ch.1 finding species similarities lesson pdf/evolutionary history/1.2_… · evolutionary history...
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CH.1 – FINDING SPECIES SIMILARITIES
EH: 1.2.1 WARM-UP
On the right is a drawing
of a fossil that is millions
of years old. This fossil
was just taken out of the
ground, and no one
knows what kind of
organism it is. One way
scientists decide what a
fossil might be is to
compare its bones to
bones of other animals.
Make observations about a drawing of the upper body of an unknown species, called the
Mystery Fossil. (5 min)
EH: 1.2.1 WARM-UP
On the right is a drawing
of a fossil that is millions
of years old. This fossil
was just taken out of the
ground, and no one
knows what kind of
organism it is. One way
scientists decide what a
fossil might be is to
compare its bones to
bones of other animals.
Make observations about a drawing of the upper body of an unknown species, called the
Mystery Fossil. (5 min)
EH – VIDEO: PLACING THE MYSTERY FOSSIL IN THE MUSEUM
Evolutionary History
The Evolutionary History Unit explores
the history of life on Earth.
You will use fossil evidence in this unit
to investigate how species change over
millions and even billions of years.
This will help you explain the similarities
and differences you see in different
species.
Students view a video about dig sites and museums and are introduced to the fictional
organization for which they will work. (5 min)
Unit Question:
Why do species, both living and
extinct, share similarities and
also have differences?
EH – VIDEO: PLACING THE MYSTERY FOSSIL IN THE MUSEUM
Let’s Project and play the video
Placing the Mystery Fossil in the
Museum.
You will now watch a video that will
explain your role in this unit.
• A new fossil was found at a dig site and brought back to the Natural History Museum;
• The director of the museum needs to know where to place the fossil in the museum.
• Museums often decide where to place fossils based on an understanding of evolutionary
history.
What are some ideas about the
problem presented in the video?
EH – VIDEO: PLACING THE MYSTERY FOSSIL IN THE MUSEUM
The fictional nature of the
video.
The museum director and the
paleontologist were played by
actors, these roles are based on
real-life ones.
The Mystery Fossil is based on an
actual fossil that was found in
Pakistan.
EH: 1.2.2 DISCUSSING THE STUDENT PALEONTOLOGIST ROLE
Students learn about their role as student paleontologists and consider an image of the
Mystery Fossil they will help place in the museum. (5 min)
Dr. Siddique, in the video is a paleontologist.
Vocabulary: paleontologist - a scientist who studies fossils in order to understand
the ancient history of life on Earth
EH: 1.2.2 DISCUSSING THE STUDENT PALEONTOLOGIST ROLE
Your Role: student paleontologist
You will take on the role of student
paleontologists.
Your work will help the museum director decide
where in the museum to place the Mystery
Fossil.
To decide where to place the Mystery Fossil in
the museum, you will need to learn how
paleontologists think about and understand the
history of life on Earth.
You will be examining the drawing of the
Mystery Fossil throughout the unit.
The reliance on bones when
thinking about fossils.
There isn’t much left to examine aside
from bone structures once an organism
is a fossil, as the Mystery Fossil
drawing shows.
This is why paleontologists rely on
comparing bone structures to find
similarities between different
organisms, living and dead.
Chapter 1 Question.
Where in the museum does this new fossil
belong?
EH: 1.2.2 DISCUSSING THE STUDENT PALEONTOLOGIST ROLE
EH 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
You will consider the body structures of many different species, living and extinct, and group
them based on similarities. (20 min)
Your first task as a student paleontologists will be to consider a variety of different
species and to think about how you might put them into groups.
Use whatever criteria you would like to put species together for this activity.
In order to start thinking about organisms in the same ways that paleontologists do,
let's do a short activity focused on grouping organisms.
You will put these organisms in categories that make sense to you and your partners.
Over time, we will learn more about the principles that paleontologists use, and you will
be able to group organisms in other ways.
Why do paleontologists look for
similarities.
When paleontologists discover a new
fossil, they compare it to other known
fossils and living organisms.
Paleontologists are interested in how
fossils are similar to other extinct
species and to species that are alive
today.
Vocabulary: species - a group of organisms of
the same kind (in one or more populations) that
do not reproduce with organisms from any other
group
In this unit, you will be investigating many
different types of living and extinct organisms
(talking about many different species).
• examples of different species are
lions,
chickens,
apple trees
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Finding Species Similarities instructions
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Let’s demonstrate
making a grouping
with the Three
Species Cards.
These are three cards
from a set of cards you
will get in a few
minutes.
Do you have any ideas
about how these three
organisms could be
grouped together
based on similarities.
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
What is one thing these
species seem to have in
common?
Do you think the
similarities we have
identified are enough to
put them in a group
together?
Do they have other things in
common?
Do you think two of these species belong
together while the other species belongs in a
different group? Why?
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
One possible answer is
that all three species
could belong in a group
of animals…
• that live on land
• with four legs,
Only Pakicetus and Titan
otylopus could go in a
group of extinct animals.
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Camel, Side 2 (Back of Card)
Each card has another object
next to the skeleton.
• a soccer ball
• an apple.
These objects are put there
because they are familiar to
you, and they can help you to
think about how big the
organism is or how big parts of
its body are.
This side of the card shows
the skeleton of the organism.
For example, I might use this soccer ball to estimate
that the camel’s leg is about the same size as 4–5
soccer balls piled on top of each other.
You can utilize the back side of
the cards to also sort the species
into groups with similarities.
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Utilize the Species Cards and with a partner begin to
sort the cards. (8 min to discuss and sort).
Finding Species
Similarities instructions
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Let’s discuss groupings as a class.
Student pairs –
• Explain 1 grouping that you made.
• I will use the large Species Cards to
replicate your groups that you
describe.
• Explain exactly why you made the
observations and groupings that
you did.
Organize card sets at your table.
Thinking about body structure similarities is
where your work will begin in the next
lesson.
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
Some work was
recently done to
help narrow down
which organisms
could be grouped
with the Mystery
Fossil at the
museum.
New information
about the
Mystery Fossil
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
The claims about the Mystery Fossil.
Your job will be to group the Mystery Fossil with other fossil exhibits somewhere in the
museum and that these three claims describe possible sections of the museum where
it could be placed.
What are some of your ideas about how you would know whether the Mystery Fossil is
more like whales, wolves, or crocodiles.
EH - 1.2.3: FINDING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPECIES
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
You will learn about the importance of making careful observations when examining body
structures. (10 min)
Vocabulary – body structure: a part of an organism (for example, one or more bones)
In this unit, we will often be
examining body structures
from organisms that are
extinct, or no longer living on
Earth.
All we have left of these
organisms are their fossilized
bones. Because of this, we will
mostly be comparing bone
structures of different species.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
Let’s discuss Comparing Body Structures
of this image.
What is one body structure that is very
similar between these two animals?
Their backbones
When we look at the backbone,
identifying how these organisms
are similar seems simple, but it
might take careful observation to
find how they are different.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
The bones of the hands, pelvis
What is a body structure that both of
these organisms have but that is very
different between the two?
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
For each organism, the hands look very
different and are different sizes, so it is more
challenging and takes careful observation to
identify the ways that the hands are alike.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
Even trained scientists often find it challenging to compare body
structures between very different organisms.
In order to make your work more accurate and easier to share
with other scientists, paleontologists use certain, precise methods
for making observations.
Their techniques are more complicated than those we will use
and practice in class.
This is because scientists have more advanced tools and more
knowledge of their subjects than we do.
However, the principles you will use are the same as those that a
paleontologist might use.
It is difficult for scientists (and students) to find similarities in body structures.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
The Evidence Criterion.
Careful, precise observations are
very important when thinking
and sharing information about
body structures in paleontology.
Let’s look at a quick exercise to
show how important it is to be
precise in your observations.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
• Can you tell which organism this
observation is discussing?
• It should be impossible to tell for sure.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
The more precise language in the
second observation helped you to
know exactly which organism the
observation was about.
It also gave more precise information about the legs of the Titanotylopus, which could
be helpful if you were sharing this information with one of your peers.
EH – 1.2.4: HOW PALEONTOLOGISTS MAKE OBSERVATIONS
These guidelines will
be helpful when you
are asked to make or
think about
observations later in
the unit.
EH - 1.2.5 HOMEWORK
Students read an article called “Jefferson’s Big Mistake," which is about the
importance of careful observations.