Seeing is Believing Curriculum

I created a comprehensive 2-week curriculum for teaching middle school evolution considering students prior knowledge, goals, assessment, instruction, and research. The principles of validity, equity, and reliability were also taken into account. The project concluded with a poster session and a full report outlining the curriculum.

Evolution is a divisive subject that has a rare quality for school subjects: some people actively refuse to believe that it is true. Strongly-held beliefs like these are particularly resistant to change and can prove exceptionally challenging to teach. I chose to focus my curriculum on the evidence for evolution that students can see around them in their everyday lives by backing up each principle of evolution with a discussion or activity that provides tangible evidence of its truth. My curriculum is designed for 7th grade students who are likely learning about evolution for the first time.