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Teaching materials : 3-5 teachers' lounge :
Identify your learning goals
At the end of the school year, there are certain conceptual understandings that we want our students to have. Achieving these learning goals lays the groundwork for more sophisticated understandings as students proceed through their learning experiences. The Understanding Evolution Conceptual Framework is an effective tool for identifying a sequence of age-appropriate conceptual understandings (K-16) to guide your teaching. The Framework is divided into five strands, and a selection of teaching resources (i.e., lessons and activities) targeting most concepts has been identified.
Jump to: History of Life | Evidence of Evolution | Mechanisms of Evolution | Nature of Science | Studying Evolution
| History of Life concepts for 3-5 |
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- Life has been on Earth for billions of years. (See Lessons)
- Life forms have changed over time.
- Many forms of life in the past were different from living things today.
- Many forms of life in the past were similar to present-day living things.
- Present-day life forms are related to past life forms.
- Most species that once lived on Earth have gone extinct.
To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Patterns of Evolution. |
| Evidence of Evolution concepts for 3-5 |
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- Life is very diverse. (See Lessons)
- There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect fit.
- Form is linked to function. (See Lessons)
- Fossils provide evidence of past life. (See Lessons)
- There are similarities and differences among fossils and living organisms. (See Lessons)
- Selective breeding can produce offspring with new traits.
To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Lines of Evidence. |
| Mechanisms of Evolution concepts for 3-5 |
| Nature of Science concepts for 3-5 |
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- Science deals with the natural world and natural explanations. (See Lessons)
- Scientific ideas may change with new evidence. (See Lessons)
- Scientists base their ideas on evidence from the natural world. (See Lessons)
- The real process of science is complex, iterative, and can take many different paths.
- Science is a human endeavor.
To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Nature of Science. |
| Studying Evolution concepts for 3-5 |
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- Scientists study living things and how they are related. (See Lessons)
- Scientists study fossils and how and when they were formed. (See Lessons)
- Scientists study rocks and how and when they were formed. (See Lessons)
To help you teach these concepts, you may want to explore Lines of Evidence. |
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