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Lesson Plans
Recommendations for using The Arthropod Story:
- Have students work in teams of two per computer to allow students to read and share ideas with one another as they proceed.
- Provide time for class discussion of major concepts.
- You may want to use the Pre- and Post-Tests as a means of assessing student learning.
A procedure for integrating The Arthropod Story within the classroom:
Day 1
- Have the students list ten animals on a piece of scratch paper. Ask for representative examples from the class and write fifty of them on the board. Then ask, "Which of these are vertebrates?"
Cross off all the vertebrates. "What’s left?"
Conduct a brief discussion about why so many of the animals that were listed are vertebrates, and not something else. (Possible responses: close to home, fuzzy, successful, in all the books, similar to us.) Circle all of the arthropods. If there are few or no arthropods on the board, generate some through further questioning. "Can you name some insects, crustaceans, and their relatives?"
- Ask, "What do all arthropods have in common?"
Accept and record answers on the board. Have students examine pictures of various arthropods or compare two to three living arthropods (e.g. crayfish and dragonfly). Then repeat the question. Add their new answers to those on the board.
- Tell the class that they will be working through an interactive online module about arthropods. Ask them to prepare for the module by doing the following homework: Find as many arthropods as they can. They may look anywhere and should make a list of their discoveries to share upon return. (If there are conditions that preclude actual arthropod searches, finding pictures in magazines or going to the Internet may be acceptable alternatives.)
Day 2
- Before students begin the module, ask the class to share the arthropods they discovered since the last meeting. Discuss their similarities and differences.
- Begin the module. Have students complete the first three sections: Introducing the arthropods, What is an arthropod?, and Meet the Cambrian critters.
- You may want to provide questions to guide their exploration, assign for homework, or serve as a class discussion when all students are finished. Suggested questions:
- "How do we determine if some living things are successful? In your opinion, are arthropods a success? Why do (or don’t) you think so?"
- "What is an arthropod? What are the traits of arthropods that make them unique? Why do all arthropods share unique traits?"
- "Why was the Cambrian Period an important time in the history of life? What happened to the lineages that originated during the Cambrian?"
Day 3
- Discuss students’ responses to the questions from the day before, address any misconceptions, and answer any questions that arise.
- Have students complete the remaining sections of the module: Tools for success: The exoskeleton and the jointed limb and An evolutionary constraint: Small size.
- You may want to provide questions to guide their exploration, assign for homework, or serve as a class discussion when all students are finished. Suggested questions:
- "How have jointed limbs contributed to the evolutionary success of arthropods?"
- "How has it helped arthropods to have many pairs of limbs?"
- "Why aren't there arthropods as big as whales?"
- "What is an evolutionary constraint?"
Day 4
- Discuss student responses to the questions from the previous day.
- Have students complete the Special Assignment.
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