Understanding Evolution

Your one-stop source for information on evolution

Understanding Evolution

Teaching Resources

Home → Teach Evolution → Lessons and Teaching Tools → Teaching Resources Database → Journal Club Toolkit

Journal Club Toolkit

Grade Level(s):

  • 13-16

Source:

  • UC Museum of Paleontology

Resource type:

  • Annotated journal article

Time: Several class periods

Overview

This set of teaching materials aims to help instructors engage their students with the primary literature in evolutionary biology through a "journal club" that can be implemented in a discussion section or smaller class. It includes several helpful tools: annotated articles, a reading guide, additional suggested reading, and tips for students leading a discussion of a journal article.

Go to this resource »

  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Science focuses on natural phenomena and processes.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientific knowledge is open to question and revision as we come up with new ideas and discover new evidence.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] A hallmark of science is exposing ideas to testing.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists use multiple research methods (experiments, observational research, comparative research, and modeling) to collect data.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists may explore many different hypotheses to explain their observations.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] The real process of science is complex, iterative, and can take many different paths.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientific findings and evidence inspire new questions and shape the directions of future scientific research.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Science is a human endeavor.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Authentic scientific controversy and debate within the community contribute to scientific progress.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Our knowledge of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Our understanding of life through time is based upon multiple lines of evidence.

There are no NGSS/DCI concepts currently linked to this resource.

The Journal Club Toolkit was designed to be implemented in the discussion section of an evolution course or of an evolution-oriented introductory biology course and includes explicit instructions for doing so; however, the materials could be adapted to suit the needs and constraints of other class formats.