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Becoming Whales: Experiencing Discoveries of
Students experience, through a "dig," the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. They encounter the intermediate forms which show changes that lead to the modern whale.
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VARVES: Dating Sedimentary Strata: Geology, Paleontological Patterns
Students count the number of varves (annual layers of sediment) in shale billets, taken from the Green River Formation in Wyoming. The count is then extended to reflect the entire 260 meters of sediments where the billets originated.
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Time Machine: Evolution, Geology
Students are taken on a simulated "voyage" backward in time, to the beginning of our planet. They "witness" that beginning, the origin of life, and a number of key events from then to the present.
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OF SUNSETS, SOULS AND SENSES: Science, Scientific Methods, Natural and Supernatural
Students explore the realm and limits of science. Engages students to give examples of topics that can be studied by science, and those that cannot. This also takes a examine descriptive terms, which reflect the true nature of modern...
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Making Cladograms
Students construct cladograms (evolutionary trees), showing how shared derived characters can be used to reveal degrees of relationship. They interpret and analyze cladograms, and determine where unclassified vertebrates would fit on a...
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The Great Fossil Find - Reconstructing the Pieces
High schoolers go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.
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The Checks Lab
Young scholars, in teams, have an envelope containing a series of bank checks. A few are removed at a time, and the team attempts to construct a plausible scenario which involves those checks.
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Classroom Cladogram of Vertebrate/Human Evolution
Students build a Colossal Classroom Cladogram of vertebrate evolution. After putting it together, they show the gradual, mosaic accumulation of the traits which we, as humans, possess.
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The Natural Selection of Bean Hunters
Students, in groups, hunt for beans placed in the lawn. Each group uses a different tool (hand, spoon, fork, etc.) and there are three different colors of beens.
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The Chips Are Down: A Natural Selection Simulation
Students, in teams, use different colored paper chips to represent prey and a piece of fabric as the environment.
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The Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird
Students participate in a contrived natural selection simulation in which they build and modify simple paper airplanes. They study divergent and convergent evolution and how it is isolated in sub-populations.
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Natural Selection.... a Cumulative Process... it's in the cards!
Students 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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Get Your Motor Runnin'
Students examine the technology of hybrid vehicles and the claims made on their behalf. Upon further exploration, they research and decide which cars, hybrid or non-hybrid, might perform best under various circumstances.
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Getting Thirsty?
High schoolers explore the concept of drought and its significance as a natural hazard. In this drought lesson plan, students complete 13 questions on an "Introduction to Drought as an Ecosystem Stressor" worksheet and discuss the...
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Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers
Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...
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Creating Coacervates
Students create and observe coacervates. In this origin of life lesson, students create coacervates by mixing carbohydrate and protein solutions. They observe the life-like qualities of the structures and discuss the origin of life.
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Exploring Explorations
Learners describe human benefits from ocean exploration. In this ocean exploration instructional activity, students focus on the historical, biological, and physical features of the deep oceans and man's exploration.
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Jazz it Up!
Learners research the history and contributions of Jazz in their local environments. They then design and create a wide variety of presentations to share with the class using as many mediums as possible.
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Follow that Cheese
Students research types of cheeses. In this cheese types lesson, students research the origin of cheese and then investigate the area of origin. Students share their reports. Students have a cheese tasting celebration as a culminating...
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Study of States in the five U.S. Regions
Fourth graders identify the five regions and the states within them. They research a state from each of five regions, then they choose one of those states to do an extensive research report on following teacher guidelines. They work in...
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What did T. rex taste like?
Students examine the three domains of life and explain that all living things share a common ancestor. In this paleontology instructional activity students are introduced to the process of illustrating evolutionary relationships.
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Noam Chomsky
In this famous people worksheet, students read a selection about Noam Chomsky and complete a variety of comprehension activities including but not limited to a synonym match, spelling, writing and sequencing activities.
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Island Biogeography and Evolution
Students develop likely phylogenies for seven related populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands using real data. They organize charts, and record the data for geography, geology, morphology, and molecular genetics.
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Locating Images
Students discover how to search effectively for images online using the Google Image Search engine. They distinguish between those images that are relevant and those that are not relevant to a search that they initiate and see how to...