Warwick School District

Course Description

Biology is the study of life. The course involves science as inquiry and discusses the structure and function of the various levels of life. Topics include biomolecules, homeostasis, cellular energy, genetic continuity, biotechnology, evolution, and ecology. This survey course in Biology involves presentations, demonstrations, laboratory exercises, and collaborative activities designed to prepare students for the successful completion of the biology Keystone test.

Prerequisite: C- or lower in College Prep Earth Science (0212), or B+ or lower in Earth Science (0213)

Core Curriculum Content Standards

Keystone Biology (2012)

• Cells and Cell Processes

• Basic Biological Principles

• Explain the characteristics common to all organisms.(BIO.A.1.1)
• Describe the characteristics of life shared by all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.(BIO.A.1.1.1)
• Describe relationships between structure and function at biological levels of organization.(BIO.A.1.2)
• Compare cellular structures and their functions in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.(BIO.A.1.2.1)
• Describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels of biological organization (i.e., organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and multicellular organisms).(BIO.A.1.2.2)

• The Chemical Basis for Life

• Describe how the unique properties of water support life on Earth.(BIO.A.2.1)
• Describe the unique properties of water and how these properties support life on Earth (e.g., freezing point, high specific heat, cohesion).(BIO.A.2.1.1)
• Describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels of biochemical organization (i.e., atoms, molecules, and macromolecules).(BIO.A.2.2)
• Explain how carbon is uniquely suited to form biological macromolecules.(BIO.A.2.2.1)
• Describe how biological macromolecules form from monomers.(BIO.A.2.2.2)
• Compare and contrast the structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in organisms.(BIO.A.2.2.3)
• Explain how enzymes regulate biochemical reactions within a cell.(BIO.A.2.3)
• Describe the role of an enzyme as a catalyst in regulating a specific biochemical reaction.(BIO.A.2.3.1)
• Explain how factors such as pH, temperature, and concentration levels can affect enzyme function.(BIO.A.2.3.2)

• Bioenergetics

• Identify and describe the cell structures involved in processing energy.(BIO.A.3.1)
• Describe the fundamental roles of plastids (e.g., chloroplasts) and mitochondria in energy transformations.(BIO.A.3.1.1)
• Identify and describe how energy is captured and transformed in organisms to drive their life processes.(BIO.A.3.2)
• Compare and contrast the basic transformation of energy during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.(BIO.A.3.2.1)
• Describe the role of ATP in biochemical reactions.(BIO.A.3.2.2)

• Homeostasis and Transport

• Identify and describe the cell structures involved in transport of materials into, out of and throughout a cell.(BIO.A.4.1)
• Describe how the structure of the plasma membrane allows it to function as a regulatory structure and/or protective barrier for a cell.(BIO.A.4.1.1)
• Compare and contrast the mechanisms that transport materials across the plasma membrane (i.e., passive transport -- diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion; active transport -- pumps, endocytosis, exocytosis).(BIO.A.4.1.2)
• Describe how endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and other membrane-bound cellular organelles facilitate transport of materials within cells.(BIO.A.4.1.3)
• Explain mechanisms that permit organisms to maintain biological balance between their internal and external environments.(BIO.A.4.2)
• Explain how organisms maintain homeostasis (e.g., thermoregulation, water regulation, oxygen regulation).(BIO.A.4.2.1)

• Continuity and Unity of Life

• Cell Growth and Reproduction

• Describe the three stages of the cell cycle: interphase, nuclear division, cytokinesis.(BIO.B.1.1)
• Describe the events that occur during the cell cycle: interphase, nuclear division (i.e., mitosis or meiosis), cytokinesis.(BIO.B.1.1.1)
• Compare and contrast the processes and outcomes of mitotic and meiotic nuclear divisions.(BIO.B.1.1.2)
• Explain how genetic information is inherited.(BIO.B.1.2)
• Describe how the process of DNA replication results in the transmission and/or conservation of genetic information.(BIO.B.1.2.1)
• Explain the functional relationships among DNA, genes, alleles, and chromosomes and their roles in inheritance.(BIO.B.1.2.2)

• Genetics

• Compare and contrast Mendelian and non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance.(BIO.B.2.1)
• Describe processes that can alter composition or number of chromosomes (i.e., crossing-over, nondisjunction, duplication, translocation, deletion, insertion, and inversion).(BIO.B.2.1.2)
• Explain the process of protein synthesis (i.e., transcription, translation, and protein modification).(BIO.B.2.2)
• Describe how the processes of transcription and translation are similar in all organisms.(BIO.B.2.2.1)
• Describe the role of ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and the nucleus in the production of specific types of proteins.(BIO.B.2.2.2)
• Explain how genetic information is expressed.(BIO.B.2.3)
• Describe how genetic mutations alter the DNA sequence and may or may not affect phenotype (e.g., silent, nonsense, frame-shift).(BIO.B.2.3.1)

• Ecology

• Describe interactions and relationships in an ecosystem.(BIO.B.4.2)
• Describe how matter recycles through an ecosystem (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle).(BIO.B.4.2.3)
• Describe how ecosystems change in response to natural and human disturbances (e.g., climate changes, introduction of nonnative species, pollution, fires).(BIO.B.4.2.4)

Science, Technology & Engineering, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (2023)

• Life Science

• Grades 9-12

• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.(3.1.9-12.A)
• Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.(3.1.9-12.B)
• Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.(3.1.9-12.C)
• Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.(3.1.9-12.D)
• Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.(3.1.9-12.E )
• Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.(3.1.9-12.F)
• Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.(3.1.9-12.G)
• Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.(3.1.9-12.H)
• Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.(3.1.9-12.I)
• Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.(3.1.9-12.J)
• Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.(3.1.9-12.K)
• Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.(3.1.9-12.L)
• Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.(3.1.9-12.M)
• Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.(3.1.9-12.N)
• Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.(3.1.9-12.O)
• Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.(3.1.9-12.P)
• Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.(3.1.9-12.Q)
• Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.(3.1.9-12.R)
• Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.(3.1.9-12.S)
• Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.(3.1.9-12.T)
• Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.(3.1.9-12.U)
• Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate the adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.(3.1.9-12.V)
• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.(3.1.9-12.W)
• Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1)increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.(3.1.9-12.X)

• Physical Science

• Grades 9-12

• Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.(3.2.9-12.C)
• Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.(3.2.9-12.D)

• Earth and Space Science

• Grades 9-12

• Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.(3.3.9-12.K)

• Technology & Engineering

• Grades 9-12

• Evaluate how technology and engineering advancements alter human health and capabilities.(3.5.9-12.E)

Units

Unit #1 - Water and Biomolecules

Unit #2 - Enzymes

Unit #3 - Characteristics of Life

Unit #4 - Bioenergetics

Unit #5 - Homeostasis and Transport

Unit #6 - DNA

Unit #7 - Cell Growth and Reproduction

Unit #8 - Genetics

Unit #9 - Evolution

Unit #10 - Ecological Organization

Unit #11 - Ecological Interactions