A UNIT PLAN
FOR TEACHING EVOLUTION IN A HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY CLASS
By Maria Jose Agurcia
Another
requirement of the MAT program is the completion of a unit plan. This consists of a series of related lesson plans
and a final assessment at the end of the “unit.” My
unit is on evolution, so all six of my lessons were weaved together by this
topic. The table of contents that
follows will link you to the different components of a Unit plan:
Table of
Contents:
1. Philosophy on teaching Evolution to High School Students
3. General
Learning Outcomes and Goals
4. Specific
Lesson Objectives and Chronology of Lessons
5. Resources
and References required
6. Detailed Lesson Plans and Strategies used to achieve
objectives
7. Strategies
to achieve objectives for Lessons 5-6
8. Evaluation of Student Learning:
10. Reflection on the Finished Unit
Philosophy on Teaching Evolution
The teaching of Evolution has been a difficult and
controversial issue for decades. The many preconceived ideas and misconceptions
among students regarding evolution present many challenges for high school
biology teachers. Despite these difficulties, it is imperative that students
learn the significance of evolution to biology.
Evolution is one of the most powerful ideas ever to
emerge from science, and it is the very foundation upon which biology is built
today. It is unfortunate that it is also one of the most misunderstood concepts
of biology. It is my personal belief that the nature of faith in one's religion
and believing in the process of evolution are not mutually exclusive. Many have
found it quite simple to believe in both. It is absolutely necessary to teach
evolution in a biology course—it seems impossible to me not to teach such a
unifying theme.
As a biology teacher, I am deeply committed to fostering
an appreciation of the natural world around us. I am also determined to
encourage students to appreciate and understand the role of science in our
society. I believe that teaching Evolution is a critical if not necessary part
of the biology curriculum, and I hope that learning about evolution will help
illumine the minds of my students. Back to top.
Background Information
I.
Grade Level: This Unit
Plan is intended for a standard or an honors high-school biology class. This
may include 9th-12th graders.
II. Time Period Required for Unit: Fourteen 55-minute class periods.
III.
Lessons: The Unit contains a total of 6 lessons. Note: Each
lesson requires more than one 55-minute class period. Some lessons require up
to four class periods.
IV.
Miscellaneous information:
·
The unit will require student access to the internet.
·
Students will also be given a two-page Evolution Glossary adopted from the
PBS Teacher’s Guide to Evolution (see references). Back
to top.
General
Learning Outcomes and Goals
Goals: How do I want this Unit to change
my students?
I hope that after learning about Evolution, my
students will have a greater appreciation for the history of life on earth as well
as the implications of evolution to our future. I hope to foster an
understanding of the historical figures and scientific discoveries that lead to
our understanding of evolution, and how/why evolution matters today. Back to top.
Specific
Lesson Objectives and Chronology of Lessons
Note: Many of these lessons go on for
more than one day. This is why you may find that there are several objectives
for each lesson.
LESSON
1: Natural Selection and Charles Darwin
Periods
required to achieve lesson objectives (PRAO): Three
55-min. periods.
1. Students will understand who Charles
Darwin was and how he
used the processes of science to support
his theory of Evolution.
2.
Students will recognize
3. Students will summarize and
distinguish the processes of natural and artificial selection.
4. Students will explain how the
structural and physiological adaptations of organisms relate to natural
selection. They will be able to give
three examples of each.
LESSON
2: The Evidence for Evolution
PRAO: Three 55 min. class periods.
1. Students will understand that the
fossil record shows increasing diversity and large scale changes over time.
2. Students will distinguish among the
other types of evidence for evolution and evolutionary relationships between
different species.
3. Students will identify the different
types of fossils and how they are formed.
4. Students will summarize the major
events of the geologic time scale.
5.
Students will recognize why there are gaps in the fossil record.
LESSON
3: Mechanisms of Evolution: How does Evolution Work?
PRAO: Two 55 min. periods.
1. Students will summarize the effects
of different types of natural selection on gene pools.
2. Students will relate the changes in
genetic equilibrium to mechanisms of speciation.
3. Students will explain the role of
natural selection in convergent and divergent evolution.
LESSON
4: The Origin of Life
PRAO: One 55 min. period.
1. Students will analyze the early
experiments that support the concept of biogenesis.
2.
Students will relate hypotheses about the origin of cells to the
environmental conditions of the early earth.
LESSON
5: Primate Evolution
PRAO: Three 55 min. periods.
1. Students will recognize the
adaptations and characteristics of primates.
2. Students will distinguish between the
diversity of living primates and their evolutionary relationships.
3. Students will compare and contrast
the adaptations of austrolopithecines with those of
apes and humans.
4. Students will summarize the major
anatomical changes in hominids during human evolution and understand the early
migration patterns of hominids.
LESSON
6: Why does Evolution Matter Now?
PRAO: One 55 min. period.
1. Students will understand how natural
selection creates antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Back to top.
PRIMARY
REFERENCES
Textbook: Biology,
The Dynamics of Life. The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.
Laboratory Manual: Biology,
The Dynamics of Life. The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.
Video: Biovideo: Evidene for Evolution. Carolina Biological
Supply Company, 2700 York Road, Burlington, North Carolina. (for information on
ordering Carolina videos in call 1-800-227-1150)
PBS Teacher’s Guide, Evolution: www.pbs.org/evolution, 2002.
Other References Used:
Darwin, Charles. On The Origin of
Species, First Ed. Facsimile.
The Presidents and fellows of Harvard College
Darwin, Charles.
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, Nora Barlow ed. W.W. Norton and Company.
Brown,
Janet. Voyaging.
Jastrow, Robert. The Essential
Darwin. Boston: Little Brown and
Co., 1984.
Ridley,
Mark. The Darwin Reader. New York: Norton and Company, 1987
DETAILED
LESSON PLANS
Lesson 1: Natural Selection and Charles Darwin
Periods
required to achieve lesson objectives (PRAO): Three
55-min. periods.
Objectives:
1. Students will understand who Charles Darwin was and
how he used the processes of science to support his theory of Evolution.
2. Students will recognize Darwin’s contribution to
biology.
3. Students will summarize and distinguish the
processes of natural and artificial selection.
4. Students will explain how the structural and
physiological adaptations of
organisms relate to natural selection. They will list
three examples of each.
Materials:
·
On previous day, I handed out their
Glossary of Evolution terms along with assignment sheet. Click here to see the
assignment sheet.
·
Copies of different writing by or of
Charles Darwin to show students and for literature circles: “Darwin makes the
front page.”
·
Guided Notes for 20-minute lecture
(transparency and copy for students).Click here to see the guided notes.
·
Index Cards for Anticipatory Set.
·
Biology laboratory manual (see
references).
·
Pictures of camouflaged organisms.
Days one and two:
Anticipatory
Set: Fifteen minutes and into lecture…
Students will
pair up with their neighbors to come up with two things they think they know
about Charles Darwin and/or natural selection, and two things they want to know
about Charles Darwin and natural selection. The teacher may provide guidance to
the students and ask them to think about “the five w’s:”
(who, what, where, when, how). After five minutes of brainstorming by the
students the class will compile a list of presumed facts (what they know) and
questions. These will be condensed and written on the board and kept for future
reference throughout the lesson.
Instructional
Input: Thirty
minutes
Notes/Lecture
given by teacher (see appendix for a sample of the guided notes used for this
lecture). As my skeleton for this lecture, I used the information from the
anticipatory set. I let this activity dictate where I took the lecture.
Depending on the interests of the students, I modified my notes to fit their
interests. However, the students still received a two-page handout containing
important background information as well as the KEY concepts they needed to
learn and understand.
Guided
Practice: Day Two: 40 minutes.
“Darwin makes the front page.”
Students will be grouped into
newspaper staff teams of three.
ü
Students are assigned roles: Editor, Book Critic, and Cartoonist.
ü
As a group, students will create the front page of a Victorian
newspaper. Their page must contain a creative title and headline, an editorial
describing the public’s response to the publication of the Origin of Species, a
Book Review (summary) of the ideas posed in the Origin, and a cartoon that
illustrates evolution.
ü
See samples of student work in Appendix for an example of the project.
ü
Students will create posters (on legal sized paper).
ü
Samples of newspaper pages will be given as
models.
The
teacher will walk around the room and give appropriate guidance at all times. The teacher should constantly check for student
understanding, encourage inquiry, and lead the students in the right direction.
Independent
Practice: (Homework assigned on Day One, due on days 3 and 4).
·
Students read pgs. 400-407 in their textbook and answer the questions
to the Problem Solving Lab on pg. 407: “Interpreting Data: How can Natural
Selection be Observed?” (See samples of student work).
·
Students will write a letter from the point of view of Charles Darwin
to a family member, friend, or teacher telling them about his discoveries
and/or observations while on the Beagle. Students must incorporate the
knowledge they have gained from the lesson as well as their textbook and notes
as a guide for writing the letter.
Day Three:
Anticipatory
Set: Five minutes
Analogies: The teacher will give examples of
adaptation and natural selection to inorganic, manmade things. These analogies
will help students see how things change through time, how they become better
adapted to the environment, and how certain varieties replace other varieties.
The misconception that “new species” are “better than” their ancestors is a
misconception that will be cleared up here: It is not that the “new” species
and varieties are better; they were simply better adapted to the changing
conditions. Examples: MUSIC recording devices, CARS, Televisions.
Instructional
Input: Five minutes
Explanation
and modeling of Laboratory Exercise.
The
teacher will briefly go over the instructions for the day’s laboratory
activity: “How is Camouflage an Adaptive Advantage?” Click on the following links for a copy of
the lab: Page
1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4
Guided
Practice: 35 minutes
Laboratory
Investigation: “How is Camouflage an Adaptive Advantage?” See Appendix for a
detailed sample of the laboratory and its data sheets.
Closure
and Checking for understanding:
·
Students will turn in their completed laboratory assignments.
·
Problem Solving Lab
·
Letter from
LESSON 2:
The Evidence for Evolution
PRAO: Three 55 min. class periods.
Objectives:
1. Students will understand that the fossil record
shows increasing diversity and large scale changes over time.
2. Students will distinguish among the other types of
evidence for evolution and evolutionary relationships between different
species.
3. Students will identify the different types of
fossils and how they are formed.
4. Students will summarize the major events of the
geologic time scale. They will be able to list and describe the major eras.
5. Students will recognize why there are gaps in the
fossil record.
Materials:
·
Video: Evidence for Evolution
·
Fossil specimens
·
Adding machine tape, colored pencils or
markers, and meter stick for Geologic Time line laboratory
Day Four:
Instructional
Input: 40 minutes
Video: Evidence for Evolution
Guided
Practice: 40 minutes
The video
is accompanied by a series of questions that will help students stay
focused
on the video. The questions also help reinforce the most important
concepts
and unifying themes.
Day Five:
Anticipatory
Set:
“Becoming
a Fossil” (adopted from the PBS teacher’s guide to Evolution). For three minutes
students will be asked to list and write down examples of the evidence of their
lives for just one day. They will make a list of the kinds of evidence they may
have left behind (dirty laundry, emails, pictures, drawings, trash, receipts,
etc…). This brief exercise will be
followed by a discussion:
1.
What could someone tell you about your day from the evidence you
left?
2.
What can’t someone else know from the evidence you have left behind?
(sequence, what exactly happened, how it was done, etc…)
3. How could the evidence of your
life be like the fossil record? (sedimentary layers in the laundry basket,
floor of room, the order in which a pile of papers is found, the order in which
your textbooks are arranged inside your locker).
4. What is an artifact, and what
clues could they give that fossils could not?
Checking
for Understanding and Review: Fifteen Minutes
The
teacher will review and discuss the assignments of the previous week. These
include a discussion of the laboratory activity (camouflage lab), the Problem
Solving lab, and the questions for the video.
Instructional
Input: Twenty minutes
Guided
notes and discussion for the Evidence for Evolution. We will dive into fossils,
transitional fossils, and the different types of fossils and how they are
formed. We will also review the other kinds of evidence for evolutionary
change: Anatomical evidence, molecular evidence, comparative embryology, and biogeographical evidence.
Click here to see the guided notes for this lesson.
At the
end of the guided notes there is a “Whale of a Story,” a brief introduction to
the evolution of whales and the current research being done to fill in the gaps
in whale evolution. I also included several websites that students can visit
for more information on whale evolution, geologic time, and paleontology.
·
As extra credit, they can write a paper on the evolution of a
particular organism of their choice.
Guided
Practice:
Completing the Guided Notes.
Independent
Practice:
For
homework students will answer the questions to the Section Assessment for
section 14.1 of their textbook (pg. 387).
·
Remind students that they must bring markers and colored pencils for
tomorrow’s activity.
Checking
for Understanding:
The following day we go over the answers to the
assessment questions, and I will ask the students some “pop” questions (oral)
about the previous day’s lesson. I use index cards with the student’s names on
them to call on the students.
Day Six:
Anticipatory
Set: Ten minutes.
·
Review Section assessment questions/answers and yesterday’s lesson.
·
“Students become TIME!” A friend of mine from the Duke Biology
department and I came up with a way of converting human beings to geologic
time. This is a great way for students to see the relationship of the age of
the earth to the time humans have been around. Click here
to see the activity!
Instructional
Input: Ten minutes.
The
teacher will give a brief introductory lecture to the Geologic Time Line and
the four major eras. Teacher will go over the major characteristics of each era
using the chalkboard to draw “A Day in the Life of the Earth!” . Students will
receive a hard copy of this geologic time clock.
Guided
and Independent Practice: Remainder of the period.
Following
the brief lecture, the teacher will explain the grading rubric and procedure
for the Geologic Time Line Laboratory Exercise that will be completed during
the remainder of the class period. If students don’t finish their drawings,
they can take their portion of the adding machine tape home to finish as
homework. Click
here to see the grading rubric.
Checking
for Understanding:
Geologic Time Line activity.
If
time permits, the following handouts and activities will be given as
supplements to the lesson on the following day:
Students
will spend five minutes looking at fossil specimens and discussing with their
neighbors the fossilization process by using the “Inside Story” (pg. 381 of
textbook). For the remaining five minutes we will discuss why there are gaps in
the fossil record and why certain organisms are unable to form fossils.
Handout
to be colored and labeled: Homologous Structures and Vesitgial
Structures. Students will color and label a series of drawings of these
structures.
§
These will include the pentadactyl limb structure of all tetrapods,
the fore-limbs of birds, humans, whales, and bats; the rudimentary tail bones
of gorillas and man, and the vestigial pelvic girdle of whales and the
rudimentary hind limbs of snakes. Each student is to come up with at least one
hypothesis regarding the appearance (or disappearance) of one of these
structures.
Lesson 3: Mechanisms of Evolution: How does Evolution Work?
PRAO: Two 55 min. periods.
Objectives:
1. Students will summarize the effects of different
types of natural selection on gene pools.
2. Students will relate the changes in genetic
equilibrium to mechanisms of speciation.
3. Students will explain the role of natural selection
in convergent and divergent evolution.
Materials:
·
PBS Internet
Simulation Lab: Sex and the Single Guppy
·
Access to a computer lab equipped with
internet access
·
Newspaper article relevant to
paleontology or evolution
·
Quis on
lessons 1-3
Day Seven
Note: Announce Quiz Lessons 1-3.
Anticipatory
Set: Fifteen Minutes (optional).
Students
will be divided into groups of four and given a copy of an article relevant to
extinction and/or paleontology. The article I used was “Carolina Parakeet
Lives-in the Museum,” an article taken from the News and Observer. The article
discusses the extinct yet once abundant Carolina Parakeet.
Students
will read, summarize, and discuss the article amongst themselves. Roles will be
assigned to each student (Reader, Writer, Interpreter and Mediator). By the end
of the fifteen minutes each group should turn in a neat, one-paragraph summary
of the article. The paragraph should be at least five sentences in length and
should include the “Five W’s” (who, what, where, when, how/why).
Instructional
Input: 30 minutes
Guided
Notes on Mechanisms of Evolution and speciation. Click
here for a copy of the guided notes on Mechanisms of Evolution.
Guided
and Independent Practice: Remainder of period and Homework
Students
will be responsible for answering the Chapter 15 Assesment
Questions.
QUIZ:
A ten minute quiz on Lessons 1-3 (primarily Chapter 15 and Section 14.1 of
text) will be given on Day NINE. Students will be informed of this Quiz today..
Day Eight
Instructional
Input: Five-Ten minutes
The class
will be taken to the Computer Room to carry out the “Sex and the Single Guppy
Lab,” found in the PBS Evolution Series Website.
The
teacher will hand out the Guppy Simulation Lab handout to the students and
explain the Procedure for the Lab.
Guided
and Independent Practice: Remainder of period
“Sex and
the Single Guppy Simulation Lab”
Students
are to work in pairs for the remainder of the period, and they will be
responsible for answering the Questions at the end of the lab as homework.
This lab
helps students grasp the concept of sexual selection and see it in action! They
will observe and quantify how certain traits are selected for in a population. Click here to see the instructions for the guppy
lab.
Reminder:
Quiz tomorrow on Lessons 1-3 (primarily Ch. 15 and 14.1 of text)
PRAO: One 55 min. period.
Objectives:
1. Students will analyze the early experiments that
support the concept of
biogenesis.
2. Students will relate hypotheses about the origin of
cells to the environmental conditions of the early earth.
Day Nine
Anticipatory Set: Fifteen-twenty
minutes (approximately).
QUIZ ON LESSONS 1-3
Instructional
Input: Twenty-five minutes
Guided
Notes on Section 14.2 of textbook. Students are to fill in the guided notes on
their own using their textbook as a guide (they will have fifteen minutes to
complete the guided notes).
After
completing the guided notes, the teacher will go over the answers with the
students, and they will compare their responses with those the teacher shows
them on the overhead projector. A brief discussion/lecture will go along with
the guided notes exercise. Click here to see the
guided notes for this lesson.
Guided
Practice and checking for understanding: Twenty-five minutes
Guided
notes filled in by students and oral question-answer session.
Strategies
to Achieve Objectives:
Lessons 5
and 6
LESSON 5: Primate Evolution
PRAO: Three 55 min. periods.
Objectives:
1.
Students will recognize the adaptations and characteristics of
primates.
2.
Students will distinguish between the diversity of living primates
and
their evolutionary relationships.
3.
Students will compare and contrast the adaptations of austrolopithecines
with those of apes and humans.
4.
Students will summarize the major anatomical changes in hominids
during
human evolution and understand the early migration patterns of hominids.
Day 10
Ø
Nigel the lemur (a lemur puppet I brought in as a visual aid and
companion) is the main spokesperson for the lesson! Discuss why Nigel is a
primate!
Ø
30 minute lecture on Characteristics of Primates and on Human Ancestry
(all of Chapter 16-only the major points were discussed and explained due to
time constraints). Click here to see the complete guided notes for this lesson.
Ø
Activity: Ten minutes: Opposable thumb lab.
Ø
Homework: Read National Geographic article “Focus on primates,” and
answer the “expanding your view” questions in the textbook.
Day 11
Announce Unit Test is on Day 14!
Ø
Review and discuss homework.
Ø
Model Laboratory: Comparing the Skulls of three primates.
Ø
Homework: From what we have learned about evolution and human
evolution, write two questions for the guest speaker, Dr. Steve Churchill from
Duke University.
Day 12: Announce Unit Test is on Day 14!
Ø
Guest Speaker from Duke Univeristy: Paleoanthropologist Dr. Steven Churchill gave a talk on his
research on Neanderthal evolution.
Ø
Homework: Minilab 16-2: Comparing Human Proteins
with those of other Primates, and a one-paragraph summary of what the student
learned/enjoyed the most from Steve Churchill’s presentation.
LESSON 6: Why does Evolution Matter Now?
PRAO: Half of a 55 min. period.
Objectives:
1.
Students will understand how natural selection creates antibiotic-
resistant
bacteria.
Day 13:
Ø
Twenty-minute lecture/discussion on why Evolution matters now: How
natural selection creates antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Ø
PBS Teacher’s guide will be used as major reference source.
Ø
REVIEW for Exam: Go over major themes
and answer students’ questions.
Ø
Use Sample Test Questions to check for
understanding.
Day 14:
UNIT TEST (see Evaluation of
Student Learning). Click here to see the study guide
for the Unit test.
Reflections on the Finished Unit
It is
difficult to know where to begin my reflection.
While teaching this unit I not only struggled with the daily challenges
of classroom teaching, but I also found myself having to modify the entire plan
due to the unexpected ice storm that hit North Carolina this December. I lost four days of my unit, and so I had to
eliminate an entire lesson (although I still included it in my plan), and I was
forced to teach the Human Evolution and Primates lesson in one day. The ice storm also caused some setbacks in
terms of getting back on track after the missed days, and it was difficult to
pick up the pace and achieve some semblance of continuity. Needless to say it was quite an experience in
teaching. It was both frustrating and disappointing, but I learned to roll with
such punches and continued as best I could.
My unit was also interrupted by the Thanksgiving break, making it
difficult to pick up the pace where I had left off before this holiday break.
Our
guest speaker from Duke University was unable to attend due to the ice storm,
and of course we were unable to do the two labs I had planned for the Human
Evolution lesson. The most surprising thing, however, was my students’
enthusiasm for learning the human evolution lesson in one day (which I did as a
direct instruction lesson/lecture), and they were most cooperative when it came
to taking the quiz when we got back from the ice storm. They were unhappy about having to take the
Unit Test, and in the end my mentor and I decided to make it an open-book test
due to the unexpected circumstances. I
made sure I evaluated their learning in different ways throughout the unit, so
I do not feel terribly disappointed that their test was an open book test (see
samples of student work and evaluation of student learning).
As
far as the students meeting the objectives, my mentor and I agreed that most of
them were, fortunately, met. My students
did well on their unit test, and their other assignments were effectively
completed on time. Several students even
showed a dramatic improvement from their quiz and their previous unit test on
human genetics (see sample of student improvement). The pacing of the lessons
had to be modified due to the ice storm and Thanksgiving, but overall the
sequence remained the same, and although I had to “crunch” some of the
information to fit our schedule, it seemed to be a logical sequence. All the lessons were clearly related to one
another, and the students knew from the very beginning that the unit consisted
of several interwoven lessons.
My
students seemed very interested in the unit, and I was overjoyed at their great
questions, participation, enthusiasm, and curiosity. I enjoyed bringing in my lemur toys for them
to learn about primates, and the lessons I taught to completion (as planned),
were quite a success. For instance, the lesson on Charles Darwin and Natural
Selection worked out beautifully. My
students’ newspaper articles and their “letter from Charles Darwin” both proved
to be effective and fun.
The
camouflage lab was somewhat disastrous.
I purchased some wonderfully diverse fabrics of environmental
backgrounds (polar bears in a snowy environment, tropical rainforest, flowers,
and seashells) to achieve different results from their experiments, but we were
unable to finish the lab in one period, so I modified it the next day and gave
them hypothetical results so they could answer the analysis questions. I shared the lab with another biology teacher
and told her the problems I had with it. For example, I had failed to model the
procedure, and instead I simply showed my students the materials and explained
the procedure verbally, assuming they were straightforward enough for my
students to follow. She modified it to avoid my same mistakes, and the
improvements helped her and her students get through the lab more successfully.
The
Guppy Simulation Lab was modified to be a homework extra credit assignment
(again due to the ice storm), but approximately 30% of my students did it, and
their data sheets and discussion questions showed that the lab was a valuable
learning experience. Unfortunately,
several students told me they tried to do it at home, but their Internet server
presented them with “error” messages. I
had initially planned to do this lab at my school’s computer lab, and we had
the room reserved and ready to use, but the ice storm hit Durham the night
before the lab was scheduled, and school was cancelled for that day (and for
three more days after that).
The
quiz was given the day we got back from the ice storm. This helped my students get back into
“evolution” mode, and I let them use their notes and books for the quiz. Unfortunately, their performance on the quiz
was not very good. We missed so many
school days due to the ice storm and Thanksgiving that I found many had
forgotten the material. Of course their
were exceptions, and my honors class did quite well on the quiz, but I realized
that the storm had been a major drawback to their learning, especially because
the majority of my students, especially my standard class, did not do any of
their homework during the storm. Not only
did the storm cause us to miss school days, but it also set us back a few days
once we got back to school. It took a
lot of energy and enthusiasm to finish the unit successfully, and I believe
that if I had not been doing this unit for my portfolio, I probably would have
postponed the last two lessons for after the Christmas break, and I would have
evaluated them (i.e. given the Unit Test), when we got back.
The Geologic Time Line was successful, but
some of my students needed extra motivation and guidance. In the future, I would modify this activity
by giving a more detailed lecture on geologic time prior to the activity. Due to lack of time, I had to give a
summarized version of what could have been a 45-minute lecture!
As
far as my objectives, I believe they were sound and appropriate for my
students’ level, and all of my objectives related back to my original goal for
the unit. From the final evaluation, I
would conclude that most of them were met.
Of course, the objectives for the lessons that we were able to get
through completely (the ones before the ice storm) were more effectively met
than those that came after the ice storm.
Fortunately, these were in my opinion the most important lessons
(Lessons 1, 2, and 3). My mentor was a great help after the ice storm. Before this accident happened, I was on my
own in terms of grading and getting the students working and participating, but
after the ice storm she helped me grade (because we were handing back
assignments left and right!), and she also assisted me with guiding and pacing
the instruction.
I
thought teaching evolution would be controversial, but I found that most of the
time my students were respectful of the science being taught, and, if anything,
they were curious and open-minded. When
the subject of religion did arise, I explained to them that having religious
beliefs does not necessarily mean that you cannot believe in evolution. One does not disprove the other simply
because they explain very different things.
The evidence for evolution shows us how species have changed over time,
how the earth and its inhabitants have all changed over time. Believing in the mechanisms for evolution
does not mean one cannot believe in creation.
The atmosphere in my classroom was one of respect throughout the
entirety of my unit, and I was very pleased by this.