This is a sample blog that shows the kinds of posts you need to make for EDU 551's Unit Planning Blog.

For each resource, you must:

1. LINK to the resource
2. Write a review of the resource (what is it?  why would it be useful?  what are its strengths?  how would you use it with your students?).  This should be about one-paragraph in length.

                            Content Area:  Biology          Unit of Study:  Evolution

POST #1:  Due:  September 29, 2012

A.  Website:  Discovery Science Channel, Darwin:  Who Wants to Live A Million Years?

This a fun, interactive website that allows students to learn background knowledge on Charles Darwin, learn about natural selection and its role in evolution, take a quiz on natural selection and Darwin, and play a survival game based on the ideas of natural selection and evolution. The visuals and sound affects are engaging for a 10th grade class because they are mainly animated pictures and cartoons. This website reminds me of the BrainPop website in its fun construction, but comprehensive and rich in its educational content. This website will especially appeal to students with average to below-average reading abilities or any student who learns more effectively with visual aids. The website presents information in short segments as not to overwhelm students, and provides a glossary for key terms such as natural selection, variation, and trait. This site will be used as a tool for reviewing material from the textbook and showing a visual representation of the process of natural selection and evolution. [review by Kristen B]

B.  Article:  Meet Ardi, Your First Human Ancestor  

Telling the story of how scientists recently discovered what is known to be the first human ancestor, this magazine article provides a highly-readable summary of findings previously published in the professional journal, Science.  This makes this historical, scientific, and archaeological discovery accessible to teen readers.  Although this is short, it is ranked in the top ten stories of 2009.  This magazine article will be used as a prompt to get students thinking about fossils that show our ancestry.












C.  Book:  Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth   Publication Date:  2011
by Jay Hosler, Kevin Cannon (Illustrator), Zander Cannon (Illustrator)

From the reviews that are published, this book seems like it would be a good fit to use in teaching my tenth grade Biology unit on evolution.  Evolution:  The Story of Life on Earth is a selection of graphic nonfiction:  a book that both shows and tells a story with artwork and text.  Jay Hosler is an award-winning biology teacher who has received National Science Foundation grants and guest spots on National Public Radio for his books.  I know that the artwork will appeal to my tenth grade students.  Below is an example:

I plan to use this book as one of my literature circle choices, so students will read and discuss it in small groups.


D.  Video Clip:  PBS Library:  NOVA on Evolution

<<  Review on its way!  >>  KB