Curated OER
Who Gets Eaten? A Study of Natural Selection
Fourth graders represent a new predator on a population of colored worms. They mathematically determine the effect of the new predator on the survival and reproductive rates of the worms, simulating natural selection at work.
Curated OER
Candy Dish Selection
Students explore natural selection. They explore the concepts of adaptations, and the way which random factors affect the survival of individuals and populations.
Curated OER
Introduction to Natural Selection
Students develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation.
Curated OER
Evolution of the Peppered Moth
Seventh graders complete a timeline about the evolution of the peppered moth. In this biology lesson, 7th graders write an essay about how human can affect evolution. They share their essay with the class.
Curated OER
Natural Selection in Action
Students demonstrate natural selection through a lab activity. In this biology lesson, students explain how natural selection leads to speciation. They complete their lab report and discuss results in class.
Curated OER
Hide and Survive: A Natural Selection Activity
Students explore the theory of natural selection given certain scenarios. In this biology lesson, students graph data taken from the experiment. They explain the factors that contribute to the survival of the fittest.
Curated OER
Introduction to Biology
Students examine the principles of natural selection and explain how it is the basis of the theory of evolution. For this natural selection lesson students research the web on the theory of evolution.
Curated OER
Critter Characteristics
Young scholars explore the adaptations of deep sea life forms. In this science lesson, students watch a video to observe characteristics which allow for the sea creature to thrive in it's environment. Young scholars determine the...
Curated OER
Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth
Young scholars study natural selection and its process in the peppered moth. In this evolution lesson, students read about the concept of natural selection as suggested by Charles Darwin. Young scholars then complete a natural selection...
Curated OER
Exploring the Uses of Beaks
Young scholars explore the uses of bird beaks in the wild by participating in experiment stations. In this bird adaptation lesson, students work in groups and complete experiment stations that represent different types of bird beaks....
Curated OER
How Science Works: Natural Selection
Students are introduced to the topic of adaptation and discuss how various animals adapt to their environment. In groups, they participate in a simulation in which they are selected based on criteria. They discuss the results and relate...
Curated OER
Using Magnetotactic Bacteria to Study Natural Selection
Students demonstrate that living organisms may possess incredible adaptations which enable them to survive. They observe bacteria that are able to orient themselves using the Earth's magnetic field and formulate a hypothesis as to how...
Curated OER
Estimation of Population Growth By Counting Offspring: Seed Multiplication
Young scholars calculate the reproductive rate of a plant that creates multi seed fruits. They graph exponential growth and the complete a series of questions that help them infer that natural selection processes are at work in this...
Curated OER
The Value of Behavioral Variation in Homo sapiens
Students look at the behavioral characteristics of their peers from a historical perspective, and realize that, in the larger scheme of a community, these behaviors do have some value, and that a society as complex as ours does need the...
Curated OER
Camouflage and Protective Coloration: A Model of Natural Selection
Young scholars collect data and compare whether protective coloration or camouflage provides better biological fitness in a given environment. They simulate predator prey interactions of two different species and use gene frequencies to...
Curated OER
Change by Chance?
Sixth graders are able to see the role of chance in evolution. The activity is similar to the party game "gossip" or "telephone." Students start off with a drawing of an animal which changes as they pass their copies of the animal to...
Curated OER
Natural Selection Simulation
Students simulate the changes in a natural population of birds or other species. They establish baseline data of population fluctuation for a closed population with a stable food supply. They graph the data to complete their mutations.
Curated OER
Beans and Birds: A Natural Selection Simulation
Students examine the 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"? Students work in teams to design an experiment that...
Curated OER
Of Mice and Moths
Pupils study the concept that genetic variation of offspring contributes to population control. They create a presentation showing natural selection and survival of the fittest.
Curated OER
Animal Life Histories Derived From Morphology
Young scholars learn the mechanisms of natural selection by deducing information from the physical appearance of the animal.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Confliction Selection Pressures
Investigate how selection pressures and natural selection influence populations growth with this computer model. Understand how a population changes when selection pressures are in conflict. Perform the virtual lab to see what happens to...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Natural Selection
Build a dam in the middle of an ecosystem and observe how the population of plants and animals adapt to their new environment with this science simulation. Learn how the populations adapt to survive in their new habitat. Then remove the...
Education Development Center
Education Development Center: Natural Selection
Use butterflies, mice, or finches to illustrate how natural selection changes populations. Each group has a different interactive animation that illustrates the concept.
McGraw Hill
The Mc Graw Hill Companies, Inc.: Adaptation
Evolution, natural selection, sexual selection, coevolution, convergent evolution, mimicry, and coloration, are the topics examined in this thorough site. Assess your comprehension of the material presented by delving into the learning...