Biology

Syllabus

Course Essential Questions:

How can we use the scientific method to answer questions about the natural world?
What are the most important elements and molecules necessary for life?
How do organisms maintain a natural balance between their internal and external environments?
How does structure impact function as it relates to molecules, cells, organ systems, and ecosystems?
What role does DNA play in the control, growth and function of cells?
How does the hereditary information in our genes get expressed and passed on from one generation to the next?
What is the importance of Proteins?
How can we predict the inheritance of traits?
What processes impact the evolution of a species?
How and why has biodiversity changed over time?
What is the importance of specie’s interactions?
How is energy moved through living systems?
How have ecosystems changed over time?
What impact do humans have on our biome?
What is the importance of conservation and sustainability?

Course Learning Objectives:

Employ the scientific method to answer questions about the natural world.
Describe how the structure of living things, from molecules within cells to the largest unit of an ecosystem, impacts their function.
Explain how DNA controls cellular processes that code for the variety of traits of each unique individual and predict how those traits are passed on from one generation to the next.
Describe why homeostasis is important for the health and the survival of an individual and provide examples of homeostatic mechanisms.
Explain the mechanism for evolution and describe how it leads to changes in species over time.
Illustrate how energy flows through ecosystems while nutrients are recycled.
Discuss why biodiversity is important for the sustainability of our biome.
Evaluate the impact of humans on the health of the ecosystems on Earth.

Topics Covered: