÊ mess.Ê TheyÊ areÊ sureÊ thatÊ theÊ molesÊ willÊ undermineÊ molesÊ eatÊ haveÊ notÊ hadÊ timeÊ toÊ re-establishÊ themselvesÊ inÊ thatÊ soil. theÊ playgroundÊ orÊ trees.Ê TheyÊ sayÊ itÊ isÊ aÊ parkÊ notÊ aÊ wildlifeÊ reserve.
6 WormsWorms:: Unit 3 Soil Movement over time: maths extension activity
Place Worm casts Depth of soil that Depth Reasons for the difference from the taken from: would be added over in cm average 10 years
Maer Hall, Dry sandy grass 2.2 inches in 10 years Shropshire fi eld
Maer Hall Swampy land 1.9 inches in 10 years
Downe, Kent Pasture land 2.2 inches in 10 years
Downe, Kent Pasture on very 0.83 inches in 10 years poor soil on the side of a valley
Average depth of soil added over 10 years
In pairs convert inches to centimetres (2.5cm = 1 inch). Work out the average amount of soil that is added over a 10-year period. In the last column explain why you think that row varies from the average you have worked out. What could you do to improve the soils in the areas with below average movement of soil? (Tip: what conditions do worms like?)
Worms:Worms: Unit 3 7 Supporting Notes & PowerPoint Introduction The diagram (2.3.2) and words (Activity The wormstone Sheet 2.3.1) can be used at the beginning of the lesson to show what children Darwin, and his son Horace, invented a understand about soil. After the PowerPoint wormstone to measure the rate at which children might then add what they have earthworms displace soil. The worm learnt. They might colour the layers, add Darwin’s wormstone in his garden at stone was a round millstone 40-50cm in worms, a mole, animal bones and pottery Down House diameter placed fl ush with the ground. bearing in mind that the scale of the Long metal rods were driven into the diagram is approximately one third of actual size. The diagrams can make a ground through this hole. The rods don’t frieze around the classroom by matching up the worm burrows. move and act as a reference point to detect any movement of the stone. PowerPoint Each picture has some relevance to Darwin’s ways of working. See notes The wormstone was placed on a site beneath each slide. where earthworms were abundant. As each worm travelled under the stone it Follow up Action ingested a tiny amount of the soil. As The measuring device for the wormstone, made by Horace Darwin in 1878 • If tiles can be set out in the school grounds or even in a raised bed or fl ower many worms removed soil as they passed bed in September there could be some evidence that burial is beginning by under the stone it sank slowly into the ground. the following July. • Composting experiments using different materials. Regularly Charles and Horace measured the height of the stone in relation the top of the metal rod. At fi rst they found that Worms in a jar to show mixing. Layer the coloured sand and compost and nearby tree roots were pushing the stone up faster than the introduce the worms. Let the worms burrow into the soil for about 30 minutes action of the earthworms caused it to sink. So they moved the and then cover the jar with a box to keep out the light, only remove the box stone to a different place in the garden. In his book, Formation when feeding. Feed with material that would go into a compost bin and dead of Vegetable Mould (see www.darwin-online.org.uk/) leaves. Do not add water. Follow RSPCA guidelines on animal handling and Darwin tells us that the action of the worms caused the stone to care and keep handling to a minimum www.rspca.org.uk/ (go to education sink at a rate of 2.2 millimetres a year. Darwin estimated from homepage then FAQs). Health & Safety hand washing after touching soil. these fi gures that on every acre of his land some 18 tons of soil Moles in the park. Activity Sheet 2.3.3. Groups take on a role of a was brought to surface annually by the action of earthworms. participants or organisation. Allow about 5 minutes for them to decide their Recent UK research suggests that poor soil may support main objectives (they can add information e.g. parks and wildlife in general). 625,000 earthworms, per hectare and rich fertile farmland up to Each speaker (group) has 3 minutes to put the case for the organisation or 2,937,500 per hectare. Experiment to show individual. The audience votes to decide the outcome. that earthworms mix soil The class discusses the effect of their decision on wildlife.
8 WormsWorms:: Unit 3 Time of year Entangled bank Any time. Timing 3 days including 1 day Overview visit to Down House if possible. The entangled bank is an iconic image from The Origin of Species. Darwin Equipment often used a poetic writing style in his work. This lesson explores the techniques computer, Darwin used and modern poetic science writers. The lesson fi nishes with a printer, whole class poem about evolution. laminator and digital recorder. ‘When we look at the plants and bushes clothing an entangled bank, Resources we are tempted to attribute their proportional numbers and kinds to paper, pens, what we call chance. But how false a view is this!’ Charles Darwin, quote from Origin, The Origin of Species, 1859. notes about meaning, quotes from other science writers and Plants and bushes on Downe Bank coloured pencils.
Lesson outcomes Curriculum links Keywords poetic science, at the end of this lesson children will be able to: Literacy: writing styles and • analyse poetic science writing • group discussion and interaction; use action and narrative to poetry. • write creatively on the topic of evolution convey themes; use dramatic techniques to explore issues; Skills development evaluate effectiveness of performances communication, • recognise the effect of fi gurative language; consider poetic working with others, forms; read poems aloud reasoning, creative thinking and • plan and draft their own writing evaluation. Science: • review different methods of presenting science History: • impact of a signifi cant individual in Victorian Britain
Entangled bank:bank: Unit 4 1 Lesson Sequence Main activity Look at the Entangled Bank on the PowerPoint Slide 2 before reading the Introduction fi nal paragraph of the The Origin of Species with the class (see Supporting Notes & PowerPoint). Ensure everyone understands what Darwin means in It’s time to consider how Darwin wrote about his work. this paragraph, particularly the laws (spelt with capital letters). • Ask each pupil to write down one thing under each of these headings: How did Darwin do his work? Then start a discussion about Darwin’s writing technique. What kind of experiments did he do? What is he trying to get you to think about in the fi rst line of this paragraph? Is he successful? Why? What did he fi nd out? Why did he write certain words with capital initial letters? What was he trying • Ask them to rewrite their points in one of these different styles: to say about these words? newspaper article What do the children imagine when they read the last line of the paragraph? Ask everyone to make a picture (drawing, mood board, abstract) of these children’s science book thoughts. script for a radio programme Extension activity • Ask them to read out their fi nal piece and explain how writing it in Children could compare Darwin’s writing with the science books in the their chosen style made them think library. More able pupils could compare Darwin’s writing with modern differently about what they were science writers (See Supporting Notes & PowerPoint, Page 7). writing.
Discuss how these different styles get the information across in different ways. Which is most informative? Which is most persuasive?
Darwin’s writings were inspired by his observations such as a male digger wasp on a fl y orchid
Keston pond
2 Entangled bankbank:: Unit 4 Lesson Sequence continued What do you do if you can’t visit Down House? Set up your own thinking path in the school grounds or decide where you can Outdoor Lesson walk around a local park or wood. Darwin’s thinking path was a circular walk If you can visit the Sandwalk at Down House of about 500m around a small copse of trees surrounded by fi elds.
(This visit can be on the same day as the visit to Down House for Unit 1 in this When you have chosen your thinking path, ask your pupils to walk slowly series.) round it and follow the suggestions for using the Sandwalk . In the afternoon go to the far end of the garden Follow up Action and through the green door is the entrance to Explain to the children that they are going to write a class poem to explain the Sandwalk. Explain to evolution. In pairs they work on two lines of a poem to describe evolution the children that Darwin based on their idea from the Sandwalk. Suggest that they should try to use at walked here every day least one of these techniques to create very vivid imagery: to think through the • metaphor • alliteration discoveries he was • simile • rhyme making and how to write about them. Old image of Sandwalk Each line can be typed up, printed out and laminated while the pupils are drawing illustrations for their poem. Ask the children to walk slowly around the When the lines and drawings are ready, work with the class to mount them on Sandwalk in single fi le the wall. Experiment with lines and pictures in different places until everyone with three or four paces agrees the poem is fi nished. between each child. Everyone should think about what they have learned about Darwin and think of some ideas for a line of poetry to describe
New image of Sandwalk evolution.
Ask the children to write down their thoughts after their walk. These will be worked-up back in the classroom. Ask them to note down why they think Darwin walked around the Sandwalk so often. .
Entangled bank:bank: Unit 4 3 classroom toaddtheperformance.) voice toconveythepoem.(Tip: Recordsoundsonyourvisitoroutsidethe poem. They canaddactions,noises,expressionsanduse differenttonesof Split theclassintogroupsandaskthemtoprepareperformasectionof Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) any ofthepoetryclasshaswrittentobringideasalive? would theyrewriteitsowasclearertomodernreaders?Would theyinclude More ablepupilscanwritetheirownversionofDarwin’slast paragraph. How they perceiveit.(SeePowerPoint Slide5)whatdoyouthink? Everyone canwriteoneormoresentencesthatexplainanentangled bankas Extension activity 4 Entangled bank Entangled bank: Unit 4 how effectiveitwasatputtingacrossDarwin’sideas(Slide14). Children inothergroupsusetherubricanddiscusseachperformance in thegroupcontributes. Children ineachgroupthenperformtheirsection,makingsurethateveryone : Unit 4
Illustration of an entangled bank Assessment criteria rubric:
Criteria To a small extent To a moderate extent To a great extent
Pupils have represented Darwin’s ideas accurately
Pupils have used poetic techniques effectively
Pupils have contributed to an effective performance
Pupils have contributed to the evaluation of performances
Entangled bank: Unit 4 5 1 Refer back to seed dispersal (Unit 2) for instance, where plants often rely on Supporting Notes & PowerPoint animals to disperse seeds or to human reliance on worms (Unit 3) and the job they do. 2 Darwin meant that each offspring of a plant or animal is generally different from Final paragraph of The Origin of Species. its siblings or more distantly related individuals. Natural Selection happens when a slight variation gives an individual a real advantage over others in the struggle It is interesting to contemplate a tangled for life. bank, clothed with many plants of many 3 Refers to Darwin’s discovery that many more plants or animals are produced than kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, can survive and so compete with each other to sustain life. with various insects fl itting about, and with 4 Divergence of Character meaning animals and plants diverge over many years worms crawling through the damp earth, and into different species and replace those of its species that are less well adapted to refl ect that these elaborately constructed and suffer Extinction. forms, so different from each other, and 5 Darwin is referring to highly evolved, specialised animals e.g. woodpeckers, dependent upon each other in so complex hedgehogs, and humans. a manner1, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance Visit alternatives which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability2 from the indirect and direct action of the conditions of life, and from use and disuse: a Ratio of PowerPoint Slide 11 show an old photograph of part of the Sandwalk Increase3 so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to also available at www.darwin-online.org.uk/life19.html. Modern Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character4 and the Extinction of photographs are also on the PowerPoint Slides 12 and 13 and other photographs can be found at www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/ less-improved forms. This, from the war of nature, from famine and death, show/nav.14922/chosenImageId/6 the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals5, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with it’s several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fi xed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.
6 Entangled bankbank:: Unit 4 Supporting Notes & PowerPoint continued Richard Dawkins, 2005. The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life. Poetic science to compare with Darwin: Phoenix, London, p572. ‘You bipedal apes, you stump-tailed tree shrews,…. you newcomers on Stephen Jay Gould, 1989. Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History. the block, you eukaryotes1, you barely distinguishable congregations of Norton & Company, New York, p24. a monotonously narrow parish, you are little more than fancy froth on the These Canadian fossils [in the Burgess Shale] are precious because they surface of bacterial life. Why, the very cells that build you are themselves preserve in exquisite detail, down to the last fi lament of a trilobite’s gill, or the colonies of bacteria, replaying the same old tricks we bacteria discovered a components of a last meal in a worm’s gut, the soft anatomy of organisms. billion years ago. We were here before you arrived, and we shall be here after Our fossil record is almost exclusively the story of hard parts. But most you are gone’. animals have none, and those that do often reveal very little about their anatomies in their outer coverings (what could you infer about a clam from it’s shell alone?)
Edward O. Wilson 2001 The Diversity of Life. Penguin Books Ltd, London, p3.
In the Amazon Basin the greatest violence sometimes begins as a fl icker of light beyond the horizon. There in the perfect bowl of the night sky, untouched by light from any human source, a thunderstorm sends its premonitory signal and begins a slow journey towards the observer, who thinks: the world is about to change. And so it was one night at the edge of the rain forest north of Manaus, where I sat in the dark, working my mind through the labyrinths of fi eld biology and ambition, tired, bored, and ready 1 Eukaryotic cells are large, complex cells with walled nuclei and mitochondria that for any chance distraction make up the bodies of all animals and plants.
Entangled bank:bank: Unit 4 7 This publication has been produced by the London Borough of Bromley, Images and illustrations copyright of: supported by The Heritage Lottery Fund. English Heritage Steven J. Baskauf The World Heritage Team (Alister Hayes and Aimee Clarke), London Borough John & Irene Palmer of Bromley would like to thank all the contributors for their assistance. Barry Small John Ross Authors: Dr Sue Johnson Dr Sue Johnson Dr Dawn Sanders Dr Dawn Sanders Emma Newall Emma Newall Kim Biddulph Kim Biddulph London Borough of Bromley
Contributors: Design and layout by Nicky Coulton, The Design Studio, London Borough of The Charles Darwin Trust Bromley Randal Keynes English Heritage Please accept our apologies if we have missed naming you as a contributor. Bromley Environmental Education Centre at High Elms The London and Kent Wildlife Trusts Cudham CE Primary School Downe Primary School Newstead Wood School for Girls Charles Darwin School
Darwin’sAcknowledgements ways of working: Lesson 1 1 The London Borough of Bromley International Year of Biodiversity World Heritage Team www.biodiversityislife.net/ [email protected] www.darwinslandscape.co.uk Natural England www.naturalengland.org.uk The Charles Darwin Trust [email protected] London Wildlife Trust www.charlesdarwintrust.org www.wildlondon.org.uk
Bromley Environmental Education Centre at High Elms (BEECHE) Kent Wildlife Trust [email protected] www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk www.bromley.gov.uk/beeche Bromley Biodiversity Partnership The Home of Charles Darwin, Down House - English Heritage www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk 01689 859119: Down House 020 7499 5676: Schools bookings & information Downe Scout Activity Centre www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.14922 www.scouts.org.uk/sac/schools_navigation.php?pageid=2439
Further Information: Shaws Guide Camp Site www.cudhamguidecampsite.org.uk/ UNESCO Associated Schools A global network of schools promoting quality education. The UK network Cudham Environmental Activities Centre supports the integration of international perspectives in schools and promotes www.cudhameac.org.uk the values of UNESCO, including human rights, mutual respect and cultural diversity. Downe Residents’ Association www.unesco.org.uk/unesco_associated_schools www.downenews.com
Natural History Museum www.nhm.ac.uk/
Useful contacts