Do all of the high altitude populations have the same mutation?

High School | Daily Do

Do all of the high altitude populations have the same mutation?

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Sensemaking is actively trying to figure out how the world works (science) or how to design solutions to problems (engineering). Students do science and engineering through the science and engineering practices. Engaging in these practices necessitates that students be part of a learning community to be able to share ideas, evaluate competing ideas, give and receive critique, and reach consensus. Whether this community of learners is made up of classmates or family members, students and adults build and refine science and engineering knowledge together.

Lesson Snapshot

High school students as scientists predict if different human populations that live in low oxygen environments have similar or different adaptive traits to help them survive in these environments. Then students investigate their alleles and physical traits in order to answer the following lesson question: If one allele is better, why is the other one still around? Students figure out that natural selection is complex and typically acts on the cumulation of an individual’s total trait for surviving in specific environments such as low oxygen environments.

This is Lesson 6 of the High Altitude Living Unit.

Click the Download PDF button above for the complete Lesson Plan.

Materials

Student Materials

Per Student

NIH EV Handout 6.1 Alleles Within Populations Data Chart
Different color highlighters/markers/colored pencils
NIH EV Handout 6.2 Physiological Adaptation to Living in Low Oxygen Environments
NIH EV Handout 6.3 Population Similarities and Differences Model

Teacher Materials

Lesson 6 slide deck
Genome DIY Simulation
Class Consensus Models from Lessons 4 and 5
Chart paper
NIH EV Handout 6.4 Model Feedback