Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Geological History of Oxygen
Earth didn't always have oxygen, so what caused the change that allows humans to live here? Learn about the change in O2 levels throughout geological history through an interactive graph. Each section offers greater detail on the changes...
Curated OER
A Discourse on the History of Language
Analyze and make inferences from the information used by linguists to construct the evolution of languages. They research different dating techniques to explain how scientists infer age with evidence.
Curated OER
Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee Chromosomes
Students actively engage in the careful analysis of chromosome banding patterns and identify examples of inversion in homologous chromosomes.
Curated OER
Evolution: The Great Debate
Students discover how research and questioning are things that must be done in order to form a valid opinion. In this critical thinking lesson students answer questions and provide evidence to support their argument.
Curated OER
Island Biogeography and Evolution
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Applied Evolution: How Will We Get There from Here?
Students explore the basic process of natural selection and how people can manipulate that process today. The consequences of natural selection on daily life and the implications of evolutionary biology in basic and applied science is...
Curated OER
Understanding Evolution: Homology and Analogy
In this understanding evolution instructional activity, 9th graders define homology and analogy. Students compare and contrast similar structures in several given species.
Curated OER
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
In this online interactive reading comprehension activity, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions based on A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Students may also access an online quiz on the selection using the...
Curated OER
The Molecular Evidence for Evolution
High schoolers examine molecular evidence, discover the structure of DNA and gain understanding of genetics. In this molecular lesson plan students compare anatomical evidence with molecular evidence.
Curated OER
Molecular Evidence for Evolutionary Relationship
Students investigate the relationship between humans and yeast. For this evolution lesson, students compare amino acids in a variety of life forms. Students will watch films on similarities of the genetic code that structures an...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Feet Are Strange
Feet are neat! So, if you've already walked the path of examining animal footprints with your class, put them in the shoes of early humans! A well-designed instructional activity incorporates video, discussion, and hands-on learning to...
Curated OER
Mystery of the Matching Marks
Students view a Power Point and complete activities related to genetic evidence of human evolution. For this molecular evolution lesson, students view and discuss a provide presentation. They search for the "tell-tale telomere" and...
ARKive
Primate Evolution- Family Ties
If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes? Using captivating pictures and videos of our primate cousins, young biologists examine evidence to dispel one of the most common misconceptions about human evolution. Depending on...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Living Dinosaurs: Fact or Fiction?
Are birds descendants of dinosaurs? Learners consider the question as they watch an informative video comparing fossil records of dinosaurs with current species. Following the video, groups ponder the evidence to draw conclusions about...
NASA
Mystery Planet
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them.
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Henry Kissinger and Detente
How did relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China evolve between 1950 and 1970? Your young historians will complete a timeline of events with evidence that the relationship between these two great...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
A Lesson on the Nature of Science
If you are looking for a great way to present natural selection in humans, look no further. This handout is intended to accompany the 14-minute video The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans, which can be found on the...
Curated OER
Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory?
Students explore the concepts of evolution. In this biology lesson plan, students read articles from the internet. They discuss the article within the group and answer their handouts.
Curated OER
Diversity/Natural Selection
Students examine mechanisms behind biological evolution and the theories that feed it, and are able to demonstrate their knowledge of these theories in a story.
Curated OER
Studying Fossils: Hominoid Skull Comparison
Students collect data on the differences in Hominid skulls using acrylic casts of fossil skulls. They measure a series of structures on skulls from six different species then use the data to determine evolutionary relationships between...
Curated OER
Charles Darwin
In this online interactive history instructional activity, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Charles Darwin. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive instructional...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS A ZEBRA?
Young scholars read the essay, "What, If Anything, Is a Zebra?" following a teacher made reading guide. They investigate cladistics, shared derived characteristics, with further online research to enhance their study of evolution and...
Curated OER
What about Continental Drift?
Fifth graders research the Continental Drift by researching for evidence of continental movement. The teaching explains the theory of plate tectonics and the Earth's magnetic field. They conclude the lesson by watching the video of "In...