Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code provides free lesson plans and storyline units to help guide high school students as they explore various genetics, natural selection, and evolution concepts. Units will culminate in community-focused projects. 

This session will focus on introducing participants to the High Altitude Living Storyline.

Storylines start with an anchoring phenomenon that introduces a question or problem. Each step in a storyline unit is then driven by students’ questions that arise from the phenomenon. In this case, the anchoring phenomenon is a patient case study. The patient has acute mountain sickness at Everest base camp because of low oxygen levels at higher altitudes. Students also are given information about human populations that have been able to live in these low-oxygen environments for thousands of years

The first day of the unit allows students to consider what they do and don't know about which body systems require or transport oxygen. Students also think what they know about high altitude, low oxygen environments, and the populations that live in these environments. This gives students a reason to investigate the biological mechanisms behind adaptations to low-oxygen environments. In doing so, they will make sense of Disciplinary Core Ideas related to genetics, natural selection, and evolution.

The High Altitude Living storyline allows students to develop science ideas related to LS1.A Structure and Function, LS4.B Natural Selection, and LS4.C Adaptation

All individuals receive a certificate of participation and 100 NSTA activity points for attending the live seminar and completing the end-of-program survey. A certificate of participation is not awarded for watching the recorded version of the program.

We invite you to register for upcoming web seminars at NSTA.