Possible teaching sequence for Evolution and Inheritance Y6
Change or Die!
Evolution or Extinction?
Pupils should be taught to:
- recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago
- recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents
- identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution
1. Death of the Dinosaurs
Use clips from New David Attenborough Night at the Museum (to be screened on 1st January)/David Attenborough Lost Worlds/Jurassic Park/Walking with Dinosaurs/Ice Age etc. to hook children into the topic.
See the Natural History Museum website for excellent resources.
VisitCliffeCastle, Keighley to explore the excellent fossil collection and take part in a 'Art and Science of Noticing' workshop.
Make a collection of fossils for children to explore.
- Observe and describe fossils in precise detail
- Measure fossils accurantely to the nearest millimetre
- Select information from a wide range of sources
- Explain observations using scientific facts and ideas
- Talk about how scientists have combined evidence from observations with creative thinking to suggest new ideas and explanations for fossils/animals that have died out
2. Guess Who
Use the game 'Guess Who' for children to begin to describe variations in humans.
Play 'Enquiry and Elimination' type games on the IWB with photos of humans for children to describe variation in humans. This could be extended to animals, plants, birds etc.
Make a collection of photos of famous families and their children e.g. Royal Family, Beckhams. It is best to use famous people rather than the children to avoid any issues.
- Observe and describe animals/plants in precise detail
- Selection information from a wide range of sources
- Explain observations using scientific facts and ideas
- Talk about how scientists have combined evidence from observations with creative thinking to suggest new ideas and explanations for animal/plant adaptation
Support children to create their own animal/plant and explain how it is adapted to survive in it's habitat. The animal/plant can either be real or imagined.
3. Voyage of Discovery
This section could be based around the Galapagos Islands. The following website is a good starting point
Make a collection of animals and plants for children to explore - a mixture of models and photos ideally.
Have a go at 'Feeding Darwin's Finches'
- Observe and describe animals/plants in precise detail
- Selection information from a wide range of sources
- I can say whether the evidence supports any predictions
- Explain observations using scientific facts and ideas
- Talk about how scientists have combined evidence from observations with creative thinking to suggest new ideas and explanations for adaptation and evolution
Introduce a threat/environmental change/predatory change/food chain change etc. into the habitat that children created in part 2.
Support the children to make adaptations/evolutions in their animal/plant in order for it to survive. This should link the whole topic together as it should draw out the fact that animals/plants either have to adapt/evolve or die!
Claire Holt and Viki Weaver
Science consultants, Bradford Council
Dec 2013