Game of Survival Kit

Have you ever wondered why animals look the way they do? This Launch level Science Unlocked Curriculum kit will help you find out! The Game of Survival kit is a fantastic lesson plan and interactive experience for a young biologist!

In this kit, students will customize and play a game to learn about the process of natural selection, genetic variation, and adaptations. They will use math to better understand the role natural selection has on the living organisms we share our earth with. Game of Survival comes with a full-color Student Curriculum Workbook and Teacher Guide. It is a phenomenon-based approach, designed to fully engage students in adaptations and the theory of natural selection. Through a customizable game, simulations, and experiments, students will become engrossed in the wonders of the species around them. This Launch level curriculum kit will provide over 13 hours of knowledge, educating your student about natural selection and adaptations, as well as what that means for species. 

In this kit, the student will partake in these fun activities: 

1. Customize their own Survival Game
2. Test model beaks to determine which is most universal
3. Create a model batwing and test it to better understand adaptations for flight
4. Develop their own experiment on iguanas based on comparative observations
5. Discover odd examples of mimicry that increase reproductive fitness in fishes
6. Simulate the impact of coloration and camouflage on species survival
7. Test themselves and their friends to see if humans are better at spotting danger than animals

Use "Game of Survival" to answer questions such as:

• Why do animals look the way they do?
• How do an animal's traits impact its survival?
• How are some animals better suited to their environment than others? 
• What are adaptations and how does the theory of natural selection work?
• How do environmental conditions and evolutionary change affect speciation?

This kit takes an objective look at Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution and natural selection to explore the origin of species. Your student will discover real-world earth science concepts such as how environmental change and survival of the fittest affect the next generation of a species. Learn how population growth evolves and more through a variety of fun natural selection activities!

Our Game of Survival kit is a part of the Science Unlocked Launch series and is recommended for middle school and high school students in grades 8-12.

Interested in learning more? Check out our Student Workbook Sample and Teacher Guide Sample!

NOTE: The table for Question 1 in the Student Workbook on page 19 is printed incorrectly. However, the table in the Teacher Guide on page 6 is correct and includes the data that students should use in order to complete the question correctly. 

Important Note:

Science Unlocked Curriculum maintains a neutral stance on topics such as the origins and age of the universe, human origins, natural selection, and evolutionary relationships between species. This approach allows teachers to incorporate their own values and interpretations when presenting these subjects to students.  

More Information

• On page 31 of Game of Survival the two iguanas are mis-labeled in the pictures. The yellow/brown one should be the Conolophus/terrestrial, and the black one is the Amblyrhynchus/marine.

This kit contains:

• 1 Binder Clip
• 1 Blue Cellophane
• Cardboard Craft Tube
• 2 Pieces of Cardstock
• 1 Forceps
• 1 Green Cellophane
• 1 Roll of Masking Tape
• 1 Pack of Beads
• 6 Pieces of Newsprint
• 1 Box of Paper Clips
• 1 Rubber Band
• 1 Ruler
• 1 Skittles
• 3 Straws, 0.15” Diameter
• 8 Straws, 0.30” Diameter
• 2 Tongue Depressors
• 1 White Pipe Cleaner

You will also need:

• Art Supplies
  • Black material
  • Yellow-brown material
• Scissors

• Learning outcome: Play the survival game detailing natural selection and explore examples from each class of animals
• NGSS science standards alignment
• HS-LS4-3 Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.
• HS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
• HS-LS4-5 Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
• MS-LS4-4 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-LS4-6 Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.