A Technology Book Review

I read a lot of books on technology in the classroom and implement many of the ideas I learn about, but one thing I haven't really attempted in earnest yet is a flipped classroom.  I found a great guide for teachers starting this practice, called The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture, by Jackie Gerstein.  Dr. Gerstein is an instructor at several universities, having earned her Ed.D. at Northern Illinois University.  She has written several books on classroom instruction which are very popular among educators.  This book is licensed under a NonCommercial Creative Commons license, so it can be found at a very low price from sellers such as Amazon, and is well worth the purchase.

The book starts out with a simple section on what the flipped classroom is, and how websites like Khan Academy have steered education away from they typical teacher/student format that has been around for many years.  Video has always been very popular in classrooms, so why not harness it to create a classroom where more learning and less lecture takes place?  Why do we teach, then assign homework when the students can learn at home and practice in the classroom?  Time, perhaps our most precious aspect of teaching, can be saved and utilized most efficiently.

The book then embarks on how to rethink our ways of teaching and its effectiveness.  Dr. Gerstein cites several other experts in this section and introduces their ideas on flipping classroom.  It clearly lays out the types of teaching that flipping accommodates best, and that it is certainly not a fix-all to issues we face as teachers in the classroom every day.  Perhaps the key detail in this section is that flipping the classroom gives teachers the opportunity to do what they feel is most effective during class time, and not focus on trying to lecture/present all the material they have to cover.

There are many theories contained in this book and how flipped learning assimilates with them.  It focuses on Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, which is currently thought of as a highly effective teaching tool, and demonstrates how flipping can be used to great effect.  They key of Experiential learning is that learning is based on concrete experience and formation of concepts based on that experience, which plays right into the wheelhouse of the flipped classroom.  I found this section the most intriguing part of the book, and could already formulate ways to use this in my own classroom.  It breaks lessons down into fthree parts which are essential to effective flipping.

1. The What - Any lesson/section should begin with exposure of the learners to the concepts of focus.  This can be done with video lectures, podcasts, websites, chats, or other tool that allows the student access outside the classroom.
2.  The So What - Learners reflect on their understanding of concepts and articulate through blogs, generated videos, podcasts, or other creative technology tool
3. The Now What - Learners go beyond reflection, and create something that has applications to their lives.  This is usually done in the classroom setting when the teacher is present to guide the students.

I noticed right away that this approach mirrors Bloom's ideas of going from basic to creation, and I can see how effective it would be in the classroom.

There are many other ideas put forth in this book, along with sample lessons of differing levels that illustrate just how these concepts can be integrated in ones own classroom.  I personally learned a lot in a short time from this book, and while the audience of this book seemed to be educators who already have some background in classroom theory, I could see it also being useful for a complete novice.  It put the steps and theory of classroom theory in simple enough terms that any teacher should be able to follow it and implement their own vision of a flipped classroom.

More of Dr. Gerstein's ideas can be found at http://jackiegerstein.weebly.com/

Citation:

Gerstein, Jackie. The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture. Amazon Digital Services, 2012.

A Sample Standards-Based Interactive Game

There are a lot of different opportunities for some fun in the classroom, but games have always been a way that teachers can reach students and engage them effectively.  I find the best thing about games is that students are learning when they think they aren't, or rather when they think they are just having fun.  Nothing breathes life into curriculum like a good time!  There are many options for games out there with all of the technology in the classroom, but my current favorite is Quizlet Live.  Quizlet is a well-known flash card application which students use regularly, but they have released a game version about a year ago to help bring engagement to the classroom.

I use many game applications in class to break up monotony and I find they are particularly useful in sections which are vocabulary heavy.  I am well versed in Socrative, Kahoot, Sugarcane, and other similar applications, but Quizlet live adds a dimension that really seems to suck the students in, and that is its collaborative, yet random, elements.

 How Quizlet works is by using datasets to generate simple matching terms and concepts with their appropriate descriptions, just like one would make a study set with flash cards.  One the data set is made, Quizlet offers all kinds of games for students to play to learn the material.  They can simply view them as flashcards, they can test themselves on terms, or they can use the new Learn feature where they type in answers to questions and Quizlet lets them know which ones they need to study more and estimates the time they need to do so.  These, however, are more standard study games, and Quizlet gets a lot more fun than that.

Matching games allow students to match terms against a timer.  Their times are then compared to others in their class (or whoever attempts the same set), and they compete to get on a leader board.  Students particularly enjoy this game, but what they enjoy even more is Quizlet Live.  Live allows a teacher to create a game session utilizing the study session, and goes something like this:

1. The teacher creates the game room, and all students present in the classroom join the session with a generated code.
2. Once the students are entered, the teacher initiates the game, and students are assembled into random groups, each with an animal as their mascot.  
3. Students look at their iPads/Devices, and see their animal, and seek out others in the classroom with the same animal.
4. Once teams are assembled, the teacher presses start and the game is off and running!

A term appears on each students iPad within a group, but Live is different in that each student does not have the correct answer on their iPad.  Rather, only one student in the group does.  The students have to work together to find out which person has the correct answer.  For example, the question might be "Who was the first President of the USA?"  The iPads might have answers like this:

iPad 1

• Lincoln
• Reagan
• Kennedy
• Taft

iPad 2

• Jefferson
• Hamilton
• Carter
• Washington

iPad 3 

• Adams
• Fillmore
• T. Roosevelt
• Wilson

The students would figure out it is Washington, and student 2 presses the answer.  It then shows green and disappears from their screen.  Each round has 12 random questions from a set, and as students answer them correctly they are rewarded with less possible answers to choose from.  The caveat is this, if the students miss an answer, they have to start over from the beginning.  Scores are shown on the projector race style, so students can see their progress.  Games get very competitive and spirited! Here is a sample video of how the game works.

While Live is a fun way for students to learn, it is a very valuable tool for teachers as it has many features that make it effective.

1. It allows for differentiation.  Teachers can customize their study sets to contain many different levels of questions to students.  Some students may struggle with some, but by missing them and learning the correct answer, they will get it next time.  The random grouping feature also keeps groups fluid and changing, so students who are challenged will learn from their peers.  The teams can be mixed each round until a good balance is found.
2. It is highly engaging.  Students, by nature, are competitive, and watching their progress against other groups keeps them extremely active and focused.  Because each round is different, the students feel like they are playing a new game each time for at least the first five or six rounds.
3. It is collaborative.  Quizlet Live gives students the opportunity to team up with classmates they might not normally work with, which gets them comfortable with the class setting as a whole.  Overall, I found that after we do Live for a few different study sets, the students all know each other and are very comfortable supporting each other in the classroom.  It really lends to making the class a safe learning environment.
4. It gives data.  Most games give teachers data, but Live shows a slideshow of what things were missed ("what we learned") and things that weren't ("what we know").  It gives students and teachers a great idea of what they need to work on and what they have mastered.

  I have never had a student not engaged with Live yet, and I have been using it for over a year now.  It is a great game that will excite your students, and can be modified to just about any type of lesson, whether it's vocabulary based, an introduction to a chapter, or a review right before a test.  It is truly a great tool for teachers of all grades and subjects.

Here are some sample study sets I use for my Marine Biology classes:

https://quizlet.com/_2pe09e

https://quizlet.com/_2sb0id

https://quizlet.com/_2hq2xr

Motivation - A reflection

I was in my second semester of junior college and still was waffling about what I wanted to do.  I had originally been accepted at a state school, but after starting the semester and not enjoying my classes at all, I transferred down to see if I could work my way through general education classes while I made up my mind about my future.  Shortly after, it was made up for me.

I enrolled in Marine Science on a whim.  I surf, I like the beach, well why not?  So I sat my first day near the back in a large lecture hall in Orange Coast College, and took out my notebook.  As the lights dimmed, I relaxed a bit in the pleasant darkness, then the instructor started to speak.  I could tell in the first 5 minutes that this class was going to be different, but I didn't realize the impact it would have on me.  The professor, Dr. Tom Garrison, wove a story with his words that was easy to follow, interesting, and yet full of ideas and information.  His passion was unmistakable, and it immediately drew me into class.  I still remember, to this day, his remarkable lectures.  His genuine excitement about the subject rubbed off on all of his students.  I remember learning about the intricacies of water, how oceans were explored, and the wonder of it all.  I remember learning things that moved me, like pollution, and exploitation.  I remember the image he showed us of the anguish on Robert Falcon Scott's face when he found out that Amundsen had reached the South Pole first, and how his team had perished on the ice, only 11 miles away from the safety of their next depot.  He used his visuals and voice in concert to reach and move people, and he was an expert at it.  And through all of this everyone could see that he truly cared about each and every one of his students.  It felt like he was talking to you and you alone, even though there were 300 other students around you.

As a student, that made me want to work for him.  I wanted to show him I shared his passion and that I appreciated all that he taught me.  He inspired me with his words, impressed me with his knowledge, and could mesmerize his audience, but at the same time be easy going and approachable.  That one class made up my mind.  I started taking every Marine Science class there was, and after the completion of my AA transferred to CSULB and completed my degree in the subject.  Picking up a minor along the way, I worked in an environmental lab that performed water testing for a while, then eventually went into teaching, wanting to share my passion for the subject with my students just like Dr. Garrison did.  I am still inspired to this day, and while I do not lecture as much in my classes any more, when I do I try to emulate his style.  Unfortunately, he passed away about a year ago, and I never did get back to OCC to speak with him and let him know how he inspired me, but I do keep one of his books close at hand to remind me of how I want to present myself to my students on a daily basis.

Two semesters later, I was enrolled and excelling in a Marine Biology course, just wrapping up a few things before transferring.  Near the end of that semester, I was getting quite busy and overwhelmed, and I let my studies lax a bit.  I took one too many classes that term and really didn't have time for them all, and as a result my grades suffered a bit.  Unfortunately, I did not put enough time into my Marine Biology class (and the required term paper), and I ended up with a D in the class.  A D - in the subject I loved and was so gung-ho about.  It was crushing at first, and I didn't understand it, and I'm still not all that sure exactly how it happened.  But it did, and there I was stuck with it.  I was a little demoralized and intimidated as a result as I started at CSULB, but after a few months I decided that I was not going to let that D define me.  I re-dedicated myself to school and put 100% effort into my biology courses.  I ended up with an A in my first semester of college bio, one of only 7 out of the hundred plus students in the course.  That revitalized me, and I didn't have much trouble believing in myself after that.

Part of teaching is being a model.  I realize that students are motivated by different things, but while it's extremely difficult to discover precisely what motivates others, we all know exactly what motivates ourselves.  So what I try to do, on a daily basis, is to share my experiences with my students and let them know that I support them.  I'm not a talking robot, or someone that is just assigning them grades, I am a human that went through the same experiences that they are going through now.  I tell them of my successes, and of my failures.  Things I found easy, and things I found difficult.  I also let them know that the things I found difficult were the things that I learned the most from.  When they ask how I know so much about invertebrates like squid, lobsters, and jellies, I explain I owe it all to that invertebrate zoology class that I scraped by with a C in - the most challenging course I ever took.  Not easy, but hey, I remember it all.  And I don't remember a whole lot about the physiology courses where I received an A.  Challenging things result in the highest reward.

So as a teacher, I can teach them all I know, and then some, but what I absolutely try to do is to motivate them to be the best human being they can be, both in their educational careers and in their personal lives.  I try to motivate them to challenge themselves, triumph over adversity, and come out of it better than they were before.

What I try to avoid at all costs, is motivating my students by fear or by stress.  I try to avoid phrases such as "If you don't figure this stuff out, you might not pass" or "I have to notify your parents because of your low grade."  Students have enough pressures on their plate without their teacher adding another layer to that, and I've found that very few of high school age thrive when stress is their motivator.  Rather, I use phrases like "You might be struggling on your own, but I bet together we could figure this out and get you on the right track" or "The tests will get harder as the year goes on, but you will see things you are already familiar with so I have confidence that you will adapt and succeed."  To a lesser extent, I am trying to phase out extrinsic rewards, as while I think they can motivate, they perhaps do so for the wrong reasons.  I've used them sparingly this year while trying to increase the interest of my lessons and projects, and so far my students have been shining compared to past years.  Now to see if it continues in semester two, particularly with the seniors...

In closing, an infographic that represents what I am trying to currently accomplish as far as student motivation:

Depth of Knowledge and the Impact It Has on Teaching

I view depth of knowledge in the classroom as something that is essential to preparing students for their next steps educationally.  It doesn't stop there, however.  Being able to apply learned skills to complete complex tasks is an ability that will benefit just about anyone in real life.  As such, it has an important role in my teaching and I am constantly re-evaluating my curriculum to ensure I am challenging my students at a higher level.

Like Bloom's Taxonomy, depth of knowledge is a pyramid, built on basic skills and culminating in the ability to think on a higher level.  I think the pyramid analogy works well for both as they are structures built on a wide base.  Students often are responsible for recalling many basic facts, but must use many of those to understand a handful of concepts.  They take those concepts and apply them to few real world problems and try to come up with solutions.  Then finally, they take their solutions, and the solutions of others, and try to put it all together to produce something complex that demonstrates their complete understanding.   The process is the same for the master's student constructing a thesis or a second grader learning about why we have time zones, both build on what they know to attain higher levels of thinking.

After gaining an understanding of Webb's depth of knowledge, I realize that I am actually doing a lot of this type of learning building in my classes, even though I wasn't familiar with Webb's actual work.  I owe much of this to working in a school that emphasizes classroom technology and the value it brings to teaching our students.   As a teacher in this environment, it becomes obvious really quickly that lower level tasks like learning facts will lead to a lot of bored students.   They have so much access at their fingertips, that it simply becomes tedious to them. As such, we learn skills on a daily basis.  Not to say we don't learn facts, but we learn about those facts in context, seeing and practicing their application in real life situations.  Often my students will take these concepts and produce something where they take all this evidence and use that to justify what they believe about the concept.   I believe that this should be the "new normal" in our classrooms, where strategic thinking is focused on rather than rote learning.  What I like most about the concept of depth of knowledge is that it never ends.  There are nearly unlimited possibilities as far as classroom activities and projects that can be used to get our students thinking in extended and complex ways.  It challenges our students and makes their classroom experience more rewarding, and it does the same for we teachers.

One think I always keep in mind when teaching is "what am I trying to accomplish here."  When I look at this from an even bigger view, I have realized that all the facts and concepts specific to my subject area aren't necessarily what's important.  Having said that, by applying depth of knowledge in my specific content area, I can teach my students skills that will help them succeed in many different situations.  For example, how many jobs or careers are there where a person is confined to their own area, learning about facts and reporting them to others?  I can't think of many.  As a result, when we learn about facts in class we get into groups to discuss and build on concepts.  I often tell my students that knowledge is of little use if we don't put it to work for us.  These discussions lead to a richer learning experience where students are active in their own learning.  When we get into groups and create things, like infographics, videos, padlets, or presentations to teach others, we are having a good time, but we are also performing rigorous tasks that is solidifying the knowledge so we can own it.  We aren't just learning about marine wind and water currents, we are discussing where those currents exist and why.  We are predicting where they should be and creating our own maps.  We are taking what we know about these currents, looking up in the sky, and understanding how they affect the weather at this very moment, as well as in the future.

So while I may be focusing on the marine sciences, I believe that teaching to depth of knowledge has benefits for my students that reach far outside the classroom.  I want them to take something they learn, and apply it.  I want them to take what they applied, and create something with it.  Then, I want them to take what they created, examine it,  and reflect on how much more they understand than when they started.  It is far more impactful than having students learn some facts and repeat them on a test, and I feel that this type of deeper learning experience will better prepare them for an increasingly competitive world.

About me and meeting the needs of learners

About me:

My name is Eric Wendland, and I've been teaching for 7 years, the last 5 at a private Catholic high school.  I love using new technology and learning new and exciting ways to present my material.





My Classroom

I would say I am quite easy going as a teacher goes.  My classes tend to be very dynamic, where students are always thinking and working on making things.  From the first day I try to build relationships with my students as I find that students are much more invested in their work when they feel the teacher is supportive of them.  I focus on project based learning in my classrooms, which helps maintain a fun, active atmosphere and keeps the students so busy that class time tends to fly by.

I have always been an active, global, intuitive, and visual learner, and this definitely comes out in my teaching style.  I emphasize collaborative work in my classrooms, and we focus on how things work rather than understanding every detail about them.  We watch plenty of video, make our own visual aids, perform laboratories and create things that explain what we are learning.  I like to teach my students skills that help them learn in every class - not just mine - and things that will benefit them down the road when they go to college.  In short, I try to make them learners, not just students that remember things for a test.  I have found that maintaining a light atmosphere and exuding a positive personality,  I build very positive relationships with my students which results in getting high quality work from them.

Meeting the needs of all learners

I teach Marine Biology, which is a mixed class at my school.  I tend to have a very wide range of learners and aptitudes.  I get the sophomores who might not be quite ready for chemistry yet, and I also get the seniors who may be taking other AP level courses and want to take an elective science to round out their curriculum.  On top of this, the older students  are very aware of how they learn things while the sophomores are still trying to figure things out.  At first, keeping things meaningful for my high level students and still making the information accessible to my sophomores was challenging to say the least, but after a few years I've found a few strategies that help me meet the needs of as many students as I can.

I would say that the most effective strategy I have found to reach all learners is by monitoring how I group students for the projects we create.  I like to try different groupings based on the type of the project, how difficult it is, and how easily it can be differentiated.  When the project is more challenging, I tend to use homogeneous groupings more often than mixed groups.  This allows me to alter the project as needed to challenge high level student groups, or dial the difficulty back a bit for groups that may be struggling.  It also allows me to do small group instruction for the students who will benefit from it while the ones that are independent and ready to go can do their thing.  For projects that aren't as challenging and are accessible to most students, I will mix the students up a bit.  I find that the higher level students benefit from helping their peers, while the students who struggle benefit by learning from other students rather than from me all the time.

Another strategy I use is to give students options when they are completing projects.  Rather than having all students turn in a single type of product, I will allow them some latitude in showing their understanding of the material.  For example, they might be creating some media to explain an issue that affects our oceans.  They can explain this issue through a video, a podcast, by creating promotional materials, an infographic, and so on.  I find that the students relax more when they feel they can explain things in their own way, and as a result I get some very high quality products from them.

Teaching Plan: Balancing Chemical Reactions

Teaching Plan: Balancing Chemical Reactions

Standards:

NGSS: Disciplinary Core Ideas
    PS1: Matter and its Interactions
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not energy is stored or released can be understood in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy. (HSPS1-4),(HS-PS1-5)

The fact that atoms are conserved, together with knowledge of the chemical properties of the elements involved, can be used to describe and predict chemical reactions. (HS-PS1-2),(HS-PS1-7)


Pre-Assessment – short assessment where students have to identify different types of chemical reactions (replacement, synthesis, decomposition, etc.)

Section I – Balancing single-replacement, double-replacement, synthesis, and decomposition reactions

A. Presentation: Balancing chemical reactions

Presentation in Pear Deck which describes how to balance chemical reactions.  All presentations follow the gradual release model.  Included in the presentation are:
• examples of how to balance a reaction
• Short videos on YouTube visually depicting chemical reactions and what balancing them entails
• a live draw-it slide where the teacher can balance a reaction while the students watch
• Several draw-it slides where the students can either work in pairs or independently to balance reactions, which are then reviewed by the class
B. Independent practice time on blackboard worksheet, which releases an answer key to the students that they can view once they have submitted their assignment.  Students who are struggling can be grouped together for small group instruction while students are working independently.

Section II – Balancing combustion reactions, and reactions with the same element on both sides

A. Presentation: Balancing complex chemical reactions

Presentation in Pear Deck which describes how to balance chemical reactions when the same atom is present multiple times on the product or reactant side.  Included are:
• Visual animations of the reaction types that are more difficult to balance
• a live draw-it slide where the teacher can balance combustion while the students watch
• Several draw-it slides where the students can either work in pairs or independently to balance complex reactions, which are then reviewed by the class

B. Group Project (formative assessment)  – Demonstrating complex reactions
• In groups, students take atomic cutouts and arrange them on a sheet of paper showing what is happening during a complex chemical reaction.  Arrows are drawn showing how atoms are being rearranged during the reaction.  The students must perform this for 5 reactions, ranging from simpler ones to one that is very complex and will require a lot of thinking.  Once all groups have completed the project, correct diagrams will be projected for all to check their answers.

Section III – Writing and balancing net ionic equations

A. Short refresher on solubility rules for compounds

B. Presentation: What are net ionic equations, and how to balance them

Presentation in Pear Deck which describes the writing of net ionic equations by writing soluble compounds as ions, then identifying and removing spectator ions in the equation.  Presentation includes:
• A graphical depiction of separation of soluble compounds within a reaction using periodic table magnets on the whiteboard.
• Identification and removal of spectator ion magnets, which are on both sides of the reaction
• What magnets are left after removal of spectators is the net ionic equation.

C. Independent practice time on writing net ionic equations using chosen reactions from section I and II.  Students can work individually or in groups on this assignment, and can utilize their chemistry model kits to help them visualize what is going on.

Section IV – Writing and balancing oxidation/reduction reactions

A. Presentation: What are redox reactions and how are they balanced?

Presentation in Pear Deck which introduces and describes how to balance redox reactions.  .  Included in the presentation are:

• A description of redox, and the movement of electrons in a reaction
• A visual list of oxidation states and rules for the elements
• A description of half-reactions
• A stepwise example on how to balance redox reactions, including:
   o Balancing everything except O and H
   o Adding H2O to balance oxygen
   o Adding protons to balance hydrogen
   o Balancing charges with electrons
• a live draw-it slide where the teacher can balance a redox reaction while the students watch
• Several draw-it slides where the students can either work in pairs or independently to balance reactions, which are then reviewed by the class

B. Redox Practice -  a worksheet on blackboard where students use a stepwise approach to balance redox reactions.  A sample, along with a visual depiction of the reactions, is at the top of the worksheet.  Each problem has a place to write each of the 5 steps to balancing a redox reaction, and the students must complete each step to move onto the next.  The teacher does the first problem with the students to model how to do the assignment, then performs small group instruction as needed.

Assessment – Students are given an assessment with 20 reactions, 10 simple reactions in part A, and 10 complex reactions in part B.

Part A – Students must choose any 5 of the 10 reactions, and balance them correctly (4 points each).  20 points total.

Part B – Students must choose any 5 of the 10 reactions and balance them in as many ways as they can.  Points that can be earned:
Balancing performed correctly – 3 points
Net ionic equation written correctly – 2 points
Redox equation balanced correctly – 1 points
30 points total.

Students can balance all the equations and earn 35 of 50 points for a C, if everything is done correctly.
Students can earn extra points for writing and balancing net ionic equations, increasing points earned up to 45 of 50 for correctly balanced equations.
Students can earn the last 5 points by writing half reactions and balancing redox reactions, bringing them up to 100%
Students, at their option, can choose any one reaction in Part A or Part B and balance it to potentially replace any errors they may have made.

An Example of Project Based Learning in Groups

Here is a lesson for use during units on classification.  Students should find it challenging, fun, and rewarding!


Classification and Cladistics - Who is Related?

Standards addressed in this lesson:

NGSS: Science and Engineering Practices (9-12):

Practice 2. Developing and using models

Modeling in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to using, synthesizing, and developing models to predict and show relationships among variables between systems and their components in the natural and designed worlds.

Develop, revise, and/or use a model based on evidence to illustrate and/or predict the relationships between systems or between components of a system.

NGSS: Disciplinary Core Ideas (9-12)

LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

LS3.B: Variation of Traits

Environmental factors also affect expression of traits, and hence affect the probability of occurrences of traits in a population. Thus the variation and distribution of traits observed depends on both genetic and environmental factors. (HS-LS3-2),(HS-LS3-3)

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Develop a model of evolutionary relationships of marine organisms.

Describe how groups with similar traits are related based on common ancestry

Infer how environmental factors affect traits of organisms.

Essential Question

How have the traits of marine organisms changed as life has advanced, and how do we use them to develop a model of how these animals evolved?

Lesson Description

Cladistics and Taxonomy are two sciences that are constantly evolving, and as such are always a source of debate and disagreement in the scientific community.  In the present day, the use of DNA analysis has answered many questions about relationships between animals and their lineages, however this wasn’t always the case.  While the Linnean system is still used occasionally as a kind of file cabinet for classifying species, organizing organisms into clades according to their lineages is becoming far more common as DNA gives us direct solid evidence.  It wasn’t always this way, however, and scientists often struggled to classify animals as they had little more to go on than physical features and appearances.

During this project, students in small groups will be tasked with taking a group of 30 marine organisms and organizing them into a cladogram, which shows not only relationships but shared traits possessed by different clades.  The goal is to get them as close as possible to what their DNA suggests without having any DNA data available – they can only go by physical appearance like scientists years ago.  They are given a couple starter traits to look for:  symmetry and overall body plan. 

Grouping for this project can be done with mixed, heterogeneous groups or by using homogeneous groups of students of similar level.  The general design is for heterogeneous groupings with students supporting each other, however uniform groups can be used with varying levels of difficulty added for more advanced students.

The Lesson in Action

The students are given a large piece of butcher or construction paper, and the 30 organisms on a sheet of paper.  They cut out the 30 organisms and start to organize them into groups.  During this period, students should question each other to try and figure out which animals form groups of closely related organisms.  Some of the questions they should ask:

What is the general shape of the organism?
What supporting structures does the organism possess? (shells, bones, exoskeletons)
How does the organism move?
Where does the organism likely live?
How does the organism get its energy?
Does the organism have advanced features? (warm blood, intelligence, social groups)

Other questions can be suggested as necessary. Students will struggle at first, so I suggest they break them into the two large groups of vertebrates and invertebrates, and then go through the questions from there.

Once the students are satisfied with their classification, they should arrange them on the butcher paper and insert lines in the form of a cladogram showing what they think their relationships are according to their traits.  On the lines of the cladogram, they should be noting the traits of each group, gleaned from the questions they asked.  Major traits that are conserved should go on the main line of the cladogram, while minor group traits go on the branches.

Once they get their cladogram complete, they write two paragraphs which describe their classification system and why they put each animal where they put it.  The paragraphs should explain which major traits have appeared as new animal groups evolved, as well as which specialty traits the groups of organisms possess.

Information Sharing

At the culmination of the project, students should share their findings with other groups.  Constructive discussion should take place, and as the students present their cladograms and paragraphs, the teacher should be recording which groups were popularly formed by the students and the reasons those groups chose them.  After the data are shared, the teacher should show the students a cladogram of the true evolutionary relationships.  While very few student groups will come close to the true cladogram, let them know that science is trial and error, and without DNA evidence scientists made the same classifications they did for years.  Students should then write a short reflection comparing their findings to the true cladogram, and evaluate what they learned and would do different if they were presented with this project again.

Optional, for one to one classes: After the final discussion, students should be invited to paste their paragraphs into iBooks author, along with a photograph of their cladogram.  The teacher can then assemble these into an iBook for the period, which can be published on iTunes.

Lesson Pacing

The lesson takes two to three block periods

• Project explanation by instructor: 10-15 minutes
• Prepare cutouts and classify into groups: 30-40 minutes
• Affix cutouts to butcher paper, draw in cladogram, and label traits: 20-30 minutes
• Writing of descriptive paragraphs: 20-30 minutes
• Presentation of cladograms and findings: 5-10 minutes per group
• Project wrap-up, comparison to true cladogram: 20-30 minutes
• Student reflections: 15 minutes

This project is largely student based, the instructor should support the students as needed, but let them work through things without offering too much information

Grouping and Differentiating the Project

Groups can be done many ways, but generally I let the students choose their own groups provided the makeup of the group is acceptable.  All groups must be cleared through me before they start the project.  

The project can be differentiated in several ways.  I generally ensure heterogeneous groups, where the more capable students are helping their peers who are more challenged with the project.  Alternatively, groups can also be homogeneous, with more detail being required of advanced students, while certain aspects of the project can be removed for lower grade levels or for classes with students with learning challenges.  Layers of difficulty can also be added/removed from the project, such as:

• requiring multiple traits for each group, or simply requiring students to only include major traits
• requiring advanced students to try and figure out what the animals are without research, while allowing challenged students the scaffold of iPads or other research methods
• adding or removing elements from the written paragraph according to student needs

A link to the project and the animal cutouts can be found here:

Classification of Organisms

 Animal Images