Biology

A. INQUIRY SKILLS

Students will design and conduct scientific investigations Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations Use appropriate tools, technology, and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data Organize and maintain a journal showing all phases of investigations Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence and logic Use mathematics to explain, interpret, and improve investigations and communications Construct logical relationships between evidence and explanations Identify and analyze alternative explanations, models, and predictions Demonstrate understanding about scientific inquiry Use fair test procedures
Students will communicate scientific procedures and explanations Demonstrate effective methods to organize and display scientific concepts Present investigative procedures and results to others verbally, graphically, and in writing Communicate science concepts accurately and clearly, using scientific vocabulary

B. LIFE SCIENCE CONTENT

Students will understand that the cell is the basic unit of living things Relate cell structures to their functions Describe chemical reactions that take place in cells Interpret energy transfer as a connection between the sun and the energy needs of living systems Recognize that most organisms consist, at some time in their life cycle, of a single cell
Students will explain the molecular basis of heredity Describe how the basic subunits of DNA are involved in the processes of replication and translation Describe the function of probability in the inheritance of genetic information Explain how changes in DNA occur and lead to variations
Students will understand that species evolve over time through the processes of natural selection Describe how changes in the Earth system over time have affected the evolution of organisms Correlate geological time with the evolution of life Describe the processes of natural selection through paleontological evidence Compare species that exist today with common ancestors Classify organisms based on similarities that reflect evolutionary relationships
Students will describe ecosystems as interactions of organisms with biotic and abiotic factors Trace the cycle of atoms and molecules (examples: carbon, nitrogen, and water) through living and nonliving components of the biosphere Explain the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems from producers to consumers and decomposers Predict the behavioral responses of organisms to internal changes and to external stimuli Explain the relationships among populations (examples: competition, availability of resources) Interpret the role of diversity in supporting community survival Evaluate the impact of humans on the ecosystem
Students will know that living things are complex and highly organized Compare organisms' complexity and organization in the processes of obtaining, transforming, releasing, and eliminating food Relate the distribution and abundance of populations to the availability of matter and energy and the ability of the ecosystem to recycle materials Explain the relationship between structures of organisms and their functions

C. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Students will demonstrate abilities of technological design Design and build a conceptual or physical model of a technology related to life science Evaluate the design based on selected criteria and possible consequences Communicate the nature of the problem investigated, processes used, and solutions
Students will understand the interdependence of science and technology Summarize how new technologies extend scientific knowledge and scientific knowledge influences the development of new technologies (examples: computers, electron microscopes, remote sensing devices, lasers) Evaluate the impact and trade-offs of new technologies in the life sciences

D. SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

Students will explain the relationships between personal well-being and community health Demonstrate consistent, safe laboratory practices Summarize the effects of disease, substance abuse, and nutrition upon an individual's personal health and fitness
Students will analyze factors that determine the capacity of the environment to support populations Illustrate how population growth increases need for resources and environmental pollution Distinguish technology that causes significant changes, either positive or negative, on the carrying capacity of an environment
Students will evaluate the factors that affect environmental quality Explain how human consumption depletes nonrenewable resources and places severe stress upon renewable resources Determine how humans change physical, biological, and chemical cycles of the ecosystem, and how these changes may be detrimental to all organisms Investigate factors that influence environmental quality (examples: population growth, resource use, over consumption, the capacity of technology to solve problems)

E. HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE

Students will understand that science is a human endeavor Evaluate examples of current science projects that are conducted by individual scientists as well as by teams Examine the ethical considerations of scientific research and the application of technologies (examples: life support system technology, monoculture, genetic engineering) Practice peer review and the complete and truthful reporting of investigations Investigate science careers in the life science
Students will understand that science offers tentative explanations of the natural world through the use of observations Compare knowledge derived from scientific investigations with other ways of knowing about the natural world (examples: myths and superstitions) Validate that all scientific knowledge is subject to change as new evidence becomes available
Students will compare the development of science concepts over time to illustrate how science builds on previous knowledge Investigate the contributions of diverse cultures to science Create a historic timeline for the development of a life science concept (examples: cause and treatment of a specific disease, AIDS/HIV research)