EDUC:200 Final Presentation

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EDUC200Final Presentation

• Jonathan Jobe

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Lesson PlansIntroduction

• These lessons are designed for a 7th grade Life
  Sciences class
• The lessons are based on Grade Seven Science
  Standard 3.2
• Biological evolution accounts for the diversity
  of species developed through gradual processes
  over many generations. As a basis for
  understanding this concept Students know the
  reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his
  conclusion that natural selection is the
  mechanism of evolution

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Objective

• The student should be able to understand how
  Darwin came to his conclusions about natural
  selection based on his observation of finches in
  the Galapagos Islands.

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Motivation

• Show images of several species of Galapagos
  finches, and explain that despite their appearing
  to be similar, these birds are completely
  different species from each other and cannot
  interbreed
• Technological enhancement
• Use PowerPoint to show images of the finches and
  maps of the Galapagos Islands (to emphasize the
  geographical proximity of these birds)

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Input of Information

• Give the students some background information
  explain who Darwin was, and about his voyage on
  the Beagle. Then go into detail about his
  observations of the finches, including his
  explanation of evolution via natural selection
  and survival of the fittest.
• Technological Enhancement
• Again, PowerPoint could greatly enhance this
  presentation by allowing the display of videos or
  animations to illustrate Darwins journey or the
  possible migration of finches

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Checking comprehension

• Ask students what it means for animals to be from
  separate species
• See if the students understand the difference
  between different breeds (as is the case with
  dogs) and separate species
• Ask students why one species would survive and
  another would perish
• Technological enhancement
• Show images of different mixes of dog breeds,
  again with PowerPoint

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Practice

• Structured
• Show images of two animals and ask if they are a
  member of the same species or not. Also as
  Why? or Why not?
• Guided
• Show students images of animals and ask them to
  point out features that could give that animal an
  advantage over other similar animals. For
  example, a giraffe is similar to a horse, but has
  a long neck.
• Independent
• For homework, have each student come up with a
  hypothetical group of animals that are similar
  but distinct species, with an explanation of what
  gives each species an advantage over the other
  similar forms

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Lesson PlansDay 1 Closure

• Review Darwins finches and what gives each
  species of finch an advantage over others.
  Review the definition of species. Review the
  general idea of Survival of the Fittest.
• Get students excited about a lab for the next day
  where they will act upon their own miniature
  ecosystem and be able to observe and control
  natural selection

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Objective

• The student should be able to explain how natural
  selection works after controlling the evolution
  of a miniature population

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Motivation

• Tell students that in this lesson, they are going
  to play the part of a predator in an ecosystem,
  and that they will also be responsible for the
  flow of time in this ecosystem. They control who
  lives and who dies!

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Input of Information

• Laboratory Exercise
• Create miniature ecosystems with the following
  materials
• Small blue beads (water)
• Large blue beads (white fish)
• Large red beads (red fish)
• Trays sized approximately 12 x 12 x 2
• Tongs

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Input of Information (contd)

• Divide students into groups of 4 and give each
  group a tray
• Each tray will have about 1 of small blue beads
  and 20 each of large blue beads and large red
  beads
• Give each student a pair of tongs, instructing
  them that this is their beak, and that the large
  beads represent fish
• Instruct the students to pick out as many as the
  large beads as possible on your signal
• Allow the students to eat for 30 seconds, then
  stop them
• Have the students count how many of each kind of
  fish they ate, and calculate how many remain in
  the pond.
• Double each remaining population
• Repeat this for around five feeding frenzies, and
  have the students record all the data after each
  round

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Checking comprehension

• Ask students what happened to each population
  after the times of feeding
• Ask students why the blue fish population grew
  while the red fish population shrank
• Make sure that they understand that they observed
  survival of the fittest

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Practice

• Structured
• Lab exercise
• Guided
• Questions after the lab what happened to each
  species and why?
• Independent
• For homework, have each student complete a line
  graph illustrating the growth or decline of each
  fish species, and write a short essay about
  another trait (besides appearance) that could
  cause one species to flourish while another does
  not

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Lesson PlansDay 2 Closure

• Call on students to explain natural selection and
  survival of the fittest in their own words
• Ask students if they see a connection between
  that days lab and the first days lecture
  (cause/effect). Hint that tomorrow that
  connection will be better explained

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Objective

• The student should be able to connect the concept
  of natural selection via survival of the fittest
  with the emergence of new species or elimination
  of other species

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Motivation

• Begin by asking students how they think there
  came to be several distinct species of finch on
  the Galapagos Islands
• Simply allow the students to speculate, you will
  be confirming their answers later
• Encourage the students to argue/debate different
  viewpoints

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Input of Information

• Explain how natural selection and survival of the
  fittest will alter an ecosystem over time so that
  some species will thrive to the point of becoming
  the only species present
• Explain how there were likely several species of
  finch on each island, but over time the other
  species were less fit to live there, and one
  species grew
• Explain how this led to an isolated population,
  and how it is likely that inbreeding caused these
  finches to become their own distinct species
• Go on to describe other instances of natural
  selection
• IE the species of moth that gradually changed
  color as their environment became increasingly
  polluted
• PowerPoint can help with some visual aids again

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Checking comprehension

• Now ask the students which point of view was
  correct (if they had opposing points of view
  before the lesson)
• Allow time for the students to ask any questions
• Have some students explain in their own words how
  natural selection leads to one species becoming
  predominant over another

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Practice

• Structured
• Present students with several scenarios involving
  two competing organisms in the same environment,
  and have the students predict which species will
  eventually win the competition
• Guided
• Look again at Darwins finches and discuss with
  the students how each beak-shape helps the finch
  survive
• Independent
• Let the students use the Internet to research
  other areas where natural selection has made a
  significant and highly visible impact on the
  environment. Keep the students in their lab
  groups and have each group make a brief
  presentation

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Lesson PlansDay 3 Closure

• Recap the previous lessons. Ask students to
  define the following terms
• Species
• Natural selection
• Survival of the fittest
• Have the students consider the effects of
  humanity on the planet. Do humans seem to be
  more fit than other species? What are some of
  the positive and negative impacts we have had on
  the planet.
• This can make a good bridge to a deeper study of
  ecosystems

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John Adams Middle SchoolDemographics
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John Adams Middle SchoolAPI Charts
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John Adams Middle SchoolIntroduction

• Mr. Alcarazs 8th Grade Physical Science
• All life science teachers had their conference
  periods when I visited
• About 36 students in each class
• Most students reading on a 2nd 4th grade
  reading level
• Many students with severe disabilities in the
  class
• The teacher was unhappy with this mix, feeling
  that he couldnt adequately address their needs

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations

• Visibility of standards and lesson plans
• Standards written on whiteboard
• Agenda written on whiteboard
• Standards and agenda are on the board until they
  finish that subject area
• Implementation of technology
• Six PCs
• PowerPoint with projector
• Accommodation of ELL
• None observed

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations Classroom
Layout
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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations
Expectations

• Students are given the material by the teacher
• The have a standards-based multiple choice exam
  (written by the teacher) that accounts for about
  2/3 of each students grade
• The teacher explains to the students that they
  can continue to retake this exam indefinitely,
  trying for improvement
• The questions are the same each time they take
  the exam, but are in a different order

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations Making it
Relevant

• Unfortunately, I did not see the teacher really
  making the material relevant to the students
• The teacher placed an inordinate focus on
  passing his test
• The students were given all the material for a
  standard at once, and basically studied the
  material on their own in class in preparation for
  the test
• This also summarizes their homework

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations Checking
for Understanding

• As mentioned earlier, about 66 of each students
  grade is made up of the teacher-written test that
  the students can re-take indefinitely
• The teacher does not ask questions of the
  students, and if the students have questions, the
  teacher directs the students to their notes, and
  asks them guiding questions
• The students have a few presentations, and do
  some assignments specially designed to be put on
  display around the classroom, but most of their
  efforts are going towards the test

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations Group work

• The teacher told me a little about a PowerPoint
  presentation that he had the students do
• The students were divided into groups of 3 or 4
• A task was assigned to each member, and the
  worked together to put the presentation together
• There were a few other assignments that the
  students worked on posted around the room
• I got the impression that these assignments were
  specifically designed to make observers happy

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John Adams Middle SchoolObservations Assessment

• The only form of assessment that the teacher told
  me about was the aforementioned test
• The teacher took great pride in the testing
  software. He mentioned the following aspects
• He could write his own questions
• Randomization of questions makes it difficult for
  students to cheat
• The test grades itself
• The students have no idea which questions they
  missed, so the must continue to study all the
  material for when they retake the test
• The teacher was very pleased with the fact that
  the software didnt point out missed questions,
  but one thing that he didnt like about the
  software was that it did not give the students a
  general idea of which areas to review
• I think this is the job of the teacher

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Links and Resources

• California State Department of Education -
  Curriculum Instruction - http//www.cde.ca.gov/c
  i/
• Ed-Data Website - http//www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/

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FeedbackIhilani Hirakawa

• I like the design and its use.
• There seems to be a little bit of inconsistency
  with respect to font size and/or place of layout
  as indicated by jumping text as the slides
  progress.
• Fixed
• The use of 2/3 in slide nine doesnt allow for
  correct grammatical conjugation (I think thats
  the write word for it).
• Fixed
• I really like the classroom diagram and the
  headings and subheadings
• Pleasing over all.
• Good job.

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FeedbackSaran Rencher

• Very clear and easy to read!

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FeedbackStephanie Hom

• Very well organized and clear. I liked the
  attention to detail in your field notes. Good
  job!

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FeedbackHilda Arias

• Good layout of the slides, very organized