The goal of this activity is to introduce students to the variation …
The goal of this activity is to introduce students to the variation that exists in a population of organisms. Students plant different seeds in a field with a gradient of sunlight. Their seeds survive the winter and grow into plants the following spring to reinforce the point that the evolutionary changes the students observe take place over many generations. In a second model, a plant produces seeds, some of which grow into plants that are slightly different from those of the parent plant. (Evolution Activity 2 of 10.)
The goal of this activity is to give students the opportunity to …
The goal of this activity is to give students the opportunity to 'think like a scientist,' making hypotheses, doing experiments, making observations, and analyzing data. Students are encouraged to construct and conduct their own experiments with ecosystems comprising grass, rabbits, and up to two predator species: hawks and foxes. (Evolution Activity 10 of 10.)
The concept of interdependence in an ecosystem and its effect on the …
The concept of interdependence in an ecosystem and its effect on the evolution of populations is further explored through a model of a dam. Students build a dam in the middle of the field, dividing the ecosystem in half to illustrate the effects of geographic isolation. They watch as the grass and then the rabbit populations in that region shift to one variant in the population. When students remove the dam, they observe the ecosystem slowly return to its original state. (Evolution Activity 8 of 10.)
In this activity, students review inheritance with variation. A Virtual Field model …
In this activity, students review inheritance with variation. A Virtual Field model has light levels that vary smoothly from top to bottom. A single type of seed grows best in the center of the field, but the model includes variation in the offspring seeds. Since each plant scatters seeds randomly, it happens occasionally that some of these different seeds fall in a location where the light level is just right for it. When this happens the seed will grow into a healthy plant that will produce seeds of its own. In this way, the single type of plant eventually evolves into a full spectrum of different varieties. (Evolution Activity 3 of 10.)
This activity uses a model of the Virtual Ecosystem with three species …
This activity uses a model of the Virtual Ecosystem with three species in it: grass, rabbits, and hawks, enabling the students to explore the effect of predation on the prey population. At first students explore protective coloration as they 'become' a hawk and try to catch and eat brown and white rabbits on a snowy field. The latter blend into the background and are harder to see, so they have a selective advantage. Students then explore how the color of the rabbit population changes as the environment changes over time. (Evolution Activity 9 of 10.)
This transfer activity tests student understanding of variation and inheritance. It starts …
This transfer activity tests student understanding of variation and inheritance. It starts with five flower boxes, as in 'The Virtual Greenhouse,' and three types of seeds with variations in their roots. The flower boxes differ in the amount of water they receive, and students discover which seeds thrive in which environment. Students are then challenged to produce a crop of plants that can grow everywhere in a field by taking advantage of the small variation in root type from one generation to the next. (Evolution Activity 5 of 10.)
The goal of this activity is to introduce students to how variation …
The goal of this activity is to introduce students to how variation in organisms can enable them to live in different environments. For example, plants with different sizes of leaves are adapted to grow under different amounts of light. Students plant three different types of seeds in five different flower boxes and are challenged to determine the light level under which each type of seed grows best. (Evolution Activity 1 of 10.)
Students discover that variation in plants allows some varieties to survive in …
Students discover that variation in plants allows some varieties to survive in near-drought conditions. Next, students learn that different types of rabbits prefer to eat different varieties of plants. Students make the connection between rainfall amount and the rabbit population's ability to survive by thinking first about rainfall and plants, then about plants and rabbits. Students discover that when certain plants cannot grow and reproduce, the rabbits that eat those plants will not have enough food to survive. (Evolution Activity 7 of 10.)
In common experience, the term "adapting" usually refers to changes during an …
In common experience, the term "adapting" usually refers to changes during an organism's lifetime. In contrast, evolutionary biologists use the term "adaptation" to refer to a heritable trait that increases fitness. To help students reconcile these different concepts, this activity introduces the concept of phenotypic plasticity (the ability of an organism to adapt to different environments within its lifetime). Questions guide students in analyzing how the balance between the advantages and disadvantages of a characteristic (e.g. an animal's color) can vary in different circumstances, how phenotypic plasticity can be a heritable trait that can optimize fitness in a variable environment, and how natural selection can influence the amount of phenotypic plasticity in a population. This activity is designed to help high school students meet the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards.
In this online activity, learners discover how random variation influences biological evolution. …
In this online activity, learners discover how random variation influences biological evolution. Biological evolution is often thought of as a process by which adaptation is generated through selection.Œć While it is recognized that random variation underlies the process, emphasis is usually placed on selection and resulting adaptation, leaving a sense that it is selection that drives evolution.Œć This simulation highlights the creative role of random variation, offering a somewhat different perspective: that of evolution as open-ended exploration driven by randomness and constrained by selection, with adaptation as a dynamic, transient consequence rather than an objective.
Students develop their understanding of natural selection by analyzing specific examples and …
Students develop their understanding of natural selection by analyzing specific examples and carrying out a simulation. The questions in the first section introduce students to the basic process of natural selection, including key concepts and vocabulary. The second section includes a simulation activity, data analysis, and questions to deepen students' understanding of natural selection, including the conditions that are required for natural selection to occur. In the third section, students interpret evidence concerning natural selection in the peppered moth and answer questions to consolidate a scientifically accurate understanding of the process of natural selection, including the role of changes in allele frequency. This activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
As technology has evolved over time so has the understanding of the …
As technology has evolved over time so has the understanding of the structure of the atom. This module focuses on how the model of the atom has changed over time using The Atomic Theory Timeline including the historical contributions of the scientists involved. This module was developed by Tracey Nipper as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.
This product contains final experimental estimates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait …
This product contains final experimental estimates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous), non-Indigenous and total populations of Australia at 30 June 2006, for various geographies.
NASA released the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) emblem. Launching from a modernized Kennedy …
NASA released the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) emblem. Launching from a modernized Kennedy Space Center, EM-1 is the first integrated flight of the Orion Spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. To learn more, visit https://www.nasa.gov/content/j2m-getting-to-mars-sls-and-orion.
This resource provides an inquiry-based exploration of the cyanotype photograms using examples …
This resource provides an inquiry-based exploration of the cyanotype photograms using examples from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and video explanations of the history, science, and artistic process of cyanotype photograms.
This resource provides an inquiry-based exploration of the cyanotype photograms using examples …
This resource provides an inquiry-based exploration of the cyanotype photograms using examples from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and video explanations of the history, science, and artistic process of cyanotype photograms.
In this activity, students use authentic Arctic climate data to explore albedo …
In this activity, students use authentic Arctic climate data to explore albedo and its relationship to seasonal snowmelt as a self-reinforcing feedback mechanism, which is then applied to large scale global climate change.
When J.J. Thomson first discovered that a cathode ray was actually a …
When J.J. Thomson first discovered that a cathode ray was actually a particle beam consisting of a stream of electrons, he concluded that these new particles were not just another type of atom. Explore and compare the behavior of electrons vs. charged atoms when they are shot through an electric field of varying intensity.
In this lesson, students will build and create food chains based on …
In this lesson, students will build and create food chains based on non-numeric data from an ecosystem they researched. By breaking down the components of a food chain into inputs, processes, and outputs, their created model can be used to predict the behavior of different organisms in the chain (what happens if we remove one organism or add multiple of another).
Mixing Science and Computer Science has never been easier! In this lesson …
Mixing Science and Computer Science has never been easier! In this lesson you will use Root Robots for Computer science using 5.7 and 5.8 computing systems.Students will explore troubleshooting with technology while exploring force and motion with the Robots. In this all inclusive lesson students will use the Scientific Method to experiment with Root Bots with force and motion. Students will graph results, create a hypothesis, proceedure lists, research with they know about force and motion, and them create a conclusion all while exploring force and motion and computer science trouble shooting.
No restrictions on your remixing, redistributing, or making derivative works. Give credit to the author, as required.
Your remixing, redistributing, or making derivatives works comes with some restrictions, including how it is shared.
Your redistributing comes with some restrictions. Do not remix or make derivative works.
Most restrictive license type. Prohibits most uses, sharing, and any changes.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements. Go to the resource provider to see their individual restrictions.
