I chose this unit plan to show my ability to plan for a project-based learning unit that requires reading, writing, and thinking. This Evolution PBL unit is a unit I prepared for and implemented during my student teaching in a 7th grade life science class. This unit provides reading, writing, and critical thinking beyond the textbook, and incorporates these to create meaningful experiences and connections in my students' schema. This PBL unit is about four weeks long, and incorporates weekly online discussions, weekly projects, and in-class activities that provide activities and relevant instruction which are scaffolded to provide students with necessary support to complete the discussions and projects. You can see what this unit is all about by going through the Evolution PBL tab in the bar above.
Below are the standards covered in this unit: 14. - examine the evolution of living organisms through inherited characteristics that promote survival of organisms and the survival of successive generations of their offspring (GPS) 14a. - explain how physical characteristics of organisms have changed over time (e.g., Darwin’s finches and peppered moths of Manchester) (GPS) 14b. - describe ways in which species on Earth have evolved due to natural selection (GPS) 14c – (Extension) analyze the evidence of evolution 14c1. – trace evidence that the fossil record found in sedimentary rock provides evidence for the long history of changing life forms (GPS) 14c2. – (Extension) explore genetic evidence supporting evolutionary relationships Bio 12d. relate natural selection to changes in species populations over time (GPS)