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Threshold 5 Essentials

Liz @SCCLC

BHP Newbie here --

This is my first year teaching BHP to multi-grade classes of 6th and 7th graders.  I've gotten a lot of great tips from Zach Cain, but because of the way the calendar falls this year, I've got 7 days (5 50-min. classes and 2 75-min. classes over 2 weeks) to cover Threshold 5 in order to stay on pace.  What are the must-dos, with an eye toward middle schoolers losing focus heading into winter break?

I appreciated some of the ideas here Must Have Lessons for Threshold 5 but I'm short on planning time and would love to know which few high-impact activities you would prioritize to maintain the narrative arc without getting bogged down in the details.

Thanks!

  • Hi Liz, I approach Threshold 5 with a similar timeline.  Big History is our 9th grade world history social studies course so we don't spend as much on the fist five thresholds as others might.  

    I've been using the BHP curriculum for 10 years now and these are my "go-to" lessons/activities: 

    -How Closely Related Are We? Opener, followed by A Big History of Everything Video (in 5.0)

    -Six Mini Thresholds of Life video

    -Six Mini Threshold of Life mini book activity 

    -Darwin, Evolution, and Faith analysis 

    I included some of the materials I use with students and some examples from the mini books.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

    PDFPDFPDFPDFPDFPDF

    Mini-book assignment:

    Your work must include the following: 
    -Cover with an image: Mini-Thresholds of Life 
    (For each of the following you should have words on one page and the image that complements the words on the opposite side)
    -Description of Prokaryotes, when they emerged + image
    -Description of Eukaryotes, when they emerged + image
    -Description of Multicellular organisms, when they emerged + image
    -Description of the first organisms with brains, when they emerged + image
    -Explanation of life moving to land, when this occurred + image
    -Description of mammals, when they evolved + image
    -Explanation of evolution and it's impact on Big History 
    -Your name on the back

  •   with the time you have left the plan that  prepared for you is perfect. The activity "How closely related are we?" is a great opening activity to introduce the concept of LUCA and DNA. If you have time, I recommend creating the DNA sequence because it is a lot of fun. 

    To close the unit you can show the video The Big History of Everything and the ad hoc questions.

  • Thank you,  for sharing your resources and suggesting this sequence, and  for chiming in!

    My main question for you,  is, how much time you allow (in class or at home) for students to make the mini-book? And also, what is it's size? 8.5x11 folded in half, or smaller than that? Thanks again!

  • in reply to Liz @SCCLC

    I actually got the idea from  a while ago and it's one of my new favorite methods.  She might have simple instructions to follow.  But overall, yes, it's a regular sheet of paper that they keep fold in half four times, bind with staplers and then trip the ends so that it becomes a 14 page book.  I do words on one side and an image on the opposite side.  It usually takes about one class period for us (40 minutes). Once we've done it once or twice, then eventually I assign them for homework later in the year. 

  • in reply to Todd Nussen

     , that was a great description of making and using the mini-book!

    I also agree with you and  -- "How Closely Related Are We?" is mindblowing. What a terrific opener and a great introduction to the giant diversity that comes without a giant difference in DNA.

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser

    Yup, I never learn from my mistakes.  I plan for 5 minutes but it typically into a 10-15 conversation and debate.