BIOLOGY
Scientific Method &
Experimental
Design
Genetics
Evolution
Cells
Human
Reproduction
Cancer
Course Wide Essential Questions:
What is the impact of biology on your daily life?
What factors are responsible for the origin and diversity of life on Earth?
How do we use the scientific method to explain biological phenomena?
What factors contribute to the reliability of data and results to make informed decisions as scientifically literate citizens?
How is all life on Earth connected?
What is a scientific theory?
Course Wide Assessments:
1. Biology Scrapbook Project
2. Administer common set of questions for both fall and spring final exams
3. Natural Selection Concept Inventory
Course Wide Enduring Understandings:
Develop critical thinking skills
Sample skill set includes:
• Practice utilizing critical thinking standards: CLARITY and RELEVANCE.
• Identify and restate, in your own words: the problem (question at issue), key conclusion(s), key information
from a reading passage.
• Generate questions that demonstrate critical thinking (clear, specific, relevant, not answered/addressed in the
passage, YOU have a genuine interest in discovering the answer).
Increase appreciation for the natural world
• Discover the relevance of biology in their everyday lives.
• Examine the role and influence of humans in our biosphere.
• Develop an appreciation for the beauty of the natural world.
Understand the role of science & technology in local, national, and global challenges
• Examine how progress in science and technology can be affected by social issues and challenges.
Build interpersonal and communication skills
• Practice working in groups, in which every group member understands their role and is capable of providing
leadership.
• Provide opportunities for students to make decisions as a team.
Form a base for higher level science classes
• Students learn that science is a never ending search for the truth, based on our understanding of facts. If our
understanding changes or the known facts change, then our truth will also change.
• Students gain confidence that they can solve problems on their own.
• Students learn to stop looking for the “right answer” and learn to look for the “best answer”.
Gain experience in self-evaluation
• Students learn that each step in their thinking process is subject to self-assessment
• Students question their own thinking to make sure they are staying on track
Become a life-long learner
• Students understand that knowledge is expanding at an increasing rate and we can no longer be successful in life
by memorizing a set of facts to be used the rest of our lives.
• Students gain confidence in their ability to research and evaluate information.
• Students learn how to effectively evaluate the reliability of electronic and print resources.
Sources:
1. Strategy List: 35 Dimensions for Critical Thought. Foundation for Critical Thinking. June 10, 2002
<http://www.criticalthinking.org/k12/k12class/stratall.html>
2. Askew, Jim. Science Class Goals. The Science Room, Howe High School (Howe, OK)
http://www.howe.k12.ok.us/%7Ejimaskew/index.htm
3. National Science Education Standards. National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment,
National Research Council. July 01, 2005 < http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/>
4. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Benchmarks for Science Literacy. 1993. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Unit: Experimental Design Essential
Questions
“Students will
explore…”
1. What factors are important to consider when designing and evaluating scientific experiments? 1. Students can IDENTIFY and EXEMPLIFY:
a. IV, DV, CONSTANTS, Experimental Control (SOC)
b. Operational definitions for the variables
c.
Relationship between the IV and DV
d. Purpose and Hypothesis (including a rationale) for an experiment
e. Importance of studying a single IV, and the components that then must remain
constant
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that…” Knowledge &
Expectations
“Students will
know…”
Skill
Expectations
“Students will be
able to…” 2.
Students can distinguish QUALITATIVE from QUANTITATIVE data, and exemplify each
3. Students can create and interpret data tables (using appropriate computer software)
4. Students can use software (Excel, Numbers) to create graphs and identify trends appropriate
to the data
5. Students can describe experimental results in both words and graphs
6. Students can support statements with facts found in books, articles, and databases, and
identify the sources used, using MLA citation format.
7. Students can make plausible inferences, predictions and interpretations (conclusions) and
describe evidence that leads them to support or reject the original hypothesis. Conclusions are
based on the experimental results (support claims with evidence).
8. Students can identify and communicate the costs and benefits of increasing the: sample size,
number of trials and replicates in an experiment.
9. Students can communicate their experimental design, results and conclusions in a formal
scientific lab report. 1. Formative assessment (Quick Write, KTW, exit slips, Venn Diagram, Concept Map, White
boarding, Think-Pair-Share) Common
Assessments 2. Check-in Quiz (basic terms) 3. Graphing practical 4. Design an Experiment and Write a Lab Report 5. Unit Exam Unit: Evolution Essential
Questions
“Students will
explore…”
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that…”
Knowledge
Expectations
“Students will
know…” 1. Why is important to understand biological evolution by natural selection? 2.
3.
4.
5.
How does natural selection help us to explain resistance? (antibiotics) How can natural selection produce complex useful structures? Can humans beat natural selection? Are all mutations bad? 1. Define BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
a. provide examples of both similarities & differences between organisms living today and
those that lived in the past
b. describe how, after natural selection has operated on many successive generations of a
population, the descendants can be very different from their original ancestors
c. create a sketch showing how all life on Earth can be traced back to a common ancestor:
include humans, other animals, plants, bacteria etc.
d. dispel the MISCONCEPTION: evolution is a theory which describes the origin of life
e. dispel the MISCONCEPTION: evolution is just a theory for which there is very little
evidence
2. Describe and exemplify evidence that evolution happens and the tools scientists use to
determine relatedness (create the evolutionary tree of life): Fossil Data, Anatomical Data,
Genetic Data
a. explain and exemplify how organisms can differ in both appearance and behavior from
their ancestors of many generations ago, and still retain some of the inherited traits of
those early ancestors
3. Most species living today did not exist when life first began; describe and exemplify possible
origins/outcomes to branches on the tree of life:
a. some species have undergone very little change for many millions of years (living fossils)
b. diversification: one species diverges into two genetically diverse species
c. extinctions have occurred throughout the history of life on earth, even before humans, and
continue to occur
4. Describe what happens during a mass extinction; explain how present day extinctions differ
from patterns previously seen over the history of life on earth.
5. Explain patterns of trait similarity among organisms: describe the evidence you need to
determine if trait similarity is due to common ancestry or convergent evolution
6. Distinguish and exemplify patterns of convergent and divergent evolution
7. Describe and exemplify what ADAPTATIONS are
Skill
Expectations
“Students will be
able to…” 8. Describe and exemplify how to identify if organisms are the same or different species
9. Describe how heritable genetic mutations create the raw materials for natural/artificial selection
10. Distinguish between ABIOTIC and BIOTIC selective pressures and provide examples of each
11. Apply the process of Darwinian evolution by natural selection to explain the diversity of life on
Earth
a. Describe and exemplify how selective pressures have changed in the past and continue to
change today
b. Provide examples of variation in inherited traits of organisms of the same species,
including traits that affect their ability to find food, avoid predators and attract mates
c.
Exemplify how some inherited traits may give individuals of a species an advantage in
survival and reproduction in their environment compared to other individuals of the same
species; describe why individuals that do not have advantages are more likely to have
decreased fitness
d. Describe how an organism’s biological fitness may be different from its physical fitness
e. Using both words and sketches, exemplify how, when inherited traits are favorable to
individual organisms, the proportion of individuals in a population that have those traits will
tend to increase over successive generations
f.
Exemplify how changes in selective pressures can change which traits are more fit in a
new environment
12. One common MISCONCEPTION about evolution is that organisms evolve, during their
lifetimes. In fact, natural selection does act on individuals. Each individual’s combination of
heritable traits affects its fitness relative to other individuals in the population. However, the
evolutionary impact of natural selection is only apparent in the changes in the population of
organisms over time (the descendents of the original population). Consider a
population/species of organism (real or imaginary); create a sketch that shows how
populations, not individuals, evolve by natural selection. Describe how you know that evolution
has occurred.
13. Explain why there is no guarantee than any members of a population will be able to survive
and reproduce, as well as the conditions that may cause an entire population of organisms to
die or even an entire species to go extinct.
14. Explain the observation that some traits are not perfectly suited to the environment and the
concept of survival of the fit enough. Provide an example of survival of the fit enough and
describe the three factors that could account for the pattern (lack of heritable variation,
developmental constraint, trade-off)
15. Explain the key difference between natural and artificial selection
16. Provide examples of both artificial and natural selection
17. Explain the importance of artificial selection in the progress of human societies
18. Describe how natural selection can build upon previous innovations/successes to explain the
evolution of complex traits, such as the vertebrate eye or 4-chambered heart (e.g. cumulative
selection)
19. Apply Darwinian selection to explain how organisms can act as each other’s selective
pressures to explain patterns of co-evolution
20. Describe and exemplify the role of both chance and non-chance factors in evolution by natural
selection
21. Provide examples that demonstrate the value, for the non-scientist, of understanding the
process of natural selection (think about medicine or agriculture).
1. Formative Assessment – quick write, KTW, exit slips, Venn Diagram, concept map, white
boarding, and think-pair- share. Assessments 2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Evolution survey (formative) Fly resistance (formative) Evidence for Evolution (formative) Natural Selection Simulation Lab (formative) Check-in quizzes- (evidence, misconceptions, natural selection, and extinction.) Unit Exam Unit: Genetics Essential
Questions
“Students will
explore…” 1. “What are sources of genetic variation? 2. “Are all mutations bad?” this question is also in the Evolution Unit 3. “How are my genes expressed in my traits and behaviors?” 4. “What’s the difference between acquired and inherited traits?” 1. Describe how all living things (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria etc) contain genetic information
encoded in DNA.
2. Explain how the genetic information specifies the physical and behavioral characteristics of
organisms.
3. Show where, in each cell, the DNA is located (nucleus, mitochondria).
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that…”
Knowledge
Expectations
“Students will
know…” Skill
Expectations
“Students will be
able to…” 4. Sketch the structure & function of chromosomes, genes, DNA and nucleotides; show the
relationship between them
a. A DNA molecule is formed from two strands, comprised of nucleotide subunits linked
together in long chains
b. A gene is a segment of a DNA molecule that has the instructions for creating a protein
that contributes to one or more particular physical and behavioral characteristics.
c. Each chromosome is made of many different genes
d. Each chromosome in a body cell is a member of a pair of chromosomes. With the
exception of the sex-determining chromosomes (X and Y , in humans), the two
chromosomes that make up a pair contain instructions affecting the same traits.
e. The two chromosomes making up a pair contain similar sequences of subunits and are
similar in length.
f. One member of each pair of chromosomes contains genetic information from the
mother and the other member of the pair contains genetic information from the father.
5. Explain how every body cell (somatic cell), in a multi-cellular organism, contains identical DNA
molecules to every other somatic cell because each is descended from a single fertilized egg,
and the DNA in each cell is duplicated every time a cell divides.
a. Illustrate how the specialized cells in the body that undergo meiosis produce sex cells
(e.g., eggs, sperm, pollen, gametes) that contain half as many chromosomes as are
found in the other cells of the organism (somatic cells).
b. Explain how the process of fertilization leads to the production of a fertilized egg cell
that has twice as many chromosomes as the sex cell, and the same number of
chromosomes as the body cells of each parent.
c. Explain how the offspring that develop from the fertilized egg (formed from the
combination of the two sex cells) have traits of both parents.
d. Illustrate how a somatic cell divides via mitosis to form two body cells, and the
resulting cells each contain the same number of chromosomes as the original cell.
6. Describe how every somatic cell of an organism (with few exceptions) contains identical
genetic information; yet, different cells produce different proteins related to the cell’s function.
7. Describe why mitosis is important for the growth and survival of living things.
8. Describe how processes which occur during meiosis (independent assortment and
chromosomal crossing over) create heritable variation in sexually reproducing organisms.
a. Explain how the same two biological parents can create many offspring that are
genetically distinct.
9. Describe the causes and consequences of genetic mutations, and explain how to determine
whether the mutations are/not heritable (passed to offspring).
10. Describe how the DNA molecules provide cells with instructions for assembling protein
molecules
a. The set of nucleotides in a DNA molecule that provide instructions for assembling a
particular protein molecule is called a gene.
b. Protein molecules are made up of amino acid subunits linked together in a specific
sequence.
c. DNA molecules provide instructions for linking and ordering amino acids to form
protein molecules.
d. Each sequence of three nucleotides (codon) in a molecule of mRNA codes for an
amino acid.
e. There are 20 different types of amino acids building blocks that can be used to make
proteins.
f. A change to the sequence of nucleotides in a gene within a molecule of DNA may/may
not alter the protein that is produced.
g. Changes to the sequence of nucleotides in a molecule of DNA can come from
insertions, deletions, or substitutions of one or more nucleotide subunits in a DNA
molecule.
h. Changes to the sequence of nucleotides in a molecule of DNA are called mutations.
11. Describe how the information in the DNA is used to build a protein
a. Explain the processes of transcription and translation and where each occurs in the
cell.
b. Compare and contrast the structure and function of DNA and RNA molecules
c. Determine the mRNA sequence that would be produced from a given template strand
of DNA, and identify the correct sequence of amino acids using the universal genetic
code.
12. Explain how the protein molecules an organism makes affect the organism’s appearance
(phenotype) including: physical traits, physiology and behaviors.
a. The presence, amount, type, or actions of protein molecules made in an organism’s
cells are reflected in an organism’s traits.
b. Protein molecules are involved in chemical reactions that are responsible for an
organism’s body functions.
c. Predict simple patterns of allele expression (complete dominance, incomplete
dominance, codominace) given the allele combinations and phenotypes. Predict the
allele combinations and phenotypes, when given the pattern of allele expression.
d. Most heritable trait variation in populations is not explained by simple patterns of allele
expression (complete, incomplete and codominance).
i. Some traits are determined by the combined action of many different genes
ii. Some traits are determined by a combination of the proteins produced and the
environment.
13. Describe the value, for the non-scientist, of having a basic understanding of genetics.
(Consider: GMOs, genetic screening, genetic counseling, increasing role of genetics in modern
medicine and agriculture etc.) 1. General formatives (Quick write-KTW-Exit Slip-Venn Diagram-white boarding-concept mapthink/pair/share) Assessments
2. Gene Pool Lab Write-up 3. Check-in quizzes (into vocab genes/DNA/Chromosomes; transcription/translation;
mitosis/meiosis; Patterns of allele expression) 4. Unit Exam 5. Application: Engineer an organism/GMO debate Unit: Cells 1. What is the fundamental building block for life? Essential
Questions
“Students will
explore…” 2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How did cell complexity arise, amoebas to zebras? How do cells know how to behave (what makes your cells different)? How and why are new cells made? What happens when cells die? How do cells communicate? 1. Describe how life on earth is thought to have begun as simple, one-celled organisms, about 4
billion years ago
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that…”
Knowledge
Expectations
“Students will
know…” Skill
Expectations
“Students will be
able to…” 2. Recognize that all living things (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms) are
made up of one or many cells.
a. Exemplify how cells vary in size, shape, and specialized functions.
b. Recognize that in single-celled organisms, the single cell carries out all of the functions
needed for the organism to stay alive. Exemplify different types of single-celled
organisms.
c. Recognize that in multi-cellular organisms, individual cells work together and depend
on other cells to carry out their essential life functions. Provide examples that
demonstrate cell specialization in multi-celled organisms.
d. Identify that most cells are so small that their details can be seen only with a
microscope, and demonstrate the skills necessary to use a microscope to investigate
different types of cells.
3. Recognize that while there are many different types of cells in terms of size, structure and
function, all cells have certain characteristics in common.
a. Explain how the work of the cell is carried out by many complex molecules made by
the cells themselves from simpler molecules that enter the cells from outside the cells.
b. Many of the same basic life processes, such as extracting energy from food, making
the materials needed for their own growth, and eliminating wastes, take place within
the individual cells of all living things. Identify the parts of the cell involved in these
basic housekeeping processes.
c. Compare and contrast plant and animal cell structure and function.
d. In addition to the internal structures that perform specialized functions for cells,
describe what contents of the interior of the cell.
e. Describe the role of the cell membrane.
f. Create and label a diagram that shows the cellular structures involved in the
production, processing, and transport of an extra-cellular protein.
4. Recognize that once cells with nuclei developed about a billion years ago, increasingly
complex multi-cellular organisms evolved. In addition to the basic cellular functions common to
all cells, most cells in multi-cellular organisms perform some special functions that others do
not.
a. Describe how multi-cellular organisms make more cells for growth and repair
b. Exemplify how the different body structures of plants and animals (including brain,
muscles, skin, and lungs in animals, and stems and flowers in plants) are made up of
different types of cells.
c. Recognize that patterns of human development are similar to those of other
vertebrates (recall evolution unit).
d. Describe how, as successive generations of an embryo's cells form by division, small
differences in their immediate environments cause them to develop slightly differently,
by activating or inactivating different parts of the DNA information.
e. Draw and label a flow chart of the major events/processes from fertilized egg to baby--with focus on cell differentiation.
f. Use the immune system as a model to describe how groups of cells work together to
perform specialized functions in multi-cellular organisms. Explain the role of proteins
in promoting cell communication among immune system cells.
5. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may infect the human body and interfere with normal
body functions. A person can catch a cold many times because there are many varieties of
cold viruses that cause similar symptoms. Provide examples of common bacterial and viral
pathogens.
6. Recognize the immune system has evolved in ways that allow it to protect against microscopic
organisms and foreign substances that enter from outside the body and against some cancer
cells that arise within the body.
7. Describe specific aspects of the cellular immune response that demonstrate the immune
system’s ability to: distinguish its own cells from invader cells, to recognize a diverse array of
invaders and to “remember” invaders which have attacked before,
8. Describe how different types of white blood cells work in a coordinated manner in the cellular
immune. Explain the value of the coordinated response. Draw a diagram that shows the
coordinated response of the major cells involved in the immune response (B –cells (helper and
memory), T-cells (killer, helper and memory) and Phagocyte Cells)
9. Describe the role of antibodies in helping the body to fight off subsequent invasions of the
same pathogen. Explain why antibodies are pathogen specific.
10. Identify some common vaccines, and describe how a vaccine is produced and how it works in
the body to provide protection from pathogens.
11. Contrast active and passive immunity.
12. Describe how the immune system can lead to allergic reactions when it “over reacts” to usually
harmless environmental substances.
13. Provide examples of common autoimmune diseases that result when the immune system
mistakenly attacks some of the body's own cells.
14. Describe how HIV destroys critical cells of the immune system, leaving the body unable to deal
with multiple infection agents and cancerous cells, and ultimately resulting in AIDS.
1. General formatives (Quick write-KTW-Exit Slip-Venn Diagram-white boarding-concept mapthink/pair/share) Assessments Unit: Cancer 2. Characteristics of all living things (formative) 3. Microscope Practical 4. Check-in Quests (origin of life, bacteria & viruses, cell structure & function, stem cells, immune
system) 5. Unit Exam 1. What is cancer? 2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Essential Questions
“Students will
explore…”
What causes a tumor? How does cancer grow? How can I reduce my risk of developing cancer? Is cancer caused by genetic or environmental factors? Is there a cure for cancer? 1. Identify and describe (3) factors associated with the steady decline in death rates from
cancer in the United States. Further, explain why are the poor/underinsured have not
shown these same drops in cancer deaths.
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that…”
Knowledge
Expectations
“Students will know…” Skill Expectations
“Students will be able
to…” 2. Identify and describe several risk factors associated with cancer. In addition, explain how
your actions now, as a teenager, can impact your risk for developing certain types of
cancers (ex: skin, lung and colon) in the future.
3. Explain the relationship between cancer and age, and describe the factors that are likely to
explain the observed trend.
4. Describe how MUTATIONS in classes of genes including: protooncogenes, tumor
suppressor genes, apoptosis genes, DNA repair genes, as well as the expression of
telomerase genes are associated with the development of cancer.
5. Contrast the impacts of a benign versus a malignant tumor.
6. Explain what happens when there is metastasis of a tumor, and the impacts of metastasis
on cancer treatment.
7. Contrast three common treatments for cancer, including surgery, radiation therapy and
chemotherapy.
8. Demonstrate how angiogenesis exemplifies cell-cell communication.
1.
Assessments Formative Assessment- quick write, KTW, exit slips, Venn diagram, concept map, white
boarding, and think-pair-share. 2. Faces of cancer Data Collection and Analysis (formative) 3. Unit Exam Unit: Reproduction Essential
Questions
“Students will
explore…” 1. How are babies made? 2.
3.
4.
5.
Are males necessary? Why sex (asexual vs. sexual reproduction)? What are the causes and consequences of sexually transmitted infections? How can you protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections? 1. Explain how the genetic information (in the form of DNA) is transferred from parents to
offspring during reproduction.
2. Compare and contrast the costs and benefits of sexual and asexual reproduction.
3. Describe and exemplify the process of sexual selection.
4. Trace the processes and organs involved in the creation of both the male (sperm) and female
(egg) gametes.
Enduring
Understandings
“Students will
understand that Knowledge
Expectations
“Students will
know…” Skill
Expectations
“Students will be
able to…” 5. Illustrate the journey of the sperm from the time it enters the female body to when it fertilizes
the egg.
6. Explain how, in sexually reproducing organisms, traits acquired during the lifetime of an
organism (e.g. due to injuries, malnutrition, mutation, weight training) cannot be passed from
parent to offspring, only those changes in the DNA of the sex cells can be inherited by
offspring.
7. Provide several examples that demonstrate the role of proteins in cell-cell communication in
human reproduction. For example, describe the role of hormones, which are a kind of protein
secreted from glands that affect other body parts.
8. List several common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and for each, identify the type of
pathogen associated with the disease.
9. Contrast the consequences of STIs that result from each of the following: parasite, bacteria,
and virus.
10. Explain how some viral diseases, such as the virus that causes AIDS, destroy critical cells of
the immune system, leaving the body unable to deal with multiple infection agents and
cancerous cells.
11. Recognize that there are trade-offs that each person must consider in making choices-about
personal popularity, health, family relations, and education, for example- that often have lifelong consequences.
Assessments 1. Formative assessment (Quick Write, KTW, exit slips, Venn Diagram, Concept Map, White
boarding, Think-Pair-Share) 2.
3.
Sex and the Single Guppy Simulation and Write-up Unit Test