Do your students struggle with scientific literacy? Do you find yourself at a loss for how to promote vocabulary retention? Are waning attention spans becoming a larger and larger problem in your classroom from year to year? If you answered yes to any of those questions then this resource is for you.
I believe that teaching literacy is the job of every teacher, not just the heroes in English and Language Arts. And the only way we can help our students improve is by modeling and giving them chances to practice. Read out loud together, annotate, and spark classroom discussion today!
I created this line of guided reading worksheets to help teachers, parents, and students by providing a detailed yet easy to read (avg. reading level: grades 6-8) reference on a variety of topics. The questions that accompany the text are designed to be rigorous and require students to predict, reflect, connect, and think critically about the information being presented.
Let’s get our students reading, writing, and integrating vocabulary with this resource that is compatible with multiple styles of teaching. Your purchase includes both PDF and digital copies that are perfect for pre-reading, homework and review, or even sending to absent students.
Topics covered in this evidence for evolution worksheet include:
- Darwin & natural selection
- fossils
- anatomy: homologous structures, analogous structures, vestigial structures, and embryology
- biogeography
- DNA evidence
- direct observation
Who is this resource for?
This resource can be used by classroom teachers, tutors, and parents of students in grades 6-9. It comprehensively covers the mentioned topics, and includes several comprehension and extension questions that will lock in learning.
How Can I Use this Evidence for Evolution Worksheet?
- Emergency Sub Plans
- An independent work station in a set of stations
- Flipped Classroom pre-reading
- Whole or small group opportunity to model and teach Close Reading strategies and annotation
- Differentiation – Assign this reading as reteaching for students who have yet to show mastery.
- Homework
- Creation of Independent Work Packet for students who are not able to be present for direct instruction.
- Extension activity for early finishers or for students who show a special interest in the topic
- Use as a square on a Choice Board
- Interactive Notebooks: Print 2 pages in one and cut apart. Glue mini pages into notebooks with room for annotations on the side
- Interactive Notebooks: Print entire PDF as a mini booklet and add to notebooks using these simple instructions.
What’s Included?
Purchase includes a printable PDF file in color with answer key. On page 2 of this resource you will find a link to a student friendly Google Slide version of this file. You will be able to copy this file and use it with Google Classroom or any other paperless initiative.
Please take a look at the preview file to see more of this resource.
NEW! Audio Recording!
In an effort to further support scientific literacy, this resource has been updated with a link to a read aloud version of the text. This feature is not only great for differentiation, but also provides an abundance of benefits for students. Students who are read to have better listening comprehension, longer attention spans, larger vocabulary, and improved reading fluency.
After downloading this resource, share the included audio link with students, their families, or play it aloud in class!
What’s Next?
If you enjoy this resource, consider checking out some of my other guided readings! Or submit a request for a topic you’d like to see in a future product.
More questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or email me at laneyleeteaches@gmail.com.
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Join our membership to gain access to my entire catalog of resources for FREE!
My store features 3 full-year middle school science curriculums comprised of over 22 units of study.
Each and every unit comes includes the following:
- A unit guide complete with key vocabulary, suggested pacing, essential questions, and more!
- Google Slides presentations to cover major topics, with guided notes for students!
- Reading Comprehension activities with follow up questions. These resources are useful for homework, classwork, sub plans, and more!
- Assessment: Pretest, study guide, CERs, and final assessment.
- Projects and labs
- Webquests, color by number, stations, and other practice activities.
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NGSS Standards covered by this Evidence for Evolution Worksheet:
MS-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past. Emphasis is on finding patterns of changes in the level of complexity of anatomical structures in organisms and the chronological order of fossil appearance in the rock layers. Assessment does not include the names of individual species or geological eras in the fossil record.
MS-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships. Emphasis is on explanations of the evolutionary relationships among organisms in terms of similarity or differences of the gross appearance of anatomical structures.
MS-LS4-3 Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy. Emphasis is on inferring general patterns of relatedness among embryos of different organisms by comparing the macroscopic appearance of diagrams or pictures. Assessment of comparisons is limited to gross appearance of anatomical structures in embryological development.
MS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. Emphasis is on using simple probability statements and proportional reasoning to construct explanations.
HS-LS4-1 Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence. Emphasis is on a conceptual understanding of the role each line of evidence has relating to common ancestry and biological evolution. Examples of evidence could include similarities in DNA sequences, anatomical structures, and order of appearance of structures in embryological development.
