Curated OER
A Model for Natural Selection- Spaghetti Worms
Does the early bird really get the worm? If so, which color of worm does it prefer? In an exciting and easy week-long field investigation, young field biologists set up a one square meter feeding area for birds. If you have a webcam,...
Curated OER
Beans and Birds: A Natural Selection Simulation
Students 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...
ARKive
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...
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...
Curated OER
How Does Evolution Work?
Students investigate how natural selection influences evolution. They complete a hands-on lab simulation of natural selection, and replicate a real experiment and examine the interplay between selection factors in a population of guppies.
Curated OER
Why Does Evolution Matter Now?
Students examine how natural selection creates antibiotic-resistant bacteria,
recognize applications of evolutionary principles for medicine, agriculture, and conservation, and discuss how science contributes to decisions in context of...
Curated OER
How Evolution Works
Students work in groups to investigate and present genetic variation, adaptation, and sexual selection as it relates to evolution. In this evolution lesson, students watch a video discuss how the human eye could evolve due to natural...
Curated OER
Natural Selection Foldable
Young scholars examine and identify examples of species that developed as a result of immigration, genetic drift, and adaptive radiation. They conduct Internet research and define key vocabulary terms, and use their species example on...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Natural Selection And Evolution
Students investigate the concept of evolution and how natural selection is used as an indicator that evolution has happened. They recognize the three effects it has on diversity and how adaptations can develop. Diversity is explained as...
Curated OER
Nowhere to Hide
Students examine the topic of natural selection. As a class, they write their own definition to survival of the fittest and watch a video. Using the internet, they research how Darwin started to examine this process using finches and how...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Roots: The Ancestry of Modern People
High schoolers investigate the models for the origin of modern humans and the conditions that facilitate speciation and evolution. The classification and nomenclature of hominid species is also examined.
Curated OER
Evolution of Life
Learners explore the evolution of life. They read sections of their text and make a foldable of the key vocabulary terms. They identify two types of butterflies and represent their similarities and differences on a Venn diagram. They...
Curated OER
How Does Evolution Work?
Students are introduced to how the process of evolution works. As a class, they review the characteristics of natural selection and how those with advantageous traits reproduce and survive. To test this theory of natural selection,...
Curated OER
Applied Evolution: How Will We Get There from Here?
Students explore the basic process of natural selection and how people can manipulate that process today. The consequences of natural selection on daily life and the implications of evolutionary biology in basic and applied science is...
Curated OER
The Rise and Fall of the Mammoths
Students develop an understanding of the evolution of species in the context of the woolly mammoth. They examine the fossil record to explain natural selection.
Curated OER
Mimicry: An Example of Adaptation
Learners are able to explain the relationship between adaptation and ability for survival and reproduction. They are able to give examples of a series of adaptations that would support the idea that evolution is a series of minor...
Curated OER
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...
ARKive
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...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Jump, Glide, or Fly? Exploring Bird Evolution
How have birds evolved from prehistoric animals? With the three-part lesson, small groups first research different prehistoric animals and determine whether they are birds. Then, scholars explore different bird adaptations using the Flap...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Using DNA to Explore Lizard Phylogeny
In a fun and interactive two-day lesson, learners sort anole lizard pictures by appearance. Next, they watch a video about the anoles and re-sort based on the information in the video. In addition to physical characteristics, budding...
Curated OER
Science: Evolution and Natural Selection
Students watch a clip from the film, Jurassic Park, as an introduction to analysis and discussion of the evolutionary history of dinosaurs. As an exercise in evolution, students in groups, draw dinosaur pictures based on the previous...
Curated OER
Evolution of the Peppered Moth
Seventh graders complete a timeline about the evolution of the peppered moth. In this biology instructional activity, 7th graders write an essay about how human can affect evolution. They share their essay with the class.