Are you a Middle School Science Teacher? Does your state follow NGSS standards? Do you need to teach about Evolution?
đŤ It can be hard to make sure you are covering all of the NGSS standards. It is time-consuming to redo all your current lesson plans to make sure they are aligned with Evolution NGSS.
đ¸ Wouldnât it be nice to have all the resources you need in one place? And for a discount? Who doesnât love a good deal?
đ Do you want an Evolution NGSS Bundle from someone who understands NGSS?
â If you answered âyesâ to any of these questions, I have the perfect bundle for you! This is a middle school bundle for Evolution NGSS. This resource is designed to meet ALL the NGSS standards for Evolution for Middle School. Students will be engaged in learning about all the Evolution topics for Middle School.Â
This evolution bundle covers all the middle school science standards in the biological evolution strand. Students will learn about natural selection, selective breeding, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, and the fossil record. Students will examine the evidence for evolution.
Â
What exactly are the Next Generation Science Standards or NGSS?
Within the NGSS, there are three distinct and equally important dimensions to learning science. These three dimensions are combined to form each standard, and each dimension works with the other two to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time. Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences.
Three-Dimensional Learning shifts the focus of the science classroom to environments where students use disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts with scientific practices to explore, examine, and explain how and why phenomena occur and to design solutions to problems. The focus is on making sense of science instead of memorizing a set of facts.
The three dimensions of NGSS are the Science and Engineering Practices, the Crosscutting Concepts, and the Disciplinary Core Ideas.
1.Science and Engineering Practices
The science and Engineering Practices describe what scientists do to investigate phenomena and what engineers do to design solutions to problems. Students use the science and engineering practices to practice their skills of inquiry as they explore the natural world. Students engage in practices to build, deepen and apply their knowledge of disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts.Â
Although engineering design is similar to scientific inquiry, there are significant differences. For example, scientific inquiry involves the formulation of a question that can be answered through investigation, while engineering design involves the formulation of a problem that can be solved through design. Strengthening the engineering aspects of the Next Generation Science Standards will clarify for students the relevance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (the four STEM fields) to everyday life.
The eight science and engineering practices for NGSS are:
- Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
- Developing and using models
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Using math and computational thinking
- Constructing an explanation (for science) and designing a solution (for engineering)
- Engaging in an argument stemming from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
2. Crosscutting Concepts
Crosscutting Concepts help students explore connections across the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design. Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.
The crosscutting concepts give the students a lens that shows them how to think about the problem at hand. The crosscutting concepts also let the teacher know what types of questions to ask. There are 7 crosscutting concepts that the National Research Council has outlined, which appear in the Next Generation Science Standards. They are:
- Patterns
- Cause and effect
- Scale, proportion, and quantity
- Systems and system models
- Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation
- Structure and function
- Stability and change
3. Disciplinary Core Ideas
The Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are the key ideas in science that students must learn at each level. They build on one another at each grade level. There are disciplinary core ideas in each domain of science: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering.
Have broad importance across multiple sciences or engineering disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline;
Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems;
Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge;
Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication.
Phenomena
Another aspect of the Next Generation Science Standards is the use of Phenomena. Phenomena-based science encourages students to ask questions, discover connections, and design models to make sense of what they observe. Students examine a phenomenon and then ask questions, collaborate with partners, and design models.
What's Inside the Evolution NGSS Bundle for Middle School?
This bundle on biological evolution includes.
Teachers Love This Bundle!
Poppy âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸Â Extremely Satisfied
“This is an excellent bundle! It had everything I need to teach the biological evolution standards for MS. There were great slide shows and labs as well as great worksheets and activities. Really pleased with this and am going to look at your other bundles!”
Standards Covered
The following NGSS standards are covered in this unit.
â NGSSÂ MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
â NGSS MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
â NGSS MS-LS4-3Â Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
â NGSS MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individualsâ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
â NGSS MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms
â NGSS MS-LS4-6. Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time
Â
The following Utah SEEd 7th grade standards are also covered:
Standard 7.5.1
Construct an explanation that describes how the genetic variation of traits in a population can affect some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. Over time, specific traits may increase or decrease in populations. Emphasize the use of proportional reasoning to support explanations of trends in changes to populations over time. Examples could include camouflage, variation of body shape, speed and agility, or drought tolerance. (LS4.B, LS4.C)
Standard 7.5.2
Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth, under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past. (LS4.A, ESS2.E)
Standard 7.5.3
Construct explanations that describe the patterns of body structure similarities and differences between modern organisms, and between ancient and modern organisms, to infer possible evolutionary relationships. (LS4.A)
Standard 7.5.4
Analyze data to compare patterns in the embryological development across multiple species to identify similarities and differences not evident in the fully formed anatomy. (LS4.A)
Utah SEEd 7th Standard 7.4.4
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the technologies that have changed the way humans affect the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
