Bio Students Take a Trip Back in Time at Auckland Museum

The Year 13 Biology students had an amazing time at the Auckland War Memorial Museum last week, where they got a hands-on look at human evolution and speciation.

A Walk Through Human History

Our students got to be real-life anthropologists for the day! They spent time examining replica skulls from the museum’s collection, looking closely at the features that show how humans have changed over millions of years.

They also explored how the tools we’ve used have evolved, giving us clues about our cultural and behavioral changes. This session was a great way to bring our NCEA Level 3 Biology topic, Demonstrate understanding of trends in human evolution (91606), to life. Students were challenged to use scientific evidence to support their ideas, which was a fantastic way to prepare for their exams.

The Story of Speciation

In their second session, the students explored the fascinating processes that lead to new species. They heard from a museum expert who explained key concepts and used awesome New Zealand examples to make the ideas even clearer. The best part? They got to handle actual specimens from the museum’s collection, which really helped them understand the topic better.

This session was a perfect review for their Evolutionary processes leading to speciation (3.5) Achievement Standard. It was a great opportunity to reinforce their learning in a new and exciting way.

A huge thank you to the Auckland War Memorial Museum for hosting us and providing such a valuable learning experience!