Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Our Family Tree

Content Area: Biology
Grade Level(s): 9th/10th
Content Standard Addressed: SB4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to illustrate the
organization of interacting systems within single-celled and multi-celled organisms.
B. Analyze and interpret data to develop models (i.e., cladograms and phylogenetic trees) based on patterns
of common ancestry and the theory of evolution to determine relationships among major groups of
organisms.

Technology Standard Addressed: Innovative Designer / Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool: Prezi

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☒ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration

☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This activity provides alternative modalities for expression, both to the level the playing field among learners
and to allow the learner to appropriately (or easily) express knowledge, ideas and concepts in the learning
environment.
Through making a Prezi they will be constructing useable knowledge, knowledge that is accessible for future
decision-making, depends not upon merely perceiving information, but upon active “information processing
skills” like selective attending, integrating new information with prior knowledge, strategic categorization, and
active memorization. 
In the lesson it will also be able to provide the scaffolds necessary to ensure that all learners have access to
knowledge.
Lesson idea implementation:
With this lesson a student or a set of partners will be assigned a phylum to create a phylogenetic tree on
Prezi. This productivity tool allows the students to create a broad scale tree while also being able to present
the information organism to organism in an easy to read format. Prezi lets them zoom out and show the
connections to the next organism and how it relates to the last one. Once they get their assigned phylum
students will pick 5 organisms with in and create their phylogenetic tree based off characteristics they share
and have unique. To differentiate students will be given easier or harder phylum’s to do their project on. They
will also add information on each organism such as auto/heterotroph, multi/unicellular, plant/animal etc. The
research and creation of their tree will take two class periods and on the third day they will present their
information. Along with individual organism info a background of their phylum will be included.
This lesson will be based off correctness of their phylogenetic tree and the knowledge of the phylum they
were given, this will be based off a rubric for the presentation and probing questions during/after they
present their tree. This will extend into higher learning with the student knowing about each different phylum
and how they are classified. This will then link to a tree presented on the board and students given a card
with an organisms description in it. They then have to place that organism on the tree correctly based off its
Spring 2018_SJB
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
traits stated in the card. Feedback will be provided through the online platform as well as a rubric handed
back out with what they did well and what can improve for next time.
Reflective Practice: I feel this lesson will help students in analyzing and interpreting models. Since this lesson
they created their own phylogenetic tree they now know how they work thoroughly and can explain their way
through one. To further extend this lesson the unknown organism cards would be handed out and they assign
where they go on the tree based off the stated characteristics. An online cladogram activity could be used as
an intro to this lesson so students are more familiar with sorting and placing organisms on a tree based off
characteristics

Spring 2018_SJB