Biology Junction
Lamarck vs. Darwin: Introduction to Change in Organisms
How are traits passed down from parents? Jean Baptiste Lamarck and Charles Darwin envisioned conflicting theories. Learn about both scientists and their theories with an insightful presentation. Giraffes and dogs serve as examples of...
Biology Junction
Evolution – Diversity of Life
Scientists noticed animals with backbones share similar bone structure despite having different forms, such as fins, arms, and wings. Young scientists gain an appreciation for evolution by understanding the history of the theory. They...
Curated OER
Eat and Run
Students 'browse' like a deer, demonstrate how deer react when danger appears, demonstrate survival of the fittest, identify 4-5 sources of danger to deer and describe 1-2 ways deer protect themselves.
Curated OER
Survival of the Fittest
Sixth graders create their own "never before seen" marine creatures and examine how not all creatures in the sea swim, not all have sharp teeth
Curated OER
Survival of the Sneakiest
In this natural selection worksheet, students read a cartoon about cricket mating that explains natural selection, fitness and evolution. They answer four questions about each of these topics.
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...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Color Variation over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
A species-specific look at natural selection, the resource herein examines how adaptations have helped the population of rock pocket mice survive in a changing landscape. To begin, middle or high schoolers watch a 10.5 minute video,...
Curated OER
Allele and Phenotype Frequencies in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
In the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, some tiny creatures show just how quickly natural selection can turn a mutation into an advantageous adaptation. Watch a video about rock pocket mice, who show that one small change can make all...
Curated OER
Evolution Number Two
Are you looking for evidence that your high schoolers are adapting to the concepts of natural selection and evolution? Assess their knowledge with a pretest and posttest. Naturally, you can select and adapt the worksheet to be the...
Curated OER
The Living Environment
Fourth graders make a chart of animals and plants that live in either the desert, the ocean, or the tundra. For this environment lesson plan, 4th graders work in groups to discover characteristics needed for these animals to live in that...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Molecular Evolution of Gene Birth and Death
An upper-level biology activity, the comprehensive worksheet found here accompanies a PowerPoint and the video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, both of which are linked to through the website. Depending on the...
Curated OER
Darwin's Theory
Students write an essay about evolution. They summarize Darwin's Theory and discuss its strength and weakness of evolutionary theory. Students discuss the struggle of existence and survival of the fittest. They discuss the evidence of...
Curated OER
Of Mice and Moths
Young scholars study the concept that genetic variation of offspring contributes to population control. They create a presentation showing natural selection and survival of the fittest.
Curated OER
How Does Evolution Work?
Students are introduced to how the process of evolution works. As a class, they review the characteristics of natural selection and how those with advantageous traits reproduce and survive. To test this theory of natural selection,...
Curated OER
Natural Selection
Students model natural selection by using various utensils to "capture food" using a simulated species called "Woolybooger's."
Curated OER
The Incorporation of America
The incorporation and industrialization of America is covered in this image-rich slide show. While text is limited, there is no shortage of great images showing the progression and causes of American Industrialization. Perfect...
Curated OER
Observing the Nutritional Relationships in an Ecosystem
Make learning about food webs fun and fascinating for your fifth graders.
Curated OER
Analogy: Reasoning by Comparison
"Life is like a box of chocolates. . ." "Barack is a Mac, Hillary is a PC." Literal and figurative analogies are featured in a presentation that models how to use analogies to bolster arguments.
Curated OER
La Belle Époque [1871-1914]:
Progress through various aspects of the "The Beautiful Era" in this presentation. Political, technological, and scientific contexts surround the time of innovation and change in the world landscape. The short length of this slide show...
Curated OER
Recasting Language through Found Poetry
Discover the concept of found poetry in this engaging instructional activity. Secondary students will explore the poem "Natural Selection" and compare it to the writings of Charles Darwin in Origin of the Species. Students chose a text...
Curated OER
White Fang by Jack London
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 6 short answer and essay questions based on White Fang. Students may also access an online quiz on the selection using the link at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Evolution
In this evolution instructional activity students complete a crossword puzzle by answering questions about the environment, evolution and populations.
Curated OER
This Can't be a Plant
Students grow mold. In this science experiment lesson, students grow mold on different pieces of bread by adjusting the moisture, temperature, and light. They record the results to see which grows the most mold.
Curated OER
Vocabulary Bursting with Energy
Students review key physics terms using a Visual Thesaurus. In this science lesson, student groups compete against each other to correctly identify "imposter" words from a list of related physics vocabulary terms.