Natural Selection Science 5 (second observation)

 

Science expectations

Lesson plan and Topic 

This week in science, the students learned about natural selection. In table groups (of four), they developed a hypothesis regarding how natural selection works. They used sentence stems and visuals of expected behaviors to guide their thinking while working in self-chosen groups. Their task was to “develop a hypothesis about adaptive traits and the role these traits play in impacting species survival rates.”

In their groups, each student selected a species to research. They then provided an example of an adaptive trait and hypothesized how they believed the trait helped the species survive in its current environment.

Expectations and Objectives

The teacher displayed expectations on the wall as visuals to help guide the students’ thinking and keep them focused on the topic. These visuals included the students' objectives, expected voice levels, and guiding questions to ensure that the students stayed on track. After introducing the topic and providing an example hypothesis (the teacher’s example was a moth), the students were given 10 minutes to discuss their ideas in small groups. For the next 15 minutes, they shared their hypotheses about how survival could be linked to adaptive traits.

ACC Device

Many of the species chosen by the small groups (there were four in total) were quite unusual, such as humans adapting from monkeys, the idea of flesh-eating necrosis (likely inspired by zombies), a giraffe’s neck length adapting to its environment to find more food, and one group exploring how bears' fur color helps them blend into their environment (for example, polar bears have white fur while grizzly bears have brown fur to adapt to mountain living). The teacher did not react strongly to the more hypothetical species, such as zombies, but instead asked how the students could prove that zombies adapted over time.

objectives

Though the students occasionally got off track with their questioning and peer discussions, most remained actively engaged, as they "enjoyed arguing" with one another. At the end of the lesson, the teacher added new vocabulary words to the science word wall.

What Was Learned

Important points

The students enjoyed the lesson, remaining actively engaged throughout the hypothetical questioning and peer feedback. The teacher effectively kept them focused on the objective, even with the more whimsical ideas, like zombies. She skillfully questioned their reasoning about the adaptive traits that would help zombies survive. Allowing students to choose their own partners, as long as they adhered to the expectations, seemed to work well. It was interesting to see that many of the groups displayed different skill sets, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Natural Selection
 review

While this observation did not include virtual or interactive elements, I reflected on our readings in Chapter 8, which state that “virtual field trips extend students’ experiences and provide a unique perspective on the world. Additionally, teachers can help build background knowledge for students who may not have advantages with science-related topics (Kopp, 2014).” To build a more engaging lesson plan, I would consider providing a more interactive approach, such as using the PHET interactive simulations, like the natural selection simulations from the University of Boulder. This interactive site allows students to engage with topics in mutation, genetics, and selection. Through this website, students can determine which mutations are favored due to predator attacks and mutual mutations, as well as compare and contrast dominant and recessive genes.

The hope for these types of interactive activities would be to incorporate Kopp’s belief that “our everyday experiences shape our future learning. They provide us with an anchor upon which to build our existing knowledge and understanding. The more science teachers can expose their students to the world outside the classroom, the more knowledge they can gain.” This approach would encourage students to use technology to reflect on real-life situations, motivating them not only to learn the content associated with their project but also to express themselves creatively while informing others.

Works Cited

Kopp, K. N. (2014). Teaching Science Today 2nd Edition. Teacher Created Materials.

        Natural Selection. (2022). PhET. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/natural-selection

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