This video addresses the topic of natural selection and misconceptions students may have that would lead to them not understanding the topic of evolution. [10:07]

This video looks at some common misconceptions that students can develop about natural selection, and how teachers can teach this topic effectively. [10:07]

This STEM-based poultry curriculum uses immersive learning experiences and real genetic samples for your students to dive deep in the future evolution of our food. See how environment influences heredity, and explore the evidence that suggests T. rex as our modern chicken’s and turkey’s ancestor. This unit features 4 lessons and 10 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Discusses conditions needed for the Hardy-Weinberg Law to hold true and demonstrates calculations involving allelic frequencies to illustrate this principle.

Learn how a cow eats and digests food in this video segment from Nature.

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, explores reasons why Homo sapiens had an advantage over Neanderthals in the pursuit of territory and natural resources.

This resource provides directions for a lab in which students observe changes in a gene pool of bunnies affected by natural selection. Includes PDF resources.

Saguaro National Park receives about 10 inches of rain a year, but has some of the highest biodiversity in North American. Learn how plants and animals are adapted to a hot and dry environment.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA: Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, learn how modern genetics and molecular biology offer compelling support for evolution. The video features an interview with biologist Ken Miller.

Introduction to how groups of organisms evolve and how natural selection can lead to evolution. [17:39]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Students are introduced to the concepts of evolution by natural selection and digital evolution software. They learn about the field of evolutionary computation, which applies the principles of natural selection to solve engineering design problems. They learn the similarities and differences between natural selection and the engineering design process.

Students explore the relationships between genetics, biodiversity, and evolution through a simple activity involving hypothetical wild mouse populations. First, students toss coins to determine what traits a set of mouse parents possesses, such as fur color, body size, heat tolerance, and running speed. Next they use coin tossing to determine the traits a mouse pup born to these parents possesses. These physical features are then compared 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?

Students perform an activity similar to the childhood “telephone” game in which each communication step represents a biological process related to the passage of DNA from one cell to another. This game tangibly illustrates how DNA mutations can happen over several cell generations and the effects the mutations can have on the proteins that cells need to produce. Next, students use the results from the “telephone” game (normal, substitution, deletion or insertion) to test how the mutation affects the survivability of an organism in the wild. Through simple enactments, students act as “predators” and “eat” (remove) the organism from the environment, demonstrating natural selection based on mutation.

This lesson will introduce the process of natural selection. It is 2 of 5 in the series titled "Natural Selection."

This video segment adapted from the NOW-RAMP 2002 Expedition documents a research expedition to Nihoa Island. It showcases Nihoa's unique birds and plants, the threat posed by invading grasshoppers, and restoration efforts.

The entire text of Charles Darwin's book, The Origin of Species is available on this site. This link is specifically for the chapter that discusses embryology as evidence for evolution.

This graphic from Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches by Peter Grant presents data from the Galapagos Islands, showing that a severe drought put selective pressure on the population of Darwin's finches and resulted in a change in the average beak size in the next generation.

Play in our streams and see how exhibitionism has an evolutionary payoff in this simulation of John Endler's famous experiment. Includes background information and discussion questions. Requires Shockwave plug-in.

In this video from Evolution, an exploration of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in the Russian prison system highlights one reason it is important to understand evolution.