Unit Plan Template

EvolutionEvolution UnitUnit PlanPlan

Unit Author First and Last Name: Ryan Hunt School District: Middletown Public Schools School Name: Middletown High School School City, State: Middletown, CT

Unit Overview Unit Plan Title: Evolution of Organisms Curriculum-Framing Questions Essential Question Why do organisms evolve? 1. What factors cause adaptations in organisms? 2. How did Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution? Unit Questions 3. Why do some organisms go extinct while others survive? 4. How does the process of natural selection influence evolution? Unit Summary: The main part of this unit is to examine the theory of evolution. Students will discuss how Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution after his trip to the Galapagos Islands. From here, students will explain what factors, including natural selection, cause organisms to change, or adapt, over time. Finally, the process of extinction will be examined, and students will try to explain why some organisms go extinct while others survive. Subject Area(s): Click box(es) of the subject(s) that your Unit targets Business Education Drama Other: Engineering Foreign Language Other: Home Economics Industrial Technology Other: Language Arts Math Music Physical Education School to Career Science Social Studies Technology Grade Level: Click box(es) of the grade level(s) that your Unit targets K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12 ESL Resource Gifted and Talented Other:

I N T E L ® T E A C H T O T H E F U T U R E with support from Microsoft ©2000 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved 1 Targeted State Frameworks/Content Standards/Benchmarks: CT Content Standard 5: Relationships of Structure and Function 1. Understand that the present diversity of life is a result of natural selection and other evolutionary processes that have been at work for long periods of time. 2. Describe why diversity in a species is important for its survival in a changing environment. Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes: 1. Create a timeline showing the order in which life evolved on Earth. 2. Explain how Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution. 3. Explain the factors that require an organism to adaptation. 4. Create an imaginary scenario in which one organism goes extinct and one survives. 5. Identify three examples of vestigial organs/structures. Procedures: The unit will begin with an examination of the evidence behind evolution, particularly adaptations. On the second day, Charles Darwin and his voyage to the Galapagos Islands will be discussed, and the students will take perform an internet scavenger hunt that will recreate Darwin’s experiences. Over the third and fourth days, natural selection will be the main focus. A power point demonstration will be used to deliver the notes to the students and a “Survivor” type game will demonstrate how natural selection works. The fifth day will have students doing a creative writing assignment in class, using their knowledge of natural selection to explain a fictional species’ formation. Day six will have the students examining biochemical evidence for evolution as well as pondering bacterial evolution. Days seven through nine will have the students researching “living fossils” and creating a newsletter or brochure to explain their findings. Finally, days ten through twelve, the students will create a time line of the Earth’s major evolutionary events as either a power point presentation or a web site. Approximate Time Needed: Twelve 45-minute class periods. Prerequisite Skills: Students should have prior knowledge of classification

Materials and Resources Required For Unit Technology – Hardware: (Click boxes of all equipment needed) Camera Laser Disk VCR Computer(s) Printer Video Camera Digital Camera Projection System Video Conferencing Equip. DVD Player Scanner Other: Internet Connection Television

Technology – Software: (Click boxes of all software needed.)

I N T E L ® T E A C H T O T H E F U T U R E with support from Microsoft ©2000 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved 2 Database/Spreadsheet Image Processing Web Page Development Desktop Publishing Internet Web Browser Word Processing E-mail Software Multimedia Other: Encyclopedia on CD-ROM Daniel, L., Hummer, Jr., P. J., and Kaskel, A. (1999). Biology: An Everyday Experience. Westerville, OH: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. Printed Materials: Microsoft Corporation. 2002. In Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2002 [CD-ROM]. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Supplies: None. http://www.glenn.morton.btinternet.co.uk/transit.htm Internet Resources: http://www.google.com http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/crocs/dinosaurs/dinosaurs2.html Others: None.

Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction Resource students will be able to do most activities without extra time or assistance. For the two projects, students will be Resource Student: given a storyboard for the power point presentation, newsletter, and/or web site, and will be allowed extra time, if needed. Non-native English speaking students will be allowed time Non-Native English outside of class to work with their ESL teachers on this Speaker: assignment. If alternate language web sites dealing with the material can be found, they will be encouraged to use them. Gifted students will be encouraged to add more events to their Gifted Student: power point presentations and find three theories to their organism’s survival for the web site/newsletter. Grades for the assessments will be based upon observation of Student Assessment: work habits, and the final products of the power point presentation and newsletter / web site. Evolution, adaptation, Charles Darwin, extinction, natural Key Word Search: selection, fossil, species.