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Natural Selection Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved Natural Selection educational resource ideas and activities
A diagram, data table, and reading passage top this resource. Through it, biology beginners are introduced to the concept of natural selection. They answer some questions and then participate in a simulation using fabric as a habitat and different-colored craft pom poms as animals. Acting as hunters and capturing pom poms, they find that the camouflauged animals survive and reproduce. A data table, graph, and critical thinking questions solidify learning.
Students develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation. They work in small groups to perform an experiment using beans. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their research.
A sufficient slide show on natural selection is available to use with your biology class. It introduces viewers to foundations of this mechanism of evolutionary change. Notes are provided to support your lecture on genetic variation and the three types of selection: directional, stabilizing, and disruptive. Helpful graphs and photos enhance understanding of the concept of natural selection.
Matching and fill-in-the-blank exercises give biology whizzes a chance to practice vocabulary associated with evolution. Terms to be reviewed focus on evidence for evolution, natural selection concepts, and some genetics words. You could use this as a quiz at the end of your introduction to natural selection.
Biology learners tackle evolution-related concepts when viewing this collection of slides. There are no graphics or photos, just notes in bullet-point style detailing adaptations, evidence for evolution, mechanisms for change, and types of natural selection. Add examples of organisms that support these concepts for a more thorough lesson.
Eleventh graders explore natural selection using an interactive online website. In this biology lesson, 11th graders research about a specific natural selection topic. They create a visual aid about it and share their findings in class.
Young scholars solve the following problem concerning the evolution of seed color in pinto bean plants: "How does natural selection change the frequency of genes or traits over many generations?" They use the constructivist approach to studying as they work in teams to design and conduct an experiment that solves this natural selection "problem."
Ninth graders study variation within a species and how natural selection acts on the phenotype of an organism. In this evolution lesson plan students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a worksheet.
Students view video showing recent field work on a twenty two-year study of finch beaks on a small island in the Galapagos, showing natural selection clearly operating in the wild.
High schoolers define the concept of classification. In groups, they categorize a series of objects into categories they identify. As a class, they participate in a variety of activities to examine the concept of natural selection. To end the lesson plan, they create a classification system of their own.