• Back

  • Middle School

    Natural Selection and Adaptations

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past. MS-LS4-1

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

  2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships. MS-LS4-2

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

  3. Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy. MS-LS4-3

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

  4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. MS-LS4-4

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

  5. Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time. MS-LS4-6

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyzing data in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to extending quantitative analysis to investigations, distinguishing between correlation and causation, and basic statistical techniques of data and error analysis.

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Mathematical and computational thinking at the 6–8 level builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to identifying patterns in large data sets and using mathematical concepts to support explanations and arguments.

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiences and progresses to include constructing explanations and designing solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • RST.6-8.1 - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-LS4-1), (MS-LS4-2), (MS-LS4-3)
  • RST.6-8.7 - Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). (MS-LS4-1), (MS-LS4-3)
  • RST.6-8.9 - Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. (MS-LS4-3), (MS-LS4-4)
  • SL.8.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (MS-LS4-2), (MS-LS4-4)
  • SL.8.4 - Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. (MS-LS4-2), (MS-LS4-4)
  • WHST.6-8.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. (MS-LS4-2), (MS-LS4-4)
  • WHST.6-8.9 - Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research. (MS-LS4-2), (MS-LS4-4)

Mathematics

  • 6.EE.B.6 - Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. (MS-LS4-1), (MS-LS4-2)
  • 6.RP.A.1 - Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. (MS-LS4-4), (MS-LS4-6)
  • 6.SP.B.5 - Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context. (MS-LS4-4), (MS-LS4-6)
  • 7.RP.A.2 - Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. (MS-LS4-4), (MS-LS4-6)
  • MP.4 - Model with mathematics. (MS-LS4-6)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • Do you have a great resource to share with the community? Click here.
  •  Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES).pptx

  •  Legends of Learning - The Fossil Record

    In this series of games, your students will learn about the different types of fossils and the clues they offer us. The Fossil Record learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performan...

  •  Legends of Learning - Reconstructing Evolutionary Histo ...

    In this series of games, your students will learn about the genetic evidence behind the theory of evolution. The Reconstructing Evolutionary History Using Fossils learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards —delivers improved student engag...

  •  Legends of Learning - Embryological Evidence for Common ...

    In this series of games, your students will learn about vertebrates, invertebrates, and the developmental similarities among each group. The Embryological Evidence for Common Ancestry learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers ...

  •  Legends of Learning - Natural Selection

    In this series of games, your students will learn about the ways species adapt to survive. The Natural Selection learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom,...

  •  Legends of Learning - Adaptation

    In this series of games, your students will learn how and why species change over time. The Adaptation learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demons...

  •  Closing the Literacy Gap w Tech Helping At-Risk Student ...

  •  Paleoclimates and Pollen

    In this activity, students examine pictures of pollen grains representing several species that show the structural differences that scientists use for identification. Students analyze model soil samples with material mixed in to represent pollen grai...

  •  A Fossil Thermometer

    In this activity, students calculate temperatures during a time in the geologic record when rapid warming occurred using a well known method called 'leaf-margin analysis.' Students determine the percentage of the species that have leaves with smooth ...

  •  Eyewitnesses to Change

    In this activity students explore recent changes in the Arctic's climate that have been observed and documented by indigenous Arctic residents. Students watch a video, take notes, and create a concept map. Students also examine and graph historical w...

  •  Dead Diatoms Do Tell Tales

    The students get to be climate detectives as they make a model of sediment cores using different kinds of glass beads and sand. They learn how to examine the types, numbers, and conditions of diatom skeletons in the model sediment cores and tell som...

  •  Evidence of Ice Free Seas

    In this activity, students make a model sea floor sediment core using two types of buttons to represent fossil diatoms. They then compare the numbers of diatom fossils in the sediment at different depths to determine whether the seas were free of ice...

  •  Tree Rings: Counting the Years of Global Warming

    This video describes the role that dendrochronology plays in understanding climate change, especially changes to high elevation environments at an upper tree line. Dendrochronologists from the Big Sky Institute sample living and dead trees, describe ...

  •  Changing Planet: Adaptation of Butterflies

    This video addresses the impact of climate change on several butterfly populations. Warming temperatures lead to shifts in location of populations of butterflies or die-offs of populations unable to adapt to changing conditions or shift to new locati...

  •  Changes in Hardiness Zones

    This animation illustrates how the hardiness zones for plants have changed between 1990 and 2006 based data from 5,000 National Climatic Data Center cooperative stations across the continental United States.

  •  Studying Eco Climatic Domains

    Activity is a Project BudBurst/National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) exploration of eco-climactic domains, as defined by NEON, by investigating characteristics of a specific domain and studying two representative plants in that domain.

  •  The Methane Circus


    In this activity from NOAA's Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection, learners investigate how methane hydrates might have been involved with the Cambrian explosion.

  •  Natural Selection.docx

    Students use an online simulation (https://www.biologysimulations.com/natural-selection) to explore how environment can impact fur color distribution in a population.

  •  Summary of Natural Selection

    The Natural Selection virtual lab allows students the opportunity to investigate into how natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression of others. Therefore, through this virtual lab, students will...

  •  Summary of Diversity of Traits

    The goal of the Diversity of Traits virtual lab is to allow students the opportunity to investigate how variations of traits can occur because of mutations. This virtual lab complements the Natural Selection virtual lab by addressing a common misconc...

  •  Antibiotic Resistance - Interactive Model

Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.