California Academy of Science
Human Evolution
As the great and hilarious Tim Minchin once said, "Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity." Science is more than just a guess; it is based on questions, observations, and evidence. High...
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Charles Darwin
Students research Charles Darwin and the process he used to develop his theory of evolution. They keep a journal about the skill of observation and make a newspaper of their learning.
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Who Was Charles Darwin?
Students research the life of Charles Darwin and his voyage on the Beagle.
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Darwin's Obituary
Students read and analyze an obituary written for Charles Darwin. They make a list of facts about Darwin they learned from the obituary. Students compare Lamarack's theory to Darwin's.
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Who Was Charles Darwin?
Students complete two activities to study Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. They read Darwin's journal from the voyage of the Beagle and look at the scientific ideas that influenced the development of his theory.
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A Journey with a Scientist
Learners work in groups as they read chapters of Charles Darwin's, Voyage of the Beagle. They take notes on the chapter and in their group make a timeline of the chapter. They tape the timelines together in order to depict the entire...
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Darwin, Politics, and Religion
Students gain an understanding of the Darwinian theory of evolution, examine how Darwin's theory has been adopted by ruling elites in order to justify their position in power, compare religious and historical responses to Darwin's...
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Darwin’s Bees
What do you call a bee born in May? A maybe! This first instructional activity in a series of four begins with a starter activity to get scholars thinking about the topic. Then a circus, or circuit of seven activities, show Darwin's...
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Using Living Organisms to Explain Evolution
Students investigate evolution in its most fundamental form: the observation of living organisms. By comparing variations that exist among living animals, students formulate their own hypotheses and conclusions about the evolution of...
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Darwin's Finches
Seventh graders engage in a study of the Theory Of Evolution with the use of Darwin's finches as examples while making a connection to adaptive radiation. They use class discussion in order to further the lesson and focus upon...
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Primate Evolution- Family Ties
If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes? Using captivating pictures and videos of our primate cousins, young biologists examine evidence to dispel one of the most common misconceptions about human evolution. Depending on...
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Fantastic Fossil
Learners discuss the discovery of a transitional animal, Tiktaalik, and its impact on the theory of evolution. They research theories of evolution and creationism.
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Who was Charles Darwin?
Students trace major developments in the history of evolutionary science. They
discuss the connections between major events in world history and major events in the development of evolutionary thought by creating timelines.
Wild Screen
Evolution and Adaptation
The lesson on adaptation and evolution included here is a bit difficult to navigate using the teacher notes, but if you start with the handout, there are directions to guide you through the lesson. The link to the scrapbook within the...
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How Life on Earth Began
Seventh graders investigate the concept of evolution and how it was a mechanism for the foundation of life on Earth. They conduct research and attempt to make cognitive connections with the evidence to agree with the presupposition of...
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Critical Analysis of Evolution
Tenth graders discuss anomalies in nature and science. They discuss times that anomalies led to the collection of data that explained the phenomena and contributed to changing scientific understandings. Students work in groups to...
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Artificial Selection
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
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Introduction to Biology
Students examine the principles of natural selection and explain how it is the basis of the theory of evolution. In this natural selection lesson students research the web on the theory of evolution.
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Natural Selection- the Peppered Moth
Can human activity cause animals to evolve? Your budding biologists will find out the answer to some of the big questions in natural selection with a peppered moth activity. They will watch a few short videos, look at pictures, and...
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Lizard Lab
For this detailed and comprehensive multi-day activity, budding evolutionary biologists use real data from lizard populations in the Canary Islands to examine evolution and natural selection.
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Physiological Adaptations
High schoolers investigate the concepts of genetics and how it is tied to the variations found within different species and how it is tied to adaptations. They review the theory of evolution and factors found to help create variation....
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Adventuring in the Archipelago
Learners study Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle and his visit to the Gal??pagos Islands. They click through an interactive map of the Gal??pagos Islands to read actual and fictional journal entries from a fellow eco-tourist.
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Deep Jungle: New Frontiers
Young scholars study the world's rainforests for unusual plant and animal species. They explore how biologists use infrared cameras to explore jungles.
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Biology: Natural Selection
Students explore evolutionary processes and theories using the spotted fish applet. They observe what happens to fish in a closed environment with both food and predators. Students run the model several times and answer questions about...