3FN20 – Science – Living Things of the Past

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

Students will explore the concepts of environmental changes, extinction, and the study of fossils to understand the history of life on Earth. The lesson will emphasize Jehovah’s creation and the adaptive features of living things.

Materials:

Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk
Visual aids (pictures of extinct animals, fossils, and Woolly Mammoths, if available)
Interactive online resources (optional)

Introduction (5 minutes):

Begin by discussing the idea that environments change over time, both slowly and suddenly. Highlight Jehovah’s creation and the adaptive features of living things that help them survive changes. Introduce the concept of extinction.

Theocratic Connections:

Connect the lesson to the appreciation of Jehovah’s creation, emphasizing the diversity and wisdom in the animal kingdom.

Activity 1 – What Happens When Environments Change? (10 minutes):

Discuss how environments can change suddenly or slowly. Explain the impact of sudden changes on living things, leading to extinction. Use visual aids to illustrate different environmental changes. Explain that fossils are like time capsules, preserving ancient creatures in rocks.

Show pictures of fossils and briefly explain their formation. Discuss different types of fossils, including bones, teeth, and imprints. Emphasize how fossils provide information about the size, shape, and habits of ancient animals.

Activity 2 – Do All Living Things Change Over Time? (10 minutes):

Discuss how some extinct animals were similar to those that exist today. Show pictures of Woolly Mammoths, dinosaurs, and modern-day animals with similar features. Discuss specific examples of extinct animals (Woolly Mammoths, Dilophosaurus) and their similarities to modern animals (elephants, lizards). Emphasize Jehovah’s recognizable design style in creating animals with consistent features.

Discuss the concept of “living fossils.” Explain that some animals are excellent at adapting to changes, allowing them to remain almost unchanged for millions of years. Highlight examples such as crocodiles and cockroaches.

Conclusion (5 minutes):

Summarize the main points of the lesson on extinction, buried and “living” fossils, emphasizing the continuous adaptation and design in Jehovah’s creation. Encourage reflection on Jehovah’s wisdom in creating a diverse and adaptable world.

Assessment:

Evaluate student understanding of the way changes affect living things through class discussions and participation in activities.