Evidence of Evolution Worksheets

Evidence of Evolution Whales
        Evidence of evolution worksheets that are designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school life science teachers. Evolutionary evidence like fossil worksheets, DNA and amino acid comparison labs teaches students many pieces of evidence for evolution. Vestigal structures like tail bones and homologous structures like hand, wrist, and forarm bones allow students to visualize common ancestry. Click the Free Lesson Plan (PDF) link below or become a member to get access to the answer key and editable file. Free evidence of evolution curriculum includes:
  • Evidence of Evolution Worksheet
    Evidence of Evolution Worksheet
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Worksheet
    Students are introduced to evidence of evolution vocabulary terms, and they use those terms to answer questions.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-1
    MS-LS4-2 (Anatomical Structures)
    MS-LS4-3 (Embryology)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Evidence of Evolution Project
    BLAST Cancer RAS Gene Project
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Project
    Students will do a BLAST and learn about how a mutated gene will code for an abnormal protein, affecting the organism’s phenotype.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS1-1
    HS-LS1-4
    HS-LS3-1
    HS-LS3-2
    HS-LS4-1
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Evidence of Evolution Test or Quiz
    Evidence of Evolution Test Question Bank
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Test
    Question bank to build assessments. An active membership is required to view questions.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-1
    MS-LS4-1 (Fossils)
    MS-LS4-2 (Anatomical Structures)
    MS-LS4-3 (Embryology)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Evidence of Evolution Multimedia
    The Science of Ape Intelligence
    Free Lesson Plan
    Free Video
     
    High School Multimedia
    Student will watch the video about the science of ape intelligence and, after watching, discuss answers to questions related to similarities and differences between intelligence in apes and in humans. Students are first organized into teams to track experiments and field observations. Students then watch the video (online or by DVD) and take notes on their topic. Student next will meet in their groups and fill in the two worksheets. Lastly, student will have a class discussion about the topics discussed.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS2-8
    MS-LS1-8 (Brain)
    		  
    Published by Margy Kuntz, NGHT, Inc. and WGBH Educational Foundation
  • Evidence of Evolution Lab Experiment
    Examining the Fossil Record Lab
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Lab
    Students analyze the characteristics of fossils, organize paper "fossils" to show change over time by developing an evolutionary tree based on the morphology and age of fossils.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-1
    MS-LS4-1 (Fossils)
    MS-LS4-2 (Anatomical Structures)
    		  
    Published by Shannan Muskopf
Dinosaur Fossil


Evidence of Evolution Concepts

  • Fossils - paleontologists, fossil record, carbon dating.
  • Macromolecules - proteins, amino acid sequences, nucleic acids.
  • Anatomy - vestigial structures, homologous structures, vertebrate embryos.
  • Thomas Malthus - human population growth.
  • Jean Baptiste Lamarck - use and disuse of physical attributes.
  • Charles Lyell - Earth’s surface changes.
  • Radiometric Dating - radioisotopes, half-life.
  • Bacteria - archaebacteria, eubacteria, endosymbiosis.
  • Cambrian Period - animal phyla origin, ozone layer.
  • Sea to Land - plants, fungi, arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, mass extinction, continental drift.
  • Rate of Evolution - gradualism, punctuated equilibrium.
  • Primates - binocular vision, grasping hands / feet.
  • Apes - opposable thumbs.
  • Hominids - bipedal, Lucy, Homo sapiens.


Lessons Organized by NGSS Standard