This information will provide students with an opportunity to understand the ideas proposed by Jean Baptiste de Lamarck in 1809. Lamarck was an eighteenth century naturalist who came to the idea that organisms change over time. Among other things, he proposed a mechanism for cumulative change that was dependent on the needs of organisms and resulted from the use or disuse of particular body parts. Students will read an excerpt of his original writing and answer questions designed to help them understand the model proposed by Lamarck and work in groups to consider the prior knowledge and beliefs that may have influenced him. Students will provide written answers to questions on the reading and the group discussion of Lamarck's prior knowledge and beliefs. This site includes detailed instructional notes for the teacher and all of the student handouts that are required.
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