Science Department

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

In this Biology Honors course, the students will explore why different biochemical molecules, cells and organisms function and respond within their various environments. To do this the students will grasp biological details, but more importantly the students will use this information in their writings to support perspectives and an awareness of the interdependencies of these details. To accomplish this the students will need to communicate a “big-picture” perspective as a learning tool rather than a memorizational approach. The students will apply their biological information, perceptions, observational skills and the insight to see inter-relationships to an actual ecological setting through the ecosystem project. The topics through which the students will acquire, and/or further, these skills for Biology Honors are in the following: basic scientific philosophy and scientific inquiry, biological evolution (including anagenesis and cladogenesis), types and functions of basic biochemicals, protein and enzyme structure and functions, taxonomic overview, characteristics of life, cellular structures and functions, nucleic acid functions and their relationship to proteins, metabolic functions (including a general overview, glycolysis, carbohydrate storage, aerobic respiration, and photosynthesis), perspectives on the origins of life, cell growth, cell divisions, reproductions, genetics, and development (if time).

Indicators of Student Learning: Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

Using the Scientific Method

• Defend biological perspectives and concepts. This will require the students to use information from various classroom presentations during the year as well as information gained from other sources such as readings, labs, ecological studies, etc.

• Continue to develop their critical thinking and analytical thinking skills that were initially fostered during their earlier science course.

• Investigate the major components of dynamic ecological systems (physical setting, climate, producers, consumers, decomposers, energy transfer, nutrient cycles) and communicate the interdependencies of each of these concepts to the overall functioning of this system.

• Have a chance to view environmental influences at the molecular, cellular, organism and ecological biological levels.

• Design, conduct and report on original research as a modeling of the role of a scientist.

• Focus on the basic concepts of observations and inferences within the sciences. The students will communicate on the interdependence of these two basic concepts of science and the role of provisional acceptance within the on-going process of science.

• Accept personal academic responsibility to study and be prepared for examinations, reports and projects.

Communication

• Defend biological perspectives and concepts. This will require the students to use information from various classroom presentations during the year as well as information gained from other sources such as readings, labs, ecological studies, etc.

• Focus on the basic concepts of observations and inferences within the sciences. The students will communicate on the interdependence of these two basic concepts of science and the role of provisional acceptance within the on-going process of science.

Technology

• Use of graphic programs e.g., Excel, etc to incorporate data into their ecosystem presentations (annual temperature patterns, precipitation patterns. etc).

• Use of scanning programs to incorporate visual examples into their ecological presentations.

• Utilize three-dimensional molecular imaging to help gain an awareness of protein and nucleic acid conformational structure.

Assessment

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Demonstrate basic biological knowledge including: answering questions in a variety of examination questions and oral presentations, labeling diagrams, calculating results.

• Demonstrate competency in application of information, reasoning and problem solving including: looking for and communicating about patterns, relationships of information, choosing appropriate approaches and information in defense of concepts and the generation of their own defended perceptions and insights.

• Demonstrate competency in communication by using appropriate terminology, choice of appropriate supportive examples from the basic information, clarity in the presentation of their responses, presenting information by use of written responses, oral presentations and use appropriate illustrations to enhance their vision of the inter-relationship of information.

• Demonstrate competency in technology by generation of inter-relationships through graphs, preparation of handouts and posters for their ecological presentations.