The Birds and the Beaks

As part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, young ecology learners create a map. They describe how humans and animals adapt in their habitat. They take notes and create graphic organizers from articles they read. Beautiful maps,...

Now you see it, now you don't! The stick bug exhibits the ability to disappear into a wooded environment. Why does this adaptation manifest in some species, but not in others? Life science high schoolers explore animal adaptations in...

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...

Environmental science learners examine satellite imagery of temperature, vegetation, precipitation, and productivity. They use these maps to understand how scientists divide the planet into major biomes. As part of a larger unit on...

Flight seems like an important adaptive advantage, so why did some birds lose their ability to take to the skies? A video from the PBS Eons series explains the evolutionary paths of different species of birds while emphasizing the...

The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America and has been for a very long time. While perfectly equipped to survive in their time period, today there are fewer and fewer in existence. An episode of a larger series...

Like something from a low-budget horror movie, terror birds ruled the roost in South America millions of years ago. Things didn't go as well when they headed north! With an intriguing video, biology scholars explore the massive migration...

Back in the day, all birds had the ability to fly. Why would evolutionary adaptations take that away from some species? A video presentation discusses the cost of having the ability to fly and why that feature may not be ideal for...

Tenth graders observe collections of specimens and discuss their answers to provided questions. They explore common ancestry, homology, analogy, adaptive radiation, and evolution, while formulating creative answers based on their...

What kinds of birds are common in the area? Young scientists use household supplies to create bird feeders. They then document the birds that come to their feeders by keeping journals.