CU Student: Cory Leatham

Cooperating Teacher: Shawn Daley

Content/Endorsement Area: ELA
Grade Level: 7

School Site: Middle School

Supervisor: Marmalade Jefferson
Unit Topic: Creation
Daily Topic: Chaos & Adaptation 2

Lesson #: 7
Pre-Planning
National Standards:
RL.7.3 Key Ideas and Details
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes
the characters or plot)
W.7.3 Text Types and Purposes
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences
W.7.10 Range of Writing
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision)
and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Goals of the lesson: Students will create characters using technology and incorporate
those characters into original stories. Students will have to examine how adaptations
and setting changes affect their characters and stories. Students will take time to plan an
original story, a task requiring self-discipline and careful consideration. Students will also
gain further understanding of animal adaptations.
Behavioral Objective 1: By the end of the lesson, students will apply their knowledge of
the Spore creature creation tools to make two versions of a character.
Domains: Cognitive 3, Affective 4
P.I. Two physically different versions of a Spore creature
Behavioral Objective 2: By the end of the writing workshop following this lesson,
students will write a one-page story featuring their Spore creations.
Domains: Cognitive 6, Affective 4
P.I. A one-page story
Evidence of reading and integration of other academic subjects:
Adaptations and natural selection (science)
Differentiation Strategies:
SpEd students will be seated closer to the teacher.
SpEd students will be given extra instructional time during group work.
TAG students will be encouraged to write a story longer than one page
TAG students will be asked to help peers having difficulty with Spore.
Computer lab will be open after school and during lunch for additional work time
Safety considerations:
N/A

Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPdWIy9Wrr8
Equipment, and Materials:
Internet access
Computer lab
Spore
Chaos Cards
Prerequisite: N/A
Implementation
Motivator: (5 minutes)
Class meets in the computer lab
Open with Grox evolution time lapse video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPdWIy9Wrr8
Offer a theoretical explanation as to how Grox adaptations occurred and talk
about how the species came to be the most dominant in the Spore universe
Procedures: (50 minutes)
Students will create a Spore creature
Once creature is complete, student will receive a chaos card (see below)
Students will reshape their creature to become better suited to its new
environment
When finished, students may begin working on homework assignment
Closure: (5 minutes)
Introduce writing assignment: write a one-page story featuring your Spore
creature (details and criteria posted on class website)
Note: Students will have one to two writing workshop days to work on writing
assignment
Reflection:
What went well?
What did not go as planned or anticipated
What would you change to improve the lesson the next time?

Chaos Cards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Giant predators force (your animal) into hiding. The smallest (your animals) burrow
themselves beneath the earths surface while the larger ones are picked off above.
Eventually, (your animals) prosper as an underground-dwelling species.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------The rising sea level leads to (your animal) retreating to the water. The best
swimmers prosper in their new environment. Eventually, (your animal) becomes a
strictly underwater species.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Food is high above, located in the trees. Only the tallest and/or highest jumping
(your animals) can reach it. The food supply keeps getting higher and higher as the
tall and/or highest-jumping animals compete for it. Eventually, only giant and/or
excellent-jumping versions of (your animal) are left.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------A technological revolution results in the blending of (your animal) and machine.
Thats right, its a race of cyborg-(your animals)!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------After many years, and the extinction of mankind (your animal) has become the most
dominant and intelligent species the world has ever known. (Your animal) has
accomplished many astonishing scientific feats, including interplanetary space
travel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------After millions of years of falling from high places, (your animal) has become a
species capable of flight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------