Science a la Charles Darwin

Inspired by an exhibit about Charles Darwin, an educator developed activities that would “deepen students’ understandings of not only how science operates but how Darwin in particular appr... See More

Inspired by an exhibit about Charles Darwin, an educator developed activities that would “deepen students’ understandings of not only how science operates but how Darwin in particular approached analysis of the natural world.” This article describes two activities in the article and another activity can be found online. The first is the abilities of different plant seeds to germinate after spending time immersed in salt water; the second focuses on observations of earthworm behavior. The online activity explores plant movement. Formative and summative assessment is explored as well.

Learning as a Naturalist

This article introduces several activities that enable students to learn though inquiry and observation while learning about the history of Darwin. As students engage in hands-on learning e... See More

This article introduces several activities that enable students to learn though inquiry and observation while learning about the history of Darwin. As students engage in hands-on learning experiences, like seeds drifting to far away places in sea water, they will investigate and observe as Darwin did. Students will also learn about Darwin's expedition and the importance of his findings on our understanding of natural selection. I look forward to using this activity with my students!