Students investigate mutations and simulate their mutation while trying to collect food. In this mutations lesson plan, students pick an identified mutation out of a paper bag. They simulate their mutation while trying to collect food...

How do genetic mutations within a population lead to future variations? Provide your class with the resources to answer this question and more upon completing an activity on natural selection. The entire class participates in a...

Ninth graders construct and conduct a laboratory experiment illustrating the transfer of mutations. They compare and contrast natural selection in organisms with long and short reproductive cycles.

Students identify and illustrate how changes in DNA cause mutations and evaluate the significance of these changes. They illustrate a chromosomal mutation such as duplication, deletion, inversion, and translocation.

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.

Students model how the malaria-causing protist avoids immune response in its host. In this parasite biology lesson, students use printed cell images to model the way that Plasmodium changes surface protein markers every few generations...

Students investigate how selection occurs in a random population. The concept is that selection affects evolution.They demonstrate how selection occurs and will analyze shifts in the populations. They design their conclusions with M...

In this adaptations worksheet, students read about 3 species that have changed over time to adapt to their environment. Students design a squirrel that has adapted to an island habitat that students are assigned. They describe the...

Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...

Intrigue the class by completing a lesson on meiosis, filled with challenging and insightful activities to spark the interest of every person in the room. Each member of the class learns about genetic disorders due to faulty meiosis, and...

Investigate the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to explain genetic equilibrium. The 10th lesson plan of a series of 12 is a laboratory exploration of genetic equilibrium. Your classes use a mixture of beans to model allele and genotype...

Learners identify and describe the mechanisms of natural selection. They study Cambrian Period animals and discuss adaptations for their specific environment.Students compare and contrast a modern sea animal with the Cambrian era animal...

Students investigate genetics and evolution of species. They simulate the breeding of birds using origami birds. In addition, using dice they introduce genetic variation into the species.

Young scholars identify the different taxonomic classifications of organisms. In this biology lesson, students create their own organisms and make some changes according to environmental conditions. They present their work in class.

Students explore evolutionary processes and theories using the spotted fish applet. They observe what happens to fish in a closed environment with both food and predators. Students run the model several times and answer questions about...

Young scholars navigate the National Center for Biological Information (NCBI) website and BLAST program to conduct a variety of biological assignments.

Students, in groups, study cheetah, blind cave organisms, and naked mole rats to explain facets of evolution.

Fourth graders represent a new predator on a population of colored worms. They mathematically determine the effect of the new predator on the survival and reproductive rates of the worms, simulating natural selection at work.

Students analyze the causes of cancer from a genetic standpoint. They explain the increase in cancer with age and create a hypothesis for cancer development. They use the laws of probability as well.

Students study how Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium was established and what assumptions and conditions are necessary to reach Equilibrium. They record class data on their charts. Frequencies are calculated.

Ninth graders complete a monohybrid cross and a dihybrid cross. In this biology lesson, 9th graders predict the traits of offspring using the Punnett square. They differentiate recessive and dominant genes.

In this lab activity from Shelly's Science Spot, middle schoolers investigate how genetic mutations can affect the ability of animals to survive, by helping, harming, or having no impact.

Constructing phylogenetic trees may be a daunting task for learners, but this lesson plan is a simulation of what molecular biologists must do to determine relationships. This plan is for students who have a good grasp of DNA structure...