It sounds so right: students’ intrinsic interests could inspire them to explore and learn in school. Sadly, this obvious strategy faces real-world challenges. Intrinsic motivation can be difficult to spark, and harder still to align with curricular goals. To rethink motivational problems, this workshop explores a surprising theoretical framework: “biologically primary and secondary learning.” Drawing on evolutionary psychology, this theory looks at formal schooling within our evolutionary history. We then turn to “self-determination theory” to explore three core motivating forces: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. These combined perspectives help teachers know when to rely on intrinsic motivation, and how best to develop authentic motivation to achieve curricular goals.