+
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Natural Selection and Evolution of Rock Pocket Mouse Populations

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Can evolution repeat itself? Scholars analyze amino acid data in two separate populations of mice. They learn that evolution repeats itself, but natural selection prefers some mutations over others in different environments. Analysis...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Allele and Phenotype Frequencies in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, some tiny creatures show just how quickly natural selection can turn a mutation into an advantageous adaptation. Watch a video about rock pocket mice, who show that one small change can make all...
+
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Color Variation over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
A species-specific look at natural selection, the resource herein examines how adaptations have helped the population of rock pocket mice survive in a changing landscape. To begin, middle or high schoolers watch a 10.5 minute video,...
+
Lesson Plan
Serendip

Understanding and Predicting Changes in Population Size – Exponential and Logistic Population Growth Models vs. Complex Reality

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Salmonella poisoning impacts over 200,000 people in the United States each year. Scholars learn about the growth of these bacteria using multiple approaches. Then they apply the same growth calculations to endangered species and think...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Lizard Lab

For Students 9th - 12th
In 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. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Simple Model for Natural Selection

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Do you have what it takes to survive as a fit predator or will elusive prey lead to your extinction? Find out in a creative natural selection activity. Using different colors and shapes of grains to represent different species and...
+
Lesson Plan
Serendip

Golden Rice – Evaluating the Pros and Cons

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
More than half the world's population eats rice as a daily staple ... imagine if that rice could prevent illness. Scientists genetically engineered rice to include vitamin A for just that purpose. However, room for debate still exists....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Little Red Hen

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore biology by identifying plant anatomy in class. In this botany lesson, 1st graders read the book The Little Red Hen and identify the methods used in order to grow successful plants. Students discuss other ways people...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dichotomous Key 2

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students use a dichotomous key to identify unknown fictitious organisms in an assessment designed to be used after a discussion on the use of a dichotomous keys has occurred. Follow up questions about key included.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Geographic

People and Whales: A History

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Whales and people have had a long and sordid history. To understand the impact that biological populations have had on each other, learners conduct research on specific topics related to the whale industry. They use their findings to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Punnett Squares/Genetics

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders complete a monohybrid cross and a dihybrid cross. In this biology lesson, 9th graders predict the traits of offspring using the Punnett square. They differentiate recessive and dominant genes.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cactus Wheel

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore plant biology by conducting field experiments outside of class. In this desert plant lesson plan, students discuss how cacti thrive in such dry climates and how dense their populations are. Students utilize action cards,...
+
Lesson Plan
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

In Sickness and in Health

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Based on family history, how likely is it that a couple's children will have a recessive disease? In an in-depth, but easy-to-follow case study, future geneticists learn the story of Greg and Olga, who are hoping to have children, but...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Problem Solving: Metric Conversion

For Students 6th - 7th
Using a table, students solve 12 word problems about the weights of various foods at the grocery store. The solve addition and subtraction problems as well as convert kilograms to grams.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Microbe Trail: Bacteria and Aseptic Technique

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students pour, label, streak, seal and store plates in an incubator. They identify areas in their environment that provide a rich fauna of microbes once they have been swabbed. They identify areas of contamination through a laboratory...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students gain an understanding of earthquakes. They examine vocabulary associated with earthquakes, how earthquakes happen, and preventive measures taken to diminish damage or harm in the event that an earthquake should happen.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Six Levels of Ecological Organization

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders describe the six levels of ecological organizations and give examples of each. They also differentiate between food chains and webs and identify trophic and consumer levels in food chain and food webs.

Other popular searches