| Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers |
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| Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers |
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A Book for Children on Evolution
Loxton, Daniel. Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press Ltd. 2010, 56 pages.
Based on articles from Junior Skeptic (Skeptic magazine's science insert for children), this beautifully illustrated book introduced young readers to the theory of evolution as well as to modern day science. It answers common questions and clears up misconceptions that sometimes confuse people about the history of life on Earth. The book is recommended for children ages 8 to 13 in the elementary to middle school grades. For a detail review and readers comment on the book, see P. Z. Myers' blog: scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/evolution_how_we_and_all_livin.php
A No-Holds-Barred Evolution Curriculum for Elementary and Junior High School Students
**Evolution: Education and Outreach** Volume 1, Number 1 - January, 2008 Published online: 21 November 2007
Author: Joseph Fail Jr., Department of Natural Sciences, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC.
Abstract: Understanding the basic mechanism of evolution by natural selection together with examples of how it works in nature is crucial for explaining and teaching the workings of biology and ecology to young students. Dobzhansky said it best in his advice to educators of biology: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” This premise is true at all levels of biology but especially so in the elementary years where foundations of science knowledge are laid. Elementary students are capable of learning cohesive and connected stories of biological principles and learning them within a no-holds-barred arena wherein concepts and processes usually reserved for high school years are taught with special care, appropriate exercises, and patient explanations. This story must include solid introductions to the fundamental principles of evolution by natural selection that are threaded within and alongside those of basic biology and ecology. This paper attempts to make the case for the inclusion of connected stories of biology in the earliest years of education and to include within that education the unifying theme of all biology and ecology studies—evolution.
References: 22 invaluable references are provided, including these two PBS videos, both from www.pbs.org: PBS Video. Evolution; 2001. and Journey of Man; 2003.
Note: The article also appeared in The American Biology Teacher. 65 (5). pp. 341–346.
***Note: An article by the same author, with a similar title, appeared in The American Biology Teacher. 65 (5). pp. 341–346." However, that one is titled "A No-Holds-Barred Ecology Curriculum for Elementary & Junior High Students" and describes the ecological focus on life science for the elementary level. There is no mention of evolution there, but his article in Evolution: Education and Outreach cited above makes clear the author's view that both evolution and ecology are integral to life science/biology at any level. Source: www.springerlink.com/index/J613316288310881.pdf
These resources were developed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for teachers and parents interested in educational activities about the Galápagos Islands. Developed in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and the Imax film Galapagos, this site supports teaching and learning about biology, ecology, geology, and the unifying concepts of science. One of those unifying concepts is evolution -- that series of changes, some gradual, some sporadic, that accounts for the present form and function of objects, organisms, and systems. The NSTA supports the position that evolution is a major unifying concept of science and should be included as part of K-College science curriculum. Online resources that are valuable in teaching evolution include:
Ecology and Evolution: Islands of Change. Several of the activities featured in this site are adaptations from NSTA's full-length book, Ecology and Evolution: Islands of Change. Focusing on island biogeography, ecology, and evolution, the activities use the Galápagos as a theme throughout but also make connections to students' local environments. For more information, visit here.
Voices for Evolution. Developed by the National Center for Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement for Science, as part of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion, Voices for Evolution, this resources provides links to the legal background behind the evolution controversy as well as information provided by scientific, educational, religious, and civil libertarian organizations. www.don-lindsay-archive.org/creation/voices/
For additional information, visit the National Science Teacher’s Association
The University of California and Indiana University both have collections of evolution lesson plans. Here is what the web site has to say about this topic. (www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/evolk12/teaching/resources.htm)
… good archives of evolution-related plans are scarce, and many of the ones that are available and classroom-tested are truly boring…. And many have been carefully sanitized to make them more palatable to anti-evolution supervisors and parents, with instances of "evolution" replaced with "change over time" …. Similarly, many lesson plans are well meaning in their attempts to "teach the controversy" yet only confuse students into believing that scientists actually find the topic of evolution even remotely controversial. Finally, many are outright damaging and inappropriate for a science class: crossword puzzles, coloring pages, etc. with overt religious themes…
Note: Links are provided for the following:
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center's curriculum resources
Evolution and the Nature of Science Institutes (ENSI) Lesson List: Evolution
Univ. of Calif. Museum of Paleontology "Explorations through time" lessons
Univ. of Calif. Museum of Paleontology "How to teach Evolution" (with plans)
National Health Museum Access Excellence Evolution Lessons
WGBH online evolution lessons
Teaching evolutionary concepts can be difficult, especially to younger children. This demonstration lesson introduces a simple concept in evolution: adaptations. Students learn what an adaptation is by constructing two animals from different habitats. The procedure is as follows:
The teacher asks for two students to help with the demonstration. The students have volunteered to be the animals that will be constructed by the class. The teacher asks the class to think of how animals are adapted to their habitats. This works well after a lesson on habitats and the many different habitat types. The interesting types of habitats to use for this demonstration are desert, arctic, and aquatic. The teacher proceeds to "create" an arctic animal and a desert animal based on characteristics given by the class. Coaxing the class along with questions such as, "If you lived in the desert, would you be more likely to be active in the day or at night? Why?" or "If you lived in the arctic, what type of skin covering would you probably have?" By the end of the session the students should be “rolling from laughter” but at the same time they learned the concept how important adaptations are to survival. A list of needed materials is provided.
Source: www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/science/dino/ (Look under the heading “Evolution Lesson Plans” for Animal Adaptation.)
In this lesson plan middle and high school students learn about theories of "intelligent design" in evolutionary science. They research and create dialogues between a Darwinist proponent and an intelligent design proponent. Since this resource is under copyright by the New York Times Company, 2005), we have briefly outlined the areas you will find when you go to this web site: www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/evolution.html.
The topics are: student learning objectives, suggested resources and materials, many activities, e.g., notes to teachers, warm-up activities, readings and numerous discussion questions, "wrap-up" suggestions, further discussion questions, ideas for evaluating learning, ideas for further study (e.g., writing a brief biography for young people about Charles Darwin, his accomplishments and his legacy.)
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