This course introduces the biological characteristics of popular model organisms, including mouse, chick, zebrafish, Drosophila, C.elegans, and Sea urchin, and great achievements obtained with these animal models. This course aims to provide a broad look at development integrating classical experiments with modern molecular and genetic techniques. We will explore the basic body plan of the embryo and how organs are formed, with special emphasis on vertebrate models. Lectures will focus on experimental design and discovery through experiments. In-class activities, problem sets, and exams will similarly require that students put themselves in the shoes of a scientist at the bench and design experiments to test certain hypotheses or evaluate hypothetical experiments.