Download life Science Learning Standards and Goals

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE INTRO BIOLOGY COURSES
HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT #128
(VERNON HILLS HIGH SCHOOLS)
STATE GOAL #11: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry
and technological design to investigate questions, conduct
experiments and solve problems.
a. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of
scientific inquiry.
b. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of
technological design.
STATE GOAL #12: Understand the fundamental concepts,
principles and interconnections of the life, physical and
earth/space sciences.
a. Know and apply concepts that explain how living things function,
adapt and change.
b. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact
with each other and their environment.
c. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and
energy and interaction between them.
d. Know and apply concepts that describe force and motion and the
principles that explain them.
e. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and
processes of the earth and its resources.
f. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and
structure of the universe and the earth’s place in it.
STATE GOAL #13: Understand the relationships among science,
technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts.
a. Know and apply the accepted practices of science.
b. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between
science, technology and society.
BIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES
 Students will describe and examine the levels of organization of living
things.(12)
 Students will summarize the six major themes of biology (12)
Assessments: pond water lab, nature walk
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
 Students will apply knowledge of scientific method to design a controlled
experiment using the steps of the scientific method(11)
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the steps of the scientific
method(11)
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the metric system(11)
Assessment: flask lab, metric lab, brine shrimp lab, what’s in the bag lab
MICROSCOPE
 Students will demonstrate how to use the microscope and analyze data from
a microscope by knowing the function and name of each part of a light
microscope(11)
 Students will identify, compare and contrast the variety of microscopes(13)
Assessments: microscope lab, electron microscope comparison worksheet
BASIC CHEMISTRY
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of atomic structure, basic
bonding, and chemical reactions(12)
 Students will compare and contrast organic compounds in living things(12)
 Students will explain and model the function of enzymes in living things(11)
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of how acid and base solutions
are measured with a pH scale(11)
Assessment: organic chemistry lab, enzyme lab, pH lab
ECOLOGY
 Students will apply present day knowledge of characteristics of life to
demonstrate an understanding of biotic and abiotic factors in the
environment(12)
 Students will compare and contrast biomes(12)
 Students will define and illustrate specific adaptations for survival found in
various organisms(12)
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of species interactions with the
environment and other species(12)
 Students will illustrate the energy transfer through a food chain, food web
and energy pyramids(12)
 Students will compare and contrast primary succession and secondary
succession(12)
 Students will demonstrate an understanding of human interaction on the
environment(13)
 Students will describe and illustrate how the nitrogen, oxygen, water, and
carbon cycle work together to maintain an ecosystem(12)
Assessment: cycle drawing, O’Dell Down Under lab, biome travel brochure,
environmental heroes and heroines project, weasel lab, succession poem, bean
population lab, to zone or not to zone debate, biome chart
CELLS
 Students will demonstrate how the cell membrane maintains
homeostasis.(11)

Students will apply the cell theory to explain the structure and function of
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells(12)
 Students will explain and model the importance of the surface to volume
ratio of a cell.
Assessment: cell lab, surface/volume ratio lab, biotine,organelle classified Ad,
cell travel brochure,elodea osmosis lab, diffusion lab, yeast lab, edible cell

Students will analyze how energy is obtained(photosynthesis),used(cell
respiration), and transferred between living organisms(12)
 Student will model and explain the role of ATP in living things(12)
 Students will identify the various pigments in plants(11)
Assessment: ATP lab, chromatography of plant pigments lab, carbon story,
make a glucose molecule activity

Students will compare and contrast, identify, and model the stages of
mitosis, meiosis and the cell cycle in plant and animal cells. (12)
Assessment: meiosis bead lab, look ma no pa lab, meiosis flip book, mitosis
cartoon strip
GENETICS
 Students will describe and model the structure, function, and replicability of
DNA and explain the roles and relationships among nucleic acid types in
protein synthesis. (12)
 Students will predict phenotypic and genotypic ratios of offspring and genes
of parents, using data from various genetic combinations by applying
Mendel’s Laws and using Punnett Squares.(11)
 Students will analyze mechanisms of inheritance and transmission of human
genetic traits, including diseases or defects due to or related to chromosomal
abnormalities or gene mutations (e.g., Huntington’s disease, diabetes, blood
types, Hemophilia, skin color, baldness, Down syndrome)(12)
 Students will compare and contrast genetic screening techniques. (e.g.,
amniocentesis, chorionic villi sampling, PKU testing) to understand factors
effecting genetic changes/mutations. (12)
 Students will apply present day knowledge of genetic engineering to predict
possible future impacts of genetic engineering on agriculture, pharmacology,
medicine, economics, ethics, and law. (13)
Assessment: DNA kits, corn lab, human traits lab, genetic disease brochures,
face lab, human karotype lab, baby Anderson lab, inside outside current issue
discussion, protein synthesis skit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EVOLUTION
 Students will analyze and model theories concerning the origin and evolution
of the earth and the implication of each on biological evolution(12)
 Students will illustrate and analyze mechanisms for evolution and
understand how effects of population genetics(12)

Students will compare and contrast evidences of macroevolution and
microevolution (12)
Assessment: natural selection lab, rat island activity, dinosaur activity, primate
lab, homology lab, fossil survey lab, no two alike lab, leaf variation lab, evolution
of triangle and squares activity, biochemical analysis activity, time line activity
CLASSIFICATION
 Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of a classification key(11)
 Students will apply knowledge of present day biological classification methods
to design a classification key from a given number of specimens or
samples(11)
Assessment: shark classification key, salamander classification key, fresh water
fish classification key, design a monster classification key, what’s in the bag lab,
shoe activity
VIRUSES,BACTERIA, AND IMMUNITY
 Students will identify and illustrate the function of instruments and
equipment used by a microbiologist(11)
 Students will analyze and identify growth patterns and physical
characteristics of bacteria and viruses(11)
 Students will compare and contrast the lytic and lysogenic cycle of viral
formation(12)
 Students will compare and contrast beneficial uses and harmful effects of
bacteria and viruses on organisms and the environment(12)
 Students will describe and illustrate the function of the nonspecific and
specific responses of the immune system(12)
 Students will apply the concepts of the immune system as they relate to HIV
infection(12)
 Students will compare and contrast HIV and AIDS symptoms(12)
 Students will apply the concepts of HIV development to understand the
complications of finding a treatment for the HIV virus(13)
Assessment: bacteria lab I, bacteria lab II, bacteria lab III, bacteria/virus disease
project, bodily fluids lab, immune system poem/rap song/children book immune
system play
PROTISTA
 Students will examine, draw, compare and contrast, and describe
characteristics of algae and protozoans(11)
Assessment:algae/protist lab packet, lab practical, algae comparison chart,
protozoan comparison chart
FUNGI
 Students will compare and contrast characteristics of fungus(11)
Assessment: fungi lab, comparison chart
PLANTS
 Students will analyze the growing stages of plants(11)

Students will compare and contrast the structures, functions and life cycles
of nonvascular and vascular plants (12)
Assessment: root lab, stem lab, leaf lab, flower lab, seed lab, Brassica plant lab,
nonvascular plant comparison lab, nonvascular plant comparison chart, plant
growth activity, landscaping project, vascular plant comparison chart
INVERTEBRATES
 Students will compare and contrast body systems, structure and function of
invertebrate animals(12)
 Students will describe and identify the external and internal organs of an
earthworm by doing a dissection(11)
Assessment: hydra lab, planaria/vinegar eel lab, earthworm lab,
grasshopper/crayfish comparison lab, invertebrate comparison chart, student
animal presentations
VERTEBRATES
 Students will compare and contrast body systems, structure and function(12)
 Students will describe and identify the external and internal organs of a frog
by doing a doing a dissection(11)
Assessment: frog lab, student animal presentations, vertebrate comparison
chart
HUMAN BODY SYSTEMS (INTEGUMENTARY, MUSCULAR, SKELETAL,
CIRCULATORY, DIGESTIVE,RESPIRATORY, REPRODUCTIVE,
ENDOCRINE, NERVOUS)
 Students will describe the function and label the structures of the muscular,
skeletal, Integumentary, lymphatic, and excretory systems(12)
 Students will describe and label the pathway that blood flows through the
circulatory system(12)
 Students will compare and contrast the components of blood and the
function of blood cell types(12)
 Students will describe and label the pathway of gases through the
respiratory system to the blood(12)
 Students will describe and label the pathway of a food molecule through the
digestive system(12)
 Students will calculate and identify the nutrients and calorie content of food(11)
 Students will compare and contrast chemical and mechanical digestion(12)
 Students will model how the menstrual cycle is regulated by hormones(11)
 Students will describe and label the pathway sperm travel from the male
testis to the female fallopian tubes(12)
 Students will demonstrate how the human senses work(11)
 Students will compare and contrast the central and peripheral nervous(12)
system
 Students will demonstrate an understand of the function and structure of a
neuron(12)
 Students will identify and define common human diseases for each body
system,present day treatments, and future technical aid for treating the
disease(13)

Assessment: pulse/respiratory rate lab, blood typing lab, calculating nutrients
available in fast foods lab, respiration lab, menstrual cycle activity, sense lab,
urinalysis lab, labeling bone and muscle diagrams