K20 LEARN | Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Summary

In this lesson, students will examine the facts associated with evolution, infer what fossilized remains can inform us about an organism, explore how evolution is influenced by an ever-changing environment, and construct a timeline of an organism change resulting from environmental factors or human impact over time. This is a multimodality lesson, which means it includes face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of the lesson. The attachments also include a downloadable Common Cartridge file, which can be imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas or eKadence. The cartridge includes interactive student activities and teacher's notes.

Essential Question(s)

How does environmental change impact evolutionary shift(s) on an organism’s genetic makeup?

Snapshot

Engage

Students answer guiding questions throughout the video about how mutations lead to the evolution of an organism.

Explore

Students determine an organism’s lifestyle based on its fossil remains.

Explain

Students analyze how evolutionary selection occurs.

Extend

Students analyze the environmental causes of an organism's evolutionary shift.

Evaluate

Students share their understanding of evolution by creating an evolutionary timeline of an organism.

Instructional Formats

The term "Multimodality" refers to the ability of a lesson to be offered in more than one modality (i.e. face-to-face, online, blended). This lesson has been designed to be offered in multiple formats, while still meeting the same standards and learning objectives. Though fundamentally the same lesson, you will notice that the different modalities may require the lesson to be approached differently. Select the modality that you are interested in to be taken to the section of the course designed for that form of instruction.

Face-to-Face

Materials

Set-up that allows videos and slide decks to be presented for everyone to view
Lesson Slides (attached)
Addie’s Story Video Questions handout (attached; one per student)
Addie’s Story S-I-T Activity handout (attached; one per student)
Extend Rubric (attached; one per student)
Sticky notes (one per student)

Online

Materials

Set-up that allows videos and slide decks to be presented for everyone to view
Common Cartridge (attached)
Lesson Slides (attached)
Addie’s Story Video Questions handout (attached; one per student)
Addie’s Story S-I-T Activity handout (attached; one per student)
Extend Rubric (attached; one per student)
Sticky notes (one per student)

Hybrid

Materials

Set-up that allows videos and slide decks to be presented for everyone to view
Common Cartridge (attached)
Lesson Slides (attached)
Addie’s Story Video Questions handout (attached; one per student)
Addie’s Story S-I-T Activity handout (attached; one per student
Extend Rubric (attached; one per student)
Sticky notes (one per student)

Hybrid

Engage (Face to Face)

75 Minute(s)

Go to slide 5. Inform students that they will be playing the game telephone. Pull the first student aside to whisper the following phrase, "The dodo birds were a flightless bird that laid one egg until humans arrived." That student will be asked to whisper that same phrase only one time to the next individual. students will continue to pass the message along until it reaches the last individual. That individual will tell the whole class what the phrase originally was.

Teacher's Note

As students are passing the phrase from person to person, be sure to walk around and interrupt the students as they are trying to pass the message. Intentionally target those that are trying to pass the message with questions like, "Hey Kim what did you do this weekend?" or "John how did the football game go this past Friday?" Some students may catch on that you are trying to mess them up intentionally but keep it going until the end. After the last individual tells the phrase to the entire class the class answer the following questions out loud:

What did each person in the call represent: The organism
What did the phrase represent: DNA
What did the the instructor represent: The environment
What did we notice happen to the phrase we started with and the one at the end?: It changed
What did we call that change in the last unit?: A mutation
And what did you notice that caused that change?: The environment

Point out that the dodo bird was a real bird that existed on Mauritius Island. Its extinction illustrates an evolutionary process. Share with students that the dodo bird became extinct for two reasons: (1) overhunting by humans — resulting in a dramatic change in their environment; and (2) their reproduction process. They were able to produce only one offspring (one egg) at a time, limiting the number of birds on the island at any one time. They rapidly became extinct when Portuguese sailors hunted them for food and destroyed their habitats.

Introduce the concept that a shift in an organism’s DNA and overall features is often a change that is enforced by their environment. This process is called evolution. The extinction of the dodo bird is an example of how the environment can significantly affect an organism or an entire species.

Take a minute to address general misconceptions of the word evolution. It is often misunderstood. This lesson does not focus on how life begins. What it does focus on, however, is change over time. When the lesson is complete, the students will understand that evolution is a very slow process, and the evidence that scientists have studied for many decades confirms that, while change in living species is slow, it definitely occurs and can be traced.

Pass out the attached Addie’s Story Video Questions handout, PBS’S Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria. Go to slide 6 and have students answer the questions as they follow along.

After viewing the video, pass out the attached Addie’s Story S-I-T Activity handout. Go to slide 7 and have students complete the S-I-T (Surprising, Interesting, Troubling) strategy. This task includes aspects of the Chain Notes Strategy as well. Instruct students to individually identify one surprising fact or idea, one interesting fact or idea, and one troubling fact or idea from the video and write them down on a piece of paper.

Next, have students swap their papers in an assigned group of 3-4 clockwise. Have students choose one of the three points made by the original writer and give an additional fact, idea, or correction through words or drawings. They should continue to pass and add to each paper until the paper gets back to the original writer. Have the groups read through all the responses they received from their classmates. Then, give them 5 minutes to discuss a summary of the main lesson they gathered from Addie’s video concerning evolution. Have one person from each group share their group’s summary.

Online

Engage

75 Minute(s)

Have students watch PBS Frontline's Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and answer the questions to the video in your learning management system (LMS) in a quiz format as they follow along. It is recommended that you give the students a couple of days to complete the video.

After students have completed the questions from the previous activity, introduce the S-I-T (Surprising, Interesting, Troubling) strategy. Ask students to use this strategy to create a discussion post in your LMS. Instruct students to include the following information in their discussion post:

Identify the following from the video:

One surprising fact or idea
One interesting fact or idea
One troubling fact or idea

Next, have students choose one of the three points made by a peer and give additional input to that fact or idea from the video. This peer response could be added through words or an image. Be sure to remind to students to follow proper netiquette when posting and responding to peers.

Face-to-Face

Engage

75 Minute(s)

Use the attached Lesson Slides to follow along with the lesson. Begin with slide 5. Share the guidelines for the game "Telephone" with students.

Pull the first student aside (if possible, into a hallway or other space where a conversation can be had at a normal level without being heard) and tell them the following phrase: "The dodo bird was a flightless bird that laid one egg until humans arrived" to the first student.
Instruct the first student to whisper the same phrase to the student next to them. They can only say the phrase once.
Have students continue whispering the message student-to-student until it reaches the last student.
Have the last student in the chain announce to the whole class what they heard.
Have students discuss changes in the phrase as a result of its being passed from person to person.

Teacher's Note: Playing Telephone

As students whisper the phrase from person-to-person, walk around and interrupt students as they are trying to pass the message. Intentionally target those who are trying to pass the message with questions like, "Hey Kim, what did you do this weekend?" or "John, how did the football game go this past Friday?"

Some students may catch on that you are trying to interrupt the message intentionally, but brush this off and encourage the next person to keep passing the message until every student has "heard" the whispered phrase. Ask the last student to state the phrase aloud to the entire class. After the student has announced the phrase, ask the following questions to the group:

What does each person in the circle represent? An organism
What does the phrase represent? DNA
What does the teacher represent? The environment
What happened to the phrase by the time it reached the last person in the circle? It changed
What did we call that change in the last unit? A mutation
What do you think caused that change? The environment

Point out that the dodo bird was a real bird that existed on Mauritius Island. Its extinction illustrates an evolutionary process. Share with students that the dodo bird became extinct for two reasons: (1) overhunting by humans — resulting in a dramatic change in their environment; and (2) their reproduction process. They were able to produce only one offspring (one egg) at a time, limiting the number of birds on the island at any one time. They rapidly became extinct when Portuguese sailors hunted them for food and destroyed their habitats.

Introduce the concept that a shift in an organism’s DNA and overall features is often a change that is enforced by their environment. This process is called evolution. The extinction of the dodo bird is an example of how the environment can significantly affect an organism or an entire species.

Take a minute to address general misconceptions of the word evolution. It is often misunderstood. This lesson does not focus on how life begins. What it does focus on, however, is change over time. When the lesson is complete, the students will understand that evolution is a very slow process, and the evidence that scientists have studied for many decades confirms that, while change in living species is slow, it definitely occurs and can be traced.

Pass out the attached Addie’s Story Video Questions handout for PBS’s Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria. Go to slide 6, and have students answer the questions as they follow along with the video. You may want to preview the handout before starting the video.

Teacher's Note: Stories in Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria

The video, Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, is 54.46 minutes long and is comprised of three separate stories.

The Narrator for the PBS Frontline video explains the importance of the video, which looks at three disparate events:

"This is the story of three seemingly disconnected events beginning at the same time. What they each have in common is a type of infection that is becoming impossible to treat, a type of infection that has triggered deadly outbreaks even at one of our most prestigious hospitals. It is a crisis that is spreading alarmingly fast, threatening everyone, even the healthy" (Frontline Transcript).

Consider watching only the first half of the video on day one. Stop the video at the midpoint and review the relevant questions. The questions address all three events captured in the video.

Story 1: Addison (Addie) Rerecich’s story introduces the video. Doctors could not explain how Addie’s infection began. Addie’s story pauses at minute mark 12.44. At minute-mark 48.22, Addie’s episode is concluded.

Story 2: David Ricci’s story begins at 12.45 minute-mark. David’s illness begins with an injury requiring amputation of his leg. Infected with a drug-resistant gene NDM-1, David was not expected to survive the multiple surgeries he had while on a missionary trip to India. When he returned home from India, doctors discovered his infection was the first of its kind in the United States. At minute-mark 46.33, David’s episode is concluded.

Story 3: The third story, which is not the story of one particular individual, begins at 22.06 minute mark. The third story, the story of another drug-resistant organism, explores the general spread of an organism known as KPC in a New York Hospital. This organism spreads mysteriously and is not contained in a single patient. Medical professionals and researchers explore the bacteria’s growing resistance.

At the 33-minute mark, pause the video and point out the following: "The petri dish shows a resistance test. Each white disc is a piece of paper infused with a different antibiotic. The clear area around the center disc shows that that antibiotic is effective against the bacteria being tested. The one on the left is partially effective, while the others show the bacteria is resistant to those antibiotics because it has grown right up to the disc."

After viewing the video, pass out the attached Addie’s Story S-I-T Activity handout. Go to slide 7 and have students complete the handout using the S-I-T (Surprising, Interesting, Troubling) strategy. This task includes aspects of the Chain Notes Strategy as well. Instruct students to individually identify one surprising fact or idea, one interesting fact or idea, and one troubling fact or idea from the video.

Once each student has identified their S-I-T facts or ideas, have them pass their papers clockwise. Each student will add to their group members’ list. When the paper gets back to its original writer, have groups draft a summary of the main lessons regarding evolution they gleaned from the video. Select one student to share their group’s summary.

Face-to-Face

Explore

30 Minute(s)

Go to slide 8. Announce to the students that they will use a photo deconstruction strategy to learn about an organism based on close observation and analysis.

Give each student a sticky note and instruct them to write down what they infer about the characteristics of the organism on the following slide:

What do you think this organism might have eaten? Why?
Where do you think this organism might have lived? Why?
What animal do you think this organism is related to? Why?

Show slide 9, which contains the fossil photograph. After students have analyzed the photograph, have them place their sticky notes on the projector screen, smartboard, or whiteboard around the picture. Share what each student has written.

After students have shared their inferences, share with them the scientific information about the organism on the slide: "Fossilized ancient lizard shows how dinos evolved to live in the oceans." This link is also found in slide 9’s footnote.

Teacher’s Note

You can use Nearpod for the same effect. Give students roughly 5-10 minutes to add their initial post, and then 10 minutes to respond to a peer. Be sure to have students add their names or initials next to their posts and peer responses. If you like, after the discussion, you can share the true origin of this fossil, the extinct Vadasaurus herzogi lizard to allow students to compare their observations to those of researchers:

Meet Vadasaurus, a foot-long, ancient swimming reptile

John Hopkins University Staff. (2017, December 07). Meet Vadasaurus, a foot-long, ancient swimming reptile. https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/12/07/vadasaurus-reptile-fossil/

Vadasaurus herzogi

Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. (1993). Vadasaurus herzogi. https://www.mindat.org/taxon-9398973.html

Fossilized ancient lizard shows how dinos evolved to live in the oceans

Micu, A. (2017, November 08). Fossilized ancient lizard shows how dinos evolved to live in the oceans. https://www.zmescience.com/science/ancient-lizard-dino-evolve-ocean-0432/%C2%A0

Online

Explore

30 Minute(s)

This assignment can be completed in Nearpod or in a discussion board in your LMS. Students should use a modified version of the Photo Deconstruction strategy. Have students view a photo of a fossilized organism (one provided by you or one of their choosing) and infer about this animal’s lifestyle based on its fossil (e.g. what it might have eaten, what area it may have lived, what animal it could be related to and why). Students should then view three classmates’ responses and add their own replies that elaborate on their peers’ opinions. Consider also showing a side-by-side fossil of an organism today compared to the fossil of its ancestor for students to note differences. Have them infer what may have caused that change.

Teacher's Note: Completing as a Class

If completing as a class: Clear up some potential misconceptions or emphasize any comments that are aligned to the standard. Recognize comments that are being stated multiple times—this could be an indicator that you may not need to spend much time later in the lesson on explaining it.

If students are completing this activity on their own, you can use Nearpod to the same effect. Give a date & time for the initial post and peer response post. Be sure to have students add their names or initials next to their post and peer responses. If you like, after the discussion, you can share the true origin of this fossil, the extinct Raphus cucullatus, dodo bird, to allow students to compare their observations to those of researchers:

Why the Dodo Deserves a New Reputation
- Huizen, Jennifer. (2015, October 26). Why the Dodo Deserves a New Reputation. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/why-dodo-deserves-new-reputation

Hybrid

Explore (Online)

30 Minute(s)

This assignment can be completed in a program called Nearpod, or a discussion board in your LMS. Students should use a modified version of the Photo Deconstruction Strategy. They should view a photo of a fossilized organism that is given or one of their choosing, and infer about this animal’s lifestyle based on its fossil, ie. what it might have eaten, what area it may have lived, what animal do they think it’s related to and why, etc. Students should then view three classmates and add a response that elaborates on their peer’s opinions. You could also show a side by side fossil of an organism today compared to the fossil of its ancestor and have students notice the differences and infer what may have caused that change.

Teacher's Note

If completing as a class, clear up some potential misconceptions or emphasize any comments that are aligned to the standard. Recognize comments that are being stated multiple times, this could be an indicator that you may not need to spend much time later in the lesson on explaining it.

If students are completing this activity on their own, you can use Nearpod to get the same effect. Give a date & time for the initial post and peer response post. Be sure to have students add their names or initials next to their posts and peer responses. If you like, after the discussion, you can share the true origin of this fossil, the extinct Raphus cucullatus, dodo bird, to allow students to compare their observations to those of researchers:

Why the Dodo Deserves a New Reputation
- Huizen, Jennifer. (2015, October 26). Why the Dodo Deserves a New Reputation. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/why-dodo-deserves-new-reputation

Hybrid

Explain (Face to Face)

15 Minute(s)

Go to slide 10 and introduce students to the Nova Labs video "Evolution 101." Open this video from a browser—the PBS link cannot be posted in the slide deck.

This video lasts 4:47 minutes. Stop at the 4:23 mark, where the substance of the video ends.

After watching the video, go to slide 11. Explain the concept of Collaborative Word Clouds to the students. Direct them to Mentimeter, where the class can collaboratively create a word cloud.

Guide the students in choosing one or two words that communicate the overall concept or theme about evolution from the Evolution 101 video.

Key in and elaborate on the main points the groups make. Ask them to comment on what words are used most frequently. Elaborate on the major points made by each group.

Online

Explain

15 Minute(s)

Have students watch an Edpuzzle on Evolution 101 and answer the questions throughout. You will need to assign the Edpuzzle to the students so that they are not accessing the editable version with answers. At the end of the video, students should be directed to Mentimeter to create a word cloud. Students should contribute one or two words that express an overall concept or theme based on what they gathered about evolution from this video.

Face-to-Face

Explain

15 Minute(s)

Go to slide 10 and introduce students to the Nova Labs video "Evolution 101." Open this video from a browser—the PBS link cannot be posted in the slide deck.

This video lasts 4:47 minutes. Stop at the 4:23 mark, where the substance of the video ends.

After watching the video, go to slide 11. Explain the concept of Collaborative Word Clouds to the students. You may direct them to Mentimeter, where the class can collaboratively create a word cloud.

Guide the students in choosing one or two words that communicate the overall concept or theme about evolution from the Evolution 101 video.

Key in and elaborate on the main points the groups make. Ask them to comment on what words are used most frequently. Elaborate on the major points made by each group.

Face-to-Face

Extend

60 Minute(s)

Go to slide 12. Explain to your students what a timeline is and what it can show about an organism or a species. Assign them to develop a timeline of an organism (plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, protist) of their choice using a program such as Adobe Spark or any other program of their choosing. Your students will need to show the following:

How the organism has evolved over time in at least three different periods.
What the environmental conditions and factors were that may have caused an evolutionary shift during each time period.

Go over the instructions and Extend Rubric to make sure students know what is expected of them.

Online

Extend

90 Minute(s)

Invite students to develop a timeline of an organism (plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, protist) of their choice. A program such as Adobe Spark can be used for this activity. Students will need to show:

How the organism has evolved over time in at least three different periods.
What the environmental conditions and factors were that may have caused an evolutionary shift during each time period.

Have students share their findings with the class.

Hybrid

Extend (Face to Face)

90 Minute(s)

Go to slide 12. Invite students to develop a timeline of an organism (plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, protist) of their choice. A program such as Adobe Spark can be used for this activity. Students will need to show:

How the organism has evolved over time in at least three different periods.
What the environmental conditions and factors are that may have caused an evolutionary shift during each time period.

Have students share their findings with the class.

Hybrid

Evaluate (Online)

2 Minute(s)

Go to slide 13. Instruct students to complete the I Used to Think... But Now I Know activity. Have students respond to the prompt in Padlet, comparing what they used to think about evolution with what they now know. In addition, ask students to respond to at least two of their classmates’ posts.

Online

Evaluate

2 Minute(s)

Go to slide 13. Instruct students to complete the I Used to Think... But Now I Know activity. Have students respond to the prompt in Padlet, comparing what they used to think about evolution with what they now know. In addition, ask students to respond to at least two of their classmates’ posts.

Face-to-Face

Evaluate

2 Minute(s)

Go to slide 13. Instruct students to complete the I Used to Think... But Now I Know activity. Have students respond to the prompt in Padlet, comparing what they used to think about evolution with what they now know. In addition, ask students to respond to at least two of their classmates’ posts.

Resources

Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. (1993). Vadasaurus herzogi.
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-9398973.html
John Hopkins University Staff. (2017, December 07). Meet Vadasaurus, a foot-long, ancient
swimming reptile.
https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/12/07/vadasaurus-reptile-fossil/
K20 Center. (n.d.). S-I-T. Strategies. https://learn.K20center.ou.edu/strategy/926
K20 Center. (n.d.). Chain notes. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy 52
K20 Center. (n.d.). Edpuzzle. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/622
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1077
Micu, A. (2017, November 08). Fossilized ancient lizard shows how dinos evolved to live in the
oceans.
https://www.zmescience.com/science/ancient-lizard-dino-evolve-ocean-0432/%C2%A0
PBS Online: Nova Labs. (2020). Evolution 101.|WBGH Educational Foundation.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs//lab/evolution/research#/chooser
Young, R. (2013, October 23). Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria.|PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/hunting-the-nightmare-bacteria/

Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Biology

Summary

Essential Question(s)

Snapshot

Instructional Formats

Materials

Materials

Materials

Engage (Face to Face)

Engage

Engage

Explore

Explore

Explore (Online)

Explain (Face to Face)

Explain

Explain

Extend

Extend

Extend (Face to Face)

Evaluate (Online)

Evaluate

Evaluate

Resources

Publisher

Downloads

Standards

Facilitator Resources

Learner Handouts

Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Summary

Essential Question(s)

Snapshot

Instructional Formats

Materials

Materials

Materials

Engage (Face to Face)

Engage

Engage

Explore

Explore

Explore (Online)

Explain (Face to Face)

Explain

Explain

Extend

Extend

Extend (Face to Face)

Evaluate (Online)

Evaluate

Evaluate

Resources

Publisher

Downloads

Standards

Facilitator Resources

Learner Handouts

Related Resources