I show the Making of a Theory film
just before we begin talking
about the evidence for evolution
in my second year biology course.
The film itself is 30 minutes in length
and it’s great storytelling
about Charles Darwin.
Students learn that he was
more than just a collector
of finches on the Galapagos Islands.
Students also learn about the
contributions of Alfred Russel Wallace,
whom they’ve likely never
heard of before.
The build-up to the end,
where we learn that Darwin and Wallace
became supportive colleagues,
and not competitors,
always causes my students
to erupt in spontaneous applause.
Another reason I like the film
is because Sean Carroll, the narrator,
continuously reminds us that
Darwin’s evidence for natural selection
is in direct opposition to the idea
of the special creation
of organisms, including humans.
There’s a quiz that goes
along with the teaching materials
provided with the film
that I have students work on in groups
for a few minutes
before showing the film.
I like using the quiz
as an anticipatory set,
because it reveals to them
their misunderstandings
as they watch the film.
After we watch the film,
we go over the quiz as a class,
so the entire lesson fits nicely
into a 50 minute class period.
