Lesson TITLE and GRADE Level: Exploring Evolutionary History, 8th grade science

CA CONTENT STANDARDS or COMMON CORE STANDARDS:

NGSS Standards:
MS-LS4- Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity,
1. extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that
natural laws operate today as in the past.

MS-LS4- Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences
2. among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary
relationships.
LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity: The collection of fossils and their placement in
chronological order (e.g., through the location of the sedimentary layers in which they are found or
through radioactive dating) is known as the fossil record. It documents the existence, diversity,
extinction, and change of many life forms throughout the history of life on Earth. (MS-LS4-1)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly.

Lesson OBJECTIVES:
1. The students will create a personal time scale and time line.
2. The students will compare and contrast their personal time scale and line to the
Geologic Time Scale.
3. The students will begin to reflect on their learning and growth as they complete the
Geologic Post Test as an exit ticket.

21st Century FLUENCY Skill: Information Fluency

MATERIALS List:
 Digital & editable copies of the following:
o Geologic Time Pretest
o “Events in your life” worksheet
o “Your Personal Time Line” worksheet
o Geologic Time Scale
o (If there is time: Geologic Time Scavenger Hunt & Geologic Time Post-test &
Geologic Time module for students: http://bit.ly/GeologicTime)

GAINING ATTENTION (2 mins) :

 (Daily announcement will be projected on the board for all students to read and
follow while I take attendance.)
  (Feedback to students as they settle into class.) “Thank you for sitting quietly and
following instructions.” “I like how you have already followed directions.”
 If you can hear me clap once. (Continue until the students are quiet, this should be no
more than about a thirty seconds for them to quiet down.)
 Hello students! Today we will be beginning our study of Evolutionary History.

RELEVANCY (2 minute): Why does this matter? We are learning about the evolutionary
history of Earth because we experience the evolutionary history of earth everyday. The
history of the Earth is being written every day and we want to better understand what is
happening around us.

INFORMING THE LEARNERS OF THE OBJECTIVES (2 minutes)

As we begin our study or Evolutionary History you will create a personal time scale and
compare and contrast to the Geologic Time Scale. You will also begin to formulate or think of an
explanation for the Evolutionary History or Earth. You will also have a moment at the end of class to
reflect on all that you learned in class today.

RECALL & REVIEW OF PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE (4 minutes):

 The really cool part about moving from our study of Natural Selection to
Evolutionary History is they are both connected! Natural Selection is a component of
evolutionary history.
 Think about your PT you finished last week, it was all about natural selection. You
researched and found examples of how organisms adapted to survive and thrive in
their environments. (Answer any questions that may occur and thank students for
asking questions.)

PRESENTING STIMULUS MATERIAL/ ELICITING THE DESIRED

BEHAVIOR/INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
(35 minutes):
 A big part of Evolutionary History is being able to read and create timelines, so the
first thing we are going to do is create a timeline.
 Now, be sure you are listening carefully to my directions first BEFORE you begin.
You may begin when I say “go”.
 The first thing I am going to ask you to do is to go to G. Class and open up the
document titled “Events in Your Life”. (Project for students to see, Chromebooks will
be closed at this point.)
 I will set a 3 minute timer, and during this time you are going to look at the events
listed on this sheet and arrange them in order by placing the number 1 in front of the
 event that occurred first in your life, a number 2 next to the event that occurred
second in your life, and so on. You will be working on this first part on your own,
but you have your shoulder partner by you if you need clarification, you can also ask
me to clarify if you are confused.
 Got that?
 Place a 1 by the event that occurred first, a 2 by the event that occurred second, and
so on. Are there any questions? (Answer and provide feedback as necessary.)
 (Set timer.) “Go!”
 (Students complete timeline, float around room and provide support as necessary.)
 Excellent work, scientists! Now, we will do a 30 second timed pair share to review
your time line with your face partner.
 (Students know this procedure, review and then begin as students share. Provide
support as needed.)
 Great job, students! Please give your partner a high five and say: good job, partner!
 You have created a time line, but this time line is probably not in order, so now we
need to create a time line that is in order.
 To do this, please close your Chromebooks halfway.
 Again, listen to me first and then you will begin when I say “potato”.
 Your task now is to open up the doc on G. Class “Your Personal Timeline”
 (Project and open to model as I talk.)
 You will be taking the events you put numbers next to on “Events in your life” and
filling them in on the THIRD column FIRST. I know that seems confusing, but we
will be starting with the THIRD column FIRST.
 We will also be working backwards through time, so the event that I am going to put
at the top of this THIRD column is today’s date, then I am going to work backwards.
So I’m starting with number 8 and working backwards to number 1.
 Phew, got that? Open up this doc, fill in the 3rd column and start with the most recent
event – today’s date – and work backwards from there.
 Are there any questions? (Answer and provide feedback)
 You will have 5 minutes to fill in this worksheet. (Set timer.)
 Potato! (Release word for students to begin.)
 (Students work on second sheet, float around and provide feedback as needed.)
 Wonderful effort, scientists! You have 2 steps left to complete your own personal,
scientific timeline.
 For this next step you will be working with your shoulder partner. (Greet partners,
etc.)
 You will both be working together to fill in the second column “numerical time” on
the sheet.
 You will have 2 minutes to work together to fill in Partner A’s numerical time, and
then when the timer goes off, you will switch and have 2 minutes to fill in Partner B’s
numerical time.
 (Explain how to fill in numerical time while still projecting. [0 by today’s date, then
calculate the number of years ago an event happened in sequential time, round to
work with whole numbers.])
 Are there any questions? (Provide feedback as needed.)
  (Review roles and task, set timer)
 Begin!
 (Float around room and provide help as needed, feedback as needed.)
 Switch!
 (Float around and provide feedback as necessary. )
 Wonderful work, students! You have completed 2 of the 3 steps to creating a
scientific timeline. We now have a timeline where I can see how many years ago I
started kindergarten and compare how I started Kinder after I learned how to walk,
but BEFORE I lost my first tooth.
 The last step is coming up now, and in this step we will be labeling the time intervals
when these events occurred.
 (Students follow along as I model the time intervals. Labels= preschoolian,
gradeschoolian, and postgradeschoolian).
 Congratulations, you have created a scientific timeline of your events in your life!
Fist bump your partner and say: excellent effort, partner!
 Now, I would like to show you a different timeline. I want you to ONLY look at this
timeline I am about to show you. You will have 30 seconds of quiet “think” time.
Then we will SU-HU-PU to do a Timed Pair Share to compare and contrast how your
time line is the same as this time line and different from this time line.
 (Repeat, clarify, answer questions and provide support as needed. Review Kagan
structures and expectations then begin. While projecting Geologic Time Line of
Earth.)
 (This should go on for 4-5 minutes.)
 Fantastic job doing SU-HU-PU and Timed Pair Share, I am very proud of your
efforts. You will now have 1 minute to be returning to your seats, but as you do, you
just high 5 three different people before you reach your seat.
 Excellent work. Now, let’s review what you observed. (2 minute whole class
discussion: How is your time line the same? Different? Similar?)
 The entire history of the Earth can be placed on a single timeline, it has been placed
on this time line and this time line is big compared to our small personal time lines.
 In the last few minutes of class here is what I need you to do:
o Turn in both time documents.
o Take Geologic PreTest as Exit ticket in order to leave class.
o No homework.
 Are their any questions? (Answer and provide feedback as necessary.)
 The grading for the exit ticket pretest is pass/fail, so do not worry about your score.
Your only job is to complete it before you leave class today. Today’s exit ticket will
help me continue our exploration into Evolutionary History tomorrow!
 Thank you students!

PROVIDING DEEDBACK/PROGRESS MONITORING: Provided throughout the

lesson, see above.
 ASSESSING the BEHAVIOR:
 Objective 1 will be assessed when students complete and submit their time lines.
 Objective 2 will be assessed during the SU-HU-PU, the Timed-Pair-Share, and the whole
class discussion/recap.
 Objectives 3 will be assessed as students complete and submit the exit ticket.

Document all sources:

Screenshots of documents that will be posted on G. Class for students to edit