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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does Evolution Work?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate how natural selection influences evolution. They complete a hands-on lab simulation of natural selection, and replicate a real experiment and examine the interplay between selection factors in a population of guppies.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Talkin' To Me?: Investigations in Animal Behavior

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate a variety of animal behaviors, examine various modes of animal communication, and develop a catalog analyzing, interpreting, and reporting their results.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Creation of an Imaginary Species

For Teachers 3rd - 9th
Students explore the characteristics that distinguish different forms of animal life on Earth which are the results of natural selection and adaptations to their environment. The creatures are created using a game and then drawn by the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Chips Are Down: A Natural Selection Simulation

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, in teams, use different colored paper chips to represent prey and a piece of fabric as the environment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Selection.... a Cumulative Process... it's in the cards!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners working in pairs attempt to produce a full sequence of 13 cards of one suit (ace - to king). This must be done by shuffling the suit of cards for each round, then checking the cards.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lamarck And Darwin

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare Lamarck's mechanism for evolution with Darwin's theory of natural selection.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preying on Beans

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students act as predators searching for prey (beans) in two different settings to demonstrate the processes of adaptation and selection.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rise and Fall of the Mammoths

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation. They work in small groups to perform an experiment using beans. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WHAT DARWIN NEVER SAW: Evolution, Science, Biology, Natural Selection

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students view video showing recent field work on a twenty two-year study of finch beaks on a small island in the Galapagos, showing natural selection clearly operating in the wild.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not Just a Bag of Beans

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners determine the types of natural selection and variation that exists in a population, using beans.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Beaks of the Finches

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students become birds and are given "beak-types". After completing the simulation, students relate results to adaptations and natural selection. Extensions of the simulation allow for comparative results and include population genetics.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Natural Selection and Evidence Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classification and Binomial Nomenclature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students practice identifying different groups of living organisms using a dichotomous key. Students also examine the history of an organism and its lineage by writing a paragraph about it and "three generations" of ancestors.
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Organizer
Curated OER

Evolution Concept Map

For Students 6th - 9th
In this biology worksheet, students complete a concept mp on the theory of evolution by natural selection. They fill in 8 blanks with the correct terms from the list.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scavenger Hunt: Simulating Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers simulate natural selection using pinto beans. In this biology lesson, students identify the factors affecting organism evolution. They record data from the experiment and formulate a conclusion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peppered Moth Simulation Activity

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students simulate peppered moth predators using SmartNotebook. In this life science instructional activity, students collect survival data and analyze results. They explain the importance of changes in species over time.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Selection: Exploring the 'Ohi'a Common Garden

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine natural variation by visiting the Ohi'a Common Garden in Volcano, Hawaii. In this natural selection lesson, 7th graders study background information about phenotypes, genotypes, and phenotypic plasticity before...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Evolution: Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners analyze and discuss the evolutionary history of dinosaurs.  In this investigative lesson students monitor different organisms in the environment and analyze the pressures that affect the chances of survival. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Populations- The Survival of the Fittest

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the ways that populations become diverse and how mutation changes the diversity of a population.  In this exploratory lesson students study natural selection by completing a lab activity and discussing what they learned. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Evolution Works

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the term natural selection and what behavioral adaptations are.  In this evolution lesson students view videos about evolution and perform experiments that simulate populations that interplay between the forces of...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Theory of Evolution

For Students 9th - 12th
In this theory of evolution learning exercise, students review vocabulary words associated with evolution including the different types of evolution patters. This learning exercise has 5 true or false and 5 matching questions.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Evolution of Life

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this evolution worksheet, students review the natural selection process and how organisms' adaptations evolve over time. This worksheet has 8 fill in the blank and 11 short answer questions.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Theory of Evolution

For Students 7th - 12th
In this theory of evolution worksheet, students will review the role Charles Darwin played in the theory of evolution, natural selection, and adaptations. Students will explore some of the different types of evidence for the theory of...