• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] All life forms use the same basic DNA building blocks. (LS4.A)
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] Artificial selection provides a model for natural selection.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] People selectively breed domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with preferred characteristics.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] Artificial selection provides a model for natural selection.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] People selectively breed domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with preferred characteristics.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. (LS4.B)
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Complex structures may be produced incrementally by the accumulation of smaller useful mutations.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Speciation is the splitting of one ancestral lineage into two or more descendant lineages.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Occupying new environments can provide new selection pressures and new opportunities, leading to speciation. (LS4.C)
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolution results from natural selection acting upon genetic variation within a population.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Complex structures may be produced incrementally by the accumulation of smaller advantageous mutations.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Speciation is the splitting of one ancestral lineage into two or more descendant lineages.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Occupying new environments can provide new selection pressures and new opportunities, leading to speciation.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use the similarity of DNA nucleotide sequences to infer the relatedness of taxa. (LS4.A)
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use experimental evidence to study evolutionary processes.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use artificial selection as a model to learn about natural selection. (P2)
• [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use multiple lines of evidence (including morphological, developmental, and molecular evidence) to infer the relatedness of taxa.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use experimental evidence to study evolutionary processes.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use artificial selection as a model to learn about natural selection.
• [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life, for example in agriculture, biodiversity and conservation biology, and medicine and health.

• Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
• Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.B: Natural Selection
• Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.C: Adaptation
• Science and Engineering Practice 2. Developing and using models

9-12 teaching tips

This lecture may be most useful for advanced high school biology courses. Clips of the lecture (now available as an indexed video with synchronized slides) might provide students with an experience similar to that of a first year college student. An interesting and useful exercise would be to have students watch the lecture (or part of it), take notes, and then process with classmates what the experience was like (both in terms of the content they learned and the way in which the lecture format challenged them to listen, absorb, and take notes).

13-16 teaching tips

Though originally developed for high school students, this lecture will also be useful for college students.

• Artificial Selection
• Natural Selection
• Speciation