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Natural Selection Simulation Activity
Submitted by Natalie H.
Recommended Grade Level(s):
Appropriate for: Grades 7–8
Teaching Topics & Concepts:
Biology
Materials:
• ~100 black beans
•
~100 white beans
• ~100 brown/tan beans
• Piece of white paper
• Piece of black paper
•
Piece of brownish paper
• Tweezers
• Small cups
•
Timer
Background Information, Activity Setup:
The goal of this activity is to help you become familiar with trait variation and how it impacts natural selection. You should also
begin to understand the concept that populations change over time, not individual organisms.
The beans represent different colors of mice and the papers represent the color of the environment in which they live.
Step-by-Step Procedure:
1. Count out 20 of each color of bean and place into small cup.
2.
Shake cup and pour and spread out onto white paper.
3.
One student will start a 15 second timer and the other student (the predator) will use the tweezers to grab as many of the
beans as they can.
4. Count how many beans of each color are left and record in table.
5. Place the beans that were not "eaten" by the predator back into the cup.
6.
Add one bean of the same color for each one that was left at the end (these are the offspring).
7. Repeat steps 2 – 6 two more times for two more generations of offspring.
8.
Repeat steps 1 – 7 for the other two colors of paper.
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