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...

When it comes to the origin of the human species students are full of misconceptions. Clear up the hominid confusion with this evolutionary activity focused on assisting students in understanding prehistoric man and his family tree....

Students watch a video and discuss the research on the intelligence of apes. In this primate lesson, students view a NOVA video about ape intelligence. They work in groups to take notes on the observations and conclusions of researchers...

Students explore early hominid evolution as they analyze bones that share characteristics of both apes and humans. Students compare and contrast key skeletal differences between chimpanzees and humans. In groups, they sort and group a...

Students identify key anatomical similarities and differences between great apes and humans. They infer likely anatomical features in ancient human ancestors and list principal anatomical changes in primates necessary for adaptation to...

Students compare and contrast key skeletal differences between chimpanzees and humans: brain size, teeth, hand and thumb, trunk, pelvis, lower limb, foot and big toe. They then sort and group a set of mixed "fossil bones" of chimpanzee...

Students participate in a chromosome comparison "adventure", in which the banding patterns are compared on the chromosomes of humans and apes.

At one point, all mammals carried only two color receptors, but now most humans carry three. An informative presentation and hands-on activity demonstrate how this evolved through genetics. By participating in the activity, pupils...

Middle schoolers prepare experiment plans for a peer review session to test the intelligence level of gorillas. They view and discuss a Discovery Channel video on the wild behaviors of gorillas then create three experiments that could...

Students study primates and their evolution history.  For this role play lesson students view a video on evolution then demonstrate how primates walked and other observations they noticed in the film. 

Students explore non-verbal communication. In this animal communication lesson, students study body language and other forms of non-verbal communication. Students write a summary of their findings to discuss with the class. This lesson...

High schoolers view a Power Point and complete activities related to genetic evidence of human evolution. In this molecular evolution lesson plan, students view and discuss a provide presentation. They search for the "tell-tale telomere"...

Students simulate online the formation of Ape Cave, in order to better explain its construction. They observe, illustrate and discuss geological features of this lava tube.

Students actively engage in the careful analysis of chromosome banding patterns and identify examples of inversion in homologous chromosomes.

Pupils study Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory and how he applied it to orchids.  In this evolution lesson students repeat Darwin's orchid pollination experiment.

Students explore the world of apes. In this reading skills lesson plan, students complete a jigsaw reading activity (the reading material is not included) regarding orangutans.

Get a little batty with life science! This fun simulation game replicates how bats use echolocation to hunt moths in their native Hawaiian habitat. After creating blind folds and discussing some basic principles of echolocation, students...

Seventh graders explore skeletal biology. Through a discussion and video observation, 7th graders investigate how the anatomy is adapted to the environment. Students study primates and explore their characteristics and behaviors.

Students make posters about saving the primates. For this primates lesson plan, students discuss primates and environmental changes and make posters with pictures about saving primates.

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...

Students explore threats to diversity in the Central African rainforest. They use a guided website to research animals that are threatened with extinction, examine human uses of the rainforest and think about what they can do to help...

Students discover details about the genus Ardipithecus. In this prehistory instructional activity, students listen to a lecture about the attributes of Ardipithecus. Students then conduct further research on either Ardipithecus ramidus...

Pupils describe a piece of strength conditioning equipment, what muscle (or muscles) are isolated, and how strengthening this muscle improve skill performance in the unit they are presently taking.

Students evaluate the degree of chromosome similarity and difference between humans and apes. Students infer about the relationship between a human and ape based on similarities found.