In this lesson students describe, measure and compare cranial casts from contemporary apes (chimpanzees and gorillas, typically), modern humans and fossil hominids (erect and bipedal forms evolutionarily separated from apes). The purpose of the lesson is for students to discover for themselves what some of the similarities and differences are that exist between these forms and to see the pattern of ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will learn that some evolutionary change is rapid and discontinuous, and some change is gradual; how fossil evidence can provide clues to the past; and how speciation may account for evolutionary branching and diversification. Fossil shells of a land snail are arranged by layers of age into a sequence pattern suggesting gradual change, or punctuated equilibria. Students will ... Full description.

In this lesson students plot the times of existence for the several species of hominids on a two-dimensional time line chart. The lesson can be expanded to include new discoveries and relative divergence of ape lines. Full description.

In this lesson students compare differences in amino acids in the beta hemoglobin from representative primates, complete a matrix of those differences, and from these data, construct and interpret cladograms as they reflect relationships and timing of divergence. Full description.

In this evolution lesson, two sets of simulated fossils (caminalcules) are provided as cutouts. Students arrange them on two time scales. One set produces a visual example of gradualism; the other shows punctuated equilibria. Students will learn the following concepts: some evolutionary change is rapid and discontinuous, and some change is gradual; fossil patterns can provide clues to the past; and ... Full description.

In this activity, students write an essay on the history of scientific discoveries in the field of dinosaur paleontology. The essays are then evaluated via Calibrated Peer Review. On this Starting Point page, users can access information about the exercise's learning goals, context for use, teaching notes and tips, teaching materials, assessment ideas, references and topics covered. Full description.

These are the teaching notes for a case study in which students use cooperative learning and role-playing to explore the scientific, technical, environmental, and ethical issues related to the possibility of cloning dinosaurs from ancient DNA. The case was designed to enhance the learning environment in an introductory class through cooperative problem-solving and to promote active participation in ... Full description.

This information is designed to connect what students have learned about scientific arguments to the role and nature of explanatory models in science. They will be asked to read and discuss a brief handout about scientific models and their function in science. They will discover that models are ideas that scientists use to explain patterns they see in the natural world, a model is an idea that has ... Full description.

In this lesson, students experience the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. This experience also reveals how scientists can make predictions about past events based on the theory that whales evolved from certain groups of early land mammals. Such predictions suggest the age and location of sediments where fossils of early whales would most ... Full description.

This activity will help students to have a better understanding of the basic principles used to determine the age of rocks and fossils. It consists of several parts: to have students determine relative age of a geologically complex area, to familiarize students with the concept of half-life in radioactive decay, to have students see that individual runs of statistical processes are less predictable ... Full description.