Curated OER
How Did Humans Evolve?
Students are introduced to four important fossil finds: the First Family, the Hadar Skull, Lucy, and the Laetoli Footprints. They explore how scientists interpret fossils to try to better comprehend how humans evolved. This activity...
Curated OER
Fantastic Fossil
Learners discuss the discovery of a transitional animal, Tiktaalik, and its impact on the theory of evolution. They research theories of evolution and creationism.
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Curated OER
Becoming Whales: Experiencing Discoveries of
Learners experience, through a "dig," the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. They encounter the intermediate forms which show changes that lead to the modern whale.
Curated OER
The Rise and Fall of the Mammoths
Students develop an understanding of the evolution of species in the context of the woolly mammoth. They examine the fossil record to explain natural selection.
Curated OER
Diversity/Natural Selection
Young scholars examine mechanisms behind biological evolution and the theories that feed it, and are able to demonstrate their knowledge of these theories in a story.
Curated OER
The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students model natural selection by acting as predators of jellybeans. In this evolution lesson, students use plastic utensils to pick up jellybeans. They use different colors of backgrounds to demonstrate the effects of camouflage and...
Curated OER
Natural Selection and Evidence Worksheet
Matching and fill-in-the-blank exercises give biology whizzes a chance to practice vocabulary associated with evolution. Terms to be reviewed focus on evidence for evolution, natural selection concepts, and some genetics words. You could...
Serendip
How Eyes Evolved – Analyzing the Evidence
Octopodes existed for hundreds of thousands of years before humans, yet our eyes share many similarities. Scholars analyze the evidence to determine if the evolution of eyes best fits a homology or analogy model. They discuss the issue...
Lerner Publishing
Meet the Dinosaurs
Take your class of youngsters on a prehistoric adventure with this four-lesson series on dinosaurs. Accompanying the Meet the Dinosaurs books by Don Lessem, these lessons engage children in writing their own dinosaur books, making...
Curated OER
Primate Evolution
In this primate evolution activity, students will review the structures and functions that are characteristic of primates. Students will identify the differences between Old World monkeys, New World monkeys, and prosimians. This activity...
Curated OER
GED Vocabulary: Life Science
In this life science GED worksheet, high schoolers complete a crossword puzzle given 9 clues about structures of the nervous system, the circulatory system, evolution, the digestive system, molecules and fossils. Students are given a...
Curated OER
Evolution
Tenth graders are introduced to the topic of evolution. Using the internet, they discuss Charles Darwin's life and work in this field of science. They examine fossils and discuss how they support the theory of evolution. They participate...
Curated OER
Studying Fossils
Students study the Evolution in the Light of Fossils. Activities in this lesson range from quantitative measurements of hominoid skulls to the comparison of hominoid bone structures. They hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking at...
Curated OER
A Scientific Approach to Teaching about Evolution
Students examine fossils and analyzing their significance in relation to theories of evolution. Hand-outs are provided. This lesson could be supplementary to a broader unit on evolution or geology.
Curated OER
History Theory of Evolution
Students identify fossils. They identify evidence of change over time when given pictures of fossils to determine the proper sequencing. In addition, they determine evolutionary relationships by comparing embryonic structures.
Curated OER
Evolution
In this evolution worksheet, young scholars review genetic variability, gene mutations, biodiversity and adaptations. This worksheet has 22 fill in the blank and 10 short answer questions.
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...
Curated OER
The History of Life on Earth
Using meters as years, your class works together to map out the geologic time scale on a football field. Plenty of background information is included in this lesson plan as well as several resource links and a student worksheet. Your...
Curated OER
Evolution and Geological Time
In this evolution instructional activity, students review the geological time scale and how evolution has taken place over time. This instructional activity has 13 fill in the blank questions.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Feet Are Strange
Feet are neat! So, if you've already walked the path of examining animal footprints with your class, put them in the shoes of early humans! A well-designed lesson incorporates video, discussion, and hands-on learning to demonstrate how...
Curated OER
Mystery of the Matching Marks
Students view a Power Point and complete activities related to genetic evidence of human evolution. In this molecular evolution instructional activity, students view and discuss a provide presentation. They search for the "tell-tale...
Curated OER
A Peek at the Past: Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibria
Students consider two sets of simulated fossils (caminalcules) that are provided as cutouts. They arrange them on two time scales. One set produces a visual example of gradualism, the other shows punctuated equilibria.
Curated OER
The Earliest Primates
In this early primate worksheet, students will read information about the fossil evidence of the earliest primates. Students will complete 3 short answer questions based on their reading.