Principles+of+Life+Science+syllabus

** Performing and Fine Arts High School ** || ** Course Title ** : Principles of Life Science ** Teacher Name ** : Ms. Marcoux ** Grade Level ** : 9-12 ** Prerequisite Courses ** : Taken biology. || ** Academic Year ** : 2009-2010 ** Room Number ** : E405 ** Period ** : 1, 3, 5 ** Credits ** : 5.0 || During the first semester, this course will cover all aspects of the living environment, including classification, ecosystems, and evolution. Students will also study cell types from all kingdoms and cellular functions. During the second semester, students will study human heredity, as well as chemistry of life in the context of human body systems. At the end of the course students will be prepared to succeed on the Biology MCAS. || All students must maintain a one inch binder with lined paper. The binder should be brought to class every day. Students must also keep a lab notebook, to be used only for labs. Students must bring a pen or pencil to every class. A biology book will be provided to each student, for use at home and in class. Students who have internet access may opt to use the online version of the book. || A student’s grade will be composed of grades in 5 areas: Classwork/Homework Notebook, Lab Notebook, Tests/Quizzes, Projects, and Participation. In order to pass each quarter, students must earn a passing grade (65%) in each of the five areas. Makeup work will be provided for students who have excused absences only. Work that is submitted **on time** may be revised for a better grade. Students may ask for an extension once each quarter. All other late work will receive a zero. Plagiarism or cheating will result in a failing grade. A student’s work should always be their own ideas, written in their own words. || Extra help: 8-8:30, 3:07–3:45 most days. According to the LHS policy, any student with __four absences in Semester 1__ or __five absences in Semester 2__ will be required to attend Extended Learning in order to receive credit for the course. I will generally take attendance within one minute of the bell. However, if tardiness is a problem I will take attendance __at the bell__. Likewise, all students must remain in their seats **until the bell rings**. AWOL or “skipping class” and **tardiness to school** may result in an automatic “level 2” or office detention. Any time a student leaves the class without permission or does not attend class when able to do so – it will be considered AWOL. Students may not adjust or move furniture without permission. This includes desks, chairs, windows, and window shades. Students may not enter the lab area or use the computers without permission. Students may never enter the “prep room.” Students should treat the materials with care. Any student who steals or breaks supplies will receive a “level 2” detention AND be responsible for its replacement. **__ When there is a substitute teacher: __** I will leave work and instructions. If you do not complete the work and return it to the substitute OR to me the next time I see you – I will assume you were misbehaving or skipping class.  ||
 * Course Description:  **
 * Course Description:  **
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 * Textbooks and required materials: **
 * Grading Policy: **
 * Grading Policy: **
 * Teacher Availability/Course-Specifics **
 * Teacher Availability/Course-Specifics **
 * mmarcoux@lawrence.k12.ma.us **  or ext. 39109
 * http://pfascience.wikispaces.com ** ||
 * Classroom Conduct: **
 * __ Attendance  __**
 * __ Attendance  __**
 * __ Materials, furniture, or supplies:  __**

Students will complete four labs: Owl Pellet Dissection, Microarthropod Identification, Adaptations, and Peppered Moths and the Industrial Revolution. Students will take the Ecology & Evolution Test. 6.1 Explain how birth, death, immigration, and emigration influence population size. 6.2 Analyze changes in population size and biodiversity (speciation and extinction) that result from the following: natural causes, changes in climate, human activity, and the introduction of invasive, non-native species. 6.3 Use a food web to identify and distinguish producers, consumers, and decomposers, and explain the transfer of energy through trophic levels. Describe how relationships among organisms (predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism, and mutualism) add to the complexity of biological communities. 6.4 Explain how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter in an ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration. 5.3 Explain how evolution through natural selection can result in changes in biodiversity through the increase or decrease of genetic diversity from a population. 5.1 Explain how evolution is demonstrated by evidence from the fossil record, comparative anatomy, genetics, molecular biology, and examples of natural selection. ·  Students will use the scientific method to solve problems. ·  Students will use a stereomicroscope correctly. ·  Students will use dichotomous keys to identify organisms. Students will create an exhibit related to a particular ecosystem and how humans have impacted the food web. ||  Students will complete four labs: Diffusion and the Cell, Bacteria on Campus, Plant v. Animal Cells, and Protist Classification. Students will take the Cells Test. Students will take a Mid-Term Exam in biology. 5.2 Describe species as reproductively distinct groups of organisms. Recognize that species are further classified into a hierarchical taxonomic system (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) based on morphological, behavioral, and molecular similarities. Describe the role that geographic isolation can play in speciation. 2.1 Relate cell parts/organelles to their functions. Explain the role of cell membranes as a highly selective barrier (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion, and active transport). 2.2 Compare and contrast, at the cellular level, prokaryotes and eukaryotes (general structures and degrees of complexity). 2.3 Use cellular evidence (such as cell structure, cell number, and cell reproduction) and modes of nutrition to describe six kingdoms (Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia). 2.8 Compare and contrast a virus and a cell in terms of genetic material and reproduction. Students will complete a cell project that includes constructing a model. ||  Students will complete four labs: DNA extraction, Mitosis in Onion Root Tips, Punnett Squares and Probabilities, and Cloning and Genetic Modification (Virtual Lab). Students will take the Genetics Test. 3.1 Describe the basic structure (double helix, sugar/phosphate backbone, linked by complementary nucleotide pairs) of DNA, and describe its function in genetic inheritance. 3.2 Describe the basic process of DNA replication and how it relates to the transmission and conservation of the genetic code. Explain the basic processes of transcription and translation, and how they result in the expression of genes. Distinguish among the end products of replication, transcription, and translation. 3.3 Explain how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or may not result in phenotypic change in an organism. Explain how mutations in gametes may result in phenotypic changes in offspring. 2.6 Describe the cell cycle and the process of mitosis. Explain the role of mitosis in the formation of new cells, and its importance in maintaining chromosome number during asexual reproduction. 2.7 Describe how the process of meiosis results in the formation of haploid cells. Explain the importance of this process in sexual reproduction, and how gametes form diploid zygotes in the process of fertilization. 4.4 Recognize that the sexual reproductive system allows organisms to produce offspring that receive half of their genetic information from their mother and half from their father and that sexually produced offspring resemble, but are not identical to, either of their parents. 3.4 Distinguish among observed inheritance patterns caused by several types of genetic traits (dominant, recessive, incomplete dominance, codominant, sex-linked, polygenic, and multiple alleles). 3.6 Use a Punnett Square to determine the probabilities for genotype and phenotype combinations in monohybrid crosses. 3.5 Describe how Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment can be observed through patterns of inheritance (such as dihybrid crosses). Students will prepare a short presentation on a genetic disorder and present it to the class. Students will work on an experimental science project of their own choosing and present their research. ||  Students will complete four labs: Photosynthesis and Respiration in an Aquarium, Testing for Organic Molecules, Muscle Dissection, Frog Dissection, and Field Study in Bird Communication. Students will take the Human Body and Chemistry of Life Test. Students will take a final exam in biology. 4.1 Explain generally how the digestive system (mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, rectum) converts macromolecules from food into smaller molecules that can be used by cells for energy and for repair and growth. 1.1 Describe the basic molecular structures and primary functions of the four major categories of organic molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids). 1.2 Explain the role of enzymes as catalysts that lower the activation energy of biochemical reactions. Identify factors, such as pH and temperature, which have an effect on enzymes. 4.2 Explain how the circulatory system (heart, arteries, veins, capillaries, red blood cells) transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and removes cell wastes. Describe how the kidneys and the liver are closely associated with the circulatory system as they perform the excretory function of removing waste from the blood. Recognize that kidneys remove nitrogenous wastes, and the liver removes many toxic compounds from blood. 4.3 Explain how the respiratory system (nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, lungs, alveoli) provides exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. 4.7 Recognize that the body’s systems interact to maintain homeostasis. Describe the basic function of a physiological feedback loop. 4.5 Explain how the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, sensory neurons, motor neurons) mediates communication between different parts of the body and the body’s interactions with the environment. Identify the basic unit of the nervous system, the neuron, and explain generally how it works. 4.6 Explain how the muscular/skeletal system (skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle, bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons) works with other systems to support and allow for movement. Recognize that bones produce both red and white blood cells. 4.8 Recognize that communication between cells is required for coordination of body functions. The nerves communicate with electrochemical signals, hormones circulate through the blood, and some cells produce signals to communicate only with nearby cells. Students will identify birds visually and by song, in nature and in class. Students will complete a research assignment that involves studying a particular bird species in depth. ||
 * Content: ** ||
 * Q 1 ** ||
 * Learning Outcomes **
 * Students will be able to describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem.
 * Students will learn about how living things have changed over time.
 * Students will be able to explain why adaptations, natural selection, and gradualism are important aspects of the Theory of Evolution.
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Students will be able to explain why adaptations, natural selection, and gradualism are important aspects of the Theory of Evolution.
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Relevant Content Standards **
 * Performance Standards **
 * Performance Tasks **
 * Q2 ** ||
 * Learning Outcomes **
 * Students will explore different types of cells through experiments and classwork.
 * Students will describe the parts of the cell and important processes like osmosis and diffusion.
 * Students will explain how cellular structure relates to classification of organisms.
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Relevant Content Standards **
 * Performance Standards **
 * Students will formulate testable questions, hypotheses, and experiments to solve problems.
 * Students will use compound microscopes correctly.
 * Students will create temporary and permanent slides of cells.
 * Students will use the metric system to measure distance and volume.
 * Performance Tasks **
 * Q3 ** ||
 * Learning Outcomes **
 * Students will explore DNA, cell reproduction, human reproduction, and the passage of traits in families.
 * Students will complete an investigation in which they diagnose a “patient” with a genetic disease and then explain how the disorder is inherited and treated.
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Relevant Content Standards **
 * Performance Standards **
 * Students will research and design an independent science fair project and carry it out.
 * Students will write a lab report to share their work and present it to judges.
 * Students will apply knowledge of genetics to a case study and present their findings to the class.
 * Performance Tasks **
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 * Q4 ** ||
 * Learning Outcomes **
 * Students will describe the chemicals important to living things and learn how they cycle in nature.
 * Students will explain the interrelationship between photosynthesis and respiration.
 * Students will explain the human body systems and how they demonstrate the Theory of Evolution.
 * Students will finish the year with an in-depth study of bird communication.
 * Assessment/Success Criteria **
 * Relevant Content Standards **
 * Performance Standards **
 * Students will carry out experiments in class with minimal assistance from the teacher.
 * Students will demonstrate knowledge of anatomy through a lab practical.
 * Students will identify birds visually and by song.
 * Performance Tasks **