Evolution Project

Check out this evolution research project! You students will choose an organism and research it’s evolutionary history.

This aligns perfectly with all of the Next Generation Science Standards for evolution by natural selection.

The evolution worksheet can be downloaded below.

The worksheet serves as a guide for students as they research the evolutionary history of the organism. There is also a rubric that can be downloaded in the members area of USBT.

Tips for Using this Evolution Activity

My student have produced some amazing presentations using this evolution research project.

BEWARE: One of the most challenging aspects of the assignment for the students is going to citing evidence for a specific type of speciation that occurred with their organism.

I always tell my students to use a phylogenetic tree to help them identify the divergence between two species. I have them research the type of speciation that occurred between those two organisms.

Evolution Worksheet

Your students will need to dig in and do real research on their organisms.

First, students will identify the organism by the Genus and Species name.

Next, your students will answer a series of questions about the evolution organism they chose to research.

Evolution Research Questions

What are some of the most recent common ancestors of the organism you are researching?
Search for the phylogenetic tree or a cladogram of the organism.
Analyze the phylogenetic and include a discussion about the shared characteristic in your presentation.
HS-LS4-1. What evidence supports your organism having the common ancestors you describe above?
HS-LS4-3 What advantageous heritable trait(s) does the organism have that has resulted in organisms with the trait to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait?
Identify and cite evidence for one type of speciation that occurred in the evolutionary history of your organism.
HSLS 4-5 Based on your research what types of selective or environmental pressures does/did your organism face?
HS-LS2-8 Does the organism you researched engage in a group or individual behavior that increases the chances for the individual or species to survive and reproduce?
What types genetic variation exist in individuals in the species due to mutation and sexual reproduction?
What competition exists/ed for limited resources for your organism?
What makes your organism better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence from your research for how natural selection leads to adaptations of populations in your organism.

After completing their research, students will build a presentation. I give my students options for the type of presentation that they can do.

Some of my students even implemented a green screen for recording their videos!

You can access the rubric and editable versions of this assignment inside the USBT community.

You can also access everything we have ever created, a FULL BIOLOGY CURRICULUM! all in one, nice, organized place with instructions on how to use it.

#biologyteaching #teachingevolution @USBioTeaching

assessment, Inquiry Lab, Lab, Lab Report

How to Teach Scientific Writing in Biology

February 17, 2019 Brad Grey 2 Comments

Teaching Students to Write Scientific Articles and Lab Reports

The importance of being able to understand and explain in clear language the meaning of fundamental scientific concepts is central to science literacy. One study examining factors that influenced student success in scientific writing found that the only accurate predictor was prior scientific writing experience.

Students need practice, and it is up to science instructors to require students to write in their classes and to seek the best ways to teach them to write effectively.

Other studies have demonstrated that an explicit focus on building students’ scientific writing abilities also improves students’ critical thinking skills, their ability to read and understand scientific literature, and their overall success in the biology curriculum. Thus, for multiple reasons, there is a real need for practical tools to facilitate scientific writing instruction.

Click here to download the lab report rubric and template

Students make the most progress in their writing when assignments are broken into small chunks. When discussing any research study, it is essential to understand the purpose, the process, and the findings.

A successful ‘Results’ section weaves together all three of these aspects, so it is a good place to start. Have students work in pairs or small groups and read the ‘Results’ paragraph of a published article. They will then answer the following five questions:

1) WHY? was the experiment performed. What question was it trying to answer?

2) HOW? was the question approached; what was actually done? Summarizing the procedure helps students make connections between their experimental question and the data. The details of the procedure should be sufficient to interpret the data, but not as detailed as in the Materials and Methods section.

3)WHERE? In which table or figure are the data shown? For example, “As shown in Table 2…” or at the end of a sentence (Figure3).

4) WHAT? A full description of the actual results of the experiment is next. This is not a list of all the data, but it should describe overall trends over time and differences between samples at each time point.

5) So? This is a discussion; based on the results, what is the answer to the original question? In scientific writing, it’s important to connect the WHAT? (what you observed in the experiment) to the SO?, ie. the original question the experiment was trying to answer. From there, the conclusion could go on to compare the data from this study to other published data from similar studies, and then to a proposal for further follow-up experiments or a suggestion of the broader implications of the results.

Once students have thoroughly dissected the article, assess them by having each student write a ‘Results’ section for an experiment they have performed in class. You can click here to download the Mealworm Lab! Once they master ‘Results’, other sections can be introduced in similar fashion.

References:

1.Jerde CL, Taper ML. 2004. Preparing undergraduates for professional writing: evidence supporting the benefits of scientific writing within the biology curriculum. J Coll Sci Teach. 33:33-36.

2. Libarkin J, Ording G. 2012. The utility of writing assignments in undergraduate bioscience. CBE Life Sci Educ. 11:39-46.

3. Quitadamo IJ, Kurtz MJ. 2007. Learning to improve: using writing to increase critical thinking performance in general biology education. CBE Life Sci Educ. 6:140-154.

4.Brownell SE, Price JV, Steinman L. 2013. A writing-intensive course improves biology undergraduates’ perception and confidence of their abilities to read scientific literature and communicate science. Adv Physiol Educ. 37:70-79.

#biologyteaching #scientificwriting

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Protein Synthesis Activity

January 29, 2019 Brad Grey Leave a comment

One of the most challenging topics for Biology students is protein synthesis. This Protein Synthesis Activity forces to dive into the content and develop an understanding of the process. They also have fun doing it!

In this protein synthesis activity, students must create a skit or a role play of the process of protein synthesis. Students must describe both transcription and translation throughout the skit.

Protein Synthesis Activity Requirements

This activity provides students with rubric to guide them through the development of their skit. Students are required to use the following terms throughout their presentation in some way:

DNA Molecule
Nucleotides
Amino acids (make sure they are attached to the correct tRNA)
RNA Polymerase
mRNA (codon must be mentioned)
tRNA (anticodon must be mentioned)
rRNA (Ribosome)
start codon
stop codon

Students always have great discussions as they talk through the process of making their skit about protein synthesis.

Sometimes groups get stuck and are not sure where to begin. When that happens I show them an animation. They can watch it as much as they need in order to develop an understanding of the process of protein synthesis and apply it to their skit.

To help ease the fear of presenting in front of the class, I also offer students the opportunity create a video presentation instead of presenting in class. It is some extra work but some student are glad to do it instead of presenting in front of the class.

Sometimes students do not equally participate. In this activity, all students are required to have an equal speaking part and it is in the rubric. I also tell students that they may lose points as an individual if they do not “pull their weight” in the activity.

Props for Protein Synthesis

Skits have props. You definitely need to give students a time limit on prop building or they will be building forever! Students can bring in their own supplies or you can provide the supplies.

In my classroom, I have a bin of random items that I collect from old kits, packing materials and random items I find that might be able to serve as a good model building materials.

My students have created some pretty amazing presentations using this protein synthesis activity. I hope your students enjoy it and it helps them learn the process of proteins synthesis as well.

If you like this activity, check out our Macromolecule Boxing Activity.

If you need a Full Biology Curriculum with every single day of your school year planned out you can get it here.

#proteinsynthesis #biologyteaching

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Punnett Square Challenge

January 27, 2019 Brad Grey Leave a comment

Recently, my class was finishing up the unit on genetics and learning how to do a variety of punnett squares and I knew I needed to create a better way to review this concept.

Inheritance Patterns: Punnett Squares

So… I created this Punnett Square Challenge that my students love.

Prior to completing this punnett square activity, students should have had exposure to examples, of complete dominance, incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and dihybrid crosses.

After students have had some practice with punnet squares, this activity will serve as a review or a great gauge for \their understanding of the content.

In this activity, students will complete each punnett square (1 through 6) in order.

Student will only receive one punnett square at a time and will only get the next one when they have correctly completed the preceding punnett square.

I have found that students generate great conversation when working together to complete these punnett squares, although it can be done independently.

Each new punnett square will add a degree of difficulty as they progress through the activity. I walk around with folders that contain the problems. As they get them correct I give them the next problem.

If students complete the activity within first or second I offer them a homework pass or bonus points. I have done this as a race and timed and both way worked well. The homework pass incentive takes their effort up a notch.

Student always enjoy this and the discussions that take places are amazing.

Click here to receive this activity directly to your inbox!

If you like this you will love our Biochemistry boxing activity!

biology curriculum

6 Tips for Using a Biology Curriculum

November 11, 2018 Brad Grey Leave a comment

If you are reading this post you are either using our full biology curriculum or thinking about using it. The

Tips and Tricks for Using the Biology Curriculum

Tip #1-Read the Lesson Plans
Be sure you are looking over the lesson plans to see how the plans and activities are used. You will find tips throughout the plans that are specific to the activities, classroom management, differentiation, grouping and activity instructions.

Tip # 2 -Differentiate
In the lesson plans, there is a section at the bottom designated for some suggested differentiation approaches and additional activity extension ideas.

The best part of using this curriculum is that it allows you to easily differentiated and make adjustments if you desire! How?Using this biology curriculum gives you time! Time, you are now able to use to hone in on YOUR students and find what works best for YOUR class and students.

Making adjustments and spending time to add the extra touches that suite your class are now done without the stress of worrying about having a plan in place. You have a plan. Now, instead of building or finding resources that are aligned you can differentiate your instruction to better meet the needs of your students.

Tip # 3 -Review Assessments Prior to the Unit

If you intend to use the assessments provided ensure that you preview them prior to teaching the unit and revisit the assessment regularly throughout instruction (especially direct instruction) to ensure you are better able to help your students hone in on the information you will be assessing/find most important.

Tip # 4-There is Wiggle Room

Do not be afraid to shorten or lengthen the time frames that are given. When looking at the Scope and Sequence you can see there is time built in for reteaching and regular school interruptions. Also, take a look at your state standards to see exactly what topics need to be covered. Some Units are included in this curriculum because they were requested and may fit one states standards but not yours. For example, Classification is not part of my states standards. It is included. It is also organised so it reviews previously covered content while teaching new content. In short, there is wiggle room. Look at the Scope and Sequence and see where you can buy time if you need to.

Tip # 5- Enthusiasm = Engagement from Students

Regardless of how amazing a lesson is if you are not prepared, organized and excited to deliver it, it is unlikely your students will be excited to learn it. Enthusiasm for the content (even if it isn’t your favorite topic) goes a long way at drawing your students in. You are on stage everyday. Have fun with your job. If you are having fun and are happy, your students will be too. I understand it is not easy to maintain a high level of enthusiasm 100 percent of the time but dig deep and try to as much as possible.

Tip # 6- Use the Community of Teachers!

We live during an amazing time. I recall teachers having to keep track of their grades by penciling them into their paper grade books. Technological advancements now allow us to collaborate with each other from all around the world. You have access to tons of teachers who are all using the same curriculum! Reach out, share and grow as a professional!

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Evolution Research Project