Population Genetics evo-edu.org

Population genetics simulations and support materials for allele frequency change, drift, selection, mutation, and migration.

Curriculum Alignment

Allele Tracker curriculum alignment

This page maps the app to NGSS-relevant concepts and practices while keeping the app connected to the larger evo-edu curriculum frame.

Open study guide Curriculum hub

Alignment Notes

  • NGSS HS-LS3-2: Make and defend claims about how genetic variation supports trait variation.
  • NGSS HS-LS4-2: Construct explanations based on evidence that evolution results from factors including inheritance and selection.
  • Science and Engineering Practices: analyzing data, using models, constructing explanations.

Classroom and Independent Use

K-12 or workshop use

Use the app to contrast adaptive and non-adaptive change, then ask learners to defend their explanation with direct run evidence rather than vocabulary alone.

Self-directed use

Treat the guide like a lab notebook: make a prediction, run the simulation, compare repeated outcomes, and revise your explanation when the data do not match your first story.

Use in Sequence

Before the app

Define the population, the mechanism under discussion, and the expected direction of change if that mechanism is acting strongly.

During the app

Track one changed force at a time and compare repeated runs instead of relying on a single outcome.

After the app

Use a short explanation or discussion to separate what the model showed from what you infer about the evolutionary mechanism.

Evidence of Alignment in Practice

What learners should produce

  • A prediction about how allele frequencies should change under a named mechanism.
  • A comparison of multiple runs using concrete frequency outcomes.
  • A revised explanation when repeated trials do not match the first prediction.

What to listen for

  • Clear separation of drift, selection, mutation, and migration as possible explanations.
  • Claims tied to specific model outcomes rather than unsupported intuition.
  • Recognition that stochastic outcomes can still be evidence rather than noise to ignore.

Scientific Virtues in Use

Use this app to reinforce careful observation, evidence-based explanation, and willingness to revise claims after repeated runs or conflicting results. That guidance is expanded in the Scientific Virtues notes.