Data Visualization
I use the Biology of Skin Color resources to teach, in one series of lessons, the way scientists obtain knowledge and how that knowledge changes with new information and new ideas — in this case, the serendipitous interaction of Dr. Jablonski, an anthropologist, and her husband, a geographer. I love the short video, with or without embedded questions; I projected the one with questions and called on students to answer them.
I used the beautiful printout (try to do it in color), projected the visuals, and worked through them as a class. Even though the material could be presented in college, my high schoolers were able to follow along as we did the activity together. This went a long way towards teaching the NGSS practice of analyzing and interpreting data. I was also able to disabuse my students of a common misconception about evolution: that evolution is directional. We saw that, with human skin color, the melanin differences were a balance between getting enough vitamin D and not having folate destroyed. – Sarah Latimer (Ipswich High School, MA)
Do you have a favorite BioInteractive resource and want to tell us how you use it in your class? Email us the tip at outreach@hhmi.org. If we feature yours, we'll send you a T-shirt!
