AGE CATEGORY

Age 13-14 A1
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TEACHER GUIDANCE SHEET

ELT BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY

Charles Darwin
One of the greatest scientists of all time
2009 marks the bicentenary of Charles Darwins birth and 150 years since the publication of his most famous work, On the origin of the species. This worksheet provides your pupils with an overview of Darwins life Activities For the first activity, you can encourage your pupils to do their own research about Charles Darwin and why he is considered one of the greatest scientists of all time. They can either go the library or visit one of the many websites which appear at the end of the worksheet. Key Incorrect twentieth good doctor China human Correct nineteenth weak, poor, lazy bachelor in theology South America animal

Using these statements, you can also invite your students to play a memory game. Ask them to write questions on the text. They then give them to a classmate to answer in writing without looking at the text. You may also like to give your pupils further information on Darwin and ask them to write a short paragraph. These paragraphs can be exchanged among students for them to write a good, comprehensive title for each. Key
H (Charles Darwin) - Charles Robert Darwin, born in 1809, is considered to be the father of evolutionary biology. He created the theory of natural selection of the species. C (The man) - Darwin was a tall man with dark brown hair and blue-gray eyes. His face was usually red, and this gave people the impression he was always in good health. He grew a large beard at the age of 57. B (The child) - When he was a young boy, he was naughty and did not study hard. He was a slow learner in school. He invented wild stories and was very often in trouble. He also had good athletic abilities. F (The music lover) - Apparently, Darwin could not play any musical instrument and he was quite bad at music, but he loved listening to Mozarts, Handels and Beethovens symphonies. His wife played the piano for him, an activity that he loved. An interesting fact: Frederic Chopin was his wifes piano teacher). A (The reader) - Darwin was an avid reader. When he was a young boy, he liked the historical plays of Shakespeare. He was also interested in books about natural science and natural history. As a man, he became interested in the poetry of Wordsworth and Coleridge, and Jane Austens novels. When he read

a b c d e

In the second activity pupils will get a chance to find out more about Darwins life. You can first ask them to read the statements and match them with the headings. You will probably have to explain some of the unfamiliar vocabulary before they start. Still, if they have read more extensively about Darwin for the first activity, they should find it easier.

www.britishcouncil.org/darwin

AGE CATEGORY

Age 13-14 A1
PAGE 2 OF 2 scientific works, he wrote notes in the margins and made personal, methodical notes. G (The family man) - Charles married Emma at the age of thirty. They had ten children and he helped his wife raise them. He participated very actively in his childrens life. E (The nature lover) - His mother showed him how to change the colour of flowers with water and food colouring. He was also interested in plants. He loved collecting minerals, insects and small objects. He also liked playing with dogs and fishing. When he was a student at school, he did not learn about natural science in class but during long walks in Northern Wales. When he was thirteen, his brother built a small laboratory in the garden, and Darwin loved conducting experiments there. In this lab, he learnt the methods of scientific experimentation. highly interesting but by no means awe-exciting phenomenon. The effect on the tides was very curious; the great shock took place at the time of low-water; an old woman who was on the beach told me that the water flowed very quickly but not in big waves to the high-water mark, & as quickly returned to its proper level; this was also evident by the wet sand. She said it flowed like an ordinary tide, only a good deal quicker. This very kind of irregularity in the tide happened two or three years since during an Earthquake at Chiloe & caused a great deal of groundless alarm. In the course of the evening there were other weaker shocks; all of which seemed to produce the most complicated currents, & some of great strength in the Bay. The generally active Volcano of Villa-Rica, which is the only part of the Cordilleras in sight, appeared quite tranquil. I am afraid we shall hear of damage done at Concepcion. I forgot to mention that on board the motion was very perceptible; some below cried out that the ship must have tailed on the shore & was touching the bottom.

The third activity is about the earthquake which struck Valdivia, Chile, at the time he was there. Valdivia
1835 February 20th
I was on shore & lying down in the wood to rest myself. It came on suddenly & lasted two minutes but the time appeared much longer. []. The undulations appeared to come from east []. There was no difficulty in standing upright; but the motion made me giddy(1). I can compare it to the movement of a ship [] I felt the earth tremble. At the town where all the officers were

Encourage your students to think about what might have happened in the town and to the ship Darwin was travelling on, the Beagle. They may also want to think why this experience was significant for Darwin as a scientist with a great interest in geology. This is the rest of the entry in his diary for 20th February 1835:
At the town where nearly all the officers were, the scene was more awful; all the houses being built of wood, none actually fell & but few were injured. Every one expected to see the Church a heap of ruins. The houses were shaken violently & creaked much, the nails being partially drawn. I feel sure it is these accompaniments & the horror pictured in the faces of all the inhabitants, which communicates the dread that every one feels who has thus seen as well as felt an earthquake. In the forest it was a

Useful websites
You can find out more about current celebrations at http://www.darwin200.org/ the life and times of Darwin at http://www.aboutdarwin.com/ a global initiative which explores the impact of Charles Darwin's remarkable legacy in the 21st Century at http://www.britishcouncil.org/darwin-homepage.htm natural history (including a section about Darwin) at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whatson/darwin/exhibition.html Darwins home at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ server.php?show=nav.14922

Darwin at this BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/darwin/

www.britishcouncil.org/darwin