This booklet, one of six in the Living Things Science series, presents activities about evolution which address basic "Benchmarks" suggested by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the Living Environment for grades 3-5. Contents include background information, vocabulary (in English and Spanish), materials,…

The possibility of life on other worlds is one of enormous fascination. This book emphasizes how intelligence and culture helped humans form a civilization that now has the technology to detect and communicate with possible extraterrestrial civilizations. Topics discussed include indications and characteristics of intelligence, the evolutionary…

Presents an activity that provides students an opportunity to explore the tempo and mode of evolution by analyzing data and constructing two evolutionary trees, one gradualistic and one punctuated. (ZWH)

Describes a real life example of natural selection that can be used instead of computer simulation to teach evolution to students. (ZWH)

Describes an innovative model for improving the teaching of evolution in high school biology courses. Combines the teaching of evolution with both a modern view of the nature of science and the use of humans as the primary case study for understanding evolutionary concepts. Requires consistent use of student-centered activities. Contains 20…

This teacher's guide was developed to assist teachers in the use of multimedia resources for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program, "Evolution." Each unit uses an inquiry-based approach to meet the National Science Education Standards. Units include: (1) "What is the Nature of Science?"; (2) "Who Was Charles Darwin?"; (3) "What is the…

Presents the results of a survey on evolution given to 392 university students in western Pennsylvania. Concludes that, although nearly three-quarters of the students say they believe in the theory of evolution, most do not understand the mechanism behind it. (PR)

Presents an activity that highlights the mechanism and power of natural selection. Allows students to think in terms of modeling a biological process and instills an appreciation for a mathematical approach to biological problems. (JRH)

Described are simulations that can be used to illustrate evolution by natural selection. Suggestions for simulating phenomena such as adaptive radiation, color match to background and vision of predators are offered. (BR)

Describes an activity that uses paper airplanes to demonstrate natural selection and is preceded by a lesson on the fossil record to supply a foundation for the concept of evolution. (JRH)

Describes how a film regarding a controversial issue (evolution education) can be used in the classroom to generate student interest and initiate excellent opportunities for teaching critical thinking skills in high school biology. Daily activities are provided to demonstrate how a lesson on evolution was built around this film. (ZWH)

Suggests classroom projects for investigating the diversity of insects. (LS)

Nine questions are presented for student discussions relating to genetics, evolution, and racial characteristics. A brief introductory discussion of these topics are presented, as well. (BB)

The guide presents lesson plans from "NOVA" which targets middle school and junior high school students and meet the National Science Education Standards. Lessons include: (1) "Neanderthals on Trial"; (2) "Fireworks"; (3) "Secrets, Lies and Atomic Spies"; (4) "Bioterror"; (5) "The Missing…

An activity simulating natural selection in which wild birds are predators, green and brown pastry "baits" are prey, and trays containing colored stones as the backgrounds is presented. Two different methods of measuring selection are used to describe the results. The materials and methods, results, and discussion are included. (KR)