Download Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution

Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 6–8
Curriculum Focus: Life Science
Lesson Duration: Three class periods
Program Description
A Time Before Humans—Examines the cataclysmic events that led to the extinction of the dinosaur.
Life As We Know It—Discusses the conditions necessary to create and sustain life. Classifying Ancient
Species—Examines the Burgess Shale fossils and the categories used to classify life. Natural Selection—
Examines Charles Darwin’s theories on evolution and natural selection. Our Ancestors—Looks at some
famous hominid fossils and the information they have given us about early bipedal life.
Discussion Questions
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What conditions are necessary to create life?
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What kinds of organisms lived before humans appeared on Earth?
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How have hominids evolved over the years?
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How are humans related to every other living thing on Earth?
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What cataclysmic events have occurred in Earth’s history?
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What can we learn by studying fossils?
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What is evolution?
Video Index
Segment 1: A Time Before Humans (10 min.)
Description
How did the dinosaurs become extinct? Learn the theory about the asteroid that hit our planet
65 million years ago and the giant reptiles that once roamed Earth.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What do you think caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What happened when the enormous asteroid hit Earth some 65 million years ago?
Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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A: A cloud of vaporized rock and debris blocked the sunlight; fireballs scorched the Earth;
poisonous gasses and soot filled the air; and nearly half of all earthly species perished,
including the dinosaurs.
Segment 2: Life As We Know It (8 min.)
Description
Examine a scientific theory about the potential for life on Earth, and explore an underwater
region that defies the rules.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What kinds of things are necessary to sustain life on Earth?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What are hydrothermal vents?
A: Hydrothermal vents are chimney-like structures on the ocean floor. They spew superheated
water full of minerals and nutrients.
Segment 3: Classifying Species (8 min.)
Description
Explore the evidence of diverse animal life in the Burgess Shale, and examine the methods scientists use to
classify species.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What features do rocks have that makes them interesting to examine or study?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What animal species can you name?
A: Answers will vary.
Segment 4: Natural Selection (7 min.)
Description
Species living on our planet survive if they can conform to their ever-changing environments.
Learn about Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What is a naturalist?
A: A naturalist is a person with an interest in natural history, which includes the study of
natural objects, especially in the field.
Post-viewing question
Q: Describe the concept of natural selection in your own words.
A: Answers will vary, but the dictionary definition is a natural process that results in the
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment
and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment.
Segment 5: Human Ancestors (9 min.)
Description
Much of what we know about humans comes from the study of those who came before us.
Learn what hominid fossils have taught scientists about human evolution.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What do you think is the relationship between humans and primates?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What have we learned from Lucy, the Laetoli footprints, and the Toumai skull?
A: Lucy is the oldest hominid skeleton, estimated at 3.2 million years old, and she is believed to
have been bipedal, or an upright walker. The Laetoli footprints, 1.6 million years old, showed
scientists that hominids were bipedal and that they traveled in groups.
The Toumai skull, 7 million years old, is the oldest hominid fossil known; it raises questions
about the diversity of life among hominids.
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Understand evolution and natural selection.
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Debate Charles Darwin’s theories on evolution and natural selection from a historical
perspective.
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Present examples of evolution and natural selection at work.
Materials
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: The Origin and Evolution of Life program
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Computer with Internet access
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Print resources about evolution and natural selection and the historical controversy
surrounding this theory
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Paper and pencils
Procedures
1. Watch Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution. Review the concept of evolution. What is it?
Who was Charles Darwin? What is Darwin’s theory about natural selection? Discuss the debate
surrounding the theory of evolution when it was first presented and why some people disagree
with Darwin’s theories.
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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2. Divide students into three groups. Explain that the class is going to pretend to be in the early
1900s and debate the theory of evolution. Assign one group as proponents of Darwin’s theories,
another as the opposition, and the third as the audience. Explain that most people accept
evolution today, but the opposing team should debate its possibility, concentrating on the
arguments some one hundred years ago.
3. Both debate groups will present an opening statement, answer questions posed by the audience,
and take notes during the debate. They will use their notes to create their closing statement. The
audience will also take notes during the debate, and use them to help make their final decision
on the winning team.
There will be no interruptions during the debate or question period, for which each side will
have an allotted amount of time. After the debate, the audience must present three reasons for
declaring the winner. Tell the class that the winning team will have demonstrated the following
attributes:
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well organized
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evidence of solid research
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creative presentation
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thorough answers to all questions
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clear evidence of good teamwork
4. Give each group a specific task to prepare for the debate.
Groups 1 and 2 (Proponents and Opposition): Tell the group to designate members who will be
responsible for the following:
Prepare and deliver a 3-minute opening statement presenting your side.
Research Darwin’s theories and the surrounding controversy to prepare for audience
questions.
Prepare and deliver a 3- to 5-minute closing statement
Group 3: Audience — All audience members should do the following:
Research Darwin’s theories and the surrounding controversy to have a solid background on
the debate topics.
Choose 15 questions to ask the proponents and 15 to ask the opposition.
5. Allow students time to research and prepare for the debate. The following Web sites have good
information on Darwin and his theories on evolution:
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http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species/
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http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evothought.html
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/darwin/
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http://whyfiles.org/095evolution/
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/nhmag.html
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http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/
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http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/13/scopes.monkey.trial/
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6. Review the rules before beginning the debate. Next, ask both debate teams to present their
opening statements. Then have the audience ask their questions, allowing each side 3 minutes
to answer each question.
7. Next, have each side present their closing statement. Give the audience a few minutes to discuss
the debate before they declare the winning team. Remind students of the criteria:
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well organized
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evidence of solid research
•
creative presentation
•
thorough answers to all questions
•
clear evidence of good teamwork
8. After the debate, talk about why many people did not accept Darwin’s theories. Discuss
examples of natural selection and evidence that has helped scientists accept the theory of
evolution.
9. Have students write a one-page essay about their thoughts on the debate. Make sure they
include the tasks that they performed, as well as answer these questions:
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Which team were you on?
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What did you do to prepare for the debate?
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What did you do during the debate?
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How would you rate your team’s overall performance?
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What did you learn about evolution from the debate?
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
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3 points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions and during the debate;
contributed to their team’s debate preparations; obeyed the rules of the debate; and
produced an essay detailing their thoughts on the debate, evolution, and their contributions
to their team.
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2 points: Students participated in class discussions; contributed minimally to their team’s
debate preparations; obeyed most of the rules of the debate; and produced an unfinished
essay that did not adequately detail their thoughts on the debate and evolution or proved
that they made little contribution to their team.
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; contributed minimally to their
team’s debate preparations; did not obey the rules of the debate or did not fully participate
in the debate; did not write an essay or produced an unfinished essay that did not
adequately detail their thoughts on the debate and evolution or proved that they made little
contribution to their team.
Vocabulary
creation
Definition: The act of starting something for the first time
Context: While the ship’s captain held to the Bible’s account of creation, Darwin believed that
the Earth had changed slowly over millions of years.
evolution
Definition: Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as
a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in
the development of new species
Context: Nothing in biology makes much sense without considering the process of evolution.
natural selection
Definition: The process by which individuals’ inherited needs and abilities are more or less
closely matched to resources available in their environment, giving those with greater fitness a
better chance of survival and reproduction.
Context: Darwin discovered the process of natural selection, which was the mechanism that
made evolution work.
observation
Definition: The act of noticing or paying attention; taking a patient look
Context: For years after his voyage, Darwin would recall the observations he’d made aboard the
Beagle.
species
Definition: Taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
Context: Of special interest to Darwin were the physical differences within one species.
specimen
Definition: An example regarded as typical of its class
Context: Darwin collected and preserved thousands of specimens for study.
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Greatest Discoveries With Bill Nye: Evolution
Teacher’s Guide
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Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K–12 to
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
This lesson plan addresses the following science standards:
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Life Science: Diversity and adaptations of organisms; Biological evolution
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Science and Technology in Society: Science and technology in society; Science and
technology in local, national, and global challenges
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History and Nature of Science: History of science; Historical perspectives
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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Science—Life Sciences: Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life
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Science—Nature of Science: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
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Language Arts—Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret
visual media; Writing: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process, Gathers
and uses information for research purposes; Reading: Uses reading skills and strategies to
understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.