Curated OER
Darwinist Dogma?
Students debate whether teachers should be mandated to present theories challenging evolution in their classrooms. For homework, they write letters to their local school board expressing their own opinions.
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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.
Curated OER
Galapagos Project
Learners explore Darwin's trip to the Galapagos Islands. In groups, students create a field guide for one of the five major islands in the Galapagos.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Peter Rabbit Meets Charles Darwin
Ninth graders explore evolution. They study a cartoon scenario of a rabbit population in which there is selection and a change of gene frequency. Students discuss frequencies, evolution, and speciation.
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The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students model natural selection by acting as predators of jellybeans. In this evolution lesson, students use plastic utensils to pick up jellybeans. They use different colors of backgrounds to demonstrate the effects of camouflage and...
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...
Curated OER
Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth
Students study natural selection and its process in the peppered moth. In this evolution lesson plan, students read about the concept of natural selection as suggested by Charles Darwin. Students then complete a natural selection...
Curated OER
Methods of Teaching Evolution To Middle School Children
Students study evolutionary thought. They examine how characteristics are inherited and that they are a source of variation. They illustrate the perpetuation, elimination, and variation made among members of a species. They determine...
Curated OER
Evolution
Tenth graders are introduced to the topic of evolution. Using the internet, they discuss Charles Darwin's life and work in this field of science. They examine fossils and discuss how they support the theory of evolution. They participate...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory?
Young scholars explore the concepts of evolution. For this biology lesson, students read articles from the internet. They discuss the article within the group and answer their handouts.
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Charles Darwin's Hardware Shop
Students construct an evolutionary tree representing specialization, diversity, and selection using easily obtained materials. They use at least twenty pieces of hardware to classify then develop "evolutionary" relationships between the...
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Diversity/Natural Selection
Young scholars examine mechanisms behind biological evolution and the theories that feed it, and are able to demonstrate their knowledge of these theories in a story.
ARKive
Adaptations for Movement
What animals are best suited for moving around a rainforest, or a desert? Design your own animal species based on a particular habitat, focusing on the characteristics it will need for optimal movement. Great as a group lesson or...
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
Students use discussion questions, handout information and research topics to explore several issues related to natural selection and evolution. They examine Darwin's research on the finch and antibiotic resistance.
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Co-evolution of Plants and Pollinators
Students explore biological evolution and natural selection and its evolutionary consequences. They also explore how organisms are interdependent on one another.
Curated OER
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.
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Darwin's Finches
Try a twist on the old finch beak and chopsticks activity by using M&Ms on a Twister mat. Spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks represent beaks and are randomly assigned to your little birds, who must collect as much food as possible...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Predator
Students already know that the most effective predator on earth today. They pay close attention, because after the teacher have finished lecturing, their assignment is to design a new "Ultimate Predator." Students present their...
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...
Curated OER
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.