As a tech coach, I am always looking for resources and ideas for middle school teachers and students in a one-to-one netbook environment. This space is where I share my findings.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge: STANDARD
8
RESOURCES
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital
sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy
of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others
while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Research to Build
and Present Knowledge: STANDARD 7
RESOURCES
Conduct short
research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question),
drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused
questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Use
technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as
to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of
keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
Production and Distribution of Writing: STANDARD 5 –
With some guidance and support from peers
and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Production and Distribution of Writing: STANDARD 4
RESOURCES
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in
standards 1–3 above.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and
well-structured event sequences.
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing
a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds
naturally and logically.
Write
informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,
and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant
content.
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition,
classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting
(e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful
to aiding comprehension.
Continuing my way through the standards, offering links, lessons, and ideas to help teach the
Core Curriculum Content Standards
Science Grades 6-8
5.3 Life Science: All students will understand that life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
E. Evolution and Diversity: Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind
provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments.
These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics
of organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.
By the end of grade
Content Statement
CPI#
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
RESOURCES
6
Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of
individual organisms and entire species.
5.3.6.E.1
Describe the impact on the survival of species during specific
times in geologic history when environmental conditions changed.
Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than
others to survive and have offspring in particular environments. The
advantages or disadvantages of specific characteristics can change when the
environment in which they exist changes. Extinction of a species occurs when
the environment changes and the characteristics of a species are insufficient
to allow survival.
5.3.8.E.1
Organize and present evidence to show how the extinction of a
species is related to an inability to adapt to changing environmental
conditions using quantitative and qualitative data.
8
Anatomical evidence supports evolution and provides additional
detail about the sequence of branching of various lines of descent.
5.3.8.E.2
Compare the anatomical structures of a living species with
fossil records to derive a line of descent.
Please post a comment below if you have a site or lesson idea to share for teaching these concepts. I would love your input!