Inquiry - Modeling

Grade level
/subject
Context
description

Standards
met

9th Grade Biology

Student should possess prior knowledge on basic information
about Earths history. This will be evaluated in the pre-assessment
given at the beginning of the unit. Students in this class have seemed
to like a mixture of both book and activity learning. This lesson is
adapted to this by breaking it into short mini activities with
discussions in between. This lesson builds on students prior
knowledge by using what they already know about the Earth and
construction a visual timeline that can represent major events.
Student work best in small groups or pairs. This lesson is built on
using these strengths by doing partner work and groups of 4.
Students need to work on their communication skills so students
should support their ideas about the timeline with evidence and
reasoning
Ohio Content Statement provide the number and the complete
written statement
SC.BIO.2.3 From about 4 billion years ago to about 2 billion years
ago, only one simple, single-celled microorganism for found in the
rock record. Once cells with nuclei developed about a billion years
ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms evolved

Concept
addressed

Objectives

The overarching concept to this lesson is what has happened in

Earths history. This lesson is building towards and understanding of
evolution and how organism have changed over the billions of years
on Earth. Students need to understand what has happened in Earths
history because it will allow them to further understand evolution.
The students will be able to:
1. Build an accurate model of Earths history in the form of
a timeline
2. Identify the major geological and biological events that
have occurred throughout Earths history
3.

Inquiry - Modeling
Academic
language
Learning
strategies
Materials
needed

Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Cenozoic Era, Cambrian Explosion

Safety

Students will follow normal classroom procedures

When walking around the room students should be cautious of trip
hazards

Activity Based Learning

Think, Pair, Share
Yarn/string
Paperclips
Event cards
Journals
BSCS Book

Inquiry - Modeling
Engagement/Introduction/Hook:
Opener: How old is the Earth? (5 min attendance)
Instructional sequence:
Segment 1: Play video on Deep Time.(8 min)
Transition 1: open journals to a clean page and title it
Modeling Earths History (2 min)
Instructional
outline

Segment 2: Think(3 min), pair(5 min) write your ideas on

parchment paper, share(2 min) about when the events
happened in Earths history
Transition 2: Draw in the journal what the class thought (2 min)
Segment 3: Discuss with your group this question: How do
models help scientist understand data? (5 min):
Transition 3: Hand out Event Cards to each group (1 min)
Segment 4: Groups should study the event cards and hang
them on the clothes line where they think they belong (7 min)
Transition 4: Transition back to seats with journals (1 min)
Segment 5: Discuss whole groups if the model is accurate
( move cards to reflect the actual model (10 min)

Modifications

Assessments
of learning

Transition 5: Journal should be open

Closure
Draw the correct model of the timeline in journals with appropriate
labels (4 min)
Student will be given appropriate accommodations or modification
according to the needs of the IEP
Formative assessments: Think, Pair, Share
Informal questions during group work, ability to provide justification to
where the events belong
Summative assessments: Post-test at the end of the unit

Inquiry - Modeling
Homework: Analysis question