Download Earth/Space Science Teacher`s Guide

First Semester Scope and Sequence 2011
Topic: Nature of Science, the Scientific Method and Biology
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Explain that the body of scientific knowledge is organized into major theories, which
are derived from and supported by the results of many experiments, and allow us to
make testable predictions.
Recognize that new scientific discoveries often lead to a re-evaluation of previously
accepted scientific knowledge and of commonly held ideas.
Describe how scientific discoveries lead to the development of new technologies, and
conversely how technological advances can lead to scientific discoveries through new
experimental methods and equipment.
Identify the steps of the scientific method.
Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory.
Write a clear, concise hypothesis to address a question or problem in the form of an If…then…
statement.
Design a controlled experiment to test a hypothesis.
Identify the following parts of a controlled experiment: manipulating variable, responding
variable, experimental group and control.
Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data.
Clearly communicate their ideas and results of investigations verbally and in written
form using tables, graphs, diagrams, and digital images.
Collect data using appropriate metric measurements.
Convert units within the metric system.
Develop explanations based on reproducible data and observations gathered during
laboratory investigations.
Recognize that their explanations must be based both on their data and other known
information from investigations of others.
Regularly evaluate the work of their peers and in turn have their work evaluated by their
peers.
Topic: Cellular Chemistry
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Identify the most abundant elements in living things ( C, H, O N, S and P)
Differentiate between ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds.
Recognize that chemical bonds store energy and breaking these bonds releases energy
Explain polarity and what causes molecules to be polar or non-polar.
Explain why carbon forms so many different compounds.
Identify the four classes of organic compounds.
For each class of organic compound: 1) List the elements that compose the organic
compound 2) Describe the function of the organic compound, 3) Describe the monomer
and polymer units of the organic compound and provide examples of each when
possible.
Explain how the body’s metabolism functions through the processes of dehydration synthesis
and hydrolysis.
Develop an explanatory model of the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary
structures of proteins.
Describe how the function of proteins is dependent on the shape of the protein for
many cellular processes including metabolism, homeostasis, growth and development
and heredity. For example: hemoglobin is the correct shape to pick up oxygen,
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hormones fit with receptor proteins on target cells, and how certain viruses are able to
enter particular cells based on their receptor proteins.
Describe the function of an enzyme including the relationship between enzymes and
substrates and describe how enzymes catalyze chemical reactions
Explain the effect of extreme temperature, the concentration of the substrate, or extreme pH
on enzyme activity and how the changes in these conditions may affect the homeostasis of the
organism.
Topic: Cellular Structure
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Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and provide examples of each.
Describe the functions of the following structures in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells:
plasma membrane, cell wall, nucleus, nuclear membrane, nucleolus, mitochondria,
chloroplasts, plastids, centrioles, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vacuole,
cilia, flagella, ribosomes, chromosomes, microtubules and microfilaments
(cytoskeleton), cytoplasm, lysosomes.
Recognize and describe how organelles in the eukaryotic cells coordinate during the
production, modification and transport of proteins.
Identify the features that are common to all cells such as DNA, plasma membrane,
organic compounds, and certain organelles
Differentiate between plant and animal cells.
Investigate a variety of different specialized cells. Identify distinctive features in
specialized cells that allow them to carry out their specific functions. Relate the
proportion of different organelles in these cells to their function.
Provide examples of how the structure of an organelle relates to its function
Describe the structure and function of the plasma membrane. Address the following:
creates a boundary between the internal and external environment, controls the
passage of materials into/out of the cell and allows for cell communication.
Describe how the selective permeability of the plasma membrane allows the cell to
maintain homeostasis.
Differentiate between the forms of passive transport such as diffusion, osmosis, facilitated
diffusion, and active transport such as active transport through as carrier protein, endocytosis
and exocytosis.
Distinguish between hypertonic, isotonic and hypotonic solutions, how they affect the
movement of water and the resulting effect on the cell.
Describe how proteins and carbohydrates on the surface of the cell membrane allow cells to
communicate. (hormones, identification, cell-to-cell communication)
Explain that cells use proteins (microtubules and microfilaments) to form structures,
including cilia and flagella, which allow them to carry out specific functions, including
movement, cell-to-cell adhesion and attaching vesicles during endocytosis.
Explain how carbon dioxide and water react with sunlight to form glucose and oxygen
through photosynthesis. The light-dependent reaction occurs in grana and the lightindependent reaction occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast.
Explain how glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen to produce usable
cellular energy (ATP) through cellular respiration. The reaction occurs in the
mitochondria.
Explain the processes of lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation and recognize the
circumstances in which they occur.
Recognize that ATP is needed to breakdown sugars and other compounds and to
recombine these atoms to construct other biologically essential compounds from these
atoms.
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Topic: Molecular Basis of Heredity
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Describe the structure and function of DNA as the hereditary molecule.
Explain the relationship between DNA, chromosomes and genes.
Describe the purpose and process of DNA replication.
Describe the purpose and processes of transcription and translation.
Use analogies to describe the roles of mRNA, rRNA and tRNA during protein synthesis.
Recognize that the order of nitrogen bases determines the protein.
Explain how the unique shape of each protein is determined by the sequence of its
amino acids.
Recognize that proteins are responsible for the traits of an organism and for most of
the functions within an organism.
Recognize that traits can be structural, physiological or behavioral. They may be
observable characteristics or less recognizable features at the molecular and cellular
level.
Recognize that the expression of genes results in protein synthesis occurring or not
occurring.
Recognize the genetic code and that it is universal.
Be able to use the genetic code table.
Define the term mutation.
Describe what causes mutations.
Describe the impact of mutations to somatic and gamete cells.
Describe the types of gene mutations: point (substitution) and frameshift (insertion or
deletion) and their impact on the organism which may be beneficial, harmful or have
little or no effect.
Topic: Cellular Reproduction
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Describe the three parts of the cell cycle, interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis.
Describe the process of mitosis and explain that this process ordinarily results in
daughter cells with a genetic make-up identical to the parent cell.
Explain that a zygote undergoes mitosis to form a multi-cellular organism.
Recognize that cells in multi-cellular organisms contain the same genes and recognize
that gene expression leads to differentiation and specialization of the cells.
Recognize and explain how early on during embryonic development, cells are totipotent
(capable of becoming any type of cell) but will eventually differentiate into specialized
cells.
Understand that gene expression and the cell’s environment affect cell differentiation.
Describe what stem cells are and explain their significance in technology.
Second Semester Scope and Sequence 2011
Topic: Genetics
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Describe and model the process of meiosis and explain the relationship between the
genetic make-up of the parent cell and the daughter cells.
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Understand the difference between diploid and haploid cells.
Explain how, in sexual reproduction, crossing-over, independent assortment and
random fertilization, result in offspring that are genetically different from the parents.
Describe the types of chromosome mutations (duplication, deletion, inversion, translocation,
nondisjunction) and their impact on the organism examples of monosomy/trisomy in humans.
Describe Mendel’s contributions to the field of genetics.
Describe Mendel’s three laws.
Define dominant and recessive alleles.
Define and provide examples of genotypes and phenotypes.
Explain the difference between heterozygous and homozygous genotypes and the
resulting phenotypes.
Describe dominant, recessive, codominant, sex-linked, incompletely dominant, multiple
alleles, and polygenic traits and illustrate their inheritance patterns over multiple
generations by predicting the genotypic and phenotypic ratios of offspring.
Distinguish between autosomes and sex chromosomes
Explain the difference between the sex chromosomes of a male and female (Humans)
Explain why the father determines the sex of the baby (Humans)
Explain that the phenotype of an individual is a combination of genetic and environmental
influence.
Analyze pedigrees
Topic: Evolution
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Describe the history of life on earth (Including the age of earth, when the first life forms
appeared, what the first life forms were, and when eukaryotic life and multi-cellular
organisms evolved).
Define the term fossil and explain the difference between relative and radiometric dating
techniques.
Explain the endosymbiont hypothesis (what it describes, how it occurred, and the evidence
supporting it).
Explain how organisms are classified and named based on their evolutionary
relationships into taxonomic categories.
Recognize natural selection as Darwin’s mechanism for how evolution occurs.
Explain natural selection (genetic variations, environmental forces and reproductive
pressures) and how it results in evolution.
Explain stabilizing, directional and disruptive selection.
Define adaptation and provide examples of adaptations (specifically camouflage and mimicry),
explain how adaptations develop.
Distinguish between convergent and divergent evolution.
Describe the evidence for evolution (fossil record, embryologic studies, comparative
anatomy, selective breeding, DNA comparisons).
Recognize that comparative anatomy and DNA comparisons provide information for the
development of phylogenic trees.
Understand that DNA and amino acid comparisons allow degree of kinship to be determined
and provide data as to how long ago species diverged.
Explain the difference between homologous, analogous and vestigial structures and how they
provide evidence for evolution.
Explain the difference between the theory of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium and
understand that both describe how fast new species develop.
Explain the process of speciation.
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Explain the importance of genetic variation in evolution and describe how genetic variation
develops (crossing over in meiosis, mutation, and random recombination.)
Define the following terms: genetic equilibrium, allelic frequency, gene pool.
Understand that evolution is the result of changing allelic frequencies in the gene pool.
Describe factors that change allelic frequencies and cause evolution (natural selection,
genetic drift, immigration/emigration, random assortment of existing genes or
mutation).
Topic: Interdependence
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Define the terms biotic and abiotic and provide examples of each.
Provide examples of how organisms are affected by the biotic and abiotic factors in
their environment.
Describe the flow of matter and energy through an ecosystem (create/analyze basic
food chains and food webs).
Explain how food webs result in energy pyramids.
Describe the water, carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen cycles and understand why
nutrient cycles are important.
Explain how fossil fuels form and how the carbon in fossil fuels is returned to the atmosphere.
Understand that ecosystems tend to cycle around a rough state of equilibrium and
provide examples of this (predator/prey interactions, carrying capacity…)
Understand the concept of carrying capacity and describe what determines the carrying
capacity of an environment.
Distinguish between density-independent and density dependent limiting factors.
Provide examples of how humans have reduced the carrying capacity of the environment.
Explain the concept of biodiversity and its importance.
Understand that ecosystems can be disrupted by large changes such as the
introduction of a new species.
Provide examples of ways humans have disrupted ecosystems.
Describe how human activities and natural phenomena can change the flow of matter
and energy in an ecosystem and how those changes impact other species.
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