Change Topics Unit Part 5: Origins, Life Elements, Miller-Urey, More Bundle

This unit includes 7 lessons (50 minutes each) and 15 pages of printable work bundle. The Work Bundle has students fill-in critical notes, conduct activities, answer questions, includes games, and much more. The work bundles chronologically follow the detailed and interactive set of slideshows. A quiz game concludes for a great review and additional assessment. Answer Keys, video links, crosswords, built-in quizzes, and much more are provided. Everything you need to run a fantastic learning experience is provided. Everything arrives in editable format if you want add in your own slides and activities, and the slideshows and work bundles can easily be converted into Google Slides / docs for friendly Google Classroom learning.

Brief Description of the Unit

Lesson 1 What makes something living "Sewer Lice:. Descriptions. The slideshow starts off with a great hook, I place raisins in a clear container containing ginger ale and some food coloring. Students should stay in their seats as not to get too close exposing the con. The raisins catch air bubbles in their wrinkles and float to the top, drop bubbles and then sink to the bottom. It looks like the raisins are alive and moving all around. I call the raisins sewer lice and most students believe they are living. Some neat descriptions of a raisin that makes it sound like a sewer louse complete the trick. The pictures are great that follow and the trick is exposed. A neat video in HD brings up some more questions as to what truly makes something living.

Lesson 2 Characterisits of Life: The slideshow then covers the characteristics of living things, and needs of livings things in a step by step process with many visuals. A short series of questions has the students find the bogus characteristic of life from a list. This is a nice little assessment to see if the students were paying attention. Some fun slides show that living things reproduce and show baby animals. Cheesy music and instructions that that kids say "ahhh" for each slide is always a fun. When students learn that living things also respond to a stimulus the teacher blows a whistle. This always scares the class and explains one way organisms respond. The PowerPoint also address spontaneous origin, Francesco Redi's famous 1668 experiment. Slides unfold in a step by step process. Louis Pasteur's long necked / swan flask experiment is also presented and academic links provided. The domains of life are presented in a step by step drawing. Questions follow having the students use their sketches. The PowerPoint then moves into prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The differences between the two are described in a step by step process. . A hidden box game concludes the PowerPoint that has the students guess a picture beneath some shapes. Each slide reveals a bit of the hidden picture (sewer lice / raisins).

Lesson 3 On Origins: A question has students record their theory / belief on how life originated. Some students usually share evolution and a few slides immediately after describe the a few differences between evolution and abiogenesis. After sharing, some of the more popular theories are described (Divine Force, E.T Origins, Spontaneous Origin) A brief reference is Made to Francesco Redi's experiment in 1668, and Pasteur's in 1860. Science viewpoint is then described as encompassing many branches of science including evolution, cosmology, geology, organic chemistry (abiogenesis). A quick reference to a time-line of important events is made (I sell another unit on TpT about Earth System History). Some really neat pictures of Stromatolites, fossil bacteria from the Apex Chert over 3.465 billion years ago. Several slides discuss the life found at the bottom of the ocean neat hydrothermal vents. A link to a great David Attenborough narration of the vents and the amazing life found there is provided. A few more neat links to videos that help to bring the time-line of events from formation to origin of life, to present day are included.

Lesson 4 Miller-Urey. Student recreate the Miller-Urey experiment as a step by step drawing with explanations along the way. The drawing and slides include what was put in, as well as the general workings and findings explained. Fatty vesicles are described and how they can form. A description of how the fatty vesicle becomes slightly more porous when heated, allowing in molecules. Vesicles become larger / gain more molecules when vesicles touch other vesicles. Mutations occur within the vesicle, mutations that favor self replication allow that Proto-cell to continue. Evolution then get's involved in the process. Those protocells that can self replicate pass on this characteristic. Small changes over billions of years lead to new and better replicating protocells. Each slide is step by step and color coding text helps students to focus. The Key Steps to early life Formation of complex organic molecules.

Lesson 5 Wrap and Review. Protocells are described. Self-replicating systems, Protein Synthesis, RNA can be both genetic material and serve the role of proteins in replication. Student then learn about some key steps to create early life. Students then see a series of challenge questions to find the bogus statement from a list. This helps to get the students involved and thinking about what they just learned. How water aided in the origin of life as a solvent, participant in chemical reactions, and as a medium is explained. A link to a great Carl Sagan clip is provided, as well as a hidden box game that has students guess a picture as shapes are removed with each slide click.

Lesson 6 Review Game and Crossword Puzzle. A crossword puzzle with word bank and full review game are provided. The crossword has a word bank that can be removed to make the puzzle more challenging. The Review Game has 20 questions with bonus and final question. An answer version is also provided so the students can can self assess. An answer version of the work bundle is also provided so the teacher can show and students can self assess.

This is a really neat PowerPoint that will challenge your students and generate plenty of questions. This lesson works really well if y