• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] An organism's features reflect its evolutionary history.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] Features sometimes acquire new functions through natural selection
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] Features sometimes acquire new functions through natural selection.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] Similarities among existing organisms provide evidence for evolution. (LS4.A)
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] Anatomical similarities of living things reflect common ancestry. (LS4.A)
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] Not all similar traits are homologous; some are the result of convergent evolution.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] An organism's features reflect its evolutionary history.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] Similarities among existing organisms (including morphological, developmental, and molecular similarities) reflect common ancestry and provide evidence for evolution.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] Not all similar traits are homologous; some are the result of convergent evolution.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Evolution occurs through multiple mechanisms.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolution occurs through multiple mechanisms.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Sexual selection occurs when selection acts on characteristics that affect the ability of individuals to obtain mates.
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientific knowledge is open to question and revision as we come up with new ideas and discover new evidence. (P4, P6, NOS3)
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] A hallmark of science is exposing ideas to testing. (P3, P4, P6, P7)
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence. (P6, NOS2)
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observational research, comparative research, and modeling) to collect data. (P2, P3, P4, NOS1)
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists may explore many different hypotheses to explain their observations. (P7)
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] The real process of science is complex, iterative, and can take many different paths.
• [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Science is a human endeavor. (NOS7)
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientific knowledge is open to question and revision as we come up with new ideas and discover new evidence.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] A hallmark of science is exposing ideas to testing.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observational research, comparative research, and modeling) to collect data.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists may explore many different hypotheses to explain their observations.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] The real process of science is complex, iterative, and can take many different paths.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientific findings and evidence inspire new questions and shape the directions of future scientific research.
• [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Science is a human endeavor.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Our knowledge of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Our understanding of life through time is based upon multiple lines of evidence.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use the similarity of DNA nucleotide sequences to infer the relatedness of taxa. (LS4.A)
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use anatomical evidence to infer the relatedness of taxa. (LS4.A)
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Our knowledge of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Our understanding of life through time is based upon multiple lines of evidence.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use multiple lines of evidence (including morphological, developmental, and molecular evidence) to infer the relatedness of taxa.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary trees (i.e., phylogenies or cladograms) portray hypotheses about evolutionary relationships.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary trees (i.e., phylogenies or cladograms) are built from multiple lines of evidence.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] The principle of parsimony suggests that the phylogenetic hypothesis most likely to be true is the one requiring the fewest evolutionary changes.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary trees can be used to make inferences and predictions.

• Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
• NOS Matrix understanding category 1. Scientific investigations use a variety of methods.
• NOS Matrix understanding category 2. Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.
• NOS Matrix understanding category 3. Scientific knowledge is open to revision in light of new evidence.
• NOS Matrix understanding category 7. Science is a human endeavor.
• Science and Engineering Practice 2. Developing and using models
• Science and Engineering Practice 3. Planning and carrying out investigations
• Science and Engineering Practice 4. Analyzing and interpreting data
• Science and Engineering Practice 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions
• Science and Engineering Practice 7. Engaging in argument from evidence

This research profile includes discussion and essay questions that can be assigned to students. Get tips for using research profiles in your classroom.

Additional teaching tips for 13-16:
Use this resource to relate evolutionary concepts to the topics of animal reproduction and behavior (or get more suggestions for incorporating evolution throughout your biology syllabus).

• Adaptation
• Classification/Phylogenetics
• Nature of Science