| (a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded
one credit for successful completion of this course. Prerequisites:
none. This course is recommended for students in Grade 9, 10, or 11.
(b) Introduction.
(1) Biology. In Biology, students conduct laboratory
and field investigations, use scientific practices during investigations,
and make informed decisions using critical thinking and scientific
problem solving. Students in Biology study a variety of topics that
include: structures and functions of cells and viruses; growth and
development of organisms; cells, tissues, and organs; nucleic acids
and genetics; biological evolution; taxonomy; metabolism and energy
transfers in living organisms; living systems; homeostasis; and ecosystems
and the environment.
(2) Nature of science. Science, as defined by the National
Academy of Sciences, is the "use of evidence to construct testable
explanations and predictions of natural phenomena, as well as the
knowledge generated through this process." This vast body of changing
and increasing knowledge is described by physical, mathematical, and
conceptual models. Students should know that some questions are outside
the realm of science because they deal with phenomena that are not
currently scientifically testable.
(3) Scientific inquiry. Scientific inquiry is the planned
and deliberate investigation of the natural world. Scientific methods
of investigation are experimental, descriptive, or comparative. The
method chosen should be appropriate to the question being asked.
(4) Science and social ethics. Scientific decision
making is a way of answering questions about the natural world. Students
should be able to distinguish between scientific decision-making methods
(scientific methods) and ethical and social decisions that involve
science (the application of scientific information).
(5) Science, systems, and models. A system is a collection
of cycles, structures, and processes that interact. All systems have
basic properties that can be described in space, time, energy, and
matter. Change and constancy occur in systems as patterns and can
be observed, measured, and modeled. These patterns help to make predictions
that can be scientifically tested. Students should analyze a system
in terms of its components and how these components relate to each
other, to the whole, and to the external environment.
(6) Statements containing the word "including" reference
content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such
as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Scientific processes. The student, for at least
40% of instructional time, conducts laboratory and field investigations
using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The
student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and
field investigations; and
(B) demonstrate an understanding of the use and conservation
of resources and the proper disposal or recycling of materials.
(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific
practices and equipment during laboratory and field investigations.
The student is expected to:
(A) know the definition of science and understand that
it has limitations, as specified in subsection (b)(2) of this section;
(B) know that hypotheses are tentative and testable
statements that must be capable of being supported or not supported
by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable explanatory power
that have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are incorporated
into theories;
(C) know scientific theories are based on natural and
physical phenomena and are capable of being tested by multiple independent
researchers. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories are well established
and highly reliable explanations, but they may be subject to change
as new areas of science and new technologies are developed;
(D) distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific
theories;
(E) plan and implement descriptive, comparative, and
experimental investigations, including asking questions, formulating
testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;
(F) collect and organize qualitative and quantitative
data and make measurements with accuracy and precision using tools
such as data-collecting probes, standard laboratory glassware, microscopes,
various prepared slides, stereoscopes, metric rulers, balances, gel
electrophoresis apparatuses, micropipettes, hand lenses, Celsius thermometers,
hot plates, lab notebooks or journals, timing devices, Petri dishes,
lab incubators, dissection equipment, meter sticks, and models, diagrams,
or samples of biological specimens or structures;
(G) analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict
trends from data; and
(H) communicate valid conclusions supported by the
data through methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic
organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology-based
reports.
(3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical
thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed
decisions within and outside the classroom. The student is expected
to:
(A) analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations
by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and
observational testing, so as to encourage critical thinking by the
student;
(B) communicate and apply scientific information extracted
from various sources such as current events, published journal articles,
and marketing materials;
(C) draw inferences based on data related to promotional
materials for products and services;
(D) evaluate the impact of scientific research on society
and the environment;
(E) evaluate models according to their limitations
in representing biological objects or events; and
(F) research and describe the history of biology and
contributions of scientists.
(4) Science concepts. The student knows that cells
are the basic structures of all living things with specialized parts
that perform specific functions and that viruses are different from
cells. The student is expected to:
(A) compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cells, including their complexity, and compare and contrast scientific
explanations for cellular complexity;
(B) investigate and explain cellular processes, including
homeostasis and transport of molecules; and
(C) compare the structures of viruses to cells, describe
viral reproduction, and describe the role of viruses in causing diseases
such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and influenza.
(5) Science concepts. The student knows how an organism
grows and the importance of cell differentiation. The student is expected
to:
(A) describe the stages of the cell cycle, including
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication and mitosis, and the importance
of the cell cycle to the growth of organisms;
(B) describe the roles of DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA),
and environmental factors in cell differentiation; and
(C) recognize that disruptions of the cell cycle lead
to diseases such as cancer.
(6) Science concepts. The student knows the mechanisms
of genetics such as the role of nucleic acids and the principles of
Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics. The student is expected to:
(A) identify components of DNA, identify how information
for specifying the traits of an organism is carried in the DNA, and
examine scientific explanations for the origin of DNA;
(B) recognize that components that make up the genetic
code are common to all organisms;
(C) explain the purpose and process of transcription
and translation using models of DNA and RNA;
(D) recognize that gene expression is a regulated process;
(E) identify and illustrate changes in DNA and evaluate
the significance of these changes;
(F) predict possible outcomes of various genetic combinations
such as monohybrid crosses, dihybrid crosses, and non-Mendelian inheritance;
and
(G) recognize the significance of meiosis to sexual
reproduction.
(7) Science concepts. The student knows evolutionary
theory is a scientific explanation for the unity and diversity of
life. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze and evaluate how evidence of common ancestry
among groups is provided by the fossil record, biogeography, and homologies,
including anatomical, molecular, and developmental;
(B) examine scientific explanations of abrupt appearance
and stasis in the fossil record;
(C) analyze and evaluate how natural selection produces
change in populations, not individuals;
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