In this lesson students will examine how evolution has been scientifically explained historically. In doing so, students will examine the arguments and theories set forth by three historically important scientists: Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Charles Darwin. The purpose of this lesson, however, is not to begin to make comparisons, but simply to help students understand how arguments ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will learn firsthand, by reading his journal entries and letters, how Darwin arrived at his theory. They also will gain a better sense of Darwin's journey and the role it played in his scientific career. In the first activity, Darwin's Great Voyage of Discovery, students will read his account of his voyage on the Beagle and see how this experience inspired him to devote the ... Full description.

This lesson includes two activities in which students learn that the kinds of genetic changes that can be caused by natural selection happen in all organisms and can happen with surprising speed. It looks at how understanding evolution and its mechanisms helps scientists deal with world health threats and global environmental crises as well as predict the impact new technology will have on our future. ... Full description.

These two activities demonstrate to students that although evolutionary theory is accepted by the scientific community as a valid explanation of the history and structure of the living world, its inclusion in public school curricula continues to be controversial for many. Students study the benchmark historical decisions regarding the teaching of evolution, and see how science can influence policy ... Full description.

In this activity students take an imaginary trip to the Greater Antilles to figure out how the Anolis lizards on the islands might have evolved. They begin by observing the body structures and habitat of different species and then plot this data on a map of the islands to look for patterns in their distribution. From the observed patterns, students develop alternative hypotheses about how these lizards ... Full description.

This laboratory activity has students first classify 14 living species into genera, families, etc. Then they construct an evolutionary tree of the Caminalcules using an additional 57 fossil species. This illustrates how modern classification schemes attempt to reflect evolutionary history. In the process of doing this exercise, the students are also introduced to concepts such as convergent evolution ... Full description.

This activity has students formulate explanations and models that simulate structural and biochemical data as they investigate the misconception that humans evolved from apes. Students should recognize that present-day species evolved from earlier species and the relatedness of organisms is the result of common ancestry. They will also discover that similarities among existing organisms provide evidence ... Full description.

In this activity, students experience one mechanism for evolution through a simulation that models the principles of natural selection and helps answer the question 'how might biological change have occurred and been reinforced over time?' Students will discover that species evolve over time and evolution is the consequence of the interaction of the potential for a species to increase in number, the ... Full description.

This lesson provides an overview for a unit on natural selection. As part of the introduction to the unit, students will have a chance to participate in a discussion around their ideas about evolution. They will also be given information about the goals and expectations for the unit, both in terms of the topics covered and the kinds of work that will be expected from them. Finally, they will be asked ... Full description.

This lesson will help students develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation. The Motivation section introduces a species of bird that became (over millions of years) numerous species, through adaptation. The Development section is a hands-on activity that demonstrates how populations change little by little, generation by generation, due ... Full description.