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Features a collection of top rated Evolution Lesson Plan sites.

A Scientific Approach to Teaching About Evolution & Special Creation  

The focus of this activity is on critical thinking, forming testable hypotheses to challenge three "theories" about the origin of the diversity of life: spontaneous generation, special creation, and evolution. Many of the hypotheses can be tested simply by studying a sampling of fossils representative of the geological column, figuratively "gathered on a field trip into the Grand Canyon."
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/ev.sp.cr.html

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"Theory" Choices: What Happened to the Dinosaurs  

Students read and discuss articles presenting two alternative "theories" about the extinction of dinosaurs. Students are encouraged to use the criteria which scientists use to get the "best" solution
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/theor.ch.html

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A Peek at the Past: Fossil Patterns: Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibria  

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". k at the Past: Fossil Patterns: Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibria
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/peek.html

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A Step in Speciation: The Analysis of Field Observations  

Different subspecies of a California salamander are placed on a grid map of California according to where samples were collected. Discussion focuses on patterns of their distribution, their likely evolutionary relationships, and probable sequence of formation from the original form (speciation). Very compelling experience of speciation and its role in evolution.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/step.sp.html

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Assessing the Progress of Science: Human Origins  

In this lesson students in grades 9-12 asses the progress of science, analyze cladograms, and debate Darwin’s theory of evolution using the Internet.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/outpost/resource_lesson3.html

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Becoming Whales: Experiencing Discoveries of Whale Evolution or... "The Thrill of Discovery...The Lo  

Students will experience the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. This experience reveals how scientists can make predictions about past events, based on the theory that whales evolved. Such predictions suggest the age and location of sediments where fossils of early whales would most likely be found. This lesson also provides confirmation, with multiple independent lines of evidence, that there IS a series of intermediate forms, showing gradual accumulation of changes, linking certain terrestrial mammals with modern whales.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/whale.ev.html

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Chronology Lab  

Students plot the times of existence for the several species of hominids on a two-dimensional time line chart. Can be expanded to include new discoveries, and relative divergence of ape lines.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/chronlab.html

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Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee Chromosomes  

The banding patterns seen on stained chromosomes from humans and chimpanzees are compared in detail, showing striking similarities. Possible evolutionary relationships are explored, as are the chromosomes and relationships of other apes.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/chromcom.html

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Contrivances: Orchids and the Panda's Thumb  

Students are assigned to read and discuss selected and edited excerpts from the essays of Stephen Jay Gould on the subject of contrivances.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/contriv.html

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Evolution: Are There Really Missing Links?  

In these lessons, students focus on applying evidence for evolutionary transitions to the general theory of evolution. Activities include investigating how Darwin's finches would adapt to different island environments and creating an exhibit of "missing links" art.
http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/benton2lessons.pdf

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Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory?  

In these lessons, students examine patterns of change in nature, mechanisms of evolution, and factual evidence for evolution. There are 11 activities from which to choose, including a skit involving an imaginary meeting between Darwin and Mendel, creating a newsletter to distinguish factual data from guesswork, and evaluating web sites that deal with evolution.
http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/lenskilessons.pdf

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Evolutionstechnik or Selection & Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird  

Students participate in a contrived natural selection simulation in which they build and modify simple paper airplanes ("Origami Birds").
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/origami.html

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Footsteps in Time  

The 3.6 million year old tracks of early hominids in Laetoli provide a tantalizing opportunity to explore how scientists use patterns of the present to understand the past. What do those footprints tell us? How can we find out? Students measure and corelate their foot lengths and body heights, then use these data to estimate height of Laetoli hominids.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/footstep.html

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Fossils  

In this lesson, students conduct an inquiry to answer an apparently simple question: Do two slightly different fossils represent an evolutionary trend? In doing the activity, students rely on prior knowledge from life science. They use mathematical knowledge and skill. The focus of the discussion is to explain organized data.
http://books.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/fossils6e.html

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Hominoid Cranium Comparison (The "Skulls" Lab)  

Students describe, measure and compare cranial casts from contemporary apes (gorillas and chimpanzees, typically), modern humans and fossil "hominids" (erect and bipedal forms evolutionarily separated from apes). ("Hominoid" is the collective term for apes and humans.) The purpose of the activity is for students to discover for themselves what some of the similarities and differences are that exist between these forms.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/hom.cran.html

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Human Evolution Unit: A Unit Sequence Which Works In High School Biology  

Open the school year in Biology with an intensive (two-three week) unit on the nature of science: what it IS, what it is NOT, and the LIMITS of science. This will help to dispel some of the myths students commonly have about science, and effectively lay the groundwork for the entire course. In fact, it would be very useful to administer pre-tests on the nature of science (and even evolution) in the first few days, to determine what pre-conceptions your students have about these topics, before you begin those topics. You can then introduce Biology as a science in this context.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/unt.he.f.html

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Island Biogeography and Evolution: Solving a Phylogenetic Puzzle With Molecular Geneics  

Using real data, students develop likely phylogenies for seven related populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands (off the West coast of Africa). Three phylogenetic charts will be constructed, each using different forms of data: geography, geology, morphology, and molecular genetics (DNA comparisons). Serves as an excellent example of MILE: Multiple Independent Line of Evidence, showing at least some degree of similarity of patterns and therefore mutual confirmation of the phylogeny.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/island.html

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Lamarck vs Darwin: Dueling Theories  

A short article which offers an excellent classroom strategy to help students resolve the all-to-common confusion of Lamarck's mechanism for evolution with Darwinian natural selection. This widespread problem is regularly encountered: students explaining evolution by natural selection by using phrases e.g. "organisms adapt by changing their structures of behavior in order to survive", suggesting that purposeful changes individual organisms undergo provide the underlying mechanism of natural selection, a clear confusion of Lamarck's ideas with Darwin's.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/lam.darw.html

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Macroevolution: Patterns, Trends, and Rates of Change  

Fossil shells of a land snail are arranged by layers of age into a sequence pattern suggesting gradual change, or punctuated equilibria. Variation uses caminalcules in place of fossil shells.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/macroev.html

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Molecular Biology and Phylogeny  

Amino acid sequences in cytochrome-c are compared for several different animals, and the number of differences found are used to infer degrees of relationship. These data are also compared with a cladogram constructed for those same animals from their anatomical features, providing an example of independent confirmation.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/mol.bio.html

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Mutualism and Co-evolution  

This unit of lessons is designed for eighth grade science students though could be adapted for students in grades sixth through ninth. It is a unit of lessons that uses a variety of methods and approaches to teach flowering plant biology which includes seed germination; plant growth and food production through photosynthesis; plant transpiration and respiration; sexual reproduction focusing on flower structure, function and cross-pollination. By also studying the structure and function of a variety of plant pollinators, students will easily comprehend the concepts of mutualism and co-evolution.
http://biology.arizona.edu/sciconn/lessons2/Roxane/page1.htm

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The Chips Are Down: A Natural Selection Simulation  

Demonstrate how natural selection operates, using different colored paper chips to represent prey and a piece of fabric as a background (the environment). The predator (student) will hunt (select chips) to show that the best adapted, by color, are NOT chosen, and others which are poorly adapted (by standing out) ARE chosen (removed). Thus, the best adapted survive and reproduce to pass on their traits. Survivors then "reproduce", and subsequent generations are preyed upon.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/ns.chips.html

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The Great Fossil Find  

Students are taken on an imaginary fossil hunt. Following a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature, only a few at a time. Each time, they attempt to reconstruct the creature, and each time their interpretation tends to change as new pieces are "found".
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/gr.fs.fd.html

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The Natural Selection of Bean Hunters  

Groups of students go hunting for beans in the lawn. Each group has a different tool (e.g. hand, spoon, fork, etc). There are three different colors of beans. The hunting goes for three rounds (generations), with extinctions and reproduction occurring between rounds.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/ns.beans.html

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The Natural Selection of Stick-Worms (or You, Too, Can Be Selected, Naturally)  

Students play the role of birds, go out on the school lawn, and pick up toothpick "stick worms" which have been previously scattered on the lawn in equal numbers of green-stained and unstained. "Birds" are chased away before the "worm population" drops too low. Back in the classroom, the number of green and non-green "worms" are compared individually and for the whole class. Discussion relates the experience to the elements of natural selection. As presented here, it does not lend itself to demonstrating the effects of selection over multiple generations.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/ns.st.wm.html

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