Goals:

• Use a Web Quest to research human origins and evolution.

• Assume a scientific role and research information pertaining to that role.

• Work collaboratively in a group to collect data and to formulate a human family tree.

• Present a persuasive PowerPoint that demonstrates knowledge and research.

Objectives:

The student will:

• Understand the role of a particular scientist

• Research specific information on early humans

• Analyze information as to age and development of various human prototypes

• List the order in which each of these early human candidates evolved

• Propose and explain their hypothesis for their human family tree

Curriculum Standards:

STANDARD 6.3 (WORLD HISTORY) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF WORLD HISTORY IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND LIFE AND EVENTS IN THE PAST AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.

Sense an Meaning: The Introduction of the Web Quest presents the learner with an imaginary science competition. Most students are competitive and enjoy working as a team. Winning a contest is meant to evoke happy memories that will connect to new learning. Meaning results when past learning moves from long-term storage into working memory and interacts with new information. Making associations or "sense" of the activity bridges past learning to the present.

Gregorc Learning Styles: The Concrete Learner will thrive in this quest because it involves working with others, studying about things that directly affect early human survival, and sharing thoughts and opinions.  The Abstract Random Learner will benefit from searching for the various pathways in the direction of human evolution.  Creativity is utilized in the PowerPoint Presentation as well as working on a number of ideas from the group at one time.

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences:  The interaction of the group lends itself to benefit the many intelligences of Gardner’s theory.  Linguistic, Logical/mathematical, Naturalists, Interpersonal and Existential intelligences contribute to the total quest through language, statistics, working with other people and thinking outside usual parameters.

Bloom’s Taxonomy:    At the Knowledge level of Bloom's Taxonomy,  students research and collect information.  At the Comprehension level, the students discuss, summarize and restate the information to answer the questions.  At the Application level, the roles of the Cultural Anthropologist, Physical Anthropologist, Archaeologist and Geologist facilitate dramatizing, interpreting and applying this knowledge to the given job title. At the Analysis level, the students compare & contrast types and age of fossils, anatomical features, cultural and social development, and the use of tools and fire.  At the Synthesis level, the students will formulate a position on a human family tree and create a PowerPoint presentation expressing their group's viewpoints.  At the Evaluation level, the students will answer individual questions relating to their particular role as a member of a team of scientists..

Elaborative Rehearsal:    According to Dr. David A. Sousa this strategy incorporates the learning pyramid which shows that if we practice by doing, and teach others, 75- 90% of what is learned is retained.  Furthermore,  elaborative rehearsal, is more than rote learning, it is the application of the learning.  The PowerPoint persuasion activity challenges the learner to teach the audience what he/she has learned so that the audience will be persuaded to their particular design of a family tree in human evolution.

Environmental Science -  Grades 11 & 12

 Herb Bell    hwbell@optonline.net    Last Update March 01, 2008