Students work in groups to investigate and present genetic variation, adaptation, and sexual selection as it relates to evolution. In this evolution lesson plan, students watch a video discuss how the human eye could evolve due to...

Try a twist on the old finch beak and chopsticks activity by using M&Ms on a Twister mat. Spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks represent beaks and are randomly assigned to your little birds, who must collect as much food as possible...

In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Charles Darwin. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet. 

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...

In this earth history worksheet, students visit a website and complete 15 fill in the blank and 8 short answer questions based on what they read. Topics include biodiversity, animal kingdoms, evolution, fossils, and extinction.

Adaptation or acclimation? Young ecologists determine which is being exemplified in twenty questions. When teaching about adaptations, make sure to talk about acclimation, a short-term learned response to a change in the surroundings....

In this activity, students examine research on finches on the island of Daphne Major in the Galapagos Islands. The depth of the finches' beaks was measured before and after a drought. This data is displayed in graphs and students are...

Finches on the Galapagos Islands have evolved to exploit almost every possible niche. This diagram shows the range of food sources available on the island and the different beak shapes adapted to exploit each of them. Includes background...

This graphic from Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches by Peter Grant presents data from the Galapagos Islands, showing that a severe drought put selective pressure on the population of Darwin's finches and resulted in a change in...

Interactive animation illustrates how Charles Darwin used his study of finch beaks to explain evolution. A phylogenetic tree diagram shows how the birds' color and beak shape changed over generations.

In this biology activity, students will be investigating evolution by "competing" for food like Darwin's finches might have competed. Each student group is given a different type of "beak" to work with and there are also different kinds...

Explore how environmental conditions affect the adaptation of birds in this simulation. The amount of annual precipitation on an island is controlled by you while you track changes in the thickness of bird beaks over a five-year period....

Instructional module focusing on Charles Darwin's theory of Descent with Modification. Discusses how slight changes from parent to offspring create variation and potentially create new species over time. Site also includes an interactive...