Lesson 5
THE REALITY OF CHANGE
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
This activity gives students insights into how very different organisms are actually related (distantly). Students join our staff as they search for two somewhat closely related organisms to compare, using Venn diagrams. Then they debate which two organisms are most closely related, supporting their ideas with evidence and reasoning. Finally, they interpret a “Tree of Life” diagram to see how living things on Earth share common ancestors. This activity helps students develop a foundation for understanding key ideas about evolution. Our Virtual Retreat Facilitator will use the video clips of our Naturalists teaching in the forest in conjunction with other educational resources to keep students engaged and excited about learning. They will weave messages from Laudato si’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord.” and Fr. Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, 11/17/2020 throughout the lesson.
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS
Inheritance of Traits, Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity, Natural Selection, Adaptation
FEATURED CROSSCUTTING CONCEPT
Patterns
FEATURED SCIENCE PRACTICE
Constructing Explanations
Students will…
- Compare and contrast organisms.
- Understand that all organisms are related.
- Use patterns in body structures to infer relatedness.
- Make explanations about how closely related different organisms might be.
- See that everything changes constantly and change makes connections possible.
- Name specific forces of change in nature, and the changes they cause.
- See that everything is part of cycles and patterns.
- Feel an increased sense of power and control because of their power of choice.
- Be able to identify examples of natural balance, order, and beauty.
- Experience a greater capacity to accept Change as it occurs in their lives.
- Find it increasingly difficult to identify anything that does NOT change.
