In this 8 minute video, Paul Andersen describes how life could have formed on our planet through natural processes. The progression from monomers, to polymers, to protocells and finally to cells is described. The Miller-Urey experiment is described in detail as well as characteristics of the latest universal ancestor.

Also included are worksheets, a concept map, a slideshow, and transcript of the video.

Transcript added from YouTube subtitles. You can use this to write your own worksheet or quiz.

This a remix of Bean-Counter Evolution found at https://goopenva.org/courses/bean-counter-evolution, suggesting some modifications and extensions that could be used.

This is an activity that involves students modeling the behavior and competition that Charles Darwin's finches would have gone through as they competed for food and space on the Galapagos Islands. Some will survive. Some won't.

Students toss coins to determine what traits a set of mouse parents possess, such as fur color, body size, heat tolerance, and running speed. Then they use coin tossing to determine the traits a mouse pup born to these parents possesses. Then they compare these physical features to features that would be most adaptive in several different environmental conditions. Finally, students consider what would happen to the mouse offspring if those environmental conditions were to change: which mice would be most likely to survive and produce the next generation?

This 18-minute video lesson looks at the the vocabulary of DNA: chromosomes, chromatids, chromatin, transcription, translation, and replication. [Biology playlist: Lesson 8 of 71].

This 18-minute video lesson provides an introduction to evolution, variation in a population, and Natural Selection. [Biology playlist: Lesson 1 of 71].

This 13-minute video discusses how the Owl Butterfly may have gotten the spot on its wings. [Biology playlist: Lesson 5 of 71].

This 13-minute video lesson looks at the science of taxonomy and where humans fit into the tree of life. [Biology playlist: Lesson 62 of 71].

This 20-minute video lesson discusses how variation can be introduced into a species. [Biology playlist: Lesson 7 of 71].

Submitted as part of the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) Phase 3 Digital Textbook Initiative (CA DTI3), CK-12 Foundation’s high school Biology FlexBook covers cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, botany, zoology, and physiology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

CK-12’s Life Science delivers a full course of study in the life sciences for the middle school student, relating an understanding of the history, disciplines, tools, and modern techniques of science to the exploration of cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, evolution, prokaryotes, protists,fungi, plants, animals, invertebrates, vertebrates, human biology, and ecology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

CK-12’s Life Science delivers a full course of study in the life sciences for the middle school student, relating an understanding of the history, disciplines, tools, and modern techniques of science to the exploration of cell biology, genetics, evolution, prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, the animal kingdom, the human body, and ecology. This digital textbook was reviewed for its alignment with California content standards.

What cellular evidence do we have to construct evolutionary trees and believe that all life on Earth shares a common ancestry?

The topic of this video module is how to classify animals based on how closely related they are. The main learning objective is that students will learn how to make phylogenetic trees based on both physical characteristics and on DNA sequence. Students will also learn why the objective and quantitative nature of DNA sequencing is preferable when it come to classifying animals based on how closely related they are. Knowledge prerequisites to this lesson include that students have some understanding of what DNA is and that they have a familiarity with the base-pairing rules and with writing a DNA sequence.

This activity is designed to compare and contrast the anatomy of the leg bones of a bird vs. a human.

In this biology inquiry lab, students study evolutionary relationships by making observations of preserved animal specimens, developing a question, then investigating by dissecting the specimens provided.

In small groups, students experiment and observe the similarities and differences between human-made objects and objects from nature. They compare the function and structure of hollow bones with drinking straws, bird beaks, tool pliers, bat wings and airplane wings. Observations are recorded in a compare & contrast chart, and then shared in a classroom discussion, along with follow up assessment activities such as journal writing and Venn diagrams.

Explore a NetLogo model of populations of rabbits, grass, and weeds. First, adjust the model to start with a different rabbit population size. Then adjust model variables, such as how fast the plants or weeds grow, to get more grass than weeds. Change the amount of energy the grass or weeds provide to the rabbits and the food preference. Use line graphs to monitor the effects of changes you make to the model, and determine which settings affect the proportion of grass to weeds when rabbits eat both.