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Lesson Plan10:25
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...
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Lesson Plan
Safe Routes to School

Pollution & Evolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Bring together a study of two major scientific topics with a lesson on the relationship between pollution and evolution. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on activity. and class demonstration young scientists learn how...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Adaptations must be made as environments change. This fabulous presentation features Icelandic icefish, a transparent, scaleless specimen that even has colorless blood. Genetics and adaptations concepts are explored as scientists study...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Icefish Adaptations

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What adaptations exist in order for icefish to survive the subfreezing temperatures of the Antarctic Ocean? Middle and high schoolers can find out through watching a related 13-minute video and performing a simple investigation to...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
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Lesson Plan
Serendip

Evolution of Fur Color in Mice – Mutation, Environment and Natural Selection

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Most species of animals include a variety of fur or hair color, but why? Scholars watch a video about a changing environment for mice. As the rocks around them change hues, different colors of mice begin to thrive. Discussion questions...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Natural Selection and the Evolution of Darwin's Finches

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Darwin explained the connection between species of finches 150 years before scientists understood DNA. Technology and progressing science proved he was right, yet many struggle to understand how natural selection happens. Scholars use...
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PPT
ARKive

Biodiversity and Evolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why is diversity in biology so important for an ecosystem? Explore biodiversity, evolution, and natural selection with a presentation for your biology class. It features clear information, activities for further understanding, and...
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Lesson Plan14:03
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed Standards
Sickle cell disease only occurs when both parents contribute the trait, and mostly in those of African descent. Where did it come from? How did it evolve? Tony Allison, a molecular biologist, noticed a connection between sickle cell and...
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Lesson Plan15:27
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lactose Intolerance: Fact or Fiction

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Around the world, about 2/3 of adult humans are lactose intolerant. Scholars work in small groups to discuss a few statements about lactose intolerance. Then, they watch a video on the topic and readdress each statement. Whole-class...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Birds

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Birds adapted to almost every climate on the planet, from the Arctic to the rain forests. A presentation focused on birds covers their similarities and differences. It starts with their evolution from reptiles, their many physical...
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Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Explore Your Inner Animals

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Human bodies prove evolution thanks to our genes, bones, and more. Learning about specific body parts and how they evolved from other species helps individuals better understand the transition species that helped us become who we are today.
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Lesson Plan13:10
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
After watching an engaging 13-minute video about the colorless blood of icefish, future ichthyologists examine icefish blood and non-icefish blood (blood samples are simulated with Karo syrup mixtures) to determine advantages of...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Yankee Doodle: How Has It Changed over Time?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Grab your feathers and your hat! And perhaps some macaroni! It's time to investigate the evolution of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Groups do a close reading of sheet music covers, lyrics, and even YouTube videos to see how this political song...
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

Nazi Germany

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Holocaust was an evolution of anti-Semitism, scapegoating, and targeted violence against Jews with Nazi policies. A resource unpacks the escalation in violence, along with the erosion of democratic institutions, during the 1930s....
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Diversity of Living Things

For Teachers 8th Standards
Here's a topic classes can really dig—the fossil record. Use the well-organized and thoughtful road map to take eighth graders back in time to unearth the answer. Learn how our climate has changed, and how organisms have changed along...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Modeling the Regulatory Switches of the Pitx1 Gene in Stickleback Fish

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Gene switches work similarly to light switches in controlling one feature of their environments. Scholars study the Pitx1 gene in a specific type of fish. They learn the different ways this switch controls various body parts and...
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eBook
Smithsonian Institution

Expedition: Insects

For Students 3rd - 5th
Get up close and personal with beautiful and sometimes dangerous insects in an exciting eBook activity! Pupils practice geography skills by reading a map with the location of six different insects. Scientists read about each insect,...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Reptiles

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
When crocodiles close their mouths, you still see their teeth, but when alligators close their mouths, their teeth are hidden. Learn more about these reptiles and their many evolutionary cousins in a fact-filled presentation. It...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Mammals

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Mammals include more than 4,000 species and represent the most dominant land animals on Earth. Scholars learn about the large variety of mammals, including orders unfamiliar to most. The presentation highlights the characteristics and...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Plant Diversity

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Ginkgo trees existed for more than 350 million years, and, at this time, only one species still remains. While plant diversity generally increases over geologic time, some interesting exceptions occur. Young scientists learn about plant...
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Worksheet
1
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K12 Reader

From Nomad to Farmer

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
The gradual evolution of the earliest settlers in North America from nomads to farmers is the subject of a reading comprehension learning exercise that asks kids to answer a series of questions using information provided in the reading...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Artificial Selection

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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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