Table 2 Short descriptions of each curriculum mini-unit

Adaptation to Altitude

Students learn how to devise an experiment to test the difference between acclimation and adaptation, investigate how scientific arguments show support for natural selection in Tibetans, design an investigation using a simulation based on the Hardy–Weinberg principle to explore mechanisms of evolution, and devise a test for whether or not other groups of people have adapted to living at high altitudes

Evolution of Human Skin Color

Students examine evidence for the relationship between UV and melanin in other animals, investigate the genetic basis for constitutive skin color in humans, learn to test for natural selection in mouse fur color, investigate how interactions between UV and skin color in humans can affect fitness, design an investigation using a simulation based on the Hardy–Weinberg principle to explore mechanisms of evolution and explore data on migrations and gene frequency to show convergent evolution of skin color

Malaria

Students examine evidence to compare four different explanations for why many malarial parasites are resistant to antimalarial drugs, investigate how scientific arguments using G6PD data show support for natural selection in humans design an investigation using a simulation based on the Hardy–Weinberg principle to explore mechanisms of evolution, and apply their understanding to other alleles that have evolved in response to malaria

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

Using a strong nature of science component, students use different types of data (including online skulls) to infer/interpret phylogenies among domains, within the vertebrates and within primates while reflecting on how they answer the question “What do you think it means to be human?” Students choose a characteristic that changed substantially in the human family tree to develop a scientific argument based on evidence for when the character evolved