Modern Horse Origins

Really interesting read, Todd Nussen - thanks for sharing! What really struck me was the line, "Humans changed the horse genome stunningly quickly, perhaps because we already had experience dealing with animals." This quote opens the conversation up to a focus on human impact on other species as well .. taking this article into later thresholds too! 

Really interesting read, Todd Nussen - thanks for sharing! What really struck me was the line, "Humans changed the horse genome stunningly quickly, perhaps because we already had experience dealing with animals." This quote opens the conversation up to a focus on human impact on other species as well .. taking this article into later thresholds too! 

Definitely interesting. One thing I really love about having the chance to teach BHP is just how it piques my interest in these types of stories.

What I haven't figured out is how to integrate these new stories into the curriculum. As I'm teaching maybe it's more about about having the students be the ones who seek these stories out - maybe from Science Fridays on NPR or The Science section of the NYTimes on Tuesdays...?

It would be worthwhile to combine our curriculum with some lateral reading and media literacy strategies - get students to find this information and make meaning of it themselves. 

We did something similar when I was in middle school with the Science section of the NYT. My school got a class set of the hard copies every week which was really cool. But we essentially flipped through in our science class, chose an article that was of interest to us, wrote a bit about it and then presented something to the class. We got a little extra credit if we created something physical to pass around as well (ie. a model planet if we read an article talking about looking for traces of water on Mars). 

I try to give a similar opportunity to my students each Threshold in BHP. I use the This Threshold Today activity in the form of a research card. I adapted the research card idea from BHP and try to use it every threshold. This allows students the opportunity to find their own current event/article - while also conducting research on what's happening in regards to this threshold today. I love this activity because it makes the more distant topics like the big bang feel more relevant to the students. Especially once they see scientists are still studying it and discovering new things! Adam Esrig 

Sounds like we both had the same kind of teachers, Adriane Musacchio  I had an 8th grade teacher who had us write about a current events article once a week. At the time it was the bane of my existence but I actually give that weekly assignment a lot of credit for making me a better writer. 

The This Threshold Today activtiy to me seems like a good angle to take - let's hopefully get the chance to work together on this next school year! 

For sure! Totally relatable. You know, I sometimes wonder if kids would approach current event hunting with more awe and wonder if we went back to looking at physical newspapers. Might just have to try it out one day. There is something "fun" about flipping through the newspaper to find which article you want. It was the work part that I used to complain about, but it made me a better reader and writer as well. 

Hope so too Adam Esrig ! 

I think you're onto something Adriane Musacchio I remember I had to sift through the newspaper, pick and cut out an article and staple it to my one-page of writing. That tactile element really did help with the whole endeavor. And you're right that it was more fun too! Oh the good ol' days!