Cosmos Episode 2 Viewing Worksheet

As a teacher, it is important to use all different types of curriculum delivery in order to reach all types of learners in your classroom. One way you can get your point across in a way that seems more fun for most students is through videos. The series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson does an excellent job of breaking down various science topics in an accessible way for even beginning learners. Cosmos Season 1 Episode 2 Worksheet Cosmos season 1 episode 2 was focused on telling the story of evolution. Showing the episode to a middle school or high school level class is a great way to introduce the Theory of Evolution and Natural Selection to students. However, as a teacher, a way to assess whether or not they understood or retained any information is an important step in the process. The following questions can be used as a way to do that sort of assessment. They can be copied and pasted into a worksheet and then modified as necessary. Giving the worksheet out to fill in as they watch, or even after viewing, will give the teacher a good view of what the students understood and heard and what was missed or misunderstood. Cosmos Episode 2 WorksheetName:___________________    Directions: Answer the questions as you watch episode 2 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey    1.  What are two of the things human ancestors used the sky for?    2.  What caused the wolf to NOT come and get the bone from Neil deGrasse Tyson?    3.  How many years ago did wolves begin to evolve into dogs?    4.  How is being â€Å"cute† for a dog an evolutionary advantage?    5.  What kind of selection did the humans use to create dogs (and all the tasty plants we eat)?    6.  What is the name of the protein that helps move things around a cell?    7.  What does Neil deGrasse Tyson compare the number of atoms in one molecule of DNA to?    8.  What is it called when a mistake â€Å"sneaks by† the proofreader in a DNA molecule?    9.  Why does the white bear have an advantage?    10.  Why are there no longer any brown polar bears?    11.  What will most likely happen to the white bears if the ice caps keep melting?    12.  What is the human’s closest living relative?    13.  What does the â€Å"trunk† of the â€Å"tree of life† symbolize?    14.  Why do some people believe the human eye is an example of why evolution can’t be true?    15.  What trait did the first bacteria evolve that started the evolution of an eye?    16.  Why was this bacterial trait an advantage?    17.  Why can’t land animals just start from scratch to evolve a new and better eye?    18.  Why is saying evolution is â€Å"just a theory† misleading?    19.  When did the greatest mass extinction of all time happen?    20.  What is the name of the â€Å"toughest† animal to ever live that survived all five mass extinction events?    21.  What are the lakes on Titan made out of?    22.  Where does current scientific evidence think life began on Earth?