• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Inherited and environmental characteristics). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Is this characteristic inherited or environmental: dyed hair? (inherited (from parents) / environmental (from life)) → environmental (from life)Prompt: Were you born with it, or did it happen during life?
2. Identical twins have the same genes. One becomes much stronger. Why? (Their genes changed into different ones. / Strength is never affected by exercise. / The environment, such as exercise, made a difference. / They are not really twins.) → The environment, such as exercise, made a difference.Prompt: What can be different if their genes are the same?
3. Inheritance: which statement is true? (Children are always exact copies of one parent. / The language you speak is inherited. / Some characteristics depend on both genes and environment. / If a parent loses a finger, its babies are born without that finger.) → Some characteristics depend on both genes and environment.Prompt: Which things can be passed on in genes?

• Show a microscope image of cells and ask what students think they are looking at.
• Share the objective: Evolution and fossil evidence. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Mary Anning was famous for…
• Step 1: Mary Anning's fossil finds helped show that species can become extinct.
• Step 2: So the answer is: finding important fossils, such as ichthyosaurs
• Answer: finding important fossils, such as ichthyosaurs
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Finches on different islands have different beak shapes. The best explanation is… (The birds chose their beak shape. / Each bird stretched its beak to reach food. / Beaks suited to each island's food helped birds survive and breed. / Beak shape is random and has no effect.) → Beaks suited to each island's food helped birds survive and breed.Prompt: Which birds would have had more chicks?
2. Evolution: which statement is true? (Humans evolved from modern chimpanzees. / Individual animals evolve during their own lifetime. / Dinosaurs and early humans lived at the same time. / Evolution happens over many generations.) → Evolution happens over many generations.Prompt: Evolution is about populations over many generations.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Evolution: which statement is true? (Individual animals evolve during their own lifetime. / Fossils are evidence for evolution. / Humans evolved from modern chimpanzees. / Dinosaurs and early humans lived at the same time.) → Fossils are evidence for evolution.Prompt: Evolution is about populations over many generations.
2. Evolution: which statement is NOT true? (Species can become extinct. / Evolution happens over many generations. / Humans evolved from modern chimpanzees. / Birds are descended from dinosaurs.) → Humans evolved from modern chimpanzees.Prompt: Watch out for a common misunderstanding about apes.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-6.