Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies

The following classroom-ready resources complement Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies. This 15-minute film tells the story of the dramatic transformation of stickleback bodies as they adapted to living permanently in freshwater environments drastically different from the ocean. Scientists have studied living stickleback populations and a remarkable fossil record, and identified key gene and genetic switches involved in the evolution of body forms.

At A Glance Film Guide (PDF)

Worksheet: The Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab
Student Handout—Advanced (PDF) Student Handout—Basic (PDF)

A worksheet that guides students through The Virtual Stickleback Evolution Lab. The virtual lab lets students learn firsthand the methods for analyzing body structure in stickleback collected from lakes and fossils recovered from a quarry. Students measure, record, and graph their results to discover evolutionary patterns.