Heredity

Unit Overview: 7th grade science students will soon be involved in a unit on
heredity. Their teachers have analyzed scores from last year's heredity test.
Students did not make adequate progress in the area of selective breeding.
Teachers have also noticed a deficiency in the unit vocabulary. This year, they will
be conducting a research project. Teachers have approached me about planning a
collaborative lesson. They would like me to review how to determine reliable
resources and how to conduct efficient research. I will teach two mini lessons on
the following:
Mini Lesson #1 - Conducting efficient research through Galileo
Mini Lesson #2 - Are my sources reliable?

Mini Lesson #1 - Conducting efficient research through Galileo

AASL Standards
1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and
pursuing inquiry.
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.

Science GPS
S7L3. Students will recognize how biological traits are passed on to successive
generations.
Students will be asked to conduct research on selective breeding as they
move through their 7th grade science unit. Before beginning, students need to
become familiar with Galileo. This first lesson introduces Galileo and shows
students the most effective way to conduct research. This lesson will take 30
minutes and can be done in the media center or on iPads in the classroom.

Students will be directed to:

o Blendspace

This blendspace includes lessons and videos on plagiarism and copyright

that the student can view at their leisure. During this lesson, the teacher will
only lead them through the lesson on Galileo. The lesson provided on
blendspace is to be used as a tool or review for students at home. The media
specialist will go through the lesson with the students in class.
In class, students will be asked to go to Galileo using the school website.
The media specialist will familiarize students with the age range of searches
and the search by topic, type, or resources function.
Students will be asked to complete a search for heredity using the teen
category and subject search.
The media specialist will show them how to conduct an advanced search
using the Full Text and Peer reviewed settings.
Using the keyword setting, students will be prompted to also include
heredity.
Students will then have the opportunity to conduct searches on topics of
interest on their own.
The end goal is for them to understand how to narrow down search results to
get the most accurate information needed for assignment.
Handout from blendspace can be printed out for student use if desired.

Mini Lesson #2 Are My Sources Reliable?

AASL Standards
1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy,
validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and
pursuing inquiry.
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.

Science GPS
S7L3. Students will recognize how biological traits are passed on to successive
generations.
Students are continuing to conduct research on selective breeding as they move
through their 7th grade science unit. After becoming familiar with Galileo, students
will now learn how to determine the reliability of their sources. This second lesson

focuses on examining the author, publisher, purpose, audience, and quality of the
source in order to determine reliability. This lesson will take 30 minutes and can be
done in the media center or on iPads in the classroom.

Students will again be directed to Blendspace.

Again, they will be reminded of the resources available on plagiarism and
copyright.
As a class, they will watch #13 Reliable Sources video.
Students will also be shown the reliable sources checklist that can be found
on blendspace.
The media specialist will also provide a copy for students.
As a class, students will review the handout.
With a partner, students will visit the websites provided at the top of the
Determining Reliable Sources Questions sheet.
Choosing one, students will complete the provided questions in order to
determine the reliability of the sources.
In conclusion, students will determine if the chosen source is reliable.
To conclude both mini lessons, students will play kahoot to assess knowledge
gained.