BIOL409 Guidelines to Plan Evolution Teaching Modules

Modules 1-3

Modules 4-7

Module 8

Module 9

Module 10

 

DEADLINES

Unit Plan for Teaching Evolution

 

At the end of the course, you will submit a portfolio with an overall plan for teaching evolution in the classroom. This may be a unit plan with a sequence of lessons or for those who teach evolution as a unifying theme throughout a course, then the structure of that approach would be described and samples of lessons would be included. The lessons should be developed using the principles of “Backward Design” as outlined by Teach to the Future. It is recommended that you work with a partner on these assignments. One portfolio is due for each pair of students. You will both self-assess and peer-evaluate each other’s participation. Components of the portfolio will be submitted periodically according to the class schedule. You are expected to use the feedback received to revise your work for the final portfolio.

 

Thinking about how you will teach evolution in your classroom is an important goal for this course. You should be thinking about what you want your students to know about evolution and how you would use the resources presented in BIOL409 to teach students something important. In your planning, remember that an evolution unit plan can last anywhere from two to six weeks or more and is intended to address a key concept in evolution. The unit plan should also incorporate smaller lesson plans that are intended to address sub-concepts that are needed to build up to the overall learning goal. 

 

Expected outcomes from the Intel Teach to the Future Program Modules

 

(1)    Design and post a Unit Portfolio for teaching evolution that includes effective teaching strategies, activities, technology, web- based learning, assessments, teacher support materials and planning documents.

(2)    Use peer review to reflect and share ideas about lesson planning, key concepts in evolution, and engaging student learning.

(3)    Use feedback from others to improve your unit planning and revise your work according to the feedback received, if appropriate.

(4)    Present an Evolution Unit Teaching Portfolio with your partner during the final exam.

 

Use Blackboard Groups and Discussion Board to post your teaching ideas and to identify someone you want to work with on an evolution unit lesson. We suggest that a teacher or someone that is familiar with lesson planning pair with an undergraduate student or future teacher.

 

Modules 1-3 Goals

 

The goal for Modules 1-3 is to confirm partners that will be working together and to identify the theme and questions that would be addressed in a unit for teaching about 2-4 weeks of biological evolution. Remember that evolution should comprise about 25% of the course content at the high school level in California, so your job is to select one aspect that you are prepared to teach well.

 

Find a partner you can work with and start your personal partner Discussion Board thread by the DEADLINE. Agree on the content focus for your unit, the grade level standards that you will focus on and use your partner discussion thread to communicate and plan your unit. Once you do, send a request to set up your very own Discussion Forum that you and your partner can use to communicate ideas and exchange files. 

 

Download and work through the materials in the Blackboard Course Documents > Guidelines for your Evolution Unit folder.  Fill out the forms as you plan. Create a file structure on your Blackboard Discussion so you can share resources with your partner. The forms can be submitted to your Teaching Evolution discussion thread for sharing.

o       Asking the Right Questions

M1_1AskingtheRightQuestions.doc (32.5 Kb)

o       Planning the Unit: Make your Unit Plan Introduction PowerPoint Presentation

M1_2PlanningtheUnit.doc (43 Kb)

M1HigherLevelThinking.doc (35 Kb)

Introduce your overall unit plan goals and explain how your unit plan is aligned to your grade level content science standards, addresses grade level standards, and incorporates a couple of key lessons that support the overall objectives of the unit plan.       

o       Learn about Copyright Laws: Add citations and a copyright slide to your Teacher's Plans PowerPoint

M1_3CopyrightLaw.doc (36 Kb)

M1copyrightsummary.doc (31.5 Kb)

Checklist for Fair Use by the Copyright Management Center at Indiana University at http://www.copyright.iupui.edu/       

o       Select appropriate Internet resources

M1EvaluatingInternetResources.pdf (88.8 Kb)

o       Make a Sample Student Work PowerPoint Presentation

M1_5StudentSamplePresentation.doc (34 Kb)

 

Deadline: Submit to the Blackboard > Modules – to be graded - Discussion Board.  Only the following items will be graded. (Please follow the directions carefully.)

 

(1) Create a PowerPoint generated storyboard that introduces your Unit to students and links the topic selected to at least one specific California Science Content Standard at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/.  (See example.)

 

(2) Add an Internet Resources Reference slide at the end of your PowerPoint presentation showing how you plan to use at least 3 Internet resources and explain why each source is credible.  You will also need to reference any images or video clips used in your presentation or unit on these slides.

 

(3) Then create a sample "student" presentation about your topic with at least 6 slides. This student presentation is showing what the teacher is expecting the students to know at the end of one lesson or at the end of the entire unit. (See example.)

 

You are NOT expected to design your own curriculum. Your job is to find good ways to use curriculum that will help you teach important goals that you identify. If you use professionally designed curriculum, your work will be easier when it comes time for you to explain your activities. Please consider using professionally designed materials for your Intel unit assignments. The Evolution web page has some outstanding examples:

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/tguide.html

 

Guiding documents are posted under the Discussion Forum. Post the work you do on the Modules and communicate with your partner using your own personal Discussion Forum as you progress through the Intel guidelines.

 

Module 1-3 Assessment

 

+10 pt Total:

 

+2 pt for your confirmation via email so we can set up a new Discussion Board (shared with your partner) that clearly indicates who you will be working with for the Intel modules.

 

+3 pt for submitting your Unit Plan Introduction PowerPoint Presentation. This should introduce your overall unit plan goals and explain how your unit plan is aligned to your grade level content science standards, addresses grade level standards, and incorporates a couple of key lessons that support the overall objectives of the unit plan.

 

+2 pt for including an Internet Website and Image References page in your Unit Plan Introduction PowerPoint Presentation

 

+3 pt for creating a Sample Student PowerPoint Presentation that shows one example of what the students should be able to do after completing one of your lessons

 

Instructions for Modules 4-7

Explore:

(1) Design or find a professionally designed lesson plan and outline a skeletal rough draft of how it will fit into your unit plan in the "procedures section" of the Unit Plan Template.

Explain:

(2) Create a rubric form or template to assess evolution content and higher-level thinking skills.

(3) Design and publish a teacher web site that students and parents can use to follow guidelines for one lesson.

The first section deals with creation of a rubric to assess your students' technology-rich approach to understanding evolution.

The second section deals with the creation of a parent/student support website for one specific lesson in your evolution unit. An example of what is expected for Module 7, Teacher Support material, is posted at http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol409/Module7.htm. Please notice that this support material was developed by a BIOL409 instructor to guide students through CPR assignment 4.

Download from Blackboard and work through these guidelines with your partner:

M4keep_toolkit_for_biol_409.doc (38.5 Kb)

M5TeachThinkingSkills.doc (42 Kb)

M5rubricform.doc (25 Kb)

M5SampleTemplat.dot (37.5 Kb)

M6Designing for the Web.doc (42 Kb)

M7WebSite.doc (52 Kb)

 

We created a template for BIOL 409 that you will find on the Dashboard Page (once you sign in on your account).  You can view the snapshot at:  http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=23633499931203.  Use this template by adding your material and deleting what is written as suggestions in each field.  Remember, this is a website that you, as a teacher, are creating for your students and their parents.  Feel free to be creative (embed pictures and links or whatever else will enhance your website) as well as informative (clearly outline what students will be doing for the unit and include links to helpful websites, any documents that you think they might need and important assessment tools, such as your rubric).

 

DIRECTIONS FOR USING THE KEEP TOOLKIT WEBSITE.

1.  Go to http://www.cfkeep.org/static/index.html and JOIN (click on the red box in the lower right side of the page).

2.  Fill in the required fields.

3.  When you have finished, KEEP Toolkit will email your login information. Save and print it for access in the future.  With the email message, you will find two guides to help you with KEEP Toolkit.  Those who might struggle with the technology can print copies of the guides.

4.  Click on the website that is given in the email: Login URL: http://www.cfkeep.org with your email address and assigned password.

5.  After you sign in, you will be taken to a page called “My Dashboard”, where I strongly suggest you change your password.

6.  After you change your password, open the sample BIOL 409 Module template Snapshot (which you can modify to make your webpage).

7.  Click on Edit, to make changes to the template to reflect the webpage you design.  You can also click on “New” and use a variety of other templates that are available through KEEP Toolkit.

8.  When you finish, save your work.

9.  Check your work by clicking on the Snapshot Title on your dashboard.  Copy the URL and send it to your partner so they can see your work in progress.

10. Place a check in front of the snapshot title and at the top of your dashboard select the “Send to...” button to send a copy to your partner. They can then edit your work – but you will have two copies of the template.  Note that you cannot both edit the same page.  Your partner can then send the work back to you for further editing.  Each time you send the template you make a new copy of the work in progress. Rename each draft to keep track of your progress.

11.  When both partners agree that the website is what you want as your finished project, submit the URL address to the INTEL Modules discussion thread on Blackboard.

 

Keep your focus on what it means for students to understand evolution!  Examples for Module web pages from BIOL409 students in past years:

http://www.geocities.com/debra_miyamoto/WhaleEvolution.html

http://www.geocities.com/orchidsevolution/409.html

http://scied.fullerton.edu/Steph/

http://scied.fullerton.edu/Teacher/

http://scied.fullerton.edu/teacher/Vander_Zwaag.htm

http://scied.fullerton.edu/Teacher/Kennedy.htm

http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol409/feedback_Mod8a.htm

(This last item shows many examples and a form similar to the one we will use to assess your work)

           

Instructions for Modules 8-10

Use the Module 8 Unit Implementation Template to decide with your partner on some things that are still needed for your unit. Download from the Blackboard Course Documents folder the Unit Implementation Template and the following resources to guide you as you finish your Evolution Teaching Portfolio:

M8bUnitImplementationTemplate.doc (48.5 Kb)

M8c1ModifyingInstruction-SpecialNeeds.doc (192 Kb)

M8c2ModifyingInstruction-ESL.doc (44 Kb)

M8c3ModifyingInstruction-Gifted.doc (40 Kb)

M8dUnitPlan.doc (382 Kb)

M9intel_portfolio_rubric.doc (33 Kb)

M9showcase_feedback_form.doc (28 Kb)

M10evolution_portfolio_selfassessment.doc (33 Kb)

Plan to accommodate a diversity of learners. Define modifications for a gifted student and for a student with special needs (based on exceptionalities from the National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education through Technology, Media, and Materials at http://www2.edc.org/ncip/library/toc.htm). Refer to the guidelines for Modifying Instruction as needed.

 

Finish your Unit Plan like the example at http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol409/Module8Sampleunitplan.doc. Remember to describe in your unit plan how you will accommodate students with a special need and who are gifted.

 

When you have finished all of your revisions, use your Blackboard Discussion to post your revised Unit Plan with all support materials and your website to showcase one procedure from your Unit Plan (create a hyperlink in the document).

 

The Module 8 Assessment

+6 pt Each partner in the group reviewed three websites, the reviews were completed by the required due date, and the reviews were carefully thought out and provide insightful feedback for the authors of the website.

+4 pt Feedback was used to revise the content of the Unit Plan Template planning form. Accommodations for differentiated instruction define considerations for two students who in some way do not match the statistical norm.

 

Module 9 Assessment

+15 pts

The day of the final exam, students will have 10 minutes to discuss the highlights of their Unit Portfolio and the lesson on their website. They will discuss accommodations for different learners. You will use the rubric to evaluate three final showcase presentations.

 

Module 10 Assessment

+20 pts

After your final Unit Portfolio Showcase, each partner will complete an Evolution Teaching Portfolio Self Assessment.

 

Web page created 6/26/03 by NP, modified in 2005 by SR and last modified by Pelaez on 7/20/06.