Unit: A Voyage of Discovery

Term: Autumn 3

Year: 6

Links

©Cornwall Learning Publications 2013

A Voyage of Discovery In this Unit pupils will be exploring how adaptation can lead to evolution, whilst recognising that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but that they vary from each other and their parents. They will also investigate variation in response to environment, Darwin’s work and how and why the human skeleton has changed since separating from the primates.

Key questions will include:

What is evolution?

How does adaptation occur?

What is the evidence for natural selection?

How have human beings changed over time?

How might variation lead to a greater chance of survival?

As part of this the pupils will go on an imaginary voyage with the classroom being both a Research Station and a ship. Pupils will imagine they are research scientists, collating their findings as evidence for different aspects of plant and animal evolution and human development, as well as getting ready and setting off on a voyage of discovery. The aim of this Unit is for pupils to consider the supporting evidence that scientists have found for evolution, including the work of Darwin. It is right to acknowledge that people may have opposing viewpoints; throughout the course of the Unit pupils will have opportunities to form their own opinions, whilst respecting the views of others. Opportunities for creativity within this Unit include:

producing Leonardo style drawings and evolutionary totem poles and printed t-shirts in art;

composing and performing music

Outdoor Learning There are many opportunities for outdoor learning in this exciting Unit. Early man lived a largely outdoor existence

at close proximity to the plants and animals that were essential to his survival. Opportunities for outdoor learning present themselves through

o Shelter building in design and technology o Gathering of natural colours for use in cave paintings in art

National and International links The Unit includes references to Darwin’s 5 year voyage, which took him around the world and is an opportunity for

exploration and investigation of many places, including the Galapagos Islands, from where much evidence was gathered and later formed the basis of Darwin’s ideas about evolution.

Links to the world of work Hopefully there will also be visits into school by a zoologist/naturalist/animal or plant expert to share knowledge on

adaptation and variation

It is also suggested that a palaeontologist could show/share fossil evidence of evolutionary change

There is also the opportunity to link into modern day cruise industry for holidays and the multitude of jobs Many jobs relate to seafaring and the sea and children may be interested to investigate these; from the Royal

Navy, to the fishing industry, to the oil industry and life on the rigs.

Links to learning and life skills Valuing people for their similarities and differences

Creating new ideas and solutions

Summaries

©Cornwall Learning Publications 2013

Art and Design Leonardo da Vinci study of biology/zoology (art and

science of the universe)

Drawing skills using hatching learning from da Vinci’s drawings with thin pens

Draw images of main stages of Darwin’s theory of evolution

Build an ‘evolution’ totem pole

T-shirt printing using heat transfer paper illustrating steps in evolution, or unusual animal adaptations

Competition to design newly evolved animals e.g. what would eventually happen to giraffes on an island where no tall trees grow? Or camels continuously surrounded by a fresh supply of water?

English Letters – informal and formal (link to Darwin’s letters;

including during the voyage to/from friends and family, and letters to/from other scientists asking for help with research)

Recount – of voyage/discoveries

Explanation – how or why adaptation/ natural selection/ evolution happens or how adaptation can lead to evolution

Note writing – to prepare for longer pieces of writing and notes about species

Discussion – for and against the theory of evolution

Reading journals – read some of the entries from Darwin’s journal aboard the Beagle

Music Programme music (depicts a scene or tells a

story through musical narrative)

Analyse the different musical elements within pieces which help to suggest the scene. Consider pitch / dynamics / tempo / instrumentation / timbre and texture

Learn to play the main theme and compose own class music based on imaginary voyage of discovery

Experiment with sounds to paint the musical picture

French Thinking about how animals are adapted to their

environment, we take a fresh look at animal vocabulary and learn the parts of the body while learning a song or two along the way

Looking at how birds have evolved and adapted we develop our reading skills and use prior learning, cognates and bilingual dictionaries to complete a language detective activity

We compare Christmas celebrations in the UK and Australia and complete a listening comprehension then create and write postcards from Australia to our friends in France

A Voyage of Discovery

Applied Maths Calculations linked to distances during

sea voyage

Measurements related to science investigations– comparisons and relationships between results

Graphs

Geography Use the voyage of the HMS Beagle (Darwin’s ship) and Darwin’s recounts of the voyage as a springboard from which to find out about:

Latitude

Longitude

Equator

Northern and Southern Hemisphere

Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

Arctic and Antarctic

Time zones

Climate zones

Biomes

Vegetation belts

Volcanoes

Science In this Unit pupils will be developing ideas in a number of ways, including: studying and comparing similarities and differences between

various organisms, including human beings, and exploring relationships between variation in different characteristics

handling data and using graphical representation of evidence gathered

exploring ideas about natural selection, how variation may enable an organism to become suited to an environment and positive and negative adaptations

exploring adaptations of organisms in extreme environments and unusual animal characteristics

studying primate and human developments over time An underlying theme will be the investigation of Charles Darwin’s discoveries on the Galapagos Islands and the subsequent development of his ideas and explanations.

Computing Research key dates and events in the life

of Charles Darwin collecting information, images and links with an awareness of plagiarism and copyright.

Add points to a Google Earth map to tell people about the voyages and discoveries of Charles Darwin.

Record a virtual tour flying around the locations and discoveries of Darwin. Record a narration to accompany it.

Resources

©Cornwall Learning Publications 2013

Art and Design Leonardo illustrations and artwork showing

his studies of biology and zoology http://www.howtodrawjourney.com/leonardo-da-vinci-drawings.html

Drawing with pen techniques 1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtPS4Ei-MwE

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUL-3TvzxU

Fine line Ink pens

Sketch books

Suitable art papers- cartridge is good

Charcoal & white Chalk

Non-fiction texts showing examples of animal and plant variations

Internet search of human & animal evolution drawings and ‘evolution T shirts’

T shirts (plain colours) -children can bring one in

Heat transfer paper –available from Specialist Crafts in light and dark.

PVA glue

Totem poles information

http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/culture/totem-poles.html

Basic classroom art materials, including paper suitable for painting on, brushes, paints, water containers etc

Sketch books

Long cardboard tubes for totem poles

Music Examples of Programme music:

o Nigel Hess – ‘Thames Journey’ o Nigel Hess – ‘East Coast Pictures’ o Rimsky Korsakov – ‘Scheherazade’ o Mussorgsky – ‘Pictures From an Exhibition’ o Paul Dukas – ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ o Beethoven – ‘Symphony no.6’ o Smetena – ‘Vltava’ o Villa Lobos – ‘Little Train of the Caipira’ o Respighi – ‘The Birds’ o Grieg – ‘Peer Gynt’

A variety of instruments should be available for use. All pupils who play instruments should be encouraged to use them throughout this Unit.

Examples of sets of notes (scales) to play aloud for the pupils i.e. a raga

Facilities to record the final piece (and possibility of producing a CD per child)

A Voyage of Discovery

English/ Science Fiction/scientifically inspired texts:

‘The Sandwalk Adventures’ – Jay Hosler

‘Optical Allusions’ – Jay Hosler Non-fiction texts:

‘Evolve or Die (Horrible Science)’ – Phil Gates and Tony de Saulles

‘The Beast In You’ (activities and questions) – Marc McCutcheon

‘Bones, Brains and DNA’ – Ian Tattersall and Rob De Salle

‘A Cartoon History of the Earth’: ‘The Dawn of Life’, ‘When Bugs Were Big etc.’ – Jacqui Bailey and Matthew Lilly

‘A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Long Before Dinosaurs’ – Hannah Bonner

‘Eyewitness Evolution’ – Linda Gamlin

‘Inside the Beagle with Charles Darwin’ – Fiona McDonald and Mark Bergin

‘Kingfisher Book of Evolution’ – Stephen Webster

‘Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution’ (factual picture book for older readers) – Steve Jenkins

‘Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story’ (picture book) – Lisa Westberg-Peters and Lauren Stringer

‘Usborne Prehistoric World’ – Fiona Chandler, Jane Bingham and Sam Taplin

‘Evolution Revolution’ – Robert Winston

French Unit PowerPoint

Bird adaptation information sheet

Bilingual dictionaries

Optional : Mon Ane DVD or Take 10 en Français

Mini whiteboards and pens

IWB images of cold and hot climates

IWB pictures of animals that are adapted to these environments

Images of Christmas in Australia

Blank post cards or card cut to size

Optional: song “Six White Boomers” (easily found on the Internet)

Computing

Microphone and headphones / speakers

Internet

Google Earth

Geography

Non-fiction books about sailing in the 19

th Century,

World maps and atlases

Books about Darwin’s voyage or information found on the internet.

Copies of world map templates

Useful websites: www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/expeditions-collecting/beagle-voyage/ www.worldatlas