We all know that understanding family history is important to understanding our place in the world. To help students learn to appreciate plants, this activity will connect family memories to specific plants that were important to them or to their ancestors. This is referred to as “botanical history.” Students will interview family members to identify a specific plant they will use for the remaining nine modules. The plant the students choose is ideally one that holds historical significance to their family (e.g., an apple tree that has provided fruits for many generations, or a houseplant that has been divided or shared on special occasions). The students will then share their stories with the class and compare the plants they have chosen with their classmates.

A thorough understanding of glycolysis forms a foundation for students to analyze subsequent topics in metabolism, a core competency recognized by multiple national societies for biology and biochemistry. However, when confronted with the names of over ten chemicals and enzymes, along with various energy inputs and outputs, students can regard glycolysis as a daunting memorization task. Here we describe a card sorting activity in which small groups of students work out the steps of the glycolysis pathway before any lectures on the topic. They examine the chemical structures of glycolytic intermediates and deduce their logical order. Subsequent analysis of the reactions and the role of cofactors and substrates is reinforced with a POGIL^®-inspired worksheet. In the process, the students engage in productive discussions of topics often introduced didactically in lecture. The activity was implemented at six different institutions in small (~12 students) and large classrooms (100+ students), and can be adapted to hybrid/online formats. This highly engaging exercise has been well-received by students and instructors in various undergraduate course contexts.

Primary Image: Rediscovering glycolysis. Students working on the card sorting activity in small groups. Photo taken by Dr. Lauren Genova.

A thorough understanding of glycolysis forms a foundation for students to analyze subsequent topics in metabolism, a core competency recognized by multiple national societies for biology and biochemistry. However, when confronted with the names of over ten chemicals and enzymes, along with various energy inputs and outputs, students can regard glycolysis as a daunting memorization task. Here we describe a card sorting activity in which small groups of students work out the steps of the glycolysis pathway before any lectures on the topic. They examine the chemical structures of glycolytic intermediates and deduce their logical order. Subsequent analysis of the reactions and the role of cofactors and substrates is reinforced with a POGIL^®-inspired worksheet. In the process, the students engage in productive discussions of topics often introduced didactically in lecture. The activity was implemented at six different institutions in small (~12 students) and large classrooms (100+ students), and can be adapted to hybrid/online formats. This highly engaging exercise has been well-received by students and instructors in various undergraduate course contexts.

Primary Image: Rediscovering glycolysis. Students working on the card sorting activity in small groups. Photo taken by Dr. Lauren Genova.

Meiosis modeling

Enzyme lesson

Evolution of caffeine pathway

Lab or class activities

Hardy Weinberg lab