Evolution by Natural Selection Worksheets

Charles Darwin Natural Selction
        Evolution by natural selection worksheets and natural selection lesson plans that are designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school life science teachers are downloadable here for free. Adapation worksheets where students learn the vocabulary for the process of natural selection and adapation. Free Lesson Plan (PDF) link below or become a member to get access to the answer key and editable file. Free natural selection curriculum includes:
  • Natural Selection Worksheet
    Natural Selection Worksheet
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Worksheet
    In this evolution by natural selection worksheet, students learn how nature selects advantageous traits called adaptations. This worksheet's focus is on evolutionary vocabulary terms.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-2
    HS-LS4-3
    HS-LS4-4
    HS-LS4-5
    MS-LS4-4 (Benefits of Variation)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Natural Selection Lab Experiment Recently Updated
    Adaptation is for Populations Simulation
    Free Multimedia
    Free Student Handout
     
    High School Lab

    Students run simulated experiments controlling habitat, predators, and data displays on deer mouse populations. They record their data to quantitatively analyze the population change. The activity aims for students to model how adaptation occurs solely at the population level while natural selection operates on individuals. 

    Example questions to ask students:
    What is happening to the mice over time?
    How long does a mouse live?
    Does the fur color of the population change over time when hawks are present?
    What about when hawks are not present?
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-4
    		  
    Published by Concord Consortium
  • Natural Selection Lab Experiment
    Peppered Moth Modeling Lab
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Lab
    Students will simulate how predators locate prey in different environments using forceps, newspaper and colored papers. Students will analyze how color affects an organism's ability to survive in certain environments.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-2
    HS-LS4-3
    MS-LS4-6 (Trait Frequencies)
    		  
    Published by Shannan Muskopf
  • Natural Selection Lab Experiment
    Evolution by Natural Selection Lab
    Free Student Handout
    Free Teacher Notes
     
    High School Lab
    In this evolution by natural selection lab, students start by answering questions on how mice's habitat affects the survival rate of different fur colors of mice. The students simulate the mice using a fork or spoon and a cup and try to eat pom-poms. The pom-poms are different colors, and they reside in different color habitats. Students learn how other evolutionary adaptations contribute to differences in survival and reproductive rates, allowing students to see changing allele frequencies in their modeled population.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-2
    HS-LS4-3
    HS-LS4-4
    MS-LS4-4 (Benefits of Variation)
    MS-LS4-6 (Trait Frequencies)
    		  
    Published by Ingrid Waldron and Jennifer Doherty
  • Natural Selection Lab Experiment
    Natural Selection Lab - Beans Simulation
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Lab
    Students model natural selection by using tools such as spoons to "capture" beans and determine the best adaptations for survival.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-2
    HS-LS4-3
    MS-LS4-6 (Trait Frequencies)
    		  
    Published by Shannan Muskopf
  • Natural Selection Multimedia
    Survival of the Sneakiest - Comic Strip
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Multimedia
    This comic follows the efforts of a male cricket as he tries to attract a mate, and in the process, debunks common myths about what it means to be evolutionarily "fit."
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS4-2
    HS-LS4-4
    MS-LS4-4 (Benefits of Variation)
    		  
    Published by Josh Frankel
Elephant Evolution


Natural Selection Concepts

  • Adaptation - Favorable variations and traits for survival.
  • Survival of the fittest
  • Directional Selection - one extreme phenotype thrives.
  • Stabilizing Selection - intermediate phenotypes thrive, both extreme phenotypes die off.
  • Disruptive Selection - both extreme phenotypes thrive, intermediate phenotypes die off.
  • Principle of Variation - physiology, morphology, behavior.
  • Principle of Selection - certain traits are more successful for survival.
  • Thomas Malthus - human population growth.
  • Jean Baptiste Lamarck - use and disuse of physical attributes.
  • Charles Lyell - Earth’s surface changes.
  • Darwin’s Voyage - HMS Beagle, Galapagos Islands, finches, turtles, iguanas.
  • Alfred Wallace - asked darwin to help publish essay, Darwin’s book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection".


Lessons Organized by NGSS Standard