Intern Name: Eric Michals

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Adaptation Project

Grade: 7th
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes in class
Date Taught: 1/16/2020
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson…
Students will gain background knowledge on how adaptations and mutations
Overview relate to evolution

Standards of LS. 9c
LS. 13a
Learning

What is a mutation?
Essential Questions What is an example of an adaptation?

Students will be able to…

Define mutation and how it relates to evolution
Objectives Identify an adaptation of an animal
Explain why adaptations exist

Define mutation
Learning Target Describe how mutations and adaptations relate to evolution
Identify adaptations of animals
Necessary Prior What an adaptation is
What natural selection is
Knowledge
Chromebook
Materials

Introduction/Hook Have students pick out their favorite animal or one that interests them

Direction Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xVNb8KgKioDdIrsgRO2jnQ2iyO_
axNfqD6yp8LlijjU/edit?usp=sharing
Instructional In this assignment students will pick an animal and find out how it
Activities & evolved (​not a cat or dog​). Students will create a google slide that shows
Strategies the following: Define mutations and how they relate to evolution, identify
and explain two adaptations of your animal, and find a relative (an
animal that it is closely related to theirs) and describe why they think it is
related to it using: embryology, DNA, or bone structure (​pick one​)

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 Directions
Slide One: Student’s name, animal name, and picture of animal

Slide Two: Student’s definition of mutation and how it relates to evolution

(don’t copy and paste from google)

Slide Three: First example of an adaptation

Slide Four: Second example of an adaptation

Slide Five: Common relative and why students think it is related to their
animal using one of the options above

Students will then share their project with me to turn it in

Example of student’s work:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gK7w4xZOgxz-SDYHBkik0smGr7tQ
S8MpXTdTt812YQ4/edit?usp=sharing

Mutation
Key Vocabulary or Adaptation
Concepts Evolution
Relative
Assessments Future unit test that will be written by Mrs. Hunt
Asking if students had any questions on the topic or any complications they had
Closure Activity with the project

Extra Chromebook chargers

Accommodations one extra chromebook
Help from me

Resources Internet, chargers, chromebook, google slides, google docs

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: Eric Michals
Lesson Title (Subecjt/Topc): Adaptation Project
Date of Lesson Taught: 1/16/2020
Cooperating Teacher & School: Lynnhaven Middle- Mrs. Hunt
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
Grade: 7th
Time of Day: 11:20-12:10

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?
I talked with Mrs. Hunt and I thought this was a cool idea because my cooperating teacher last year did a lesson
similar to this. I wrote up the directions myself and asked Mrs. Hunt to look over it prior to me teaching it.

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?
Kept me focused on certain topics.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

The outline worked well and the directions, as well as the example I made was a great reference for the students

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

I forgot to write on the directions to share it with me once they were done.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

Very well.

6. How effective was the assessment you chose to use? (If no assessment was used, what will the future
assessment be and how will you gauge its effectiveness?)
The future assessment would be the actual test for this unit and this will gauge the effectiveness of my lesson
because my lesson helped to reinforce the knowledge that was brought up already prior to it.

7. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)
I felt like this lesson was very successful because the students were very excited to research their animals and
they learned that adaptations of some animals are actually very interesting. Another piece of evidence is my
students work that they turned into me.

8. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to its success?
The example of the project I created was a very good idea because it cleared up any questions students may
have had about what to write.

9. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?
I would have had them specify even more what animal they wanted to use because they would have to research
the animal more because many of them choose very general adaptations rather than more interesting ones.

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
10. Any last comments/reflections about your lesson?
No
Lesson Plan Assignment: Grade Sheet
Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow I

Intern Name: ______________________________

Refer to the comments written ​on​ your lesson plan for detailed feedback.
Needs a few
Ready to Your
additions or Incomplete
Teach! Score
tweaks
Overview, SOLs, essential questions, objectives (10)
Introduction/hook & closure (10)
Instructional activities (20)
Accommodations (10)
Assessment (5)
Vocab, materials, resources (5)
Supplemental materials, if applicable (5)

Total (65)

Taught Lesson Plan Grade Sheet

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow II

Intern Name: ______________________________Lesson #________

● Written (typed) Lesson Plan: _____/50

[See comments on LP]

● Supplemental materials: _____/10

Comments:

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 ● Self-Evaluation: _____/15
Comments:

Total: _____/75

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)