Secular sci: Evolutionary biology for grade 1???

[Wind-in-my-hair]

We are in favor of emphasizing the language of evolution in our earliest science studies, but I am not quite sure where or how to include the theme. Is paleontology a field to be studied in earth science/ 2nd grade? Or should prehistoric eras be covered before proceeding to the ancient history studies of WTM/ grade 1?

 

What can I do in the K and 1st grade years that would link up our fossil/ prehistory interests to our WTM sequence when we start first grade? I would like to hear that there is a text book that includes a review/ overview of prehistory, fossils, etc before it progresses, whether that book be in the discipline of history or science.

 

I looked into Pandia press's R.E.A.L. science: Life... has anyone tried this as a secular program and liked it? I am looking for a life science program that uses terminology that promotes an evolutionary view of the species, simply because this is how we want to go about teaching science (we are liberal Christians and in no way wish to contradict the existence of God or of Divine intervention, which we feel is best left open to interpretation of the heart, not the world of science).

 

 

 

[kiana]

Pandia doesn't cover it in their level 1.

I don't think BFSU does either. I am not aware of one that explicitly does.

 

However, I think either of these programs could easily be supplemented with some good books on evolution.

 

This book might be a bit over your child's head but the pictures are amazing. I loved this book from earliest childhood and we actually went through two copies because my siblings and I read it to pieces: http://www.amazon.com/THREAD-LIFE-Smithsonian-Looks-Evolution/dp/0895990105/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386125967&sr=1-1&keywords=thread+of+life+smithsonian

 

I don't have any personal experience with them but you could look into the Born with a Bang series - here's the first: http://www.amazon.com/Born-With-Bang-Universe-Children/dp/1584690321/ref=pd_sim_b_8

 

SOTW definitely doesn't include pre-history.

Here's a good book for the age range you're looking for on human evolution - http://www.amazon.com/Our-Family-Tree-Evolution-Story/dp/0152017720

 

I think doing pre-history and evolution in K would tie in really nicely into life/earth in 1/2 and into ancients in 1 as well.

[Farrar]

Charlie's Playhouse went out of business, but they have a really good Amazon list:

http://www.amazon.com/Fun-books-on-evolution-for-little-kids-age-4-6-ish/lm/R23S41P0A32C98/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

 

One of their rec's is this book, which has activities:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beast-You-Activities-Kaleidoscope/dp/1885593368/ref=cm_lmf_tit_15

[CrunchyGirl]

We went through www.satorismiles.com list of prehistory books this summer and it gave us historical and to a certain extent scientific coverage of the concept of evolution. We also have the Charlie's Playhouse timeline on the wall. LegoMan has clearly absorbed a lot from it. I think it's a bit of a hard topic to cover at more than a superficial level at an early age as it's a relatively complex topic that doesn't benefit greatly from the level of simplification typically required for the younger ages. My plan is to cover pre-history for each of our three history cycles. But I feel like this time is about laying down groundwork, not worrying too much about details which he will study in graphic detail in high school and college.

[My3girls]

I used Usborne encyclopedia of world history then supplemented with books from the library and documentaries. We made fossils and visited a natural science museum. We started at the end of 1st grade then started SotW in 2nd grade. I just thought K was a little too young. They did community helper stuff and some important historical figures such as Ben Franklin, George Washington, etc... in K and beginning of 1st. I haven't found evolution as a part of a science curriculum until middle school really.

[dbmamaz]

Intelligo has a unit study for evolution. We watched the 'walking with dinosaurs' series on netflix which is like a computer animated 'nature show' about prehistoric times.  We also read Life on Earth, the Story of Evolution, which was in our library.  I think its hard to find it all integrated at this age range, as science in general is pretty light then, but reading about it early made it part of my youngest's assumptions about the world.

[rebbyribs]

REAL Science Odyssey (Life, Level 1) doesn't cover evolution at all (nor does it cover any ecology).  

 

We haven't formally studied evolution, but one of my 4-year-olds has been very interested in dinosaurs in the past year, so we've read lots of dinosaur books.  I highly recommend Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins and Island by Jason Chin (about the geology and animals of the Galapagos Islands).  We also really enjoy the Chased by Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Park videos with Nigel Marvin.  The Encyclopedia Prehistorica pop-up books about prehistoric animals are spectacular and full of good information, although they're not focused on the process of evolution.

[duckens]

For us, evolution shows up everywhere in science.  There is no one place from which we glean our information.

 

***We watch Nature and Nova on PBS.  (We TIVO them to watch at our leisure.  Cost of a TIVO: $200 DVR + $15/month).  There are many references to evolution, but just as passing comments.  The Nature shows are easier for dd6 to watch  (Hey!  It's animals!) but she gets a lot out of them.  She also watches the Nova shows with us, and she still understands quite a bit.

 

***Bill Nye discusses evolution.  Same as above. We get Bill Nye videos from the library.  Sometimes they are shown on PBS, too.  (Again, TIVOed because they are shown at odd times).

 

These two books, recommended by Kiana above.  Caveat:  I've found them to be a little old for when dd was 5-early 6.

 

 

I don't have any personal experience with them but you could look into the Born with a Bang series - here's the first: http://www.amazon.co.../ref=pd_sim_b_8

 

SOTW definitely doesn't include pre-history.

Here's a good book for the age range you're looking for on human evolution - http://www.amazon.co...y/dp/0152017720

 

***Books by Hannah Bonner (scroll down).  These are graphic novels/nonfiction that show natural history starting in the Cambrian Period.  In spite of their "cartoon" form, they were a little old for dd when she was 5, but she is growing into them now, at age "almost 7."  In truth, these books helped ME the most, because they filled in "evolutionary gaps" that I had never been specifically taught.  Once these gaps were filled, I can direct discussions, teach my daughters, and comment in a non-vague manner when these evolutionary periods come up.

 

***Earth Timeline Poster.  --  We got one through a special Dinosaur Kit I ordered from ZooBooks.  Laminate it and hang it up.  (Ours is in the hallway).   We looked at our just yesterday to discuss the KT Boundary!  There are many Earth Timeline Posters.  Pick one you like.

 

 

 

Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs

 

Magic School Bus: Back in Time of the Dinosaurs (Kit)   We haven't used this, but it looks fun!

 

How Whales Walked into the Sea  OOP, but can be purchased for less than $5 + shipping on Amazon.

 

Walking with the Dinosaurs video series.  Netflix has several of them.  Don't forget ***Prehistoric Park*** (made by the same people).  The scientists go back in time to collect actual specimens for a modern day Jurassic Park.  Dd6 LOVED it!

There is also Walking with Beasts (prehistoric animals) and Walking with Cavemen, but we have not seen them yet.

 

ETA: We have started Walking with Beasts, and it is totally up to snuff!

 

I have found all of these videos to be good summary after we have learned stuff.

 

Other Videos:

Anything with David Attenborough.

Any of the Planet Earth videos.

 

Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History has the prehistory of the earth (first cells through cavemen) for the first 100 pages or so.  I wish we had read it last summer in concordance with and old Usborne Dinosaur curriculum I have and prior to starting Pandia's History Odyssey.

 

I also have an old Dinosaur Curriculum (5 years old) that is OOP from Usborne.  We are near the end of this 10 week curriculum, and we just had the lesson on human evolution.  I will PM you about this curriculum.

 

                                                      

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Dr. Nebel can take you K through 8.  Best books we've used.

[Crimson Wife]

I use a life science curriculum in the primary grades with a neutral POV (Mr. Q) but then start out our study of history and biology with a unit on evolution. The Best Book of Early People by Margaret Hynes is a favorite. Our Family Tree by Lisa Westberg Peters is a good picture book as well.

[Wind-in-my-hair]

I appreciate the wealth of suggestions. Thank you all! 

[EKS]

Just a warning--evolution is really hard for little kids to understand.  The concepts are very abstract and coupled with the vast timescale involved, it can be difficult to take in.  So my point is that don't worry if your child doesn't get it during the first pass (or even the second!).  It will come eventually.

[Wind-in-my-hair]

Just a warning--evolution is really hard for little kids to understand.  The concepts are very abstract and coupled with the vast timescale involved, it can be difficult to take in.  So my point is that don't worry if your child doesn't get it during the first pass (or even the second!).  It will come eventually.

 

I know what you're saying. The only reason I want to include it at all at this age level, is because of the "dino-mania" phase my 5 yo son (like most kids his age) is going through. Dinosaurs get all the attention: they hog the spotlight of prehistory. I simply want to balance this out with an overview of multiple different animals the fossil records tell of, and sort of set the stage for later learning by showing the continuity of life on planet earth. I want to not have to rely so much on the media: dvds, documentaries, etc., and instead just touch on it periodically, so I can set the pace and select the topic.

 

A good encyclopedic resource, plus a good source for inspiring unit studies and weekend hobbies ( that isn't JUST dinosaurs) is what I seek. A general source that covers periods of prehistory and gives a couple examples of fossils and the creatures they came from.

 

I really just want my child to be able to "see" the similarities and differences between modern animals and ancestors. He LOVES bugs, and since many arthropods exists today relatively unchanged from their ancestors, it wouldn't really be necessary to explain evolution in its entirety, but just to familiarize him with the modern versus the ancient in biology. If I don't include it, who knows what notions he may develop through osmosis or infatuation with the subject of dinosaurs, you know?

[Catherine]

One other resource that I love though I never used for that age group is Berkeley Evolution Lessons:

 

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/teach/index.php

 

If you look at the top of the page, there are three buttons, Evolution 101, Teaching Materials and Resource Library. I used the Teaching Materials section the most, where there are suggestions by age\grade that I found very helpful. Explaining evolution to a kindergartener is impossible, comprehensively, but as EKS noted your aim is introduction, especially of concepts a 5 yo can grasp, like genetic variation (hey, we're not all identical!) and inheritance. HTH.

[jar7709]

I second the Intellego K-2 Evolution Unit.  My DD used it last year and enjoyed many of the activities.  She loves all things prehistory, and we have a science-rich life, so I considered it a supplement, but imo it is pretty solid and easy to use how you see fit.  I also compiled some Dinosaurs/Fossils etc stuff for our homeschool group that I threw up on my blog some time ago with a lot of recommendations.  

 

If you're looking for a prehistoric life encyclopedia that is also interesting for older kids and adults, DK Prehistoric Life is the best, hands-down, imho.  If that's more than what you want, OOP Usborne ones (like this) are also pretty good, and Eyewitness Prehistoric Life is an overview book that gets a lot of use here too.  Honestly we mostly browse from those types of books and use them as springboards to drill down on subtopics, so now we have a TON of subject-specific books in the home library, too, which is how we do most of our learning at this point.  

[dbmamaz]

Its so awful that Charlies Playhouse no longer sells their timeline.  it was the best ever thing.  They had a wall poster and a floor mat and giant cards to go with it.  My 1st grader just LOVED looking over the poster and the cards.  I'm not quite ready to give them up yet, but its seriously tragic that you cant buy them any more.  there are other evolution posters, but not aimed at young kids.

[Wheres Toto]

Dr. Nebel can take you K through 8.  Best books we've used.

 

I thought Nebel wasn't going to cover evolution?  It's come up in the past - he replied to a question about it on the yahoo group:

 

Here's what Dr. Nebel said about why he's not covering evolution (from the K5science group):

Quote:

My aim is to have kids learn through through their own observations and rational thinking. I see the role of the teacher as guiding kids toward making the observations and keeping their thinking on a rational course. In short, this is what learning how to learn and the habits of mind for life-long learning are about.

 

Coming specifically to evolution, I do not mention it in the current volume of BFSU for K-2 nor do I address it in upcoming volumes for 3-5 or 6-8. You might say that this is sidestepping the issue, but I do not feel remiss in this. Evolution is a complex theory based on numerous lines of evidence, i.e., observations. Again, I focus on making the observations and rational thinking, and letting that take one where it will.

 

I hope at the very least, it leads to appreciation, awe, and wonderment as to how much is "out there" to explore, learn, and attempt to understand.

 

I haven't participated in the yahoo groups in a while since I found BFSU too hard to implement so maybe this has changed?

 

 

We did some evolution activities a couple years ago.  We took a lot of the ideas from Satori Smiles and there are lesson plans on my blog (link below).  We have the Charlie's Playhouse timeline and cards and they are great! 

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Having done Nebel for 7 years, I concede the point that I can't pinpoint which grade first included evolution! You're probably right that it was in a later year. Bit of a blur.

[kateingr]

If you are just looking for an excellent reference, I second the recommendation for the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History. It has an extremely comprehensive pre-history section, talking about the development of many different groups of animals and clusters of animals in different parts of the globe. My then five year old loved reading through a spread per day during our read aloud time.

[Farrar]

Just a warning--evolution is really hard for little kids to understand.  The concepts are very abstract and coupled with the vast timescale involved, it can be difficult to take in.  So my point is that don't worry if your child doesn't get it during the first pass (or even the second!).  It will come eventually.

 

We covered it just a little, but my kids focused on the different periods (we went through the displays at the Smithsonian several times) and extinct animals so it was more like a memory exercise - names and facts, though we didn't memorize anything.  And they definitely did get the idea of adaptations, which is tied to evolution.  I never felt like it was that much more inaccessible to younger kids than many other things in science.  Though I totally agree that anyone who wants to skip it, should just skip it.  Beyond really, really basic stuff, that's always true in early elementary science.

[fourisenough]

I didn't have time to read others' responses (so I don't know if it's already been suggested), but Virginia Lee Burton's Life Story would be a great place to start. It is obviously not a full curriculum and doesn't address evolutionary biology in detail, but it does the best job of painting a big-picture understanding of the topic for young children of any book I've read.

[Wind-in-my-hair]

Charlie's Playhouse went out of business, but they have a really good Amazon list:

http://www.amazon.com/Fun-books-on-evolution-for-little-kids-age-4-6-ish/lm/R23S41P0A32C98/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

 

One of their rec's is this book, which has activities:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beast-You-Activities-Kaleidoscope/dp/1885593368/ref=cm_lmf_tit_15

Your link lead me to more hits from Amazon, and this looks like its right up our ally: http://www.amazon.com/When-Sharks-Teeth-Began-Swarm/dp/142630546X/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_6

[Wind-in-my-hair]

I didn't have time to read others' responses (so I don't know if it's already been suggested), but Virginia Lee Burton's Life Story would be a great place to start. It is obviously not a full curriculum and doesn't address evolutionary biology in detail, but it does the best job of painting a big-picture understanding of the topic for young children of any book I've read.

 

Great suggestion! We have enjoyed other books of hers. 

[Wind-in-my-hair]

If you are just looking for an excellent reference, I second the recommendation for the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History. It has an extremely comprehensive pre-history section, talking about the development of many different groups of animals and clusters of animals in different parts of the globe. My then five year old loved reading through a spread per day during our read aloud time.

The Usborne ecyclopedia is high on my list of must-haves for starting 1st grade. I am glad that it has a handy prehistory reference included.

[Wind-in-my-hair]

Can I just take this opportunity to say that kindergarten is really hard for me? Learning to read and write can be tedious. But I bought my son geography stuff for Christmas, and after the new year we will do more math and content subjects. I plan to spend the summer time doing fossil hunts on hikes (we have alot of creeks around here) and a little bit of discussion on ecosystems, then start our units in first grade life sci and ancient history in September. 

 

My original plan was to do the bare bones minimum for K and sort of ease into our first grade studies, but I don't like that idea now. This is our chance to cover our favorite non-required yet relevant subjects, so I think I am happy to stretch out this kindergarten year and have fun until I really feel his reading skills are up to par. 

 

The only downside to homeschooling i have encountered, so far, is there are so many great books and tools out there that I can't possibly own them or try all of them! 

[kateingr]

Can I just take this opportunity to say that kindergarten is really hard for me? Learning to read and write can be tedious. But I bought my son geography stuff for Christmas, and after the new year we will do more math and content subjects. I plan to spend the summer time doing fossil hunts on hikes (we have alot of creeks around here) and a little bit of discussion on ecosystems, then start our units in first grade life sci and ancient history in September.

 

!

I completely agree. I suspect this may get easier with subsequent children, but I found k with my first tricky. I didn't want to overwhelm him with too much work but needed to do enough to keep both him and me interested. Like you, I also ended up changing up our curriculum pretty significantly at the new year.

 

I'm only a year beyond that, with my oldest in first grade, but I'm enjoying this year a lot more now that I've given myself permission to "really do school" and do a full subject load.

 

Just wanted to commiserate and say you're not alone...and to say that things get much more interesting as you move beyond the basic early reading and writing. :)

[Catherine]

I've only taught K once, but for my child, who turned out to need a lot of explicit instruction in areas that my older kids did not, doing "real school" for K was definitely part of the plan.  BUT... we limited it to phonics, learning to write letters correctly, pencil grip, and learning numbers and some very gentle, interest-led math activities.  We spent about 15-30 minutes most days.  However, we spent a ton of time reading aloud, exploring and playing, and he always had a lot of questions about science topics that we "researched" outside and at the library.