Evolution & Creationism

Lesson Plan Idea-

Habitat Change

1^st Grade

45-55 minutes

Standards:

· K-1 APPA: Humans can change natural habitats in ways that can be helpful or harmful for the plants and animals that live there.

Objective: SWBAT articulate how using recycled materials is helpful to environments

· Differentiated content based on learning profile:

o To accommodate students with language disorders, I will provide a categorizing worksheet for them to fill in with ideas about how using recycled materials is important during the reading and group discussion. SWBAT categorize ways that recycling helps the environment.

· Differentiated process based on readiness:

o I will help students who are able to explain how recycling helps the environment in the pre-assessment stretch their thinking by having them listen for ideas in the read aloud about how kids can help the environment. SWBAT share the ideas they think of during the whole group discussion and will write about it in their post reflection using words or pictures.

Pre-Lesson prep:

Contact community members to volunteer to help students with the construction process through the weekly classroom newsletter.

Opening reflection:

Use words or pictures (pencils/crayons) to explain whether using recycled materials is important for habitats.

· Walk around the room during reflection time and note who seems to already be able to explain how recycling helps the environment

· This lesson would come after developing familiarity with what a habitat is.

Guided Reading:

Read Common Ground: The earth, water and air we share by Molly Bang. Invite children to think about how using recycled materials might be important as I read the story.

Group Discussion:

Discuss ways in which we depend on the earth and ways in which kids can make a difference using the read-aloud as a springboard for discussion. Ask children if the planter boxes they are constructing out of recycled materials are helping the environment and why.

• Provide an overhead of the story for student viewing while I read to provide students with another mode to take in the information. This is particularly important for students with language disorders.

· Use wait time. This is particularly useful for children who have difficulties w/word retrieval and provides space for children to construct responses.

Post Reflection:

Group 1- Use a marker to add the ideas you got from the story and our discussion about how using recycled materials is important.

Group 2- Use a marker to add ideas about how kids can use recycling to help the environment.

Article with Curriculum Connections:

The Evolution/Creationism Continuum

http://ncse.com/creationism/general/creationevolution-continuum

• This article discusses the evolution/creationism continuum by breaking it into the following categories: flat earthism, geocentrism, young-earth creationism, old-earth creationism, intelligent design creationism,theistic evolution, agnostic evolutionism, and materialist evolutionism
  
• The information in this article provides teachers with important background information about different beliefs regarding evolution and creationism. As a teacher, developing an understanding of these common ideologies will make one better prepared to anticipate potential prior knowledge.
• Teaching evolution as a continuum as suggested in this article may help teachers scaffold children to envision other perspectives because the steps of the continuum provide links between different beliefs. This may be especially useful if some students have strong beliefs about evolution or creationism.
• This article may help teachers connect with parents and anticipate concerns because it provides background information about several different perspectives along the continuum.
  
• Could link to elementary content standards about change or communication depending on whether the focus was on considering other perspectives or on specific content about evolution/creationism.