SilverMoon Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I'd love to hear what you loved for evolution and/or prehistory for middle grades. 🙂 My smallest human is super interested and we're building a diy science for his upcoming sixth grade year. The rest of the year will be astronomy and physics, though at this speed physics may get booted to 7th. I have a few ideas but searching to see what others have done hasn't been very helpful for this one. The Build Your Library unit studies aren't really what we had in mind. He's already read good Darwin bios and their Prehistory looks pretty young.. I may get the Evolution one just for the animal timeline, and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate can go in his lit stack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Have you looked at the Big History stuff? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 1 hour ago, EKS said: Have you looked at the Big History stuff? Not with this kid in mind, but I'll give it a deeper look! 🙂 The faq says it starts at middle school, though I was assuming it was early high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 (edited) ...crickets.. 😄 If anyone else was interested here's a collection I've put together from searches and asking elsewhere. It leans toward animals and humans because that's where his interest is, and the second semester will be astronomy. *I haven't read most of this list yet. Curricula: -BYL level 9 (aimed at 9th grade) -BYL Prehistory unit study ("elementary") -BYL Darwin & Evolution unit study (grades 4-8) -Big History Project from OER, or the less rigorous version from Khan (middle school to high school) (probably not using any of this category but I'm including them for others) Readers: -Dinotopia -The Earth Before Us by Abby Howard -Edge of Extinction (The Ark Plan series) -Maroo of the Winter Caves -The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Nonfiction: -When Fish got Feet, When Bugs Were Big, and When Dinos Dawned: A Cartoon History of Life on Earth -Bang! How We Came to Be -Amazing Evolution: The Journey of Life -A Really Short History of Nearly Everything (Bryson) -Sapiens graphic novels, volumes 1 and 2 -Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth graphic novel -On the Origin of the Species: Young Readers Edition (there's also a graphic novel version) -Dinosaurs: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK) -Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual Guide (DK) -Evolution: The Human Story (DK) - gets good reviews for more accurately representing skin color of early humans -Life Cycles: Everything From Start to Finish (DK) -The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins More challenging books (high school/adult) -The Story of Life in 25 Fossils -BYL level 9 booklist -Your Inner Fish (also has a 3 episode video series) -Consider the Platypus: Evolution Through Biology's Most Baffling Beasts -The Third Chimpanzee for Young People -A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bryson) -Science Matters (Hazen) Documentaries/movies -Eons from PBS -Big History from Crash Course -NOVA: Dogs Decoded -HHMI (has the Your Inner Fish videos and more) biointeractive.org (look in classroom resources) Online course -Origins - Formation of the Universe, Solar System, Earth and Life (on Coursera) (free) Possible rabbit trail -NOVA's Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial Edited May 7, 2022 by SilverMoon adding titles 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Well, that's a great list! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 Yes! It's shaping up to be much more solid now. 😅 He has specifically asked for a book just on the family trees of animals so I'm still hunting somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 https://answersingenesis.org/evolution/ https://answersingenesis.org/creation-vs-evolution/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 29, 2022 Author Share Posted April 29, 2022 (edited) On 4/29/2022 at 3:53 PM, Aloha2U said: https://answersingenesis.org/evolution/ https://answersingenesis.org/creation-vs-evolution/ 🙂We won't be including creation. Edited March 31 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 41 minutes ago, SilverMoon said: -BYL level 9 (aimed at 9th grade) I love most of your list. I looked at this a few years back, though, and there was a book on there that I would not be comfortable discussing with a 14yo: Clan of the Cave Bear. I've read the whole series and there is a level of explicit content that makes me feel like a prude. I can't imagine trying to use it as a teaching tool for this age, but I wouldn't stop a kid from reading it on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 That sounds like a pretty broad request! I just dug through the few books I still have, but none have that kind of study, or even a graphic. I remember finding some tree diagrams online specific to particular animal lines that we used, but nothing with any discussion behind it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 30, 2022 Author Share Posted April 30, 2022 1 hour ago, HomeAgain said: I love most of your list. I looked at this a few years back, though, and there was a book on there that I would not be comfortable discussing with a 14yo: Clan of the Cave Bear. I've read the whole series and there is a level of explicit content that makes me feel like a prude. I can't imagine trying to use it as a teaching tool for this age, but I wouldn't stop a kid from reading it on their own. I saw this title come up in complaints several times when I was considering it for my rising 9th grader. The rising 6th grade dude that inspired this thread may well use level 9 in the future so I'll definitely pre-read this one before then. 👍 (The rising 9th grader and I opted for level 10 instead.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 There is a graphic novel version of Sapiens, but Dd found it a little slow moving. (Heh.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 I was going to recommend the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) free videos but it looks like they aren't sending them out anymore. 😞 Your list looks great. The "When Fish Got Feet...." series of books is really well done and interesting. "Bang! How we came to be" is another good one that's about on the same level of "When Fish Got Feet...". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Oh! I just remembered an amazing documentary! It's about the selection of dogs, natural and human, as display by a contemporary study of foxes. Nova: Dogs Decoded https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040QYRS6/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_01GAJQH0PSN3YXD50ADF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Sheets Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 9:12 PM, Wheres Toto said: I was going to recommend the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) free videos but it looks like they aren't sending them out anymore. 😞 Your list looks great. The "When Fish Got Feet...." series of books is really well done and interesting. "Bang! How we came to be" is another good one that's about on the same level of "When Fish Got Feet...". I might be misunderstanding you... I use the HHMI videos extensively and just play them on the website. They are still there: https://www.biointeractive.org/planning-tools/resource-playlists/teaching-geological-and-evolutionary-processes-using-mass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Mama Sheets said: I might be misunderstanding you... I use the HHMI videos extensively and just play them on the website. They are still there: https://www.biointeractive.org/planning-tools/resource-playlists/teaching-geological-and-evolutionary-processes-using-mass That's great! Years ago they sent out DVDs free and I have the whole collection. I'm glad they are still available, they are very well made. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 6:13 PM, elroisees said: Oh! I just remembered an amazing documentary! It's about the selection of dogs, natural and human, as display by a contemporary study of foxes. Nova: Dogs Decoded https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040QYRS6/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_01GAJQH0PSN3YXD50ADF Thanks! This one looks right up his alley! 😁 I added new recommendations to the list in post 4. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jboo Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 9:12 PM, Wheres Toto said: The "When Fish Got Feet...." series of books is really well done and interesting. +1 to that! We've checked those out a lot, over the years. "Life: The First Four Billion Years: The Story of Life from the Big Bang to the Evolution of Humans" is pretty good, partially because there's coverage of pre-Ediacaran times, which usually gets skipped over extremely quickly. Also, Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals is well worth it. Terrific illustrations. Encyclopedia really isn't the right term, though - a geologic period per short chapter, with sample animals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletbaker Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 I didn’t reply at first because I did prehistory/evolution with my Kindergartner last summer and I thought the resources might be too young for a 7th grader. Now as I read this thread I’m realizing that a bunch of things I used as read aloud are in this thread, so I’ll provide more from my list. Just check them to see if they feel too young for your learner. I used book lists from Build Your Library prehistory unit study and the prehistory section of Blossom and Root Animals Studies science. I’m sure the activities in Blossom and Rot might feel too young for most seventh graders, but the book list is up to date and extensive, and there are suggested videos to go with each of the topics. We loved the When Fish Got Feet books too. These graphic novels by Abby Howard ended up being one of our favorite things. They weren’t on any of the lists I was using, I wonder I’d they are too new. Theyare detailed, up to date, and packed full of information: Dinosaur Empire Ocean Renegades Mammal Takeover Regarding early humans: I did “Maroo of the Winter Caves” as a read aloud. It would be an enjoyable read for a seventh grader without some of the problematic aspects of Clan of The Cave Bear. It looks like it’s already on your list. There is also a Human Evolution coloring book that is used in lots of first year anthropology/archaeology classes. Would be a fun addition for a kid who likes that kind of thing. One of our favorite projects was looking at old books’ depictions of dinosaurs and discussing how scientific knowledge has grown - depictions of dinosaurs have changed accordingly. We did this orally, using old and new dinosaur toys and books, but it might make for an interesting research paper - looking for out-of-date depictions in Jurassic Park, for example, and then using evocative description of what was depicted alongside citing recent research papers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Elliot Posted May 14, 2022 Share Posted May 14, 2022 Definitely too young for most, but the Magic School Bus book on Human Evolution was a really good intro for my special needs middle schooler. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 18, 2022 Author Share Posted August 18, 2022 (edited) Updating this now that we're on the ground running. 🙂 This is built with my particular 6th grader in mind. He's a strong reader with a big interest. It's looking like we'll probably spend the whole year here instead of half as decided in the spring. Spines -A Really Short History of Nearly Everything (Bryson) - covers the astronomy/earth portion -Prehistoric Life (DK encyclopedia) -Dinosaur! (DK encyclopedia) Those two could be replaced with Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life by DK, but I think we're getting more variety with the separate volumes. -Evolution: The Human Story (DK) Non-fiction books -On the Origin of the Species (graphic novel or young reader version) -Charles Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selection (graphic novel) -Sapiens: A Graphic History, volumes 1 and 2 (graphic novel) -Consider the Platypus* -Your Inner Fish* -The Third Chimpanzee for Young People* -Story of Life in 25 Fossils* -The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of Their Lost World* -Life: The First Four Billion Years -Dinosaurs to Dodos (though he almost devoured it fresh off the Amazon truck) -The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins (The Story of Earth by Hazen* was considered but dropped. Maybe when he's older.) Titles with an asterisk are higher reading level. They'll be read aloud or just spread out in smaller bites. Readers (some tossed in his lit and some tossed on his bed) -Maroo of the Winter Caves -Trapped in Gondwana -A Bone From Dry Sea -Raptor Red -Evolution of Calpurnia Tate -Edge of Extinction series -Dinotopia series -Earth Before Us series Documentaries -Eons (PBS) -Galapagos (BBC) -Your Inner FIsh (HHMI) -Your Inner Reptile (HHMI) -Your Inner Monkey (HHMI) (and more from HHMI, including one on A.R. Wallace) -Dogs Decoded (NOVA) -Ape Genius (NOVA) -When Whales Walked (PBS) -History of the World in Two Hours -Cracking the Code of Life (NOVA) -Darwin's Darkest Hour (movie rather than documentary) -What Darwin Never Knew (NOVA) Other -membership to the natural history museum -fossil digs, local sites, etc -Darwin and Evolution unit study from Build Your Library, but really only using some of the links and the timeline pages. It would be better for a more casual interest. I can't return it so we'll make the best of it. Edited August 18, 2022 by SilverMoon proofreading matters 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 This looks really great!! I'm on the library website now, looking for documentaries from your list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraBeth475 Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 On 4/12/2022 at 4:54 PM, SilverMoon said: I'd love to hear what you loved for evolution and/or prehistory for middle grades. 🙂 My smallest human is super interested and we're building a diy science for his upcoming sixth grade year. The rest of the year will be astronomy and physics, though at this speed physics may get booted to 7th. I have a few ideas but searching to see what others have done hasn't been very helpful for this one. The Build Your Library unit studies aren't really what we had in mind. He's already read good Darwin bios and their Prehistory looks pretty young.. I may get the Evolution one just for the animal timeline, and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate can go in his lit stack. NOVA's Great Human Odyssey or First Peoples. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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