The Week Issue 701 p13
How Darwin changed the world
Before reading
Task 1: Darwin quiz
Level 1
1. What was Darwin’s first name?
2. When was he born?
3. When did he die?
4. What was the name of his book?
5. Where did he go on an expedition?
6. What was the name of his boat?
7. What’s the connection between Darwin and birds like these (finches)?
beaks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metalcowboy/762606942/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frield/2555832357/
Level 2
1. What were the ingredients of his theory? (List three.)
2. What was so new about his theory?
3. Who else had come up with similar ideas?
4. Why did Darwin take so long to publish his theory?
5. Was he an atheist?
6. What was his impact on science?
7. How did the public react to his book?
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The Week Issue 701 p13
How Darwin changed the world
Task 2: Key vocabulary
Match the words and their definitions:
1. metaphor
a) decided by God or a god
2. divinely ordained
b) the spiral of genetic material in the cells or all living organisms
3. random mutation
c) food and drink
4. sustenance
d) the part of each cell which contains the DNA
5. chromosomes
e) the transfer of characteristics from parents to children through
their genes
6. heredity
f) physical change in a living organism, following no system or
pattern
7. the DNA helix
g) describing one thing as another; using symbols to express an idea
Reading
Now try to match the paragraphs to the questions.
Two of the paragraphs don’t have corresponding questions. Can you invent questions for them?
Now look at the original article and check.
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The Week Issue 701 p13
How Darwin changed the world
After reading
Task 1: Guess the meaning from the context
Can you guess the meaning of the following words from their context in the article?
What was so new about his theory?
rail
debunked
endorsed
pinnacle
And what were the ingredients of Darwin’s Big Idea?
offspring
outstrips
Who else speculated on those lines?
scoffed
Was Darwin an infant prodigy?
exasperated
And his impact on science?
underpin
Task 2: Choose the best definition
If you are having difficulty, choose from the options below:
What was so new about his theory?
rail
a) praise
b) complain
debunked
a) shown to be untrue
b) proved correct
endorsed
a) supported
b) rejected
pinnacle
a) top
b) middle
c) bottom
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The Week Issue 701 p13
How Darwin changed the world
And what were the ingredients of Darwin’s Big Idea?
offspring
a) ancestors
b) grandparents
c) children
outstrips
a) is faster than
b) is slower than
Who else speculated on those lines?
scoffed
a) showed admiration
b) laughed unkindly
Was Darwin an infant prodigy?
exasperated
a) frustrated
b) delighted
And his impact on science?
underpin
a) support; justify
b) disprove
Task 3: Discussion
‘in a 2006 BBC poll, only 48% of the British public accepted the theory of evolution as the best
description for the development of life’
What other theories do you think British people might accept today?
In pairs, choose one of the roles below each (it doesn’t have to be your real point of view) and
hold a debate with your partner.
Student A
Student B
You are a supporter of Darwin’s theory of
evolution and an atheist.
You are a supporter of the theory of intelligent
design and are very religious.
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How Darwin changed the world
Teacher’s notes
Preparation
You will need to make two copies of the text for each student and cut one of the two into
paragraphs without the headings.
Tasks
Students will need to do levels 1 and 2 of the quiz in Task 1. Only go through the answers once
students have completed the reading task.
The role-play in Task 3 is controversial and could be offensive to highly religious students.
Timing
Before reading
Task 1:
Task 2:
15 minutes
5-10 minutes
Reading
20-25 minutes
After reading
Task 1:
Task 2:
Task 3:
10 minutes
5 minutes
at least 20 minutes (40 if you want to include a webquest on intelligent design)
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 55 minutes
Before reading
Task 1, level 1
1. Charles
2. 12 February 1809
3. 1882
4. On the Origin of Species (by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the
Struggle for Life)
5. Tierra del Fuego and the Galapagos islands
6. the Beagle
7. When he saw similar finches with different beaks he first had the idea for his theory of
evolution.
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How Darwin changed the world
Task 1, level 2
1. random mutation, variations passed down, struggle for resources leads to survival of the fittest
2. no need to refer to God for the design of species
3. his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin (and some ancient Greek philosophers had theories of
evolution)
4. he was worried how his wife would react
5. he said he was an agnostic
6. his is the main principle in biology
7. enthusiastically; there was controversy, but less than people often think today
Task 2
1g; 2a; 3f; 4c; 5d; 6e; 7b
After reading
Tasks 1 & 2
rail b; debunked a; endorsed a; pinnacle a; offspring c; outstrips a; scoffed b; exasperated a;
underpin a
Task 3
Mention the theory of intelligent design. Students could do internet research into what its tenets
are. The Natural History Magazine’s entry on Darwin and design has a clear presentation of the
debate with articles by proponents of ID. Go to www.naturalhistorymag.com and search for
Darwin and design, then click on the first feature in the list, or follow this link:
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/darwinanddesign.html
Wikipedia also had a concise summary of ID.
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