Adaptation Science Games

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 demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

Organisms best-suited for their environment are more likely to successfully reproduce. This phenomenon is known as natural selection. It causes species to make adaptations, changes to their structures, functions, and behaviors that increase their chances of survival.

Structural adaptations change how the body is put together. For example, a cheetah’s legs are built for maximum speed to catch its prey.

Behavioral adaptations are new patterns of activity, like the way prairie dogs call and signal to warn each other of danger.

Functional adaptations involve internal body structures and chemistry, such as poison dart frogs developing poison glands for protection.

Over time, environmental changes and genetic mutations cause adaptations to develop. Species with high levels of genetic variation naturally reproduce with beneficial traits and adapt more easily.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

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