1. Engaging middle school students
through practicing scientific thought
Erin Allen
An example from
evolution and
classification
Creating ownership and developing higher cognitive
practices in middle school students
3. Carolus Linnaeus
How are scientists naming organisms?
Appearance Behavior Habitat
Multiple names exist for a single organism
Scientists need a uniform naming system
Same language Shows relatedness
4. One name, one species
Pantheraonca
• Linnaeus developed the system of binomial
nomenclature.
• Each species was given two words to designate
its identity:
– Genus
– Species
• No other organism shares the same combination!
5. What are students doing as they work?
Constructing knowledge
independently of a
textbook
Transferring thinking Making historical
practices to other scientific discoveries
subjects “real” through practice
A similar, and more
humorous, scenario of
questioning could include
finding the density of
irregular objects like
Archimedes
Transferring thinking
Practicing higher order
practices to other
thinking
lessons
Editor's Notes
Evolution is a very historical unit – peppered with scientists such as Carolus Linnaeus, Georges de Buffon, Charles Lyell, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and finally Charles Darwin. It allows the opportunity for students to be encouraged to “think like a scientist.” Students will be exposed to the problems faced by each of these scientists (e.g. Linnaeus – how do I name all of these organisms?, or Darwin – what is the most likely mechanism for evolution?). Students are encouraged to spend 3 -4 minutes at the beginning of each class trying to solve the problem independently, or in pairs. I will also have students reflect on some of the methods they used in order to arrive at their answer to increase formal operational thinking. Students will then be exposed to the method used by each of the scientists (often it mirrors, but elaborates on their own methods) and then apply the correct method to independent work.I chose this approach because I agree with, and love the use of sports, trips or experiments. However, I recognize that my future science budget may not allow for all of that. Furthermore, I think that there are days were students have to learn the “rote” knowledge before they can apply it to a fun, applicable example. I wanted to develop an idea to increase engagement on those harder days/lessons.Slides 2 - 4 are examples of what a student may actually see in the course of the lesson with a plan.
Objective: SWBAT describe and utilize the binomial nomenclature (day 1 of Linnaean classification).At the beginning of class, students will be assigned pairs. I would then say that they have recently discovered a new organism living under Troy Prep; it eats only worms. Then, students will be presented with the image of the above “organism” and asked to name it. In partners, students will be asked to brainstorm (1) a name for this newly discovered organism and (2) consider how they came to decide on this name (3 minutes total).Anticipated answers (1) a wide array of different names (2) the organism was named based on its appearance, habitat, or diet.
(Prior to revealing slide 2). I will then count how many different names there were for the organism and ask – why could “X” number of names for the same organism become a problem?Anticipated answers: they are in different languages, one name is wrong, some names don’t describe their appearance, research or books all have different names, scientists can’t communicate with each other.Key answer: scientists can’t effectively communicate with each other. I emphasize this answer, and reveal this slide. “…Into this scene walks Carolus Linnaeus”Linnaeus, who studied many plants and animals, noticed that there were sometimes hundreds of names for the same organism. He couldn’t read about them, or more importantly, didn’t know when he was reading about them because of their varied names. So he decided that scientists needed a uniform naming system. That naming system required: (I will have students read the last two statements under …”uniform naming system”).
My narration continues:…So Linnaeus developed a system called “binomial nomenclature” that gave each organism a unique combination of two Latin words. At the time, Latin was known by all scholars - so everyone could understand! The combination for each organism was not copied for any other – so each organism only received one name!Specifically – the first word in the scientific name of a species is its genus. Organisms can share a genus name – and it indicates that they share characteristics (are closely related). The genus name serves partly as an address.The second word in the scientific name of a species is its species. It is always special to just this one organism. Often, it indicates a special characteristic of the organism. Sometimes it refers to the scientist who discovered it!Students will then be directed to move onto independent practice defining binomial nomenclature and interpreting scientific names. On day 2, we will consider Linnaean’s larger kingdom/phylum system.
This is a cost effective idea that can be applied numerous lessons and units. It encourages students to think independently of the text, and in many cases, see their methods used by scientists. Often, if students can see that their own thinking and own methods are valid – they will remain engaged throughout the class.I also believe that this is an effective method that can be used in writing and history classes when trying to write narratives and/or solve a social/political problem (see last slide). Lastly, I aim to have students using critical thinking skills (as well as recognizing their importance) throughout numerous lessons and units. Science literacy is dependent on students ability to focus on the enigma in data, and then think deeply about it. If they can practice thinking about “enigmas” (albeit historical) and then put their thought into practice, then I am increases their cognitive capacity for postsecondary scientific practice.
