A Venn Diagram for you and your students to compare and contrast Darwin vs. Lamarck’s theories on evolution and natural selection.
When you download this product you receive:
A student Venn Diagram in pdf and word form
A teacher Venn Diagram Key in pdf and word form
**NGSS Biology Alignment
**
NGSS.HS-LS4-1
NGSS.HS-LS4-3
NGSS.HS-LS4-4
NGSS.HS-LS4-5
This worksheet is part of a unit plan on decomposition (see below note). Students research various methods used to preserve food. They then choose the method they find the most interesting and elaborate on how the method works. They also include an illustration of the method.
Note: It is recommended that you complete with your students the anchoring phenomena activity, modeling activity, and the lab before moving onto this “Elaborate” activity.
This bundle is here just in time for Thanksgiving! It includes an engage “anchoring phenomena” activity with a sample key. This anchoring phenomena involves a video of a turkey making gobbling sounds and questions that have students thinking carefully about the turkey’s behavior. The students also come up with their own questions that they have about turkeys after watching the video and they explore in detail one of the questions.
The explore activity in this bundle is a mini poster project that allows students to take learning into their own hands by exploring a question that interests them regarding turkeys. The goal of the mini poster project is to answer the question they developed in an informational and easy to understand manner.
This “anchoring phenomena” activity is meant to grab the students’ attention, develop interest in decomposition, and probe their background knowledge. The students begin by watching a time-lapse video of pumpkins rotting while answering questions that spark their curiosity of decomposition.
This document allows students to design and investigate a factor (light, air, water, etc.) that accelerates the decomposition rate of pumpkins. Students collect data for 30 days, and present the results at the end to their class in the form of a presentation and final lab report.
Note: It is strongly recommended that you download the Anchoring Phenomena - Decomposition video and questions and it is recommended you also download the Decomposition Modeling Activity before moving onto this lab activity. Doing so, will give your students the necessary background and foundation needed to succeed in designing and implementing this lab activity.
Students model in groups of 3-4 on large poster paper the decomposition process of a pumpkin. Download to see the requirements and details of this modeling activity. Note: It is strongly recommended that you download the anchoring phenomena video and questions on decomposition before moving onto this modeling activity.
This is the rubric for the Rotting Pumpkin Lab Presentation. You will need to download and have students complete the NGSS - Designing and Investigating Factors Affecting Decomposition Rate lab first before using this rubric. After students design and complete the investigation, they are to present their findings to the class in the form of Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, this anchoring phenomena with a sample key involves a video of a turkey making gobbling sounds and questions that have students thinking carefully about the turkey’s behavior. The students also come up with their own questions that they have about turkeys after watching the video and they explore in detail one of the questions.
This leads us to the Turkey Informational Poster Mini Project found on my TES store. Be sure to check it out as both the turkey anchoring phenomena and informational poster go hand-in-hand together.
This lesson plan is complete with NGSS standards, an anchoring phenomena, a purpose, learning objectives. It is written using the 5E’s (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). The lesson plan is very detailed and you will find the necessary worksheets and other instructional materials needed for this lesson on my online store (see below).
Instructional Materials Needed for Lesson:
Anchoring Phenomena - Decomposition Sheet
NGSS Decomposition Modeling Activity
NGSS - Designing and Investigating Factors Affecting Decomposition Rate
Rotting Pumpkin Lab Presentation Rubric
Food Preservation Methods Worksheet
This NGSS Decomposition Unit Plan is here just in time for Halloween and is complete with
an anchoring phenomena activity
a modeling activity
a lab experiment that students self-design and carry out
a brief research activity
two forms of assessments (formal lab report and presentation with rubric).
detailed lesson plan (coming soon!)
At the end of this unit, students will have learned and explored the decomposition process a pumpkin goes through. They will have also researched different methods used to preserve food.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, this mini poster activity allows students to take learning into their own hands by exploring a question that interests them regarding turkeys. The goal of the mini poster project is to answer the question they developed in an informational and easy to understand manner.
Attention- This poster project goes hand-in-hand with the Turkey Anchoring Phenomena activity found on my TES store. Complete the anchoring phenomena activity first before moving onto this poster project.
This exit-slip is a quick way to assess how well the students understand the lesson. It could be used in any subject with any topic in any grade level.
The exit-slip has students explain which topics they understand really well, which topics they somewhat understand, and which topics they are completely lost on. They also outline what steps they will take to ensure they are very comfortable with all of the topics covered in the lesson.
Your students will love this assignment! They get to listen to different genres of their choosing and see how their heart rate changes in the process to learn more about homeostasis.
Ants are simple insects with complex lives and evolutional histories. This is the most interesting documentary on ants that explores everything from how they behave, what they do in case of emergencies, what insect they evolved from, the symbiotic relationships they have with other organisms, and more. Your students will never look at ants the same way again after watching the documentary and answering the questions. Many students are surprised to learn that there are scientists who study ants for a living.
When you download this product you receive:
16 students questions on the Ants Documentary in pdf and word form
Answer key to the documentary questions in pdf and word form
Link to ants documentary
NGSS Biology Alignment
NGSS.HS-LS4-2
NGSS.HS-LS4-3
NGSS.HS-LS4-4
NGSS.HS-LS2-6
NGSS.HS-LS2-8
NGSS.HS-LS4-5
Students learn how medicine is processed in the body after watching a short video. Students then apply their understanding by modeling the different phases (i.e. Administration, Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) that occur in the body after medicine is consumed.
Video link located at bottom of worksheet.
Sample student models included
Great for a biochemistry course!
Get your students excited about climate change, methane gas, and pollution with this interesting article and student questions. Students in their day-to-day lives do not think about cows and the possible harms they contribute to the planet. After reading the article and answering the questions, students will never look at cows or order a hamburger the same way again!
This product in pdf and word form comes with:
the article
student questions
answer key to student questions
NGSS Chemistry Alignment
NGSS.HS-ESS3-2
NGSS.HS-ESS3-6
NGSS.HS-ESS3-4
Evolution is a biological topic that many students find to be incredibly boring. This project helps to solve this issue by allowing students to show how our current actions will affect the way our species will look and act in the year 3000. The project helps to bust any misconceptions about evolution being a concept of the past.
Students get to choose from several interesting topics:
video games (teenagers today spend most of their waking hours playing video games)
TV (teens can spend days binge watching their favorite shows)
the internet or usage of phone apps (teenagers practically live on the internet and have their phones attached to them all the time!)
fast/processed food (due to how busy our lives have become a large portion of our population relies on fast/processed food).
. . . and they also get to choose how they want to present their information:
an essay
a video presentation
an illustration
a song
When you download this free file you receive a do now that probes students’ background knowledge and thoughts on evolution, detailed explanation of evolution project, rubric for project, and sample student project examples.
NGSS Biology Alignment
NGSS.HS-LS4-3
NGSS.HS-LS4-4
NGSS.HS-LS4-5