Curated OER
Happy Birthday, Earth!
Students visualize the Earth's ecosystem at a specific time period and how Earth has changed over time. They create a detailed journal entry for a specific time period and create a birthday card to Earth.
Curated OER
A Mendel Seminar
Students analyze Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution. They also explore how recessive and dominant traits are passed from one generation of living organisms to the next. This lesson involves environment...
Curated OER
What Is the Nature of Science?
Students distinguish between scientific and everyday meanings of key words-theory, hypothesis, law, fact-and use in context. They recognize the variables that affect observation, data collection, and interpretation. They discover the...
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
Critical Analysis of Evolution
Tenth graders discuss anomalies in nature and science. They discuss times that anomalies led to the collection of data that explained the phenomena and contributed to changing scientific understandings. Students work in groups to...
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Understanding the Geologic Timescale
Students identify and analyze how the geologic time scale was developed by investigating 11 periods of time and the vast expanse of time of the Earth's existence. They study their period, determine the important factors indicative to...
Curated OER
Limiting Factors/ Evolution Game
Students will understand the relationship between limiting factors and evolution. They will be able to hypothesize possible evolutionary pathways for modern day organisms.
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Becoming Human
In this evolution activity, learners access a specific website and then answer questions about human evolution based on what they discovered at the website. This activity has 19 short answer questions and 3 essay questions.
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Evolution and Genes
In this psychology worksheet, students complete 5 short answer questions about traits, mutations and the theory of natural selection.
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Lamarck Is Dead!
Students read Lamarck's obituary and respond to questions. They discuss the four laws from Lamarack's studies. Students apply this information to scientific theories in general.
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Why Don't Whales Have Legs?
Students are given a variety of materials and are asked to design a heat loss experiment that results in a reasonable explanation of "Why don't whales have legs?" students work with the theory of natural selection.
Curated OER
Blocks And Screws (or "screwy Contrivances")
Young scholars, given a block of wood and a screw or nail, are asked to put that screw or nail into a block. They examine how many contrivances and other imperfections found in living things are best explained by the process of evolution.
Curated OER
Word Adaptation
Seventh graders differentiate evolution and adaptation. In this biology lesson, 7th graders make new words from a given word by adding or changing a letter. They set up a T-chart and enumerate how adaptation is like or unlike evolution.
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The Gene Scene
High schoolers investigate the concepts of micro and macro evolution. They also research the effects of mutations in the process of genetic adaptation to different environments. They develop a hypothesis of how the environment can...
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Bioinformatics
Students are exposed to the tools and databases currently used by researchers in molecular and evolutionary biology. They gain a better understanding of gene analysis, taxonomy, and evolution.
Curated OER
Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth
Learners study natural selection and its process in the peppered moth. In this evolution lesson, students read about the concept of natural selection as suggested by Charles Darwin. Learners then complete a natural selection simulation...
Curated OER
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Learners examine the relationship between temperature and brightness. In this astronomy lesson students will correlate the evolution of stars to the HR diagram plotted.
NASA
Cosmic Microwave Background
Begin your next class with a BANG! Pupils discuss the formation of our universe and its expansion before proceeding with an activity designed to demonstrate what most likely occurred billions of years ago. They conclude with a discussion...
ARKive
Adaptations for Movement
What animals are best suited for moving around a rainforest, or a desert? Design your own animal species based on a particular habitat, focusing on the characteristics it will need for optimal movement. Great as a group lesson or...
It's About Time
Natural Selection
Are you the predator or the prey? Student groups participate in an activity to demonstrate the process of natural selection in a contained environment. After scholars complete the activity and questions, they apply their knowledge to a...
Curated OER
AP: Chapter 26: Origin of Life
Five pages take biologists on a generalized survey of the origin of life. Queries are made regarding theories of how life developed, ancient Earth conditions, and the ever-changing field of taxonomy. The experiments of different...
Curated OER
Hide and Survive: A Natural Selection Activity
Students explore the theory of natural selection given certain scenarios. In this biology lesson, students graph data taken from the experiment. They explain the factors that contribute to the survival of the fittest.
Curated OER
The Right Tool for the Job: Fishing Tools and Technology
Students use modern technology to research the history, design, and function of a specific tool or piece of fishing technology. They create a timeline and story about the evolution of the tool.
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.