Curated OER
Charles Darwin
Students produce a newspaper describing the times during which Charles Darwin introduced the theory of natural selection. In this evolution lesson, students make observations and explore the role of observation in Charles Darwin's work....
Curated OER
Evolutionary Arms Race
Students recognize that a connection exists between an organism's physical and behavioral traits and its environment. They explore and define different types of interactions that can occur between organisms.
Curated OER
Island Biogeography and Evolution
Students develop likely phylogenies for seven related populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands using real data. They organize charts, and record the data for geography, geology, morphology, and molecular genetics.
Curated OER
Darwin's Evolution
Students examine the impact of Charles Darwin and his theories on our life today. After watching a video, they discuss how he formulated his theories and how they have impacted the world both positively and negatively. To end the...
Curated OER
Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory?
Students explore the concepts of evolution. In this biology lesson, students read articles from the internet. They discuss the article within the group and answer their handouts.
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
Thanksgiving: Bird Evolution
Learners explore the evolution of birds. In this biology lesson, students research articles that discuss evidence about the ancestry of birds. They discuss their findings with the group and draw a journal magazine cover highlighting...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection
What's the link between lactase persistence and dairy farming? Biology scholars analyze data to find evidence of the connection, then relate this to human adaptation. Working individually and in small groups, learners view short video...
Curated OER
All in the Family: Calculating Cousins
Students view pictures of distant "cousins" to humans. They place them in order by their distance from humans. Students receive a packet of six pages featuring graphics and a cousins summary page. They work in groups to complete 5 cousin...
School Science
The Big Bang Time Machine
Scholars take off on an interactive spaceship to explore a historical timeline of the big bang theory. They learn about the evolution of mammals and humans, the formation of stars and planets, and the chemical composition of the early...
NOAA
Seamounts
How do chains of islands form? Young oceanographers explore the mountains of the deep in the final installment in a 13-part series. The interactive compares types of seamounts based on their overall height and height under the water, as...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Creating Phylogenetic Trees from DNA Sequences
How closely are animals related? Check their phylogenetic trees! The use of DNA sequencing altered our understanding of these relationships. Individuals explore and gain a better understanding of how scientists sort, align, and determine...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Icefish Blood Adaptations: Viscosity
Most fish freeze to death when the water is too cold, yet some fish live in the Southern Ocean where the water is often below freezing. Scholars use two models representing the blood from most fish versus the blood from Antarctic fish....
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Icefish Blood Adaptations: Antifreeze Proteins
Ever wonder how fish survive in freezing cold water—especially Antarctic waters? Some fish have an adaptation that lowers the freezing point of their life fluids. Learners model these adaptations in two lab explorations. The first...
CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 Earth Science Concepts for Middle School
Explore a variety of science concepts in an interactive textbook created for middle school scholars. A lengthy table of contents takes readers to pages comprised of a subject overview, outline, and summary. Follow links further to find...
Curated OER
Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
Curated OER
The Origin of Life: Alternative Views
Students explore the topics of faith and science as they relate to the origins of life. They consider the major points of Darwin's Theory of Evolution and brainstorm various explanations of how life began. Students investigate different...
Curated OER
Evolutions of Pottery
Students study the history and importance of clay and pottery. They observe a video dealing the kiln. Students explore ideas for improving construction of pottery. They demonstrate a variety of construction methods and identify the...
Messenger Education
Exploring Solar Systems Across the Universe
Scientists have theorized that our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. In this pair of activities, learners first hypothesize how our solar system was formed. Using this information, groups then determine how scientists search for...
It's About Time
Plate Boundaries and Plate Interactions
How does the Earth continually repair itself? Explore the answer to this question, and others, with a unit on plate boundaries and interaction. Pupils classify the types of movement at plate boundaries and identify the...
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Transportation
Did you know horsepower is actually based on the power of a horse? 60 horse power is the equivalent of being pulled by a team of 60 horses! Viewers will learn other interesting facts like this from a presentation that begins with the...
BioEd Online
The Skeleton
Don't be chicken to try a lesson plan that compares the anatomy of birds to humans. Read the background information so you don't have to wing it when it comes to the anatomy of a chicken. Prepare cooked chicken bones by soaking them in a...
Curated OER
Inherit the Wind
Students explore the theory of evolution and read the play Inherit The Wind and a series of articles and essays about the famous Scopes trial that centered around the right to teach evolution. They incorporate technology as they research...
Curated OER
Investigating Our Past: Where Did Humans Come From?
Students brainstorm about evolution and explore the processes of evolution. In this investigative lesson plan students map out evolution and compare the two theories after researching them.