Students investigate relevant period documents and artifacts and have the opportunity to replicate a 1943-44 entertainment experience by viewing a program of World War II era motion pictures on site at Vancouver's historic...

Students, in groups, reflect on their attitudes towards poets and poetry. They read excerpts from George Puttenham's The Arte of English Poesie, which was written during Shakespeare's day. They compare their attitudes toward poetry to...

Students investigate various aspects of the planet Mars. They examine a core sample that is simulated to make observations. Then compare the known sample with one that is unknown and differentiate between the two. Students hypothesize...

Young scholars study human evolution and the scientific process. They complete the Origins of Humankind Web activity to become familiar with the hominid species as well as the associated evidence found, in the form of fossils and artifacts.

Students investigate the writings of Thoreau in order to better comprehend his impact on American Literature and unique writing style. Working to evaluate the different pieces of writing, they read the essays in order to create their own...

Students examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...

Students investigate carpooling and determine to what extent it occurs in their community for a carpool challenge. In groups, students create a survey then collect, calculate and record data to determine how much pollution could be...

Tenth graders create images based on an understanding of historical and contemporary images and issues that reflect an understanding of responsibility to the context of a specific audience.

Students design and construct an imaginary animal that is perfectly adapted to a particular type of biome. They give the animal a scientific name, place it in a phylum and write descriptions about its behavior, reproduction, foraging,...

Students explore the basic ideas and beliefs about medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries. They write a news account to be published in a "medical journal" developed by the class. Each "article" in the journal should be dated...

Students watch a caterpillar change and become a butterfly. For this lesson about the life cycle of a caterpillar and a butterfly, students prepare and maintain the habitat of the caterpillar. Students observe the stages of the...

Students strengthen observational skills by searching for insects in their home and classroom. In this observation lesson, students use magnifying glasses to classify what kinds of bugs were found. Students then create a bar graph to...

Students research and identify philanthropic organizations involved in current events. In this current events lesson plan, students search newspaper articles for philanthropic organizations, such as the Red Cross, and how they are...

In this rich and poor dialogue, students read aloud questions and answers about the rich and the poor of the world in order to build vocabulary skills.  Students work in pairs.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] An introduction to Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection is offered for students. Meet the writers who influenced Darwin to develop his...

An interview with Douglas Futuyma, renowned evolutionary scientist, explaining the theory of natural selection and how it steers toward evolution.

Scientific article explaining what natural selection is, and how it manifests itself through genetics and from generation to generation. Natural selection is compared to genetic drift, both of which cause evolution to occur. The limits...

Learn about selective pressure and how genes are involved in adaptations by watching this video on pocket mice. The video focuses on the research of Dr. Michael Nachman, "whose work in the field and in the lab has quantified the...

Background information and slideshow presentation on creating the Origin of Species scientific manuscripts.

A detailed website that explains the history and process of classifying animals using evolutionary, molecular, and physical characteristics relationships. Website also contains information on evolution and evolutionary processes....

This interesting tour examines how life began on earth, provides images of the first life forms, and delves into the role that photosynthesis sexual reproduction, and natural selection played in the the Precambrian period. Listen to...

The complete original text of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

Stebbins is a game about evolution. Students collect data as predators eating colored circles on a colored background, being careful to avoid the poisonous ones. Data analysis reveals how the population changes color over time, and can...

These pages are part of a site called "Evolution," that accompany a textbook by the same name. Mark Ridley is the author. This section is about Darwin, his travels, and his observations that led to "On The Origins Of Species."