Curated OER
Galapagos Project
Students explore Darwin's trip to the Galapagos Islands. In groups, students create a field guide for one of the five major islands in the Galapagos.
Curated OER
The Molecular Evidence for Evolution
Students discover the structure of DNA, and determine how genetics have supported rather than refuted Darwin's ideas.
Curated OER
Who was Charles Darwin?
Students trace major developments in the history of evolutionary science. They
discuss the connections between major events in world history and major events in the development of evolutionary thought by creating timelines.
Curated OER
Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth
Learners study natural selection and its process in the peppered moth. For 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
Hippocratic Medical Rounds
A very interesting way to model Hippocrates allows your clas to to compare world views and to illustrate how ideas have changed at key times throughout the history of science. This simulation has students role play patients and physicians.
Curated OER
The Voyage of the Beagle and Darwin's Observations
Students become familiar with the main events of Darwin's voyage. They comprehend the importance of geographic distribution and geographic isolation on the formation of a new species. Students analyze how living things can change over a...
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...
Curated OER
Natural Selection
Students use discussion questions, handout information and research topics to explore several issues related to natural selection and evolution. They examine Darwin's research on the finch and antibiotic resistance.
Curated OER
Charles Darwin's Hardware Shop
Students construct an evolutionary tree representing specialization, diversity, and selection using easily obtained materials. They use at least twenty pieces of hardware to classify then develop "evolutionary" relationships between the...
Safe Routes to School
Pollution & Evolution
Bring together a study of two major scientific topics with a lesson on the relationship between pollution and evolution. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on activity. and class demonstration young scientists learn how...
Curated OER
Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory?
Learners explore the concepts of evolution. In this biology activity, students read articles from the internet. They discuss the article within the group and answer their handouts.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Survival of the Fittest - Variations in the Clam Species Clamys sweetus
It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...
Curated OER
The Great Jellybean Hunt
Young scholars model natural selection by acting as predators of jellybeans. In this evolution instructional activity, students use plastic utensils to pick up jellybeans. They use different colors of backgrounds to demonstrate the...
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...
Curated OER
Introduction to Biology
Young scholars examine the principles of natural selection and explain how it is the basis of the theory of evolution. In this natural selection lesson students research the web on the theory of evolution.
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Darwin's Finches
Try a twist on the old finch beak and chopsticks activity by using M&Ms on a Twister mat. Spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks represent beaks and are randomly assigned to your little birds, who must collect as much food as possible...
Curated OER
Methods of Teaching Evolution To Middle School Children
Young scholars study evolutionary thought. They examine how characteristics are inherited and that they are a source of variation. They illustrate the perpetuation, elimination, and variation made among members of a species. They...
Curated OER
Diversity/Natural Selection
High schoolers examine mechanisms behind biological evolution and the theories that feed it, and are able to demonstrate their knowledge of these theories in a story.
California Academy of Science
Human Evolution
As the great and hilarious Tim Minchin once said, "Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity." Science is more than just a guess; it is based on questions, observations, and evidence. High...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Predator
Students already know that the most effective predator on earth today. They pay close attention, because after the teacher have finished lecturing, their assignment is to design a new "Ultimate Predator." Students present their...
Curated OER
Morphing
Students examine how organisms adapt to their environment in order to survive. As a class, they discuss the extinction of the dinosaurs and review Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. They select an animal to morph in the future...
Curated OER
Evolution
Tenth graders are introduced to the topic of evolution. Using the internet, they discuss Charles Darwin's life and work in this field of science. They examine fossils and discuss how they support the theory of evolution. They participate...
Curated OER
Physiological Adaptations
High schoolers investigate the concepts of genetics and how it is tied to the variations found within different species and how it is tied to adaptations. They review the theory of evolution and factors found to help create variation....
Curated OER
Adventuring in the Archipelago
Learners study Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle and his visit to the Gal??pagos Islands. They click through an interactive map of the Gal??pagos Islands to read actual and fictional journal entries from a fellow eco-tourist.