Teaching materials : Undergraduate teachers' lounge :
Integrate evolution throughout Intro Bio: Find resources that fit your syllabus
Want to do more to help students recognize evolution as the overarching concept of biology and not just an end-of-semester topic? Use this guide to locate resources that will help you incorporate evolution into different subjects in Introductory Biology. Photosynthesis, transcription, translation, physiology, and many other topics can all be taught with an evolutionary "twist." You may not want to relate every class topic to evolution, but doing this just a few times throughout the semester can make a big impression on students and reinforce key evolutionary concepts.
Click on the topics below to see relevant evolution teaching resources for that topic, and choose the resource that fits your class best. You will find:
- Short slide sets to be incorporated into lectures
- Classroom and lab activities for classes of different sizes
- Online activities and labs
- Research profiles, Evo in the News articles, and other articles for students to read
Some of the topics have no resources associated with them yet. We are still looking for good resources that connect evolution to these subject areas. Send us an email to suggest a resource for inclusion on the syllabus.
Select a topic:
The nature and process of science
Classroom activity 50-90 min.
Classroom activity 1 to 2 hours, ideally split over multiple class periods
Research profile 30 minutes
Research profile 30-40 minutes
Article 45 minutes
Article 30 min
Annotated journal article Several class periods
Classroom activity 10 to 15 minutes.
Chemistry/biochemistry
Atoms and molecules
Properties of water, acids, bases, and buffers
Proteins
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Lipids
Carbohydrates
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Nucleic acids
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Cells
Organelle structure and function (including chromosome structure)
Article 30 min
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Article 30-40 minutes
Cell membranes, cell signals, and membrane transport (including osmosis and diffusion)
Cell types and tissues
Energy/metabolism
Energy transformations and laws of thermodynamics
Enzyme function
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Aerobic respiration
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Fermentation and anaerobic respiration
Photosynthesis
Research profile 40 minutes
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Chemiosmosis in respiration and photosynthesis
Alternative mechanisms for carbon fixation (C3, CAM, C4)
Genetics
Cell cycle and mitosis
Life cycles and meiosis (including concepts of haploid and diploid)
Classroom activity portions of several class periods
Mendelian genetics
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Chromosomal basis of inheritance, linkage, and recombination
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
DNA structure and replication
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Mutation
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Video 10 minutes
Transcription/translation
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Evo Connection slide set 5 minutes
Regulation of gene expression
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Research profile 30 minutes
Cancer
Evo in the News article 20
Genetic basis of development
Biotechnology (including cloning, sequencing, etc.)
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Research profile 30-40 minutes
Structure of the genome (including transposable elements, gene families, coding vs. noncoding DNA, etc.)
Diversity of life
Classification/taxonomy
Classroom activity 1 to 2 hours, ideally split over multiple class periods
Lab activity Two class periods
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Lab activity Two full class periods
Research profile 30 minutes
Classification and Evolution
Viruses
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Research profile 30 minutes
Major branches of the tree of life: Archaea and Eubacteria
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Classroom activity One to three class periods.
Major branches of the tree of life: Protists
Major branches of the tree of life: Fungi
Major branches of the tree of life: Plants
Major branches of the tree of life: Animals
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Article 30 minutes
Anatomy and physiology of plants
Structure and support
Research profile 40 minutes
Nutrition/transport
Reproduction
Research profile 30 minutes
Growth and development
Signaling/regulation
Anatomy and physiology of animals
Homeostasis/feedback mechanisms
Nutrition/digestive system
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Gas exchange/respiratory system
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Circulatory system
Immune system (including HIV/AIDS)
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 30 minutes
Osmoregulation/urogenital system
Reproduction
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Research profile 30 minutes
Classroom activity portions of several class periods
Development
Nervous systems and neurons
Sensory and motor mechanisms
Online activity or lab 45-60 minutes
Article 30-45 minutes
Behavior
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Research profile 30 minutes
Article 30 minutes
Ecology
Biogeochemical cycles (C,N, etc.)
Evo in the News article 30 minutes
Global climate change
Research profile 40 minutes
Evo in the News article 30 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Population ecology and growth
Community ecology (including species interactions)
Ecosystems (including trophic levels, food webs, and energy flow)
Evo in the News article 30 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Online activity or lab 2 hours
Conservation/restoration ecology
Research profile 30 minutes
Evo in the News article 15 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
Evo in the News article 20 minutes
Evo in the News article 10 minutes
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