Educating Our Eagles - Issue 19

MIDDLE SCHOOL:
Domesticated Animal Research Project
Mount Everett sixth-graders are currently learning about agriculture, the domestication of
animals, and how that led to the beginnings of permanent settlements. The class split up into
partners or trios and picked a domesticated animal they would be interested in researching
the history of. They were responsible for researching from online resources and gathering relevant
information on their animal. This included information such as when and where the animal was
domesticated, why it was domesticated, and if modern humans still use this animal for the same purposes
today. They then converted their gathered research into a Google Slides presentation, which they then
shared with the class. We will be continuing this learning when we conduct some science experiments and
observe apples over time while learning about the process of decomposition.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• understand how agriculture and the domestication of animals impacted Neolithic societies.
Observations:
My classes were excited to be able to pick animals they were passionate about. Some picked pets they had at
home or animals they wanted to learn more about. These groups spent a lot of time and effort polishing their
slides to make sure they were ready to be presented, and most were enthusiastic about getting in front of the
class and share their work.
MA Standards:
Explain that the term Neolithic Era refers to the period beginning about 10,000 years ago to c. 4500 or c.
2000 BCE in different parts of the world, in which the technologies of agriculture (growing crops and the
domestication of animals) and metallurgy (mining and working of metals) were invented and refined, and in
which complex societies begin to appear.
EDUCATING OUR EAGLES
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