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...
Lesson Plan
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Rainforest Alliance

Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and Loggerhead Turtle

For Teachers 1st Standards
Explore ocean habitats with a lesson that showcases the home of manatees and loggerhead turtles in Belize. Here, pupils compare and contrast the homes of ocean animals to those of humans, listen to an original short story about...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Stalking the Genetic Basis of a Trait

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Need an a-maize-ing lesson to show your class how regulatory genes work? If you use the well-written resource, they'll be all ears! Biology scholars discover the gene responsible for the evolution of the modern-day corn plant through a...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Human Impacts on Biodiversity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Have you always wanted to take your science class on an amazing field trip they will never forget? Now you can! Observe the wildlife in an African savanna through trail cameras with a five-part data analysis activity. Learners analyze...
Lesson Plan
Baylor College

Reebops: A “Model” Organism for Teaching Genetic Concepts

For Teachers 6th - 12th
In a sweet simulation, junior geneticists examine the chromosomes of a fictitious Reebop marshmallow animal, combine chromosomes to produce offspring, and then make a model of the resulting Reebop baby. Phenotypes include number of...
Activity
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Curated OER

Mathemafish Population

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
It's shark week! In this problem, young mathematically minded marine biologists need to study the fish population by analyzing data over time. The emphasis is on understanding the average rate of change of the population and drawing...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Using DNA to Explore Lizard Phylogeny

For Teachers 6th - 12th
In a fun and interactive two-day lesson, learners sort anole lizard pictures by appearance. Next, they watch a video about the anoles and re-sort based on the information in the video. In addition to physical characteristics, budding...
Activity
Tennessee Technical University

Carousel Brainstorm

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A variation of the Walkabout Review process, carousel brainstorming directs groups to rotate through a series of stations posting ideas on the topic or question posted at each stop. 
Lesson Plan
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Rainforest Alliance

How Do Jaguars and Howler Monkeys in Belize Depend on Us?

For Teachers 1st Standards
How does weather play a role in the lives of land and sea creatures? Find out with a instructional activity focused on habitats and the ways animals from different homes are connected. Here, learners explore how the life of a...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Living Dinosaurs: Fact or Fiction?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are birds descendants of dinosaurs? Learners consider the question as they watch an informative video comparing fossil records of dinosaurs with current species. Following the video, groups ponder the evidence to draw conclusions about...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Evolution in Action: Data Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An environmental factor, such as a drought, sometimes speeds up the rate of natural selection. Scholars analyze data on the beaks of birds around the time of the drought. They compare those that survived to those that perished and find...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Illegal Fish

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Your young fishermen learn about exponential function growth by interpreting the pieces of the given equation within the context of numbers of fish in a lake.
Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Cari's Aquarium

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
The volume of a fish tank is a rather important measure when it comes to building an aquarium for different species of fish. In this problem, your kids look at how many different ways they can make a fish tank of a specific volume,...
Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Lake Algae

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Introduce learners to exponential growth with this real-world problem about algae that is rapidly spreading across a lake in a city park. The task presents the rate of growth and an end value and asks learners to determine what happened...
Activity
Gourmet Curriculum Press

Author's Purpose

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Who knew determining author's purpose could be turned into a game? Four teams compete to correctly identify the author's purpose for writing a series of passages.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: The Origin of Species

For Teachers 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about problems created when nonnative species become invasive. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: When Fish First Walked

For Teachers 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about natural selection and its role in the theory of evolution. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.