Unit Plan an Assessment of Student Learning

Evolution Each lesson in my unit plan was constructed using the 5-E model to enhance inquiry. Students responded positively to this new teaching style. Throughout the unit I monitored student learning.

Before teaching my unit, I asked a series of prior knowledge assessment questions After teaching my unit, I asked the same questions I collected several pieces of evidence of student learning from three different students chosen at random

Common Alternative Conceptions Growth/development VS. Evolution  Addressed during the explain phase of Antibiotic Resistance Lab Role of Genes  Addressed during the many of the labs, but specifically during the Toothpick Fish Lab

Assessment Questions 1. Do populations of organisms change over time? How do you know? 2. Why would organisms need to change? 3. Is there evidence that any organisms living today have experienced any change? 4. What factors would contribute to any change?

Student B Responses: Pre-Assessment

Student B Responses: Post-Assessment

Day 1: Horse Fossil Lab SOL: BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include a) evidence found in fossil records; NGSS: HS-LS4-1. Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Day 1: Horse Fossil Lab Students compared different species of horse fossils through time. They were asked several open-ended questions about the fossils that emphasized critical-thinking skills. Assessment: Activity Sheet with open-ended questions

Day 2 and 3:Peppered Moth Activity SOL: BIO. 7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include b) how … environmental pressures impact the survival of populations; c) how natural selection leads to adaptations; e) scientific evidence and explanations for biological evolution

Day 2 and 3:Peppered Moth Activity NGSS: HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

Day 2 and 3:Peppered Moth Activity Students act as birds “eating” red and newspaper colored cut-out moths laid out on sheets of newspaper. They discovered that they found red moths faster than newspaper colored moths. We discussed how this could translate to populations in the wild.

Day 2 and 3:Peppered Moth Activity Assessment: Activity Sheet with open-ended questions and compare and contrast Student Data:

Day 4 and 5: Homologous Structures SOLs:BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include e) scientific evidence and explanations for biological evolution. BIO.6 The student will investigate and understand bases for modern classification systems. Key concepts include a) structural similarities among organisms;

Day 4 and 5: Homologous Structures NGSS: HS-LS4-1. Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Day 4 and 5: Homologous Structures Students were asked to complete various tasks with and without the use of their thumbs and fingers. The different strategies they use represent homologous structures of whales, dogs, and humans. Assessment: Activity Sheet, Venn-Diagram

Student Responses:

Day 6: Antibiotic Resistance SOLs:BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include b) how genetic variation, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures impact the survival of populations; e) scientific evidence and explanations for biological evolution.

Day 6: Antibiotic Resistance NGSS:HS-LS4-2.Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Day 6: Antibiotic Resistance As a class we discussed recent cases of MRSA in the area. Students were ask to answer real-world questions regarding a scenario pertaining to antibiotic resistance. We worked through these problems in groups Assessment: Activity Sheet with real-world problems

Day 7 and 8: Toothpick Fish Lab SOLs:BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include b) how genetic variation, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures impact the survival of populations;

Day 7 and 8: Toothpick Fish Lab NGSS:HS-LS4-3.Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.

Day 7 and 8: Toothpick Fish Lab Students are asked to track the “genes” in a simulated population of fish throughout different selection pressures. These scenarios are translated to populations of fish in the wild. Assessment: Activity sheet with open-ended and authentic problems

Day 8 and 9: Darwin’s Finches SOLs:BIO.7 The student will investigate and understand how populations change through time. Key concepts include b) how genetic variation, reproductive strategies, and environmental pressures impact the survival of populations;

Day 8 and 9: Darwin’s Finches NGSS:HS-LS4-3.Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.

Day 8 and 9: Darwin’s Finches Students were asked to use different tools to pick up different materials. We discussed that different tools were better for picking up certain materials, just like different beak types were better adapted for certain food types. Assessment: Activity Sheet with open-ended questions and a creative-writing essay.

Student Responses:

Creative Writing Essay

Day 10: Review game Day 11: Summative assessment (multiple- choice, fill in the blank, short answer)

Test question: Describe how bacteria can become resistant to certain antibiotics. You must describe the steps using Darwin’s Theory.

Questions?