Suggested Lesson Plan

This suggested lesson plan draws on the experiences of teachers who have used What Did T. rex Taste Like? in a variety of classroom settings.

They found that usually students benefit most if:

• Students work in teams of two per computer to allow students to read and share ideas with one another as they proceed.
• There is time for class discussion of major concepts.

The suggested lesson plan incorporates activities that may be used before and after students complete the module to give students a more complete experience. Links to resources are embedded within the lesson plans where they are mentioned. See Assessment Materials for keys to tests and focus questions.

Day 1. Introduction

• Describe the objectives and activities of the lesson to students.
• Give students the What Did T. rex Taste Like? Pre-Test.
• Use the Student Brainstorming Activity to initiate discussion of the following major concepts:
1. Organisms share features inherited from a common ancestor.
2. The more closely related any two organisms are, the more shared features they will have in common.
3. Shared features can be used to interpret the evolutionary history of living things.
4. Shared features are the basis for constructing cladograms.

Day 2. Begin the Module

• Explain to students how they will navigate through the module.
• Encourage students to explore the pages thoroughly, taking the time to understand each page before moving ahead to the next.
• Students complete folders 1-3 in the module.

Day 3. Culmination

• Students complete folders 4 and 5 in the module.
• Students complete the Special Assignment as a culminating activity.
• Students complete the Post-Test.

We strongly encourage using one or more of the Related Activities to enhance and extend the concepts emphasized in this module.

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