Alike but Not the Same (Grades 9-12)
Author/Source: National Institutes of Health (via Understanding Evolution)
Overview: Students conduct a classwide inventory of human traits, construct histograms of the data they collect, and play a brief game that introduces students to major concepts related to human genetic variation and the notion of each individual's uniqueness.
Concepts: This lesson covers the following concepts:
- Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population.
- Natural selection acts on phenotype as an expression of genotype.
Grade Level: 9-12
Time: 50 minutes
Teacher Background: Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson:
Teaching Tips: This activity is an introduction to several activities within a module entitled Human Genetic Variation. We also recommend the second activity in this module: The Meaning of Genetic Variation. These activities focus on variation but could easily be extended to address variation's role in evolution.
Lesson URL: https://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/webversions/genetic/activities/activity1.html