Download Biology Syllabus for Tallwood High School

Global Ecology Syllabus for Tallwood High School-2010-2011
Faculty: Linda Anderson
Phone contact: 648-5700 Ext.# 58829
Note: On occasion a unit my take an extra few days (or less) depending upon a
class’s needs and/or availability of shared equipment. Projects due dates will be
posted during the 9-week grade period project is due.
Global Ecology Course Description: This course will proved students with
opportunities to develop an understanding of the natural environment and the
environmental problems the world faces. Students will prepare for the biology Standard
Of Learning end of course test by investigating fundamental ecological principles, human
population dynamics, natural resources, energy sources and their use, human interaction
with the environment, and personal and civic responsibility. Particular emphasis will be
placed on global environments, and how a country’s economic, social, and political
decisions affect their environmental laws. Students will explore the course content
through inquiry-based laboratory and field experiences. Other topics include the history
of biology, the cell and cell processes, genetics and heredity, photosynthesis and
respirations, plants, animals, microorganisms, fungi, continuity of life, and the
interactions of science, technology, and society. Specific dates for the SOL test will be
announced by the school, and SOL tutoring will be offered during the months of April
and May of 20011.
NOTE: Although students will take the Biology SOL, global studies will be dispersed
throughout the units below and dates of future projects and performance assessments will
be posted closer to their due dates.
Unit I-2 weeks-Introduction and Overview
Students will:
-use the steps of the scientific method, plan and conduct investigations in which the
inquiry process is used (NOTE: this process is carried on throughout the year)
-demonstrate safe handling of chemicals, equipment, and organisms
Activities, labs, and assessments will include: Power Point, a scientific investigation lab,
safety infractions worksheet, design scenarios, quizzes,
Unit II-3weeks-Ecology
Students will:
-explain the interaction among biotic and abiotic fators which contribute to
homeostasis in populations, communities, and ecosystems
-understand global processes such as energy flow, succession patterns, and
nutrient cycling in ecosystems, competition, predation, and population dynamics.
-distinguish natural living and nonliving substances used as material
resources by humans
-analyze patterns of resource use that result in severe resource depletion and harmful
products from those patterns that have an impact on the environment
.
-investigate the effects of natural and human influences on ecosystems with an emphasis
on Virginia ecosystems (contrasted with that of a global one)
-pose questions, collect data and draw conclusions on ecological issues
-explore the connectedness of the nations of the world ecologically and through
sustainability practices
-understand and critically analyze the social, political, and economic factors underlying
resource use and decisions
-identify the major environmental problems, and using a decision making model,
examine the issues as sustainable earth solutions
-recognize and appreciate that every individual has the ability to influence global events
-examine problems and issues from multiple perspectives and develop the understanding
that they can be solved using different strategies and can involve more than one solution
-be able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to
engage in discussion/seminars with supporting evidence about the validity of the
conclusion
-to evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the
methods used to generate it
-analyze, compare, and contrast world biomes
-develop the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required
for participation in a Digital Age society.
-identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions and express positions
that are scientifically and technologically informed
-assume roles of people engaged in complex, real-life environmental
situations, investigate issues, and present their conclusions
-investigate investigations within and among populations
-outline succession patterns, nutrient cycling, and energy flow through ecosystems
-analyze the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems including the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
-investigate the effect of natural events and human influences on ecosystems both locally
and globally
Activities, labs, and assessments will include: Power Points, global environmental
project (date to be announced during the 9-week grade period it is due), outdoor field
studies, current events articles, worksheets, group collaborative work, quizzes,
homework, and tests
Unit IV-5-6 weeks-Cells
Students will:
-identify differences between plant and animal cells
-explain functions of cell organelles
-describe the role of scientists in the Cell Theory and history of microscopes
-describe the role of ATP in the energy transfer of cells
-explain the process of photosynthesis including the light and dark reactions, the reactants
and the products, and the chemical equations
-distinguish between aerobic cellular respiration and fermentation and what fermentation
process are widely used in many countries
-explain how photosynthesis and respiration are complementary process in the cell
-identify the main stages of the cell cycle
-describe the phases and the result of mitosis
-describe the process meiosis and its relationship to sexual reproduction
-distinguish between mitosis and meiosis
-distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction
Activities include: Power Points, parts/functions/use of the microscope; compare and
contrast between plant and animal cells using the microscope, computer use for cell
organelles and stages of mitosis, potato lab, elodea osmosis lab, plant pigments lab,
bread making lab, homework worksheets, quizzes, tests
Unit V-6 weeks-Genetics
-describe Mendel’s Law of Heredity based on his mathematical analysis of observations
of patterns of inheritance of traits
-describe the Laws of Probability that govern simple genetic recombination
-define dominant and recessive alleles
-relate dominant and recessive genes to specific traits and how this data could be used on
an international level
-explain incomplete dominance
-identify the global contributions that led to the discovery of DNA
-investigate and understand the structure and function and replication of nucleic acids,
DNA and RNA
-explain the events involved in the construction of proteins
-explain autosomes, sex chromosomes, sex linked traits
Activities, labs, and assessments include: Power Points, related worksheets, computer
cloning lab, human genetics lab, computer illustrations, genetic debates, videos, film
clips, quizzes, and test
Unit 6-2weeks-Change through Time
-describe the scientific explanations for the formation of the first organic molecules
-discuss the processes that led to the first self-replicating molecules, such as RNA
-explain the origin of prokaryotes
-describe the evolution of eukaryotes
-explain the source of the appearance of free oxygen in Earth’s early atmosphere
-differentiate between relative and absolute dating based on fossils in biological evolution
-compare structural characteristics of an extinct organism, as evidenced by its global
fossil record, with present, familiar organisms
-recognize similarities in embryonic stages in diverse organisms in the animal kingdom,
from zygote through embryo
-describe relationships between organisms, given amino acid or nucleotide sequences
-explain the development of the theory of natural selection by Charles Darwin
-describe the relationship between mutations, environmental pressures, adaptations, and
ability to survive in the natural selection process
-relate the processes of genetic drift, migration, adaptive radiation, punctuated
equilibrium and reproductive strategies to changes in populations over time
Activities, labs, and assessments include: Power Point, related worksheets, quizzes,
homework, videos, film clips, use of Iceberg model for current events, test
Unit 7-9 weeks-The Web of Life
-provide a rationale for the value of binomial nomenclature and a classification system.
-discuss the fact that new global evidence is being gathered and used to modify and
clarify existing classification systems.
-construct and use dichotomous keys to classify groups of objects and organisms
-discuss how these relate to global communication where organisms are concerned
-interpret a cladogram or phylogenic tree showing evolutionary relationships among
organisms worldwide
-distinguish between viruses and bacteria and give characteristics of each
-describe the lytic/lysogenic cycle of viruses
-give examples of viral diseases and possible preventions
-explain differences in the cure and prevention of viruses globally, and how economic
and social decisions affect these decisions
-describe the importance of bacteria in the environment, industry and health.
-explain the global, ecological, health and economical importance of the Kingdom
Protista
-describe the structural characteristics and life functions of members of the Kingdom
Fungi and give examples
-summarize the global ecological and economic roles of fungi
-distinguish between Bryophytes and Tracheophytes
-describe the global impact when plants (tracheophytes) are destroyed
-describe the alternation of generation in plants
-distinguish between angiosperms and gymnosperms by characteristics and examples
-describe the structure and function of roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds in
angiosperms
-recognize that, like other organisms, human beings are composed of groups of cells
(tissues, organs and organ systems) that are specialized to provide the human organism
with the basic requirements of life: obtaining food and deriving energy from it,
maintaining homeostasis, coordination body functions, communication between cells,
and reproducing
-list the major factors that impact global human health, including; genetic predispositions,
microorganisms, environmental influences, viruses (including a comparison of lytic and
lysogenic cycles)
- describe several defenses against viral infections
Activities, labs, and assessments include: Power Points, plague lab, germ lab, viral letter
(global oriented performance objective) microscope labs using various water samples
from around the Tidewater area, related worksheets, botany and fungal scavenger hunts,
flower dissection, earthworm and frog dissections(electronically), animal newsletter,
quizzes,