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Biology A |
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Course DescriptionBiology A presents students with a wide variety of information, activities, and experiences related to major areas of study in the field of Biology. The topics, which correlate directly with the California State Content Standards, include the study of ecology and ecosystems; cell biology and the fundamental life processes of plants and animals; human physiology including structures, the immune system, and organ systems; and genetics, including mutation, reproduction, DNA, genetic changes, and forensics. In addition, students conduct research, investigations, and experiments and utilize lab activities presented to the students on CD. Credits: 5
Course ContentUnit 1 - Diet and Digestion California Curriculum Standards Students will: identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error; identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or uncontrolled conditions; formulate explanations by using logic and evidence. (Investigation and Experimentation 1b, 1c, 1d) Students know: atoms combine to form molecules by sharing electrons to form covalent or metallic bonds or by exchanging electrons to form ionic bonds; chemical bonds between atoms in molecules such as H2 , CH4 , NH3 , H2 CCH2 , N2 , Cl2 , and many large biological molecules are covalent. (Chemical Bonds 2a, 2b) Students know: biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats; how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size. (Ecology 6a, 6b) Students know: cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes that regulate their interaction with their surroundings; enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions without altering the reaction equilibrium and the activities of enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of the surroundings. (Cell Biology 1a, 1b) Students know: how the complementary activity of major body systems provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide; the individual functions and sites of secretion of digestive enzymes (amylases, proteases, nucleases, lipases), stomach acid, and bile salts. (Physiology 9a, 9f) Students know: how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms. (Evolution 8a) Unit Objectives Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Unit 2 - Circulation and Cellular Energy California Curriculum Standards Students will: formulate explanations by using logic and evidence. (Investigation and Experimentation 1d) Students know: how the complementary activity of major body systems provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide; how hormones (including digestive, reproductive, osmoregulatory) provide internal feedback mechanisms for homeostasis at the cellular level and in whole organisms; the homeostatic role of the kidneys in the removal of nitrogenous wastes and the role of the liver in blood detoxification and glucose balance. (Physiology 9a, 9i, 9g) Students know: cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes that regulate their interaction with their surroundings; usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide; the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemical-bond energy available to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide; most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors; how chemiosmotic gradients in the mitochondria and chloroplast store energy for ATP production. (Cell Biology 1a, 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i) Unit Objectives Upon completion of this Unit, the student will be able to:
Unit 3 - Cancer and Cellular Function California Curriculum Standards Students know: cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes that regulate their interaction with their surroundings; how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general structure; the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of information from transcription of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the cytoplasm; the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus in the secretion of proteins; usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide; the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemical-bond energy available to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide. (Cell Biology 1a, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g) Students know: new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool. (Evolution 7c) Students will: formulate explanations by using logic and evidence; investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. (Investigation and Experimentation 1d, 1m) Students know: how the complementary activity of major body systems provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide; (Physiology 9a) Students know: the general pathway by which ribosomes synthesize proteins, using tRNAs to translate genetic information in mRNA; how to apply the genetic coding rules to predict the sequence of amino acids from a sequence of codons in RNA; how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or may not affect the expression of the gene or the sequence of amino acids in an encoded protein; specialization of cells in multicellular organisms is usually due to different patterns of gene expression rather than to differences of the genes themselves; proteins can differ from one another in the number and sequence of amino acids; the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and protein; how to apply base-pairing rules to explain precise copying of DNA during semiconservative replication and transcription of information from DNA into mRNA. (Genetics 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d 4e, 5a, 5b) Unit Objectives Upon completion of this Unit, the student will be able to:
Unit 4 - DNA Forensics and Genetics 4 California Curriculum Standards Students know: the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of information from transcription of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the cytoplasm (Cell Biology 1d) Students know: meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction in which the pairs of chromosomes separate and segregate; only certain cells in a multicellular organism undergo meiosis; how random chromosome segregation explains the probability that a particular allele will be in a gamete; new combinations of alleles may be generated in a zygote through the fusion of male and female gamete; why approximately half of an individual's DNA sequence comes from each parent; how to predict possible combinations of alleles in a zygote from the genetic makeup of the parents; how to predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a genetic cross from the genotypes of the parents and mode of inheritance (autosomal or X-linked, dominant or recessive); the genetic basis for Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment. the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and protein; how basic DNA technology (restriction digestion by endonucleases, gel electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation) is used to construct recombinant DNA molecules. (Genetics 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2g, 3a, 3b, 5a, 5d) Students will: formulate explanations by using logic and evidence; recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of reality. (Investigation and Experimentation 1d, 1g) Unit Objectives Upon completion of this Unit, the student will be able to:
Unit 5 - Diseases and the Immune System Unit 5 California Curriculum Standards Students know: the role of the skin in providing nonspecific defenses against infection; the role of antibodies in the body's response to infection; how vaccination protects an individual from infectious diseases; there are important differences between bacteria and viruses with respect to their requirements for growth and replication, the body's primary defenses against bacterial and viral infections, and effective treatments of these infections; the roles of phagocytes, B-lymphocytes, and T-lymphocytes in the immune system. (Physiology 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10f) Students will: formulate explanations by using logic and evidence. (Investigation and Experimentation 1d) Students know: cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes that regulate their interaction with their surroundings; how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general structure (Cell Biology 1a, 1c) Students know: how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable evolutionary relationships. (Evolution 8f) Unit Objectives Upon completion of this Unit, the student will be able to:
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