Course title

SC102RS

Pre-requisite

Algebra

Course description

Biology B Syllabus

Course Description
Biology B is a continuation of basic biology; exploring the subjects of forensic science; ecology; evolution; and microbiology. After finishing the course; the student should understand how life meshes together; how it changes over time; and how it looks now under the microscope.
Course Objectives
• Understand the place of biology in modern living.
• Understand the processes and logic of scientific inquiry.
• Understand the basic concepts of biology.
Topics to be Covered
Unit 1: Forensics and Ecology
Unit Description
One of the great applications of biological science is in forensic science. As biology progresses; we see better the record it leaves behind with every movement. Forensic science takes advantage of such details to piece together the biology of crime; parenting; and death. It is just a small leap from such dramatic stories to see the miracle of everyday life in populations and communities. Each organism; each species; each group has a role in preserving and supporting life in general on this planet. Each individual leaves a legacy as it leaves. Appreciating the intricate interweaving of life is the theme of this unit.
Unit Objectives
• Analyze factors that affect human populations.
• Analyze the relationships among various organisms and their environment
Lesson 1 :Finding Answers
Lesson Description
The tools and processes of forensics; with an emphasis on DNA fingerprinting; are presented in text and graphics.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how human curiosity and needs have influenced science; impacting the quality of life worldwide.
• Explain the process by which accepted ideas are extended or challenged by scientific innovation.
Lesson 2: DNA and You
Lesson Description
DNA is present in all life. Extracting it can be a bit tricky; but anyone can do it.
Lesson Objectives
• Recognize the importance of basing arguments on a thorough understanding of the core concepts and principles of science and technology.
• Support conclusions with logical scientific arguments.
Lesson 3: Life Relationships
Lesson Description
Ecology is the study of the relationships of various species. Succession and biomes are two key concepts.
Lesson Objectives
• Identify the relationships of organisms within ecosystems.
Lesson 4: Back to the Lab
Lesson Description
Forensics solves many mysteries; both criminal and historical. The design of the investigation is crucial in getting the information required.
Lesson Objectives
• Identify the resources necessary to conduct an investigation.
• Design an effective protocol for testing a hypothesis.
Lesson 5: Consuming the Produce
Lesson Description
Food chains and food webs are useful models in identifying relationships in the natural world. Material cycles also provide a framework for modeling ecosystems.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how organisms are influenced by a particular combination of biotic and abiotic factors in an environment.
Unit 2: Getting ALong
Unit Description
Ecology has become one of the most important sciences. The exponentially-growing human population; over the last 500 years; has put more people on the planet than ever before. Unless humans can; through technology; find a way to accommodate the other species; many of whom are heading for extinction; an ecological disaster looms. Man cannot isolate himself from the biological world; for he depends upon it. The best hope for ecological redemption lies in understanding our planet and its capacities; then using wisdom in finding ways to sustain such growth without overburdening the habitats and niches of other species
Unit Objectives
• Analyze the relationships among various organisms and their environment.
• Describe the interactions between human populations; natural hazards; and the environment.
Lesson 6: Population Studies
Lesson Description
Population studies must identify the carrying capacity and limiting factors in order to understand the growth or decline of the numbers of the species.
Lesson Objectives
• Identify the relationships among organisms within populations; communities; ecosystems; and biomes.
• Assess how the size and the rate of growth of a population are determined by birth rate; death rate; immigration; emigration; and carrying capacity of the environment.
Lesson 7: Managing the System
Lesson Description
When studying ecology; every place is a lab. Ecosystems abound and can be small or large. The trick is to observe the relationships.
Lesson Objectives
• Evaluate how the processes of natural ecosystems affect; and are affected by; humans.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices and preservation techniques on environmental quality and biodiversity.
Lesson 8: Finding Your Niche
Lesson Description
Each species occupies a particular niche in an ecosystem; meaning that each performs a function that affects all the others in the system. The niche is what enables the species to survive.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe the biotic and abiotic factors that affect populations; human and non-human.
Lesson 9: Preserving the Environment
Lesson Description
Food webs in large measure define the place; or niche; each species has in the system; and how dependent each species is on its neighbors.
Lesson Objectives
• Evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices and preservation techniques on environmental quality and biodiversity.
• Record observations; notes; sketches; questions; and ideas using tools such as journals; charts; graphs; and computers.
Lesson 10: What Have We Done?
Lesson Description
Ecological problems often have their root in the tremendous expansion of the human species; and the manipulation that humans perform on the environment.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe the environmental effects of pollution.
• Evaluate the use of renewable and non-renewable resources.
Unit 3: An Evolving Science
Unit Description
Since 1859; the idea that life adapts biologically to accommodate changes in the environment (natural selection) has gained increasing acceptance in the scientific community. Many instances have been documented where species changed the prevalence of certain genes in order to more successfully fit into their niche. Homo sapiens; however; is remarkably uniform in its gene pool. Many investigators claim that cultural changes in human society have replaced genetic changes. In other words; men adapt by changing their culture rather than changing their genetics. If so; man represents a great leap forward; evolutionarily speaking.
Unit Objectives
• Understand the scientific principles and processes involved in biological evolution.
Lesson 11: Darwin’s Insights
Lesson Description
Darwin’s theory of Organic Evolution is based upon the operation of natural selection.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how the continuing operation of natural selection underlies a population’s ability to adapt to changes in the environment and leads to biodiversity and the origin of new species.
Lesson 12: Dogs and Theory
Lesson Description
Artificial selection; such as dog-breeding; is simply a variation in evolution which humans have been able to manufacture. The mechanisms are about the same as with natural selection.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how the continuing operation of natural selection underlies a population’s ability to adapt to changes in the environment and leads to biodiversity and the origin of new species.
Lesson 13: Evolving Populations
Lesson Description
The story of evolution can be told on a species level; a molecular level; or chromosome level. In each case; the story is much the same—molecules or populations responding to the environment.
Lesson Objectives
• Identify the following components of natural selection; which can lead to speciation: potential for a species to increase its numbers; genetic variability; and inheritance of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes; finite supply of resources required for life; and selection by the environment of those offspring better able to survive and produce offspring.
• Explain how genotypic and phenotypic variation can result in adaptations that influence an organism’s success in the environment.
Lesson 14: Selecting Paper Birds
Lesson Description
The operation of natural selection can be modeled by imposing a pressure and seeing how the population responds. The population may even be made of paper; and the pressure can still select.
Lesson Objectives
• Identify dependent and independent variables in a controlled investigation; determine an appropriate method for data collection; and determine an appropriate method for recording data.
Lesson 15: Species and Math
Lesson Description
The Hardy-Weinberg equations are one mathematical approach to describing the potential for success each population experiences in an environment.
Lesson Objectives
• Explain how genotypic and phenotypic variation can result in adaptations that influence an organism’s success in an environment.
• Predict how a change in an environmental factor can affect the numbers and diversity of a species in an ecosystem.
Unit 4:Dating Class (Cladistics)
Unit Description
One thing that all life has in common is its diversity. No matter what the feature; there are multiple versions of it in the various species that inhabit the planet. When classifying all the diverse forms of life; only one rule fits all: that no one classification system fits everything. Whether using DNA evidence; morphology; key features; or any other system; taxonomists run into problem species that don’t fit the system. What has evolved is a series of classification schemes that get increasingly complex. After all; according to popular lingo; “Exceptions prove the rule
Unit Objectives
• Understand the scientific principles and processes involved in biological evolution.
Lesson 16: A Classy System
Lesson Description
Taxonomy is a necessity in such a diverse bio-world; but the diversity also ensures that no taxonomy system is perfect.
Lesson Objectives
• Analyze; using a biological classification system; the degree of relatedness among various species.
Lesson 17: What Do We Have in Common?
Lesson Description
Though molecular processes produce change; most classifications are done based on morphological characteristics; such as the shape of leaves.
Lesson Objectives
• Evaluate scientific information for relevance to a given problem.
Lesson 18: Kingdoms and Microbes
Lesson Description
By far the most populous of any group are the bacteria. Their organization shows how diverse the small cells may be; and how many variations there are on a single theme.
Lesson Objectives
• Analyze; using a biological classification system; the degree of relatedness among various species.
Lesson 19: A Natural Selection
Lesson Description
A skull can tell a long story; particularly as it fits in with others in the fossil record.
Lesson Objectives
• Explain the process by which accepted ideas are challenged or extended by scientific investigation.
Lesson 20: The Ravages of Time
Lesson Description
Radioactive carbon dating provides a wealth of evidence about the Earth’s past. There have been a number of mass extinctions in Earth’s past; and the current one is also impressive.
Lesson Objectives
• Analyze how patterns in the fossil record; nuclear chemistry; geology; molecular biology; and geographical distribution give support to the theory of organic evolution through natural selection over billions of years and the resulting present-day biodiversity.
Unit 5: Microbiology—Good and Bad
Unit Description
Along with viruses; bacterial diseases pose the greatest threat to human health on the planet. Yet bacteria are not necessarily enemies to humankind; indeed; they are necessary for our survival. Our knowledge of the rules and conditions of microbiological life will determine whether we live in peace or live at odds with such one-celled wonders. After all; bacteria and viruses have invaded virtually every livable area on the planet; and some that are not so livable. Many investigators have become convinced that viruses and microbes are so prevalent that they must also be found in space. Apparently; we cannot get away from them; so we must learn to live with them
Unit Objectives
• Understand the role of the cell and cellular processes.
Lesson 21: Bacteria and Viruses—Friends or Foe
Lesson Description
Bacteria are best known by the diseases they cause; but they can also be very helpful to man. Viruses are not so helpful; but they afflict men’s friends and foes alike.
Lesson Objectives
• Compare the form and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and their cellular components.
• Describe how organisms are influenced by a particular combination of biotic (bacteria) and abiotic (viruses) factors in an environment.
Lesson 22: A Formidable Foe Beaten
Lesson Description
The story of polio and its decline due to immunization is one of the success stories of modern science.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how human curiosity and needs have influenced science; impacting the quality of life worldwide.
Lesson 23: Recognizing the Foe
Lesson Description
Koch’s postulates give a systematic way of recognizing the causative agents of infectious disease.
Lesson Objectives
• Determine biotic and abiotic factors that affect human populations.
Lesson 24: Prototypical Writing
Lesson Description
Research into Giardia lamblia provides a relevant exercise for a microbiological investigation.
Lesson Objectives
• Communicate results clearly and logically.
Lesson 25: They Get Around
Lesson Description
Protist parasites are troublesome; but provide some of the best candidates for microscope study.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe how organisms are influenced by a particular combination of biotic and abiotic factors in an environment.
Unit 6: Fungus Among Us
Unit Description
Fungi are the final area of study in the course. Fungi; like all other types of organisms; are diverse in how they eat; grow; and reproduce. By looking at the various way fungi live their lives; you will appreciate how intricate the web is that links each species or group to the rest of the planet. For example; bread has come to be known as the human “staff of life;” yet bread does not exist without yeast; a type of fungus. Cheese and other foodstuffs likewise use fungus and other microorganisms to bring the rich and full menu to our tables. Life is full of such ironies; but; so long as we; as humans; do not let our pride get in the way; we can enjoy our dependence on such unsophisticated species.
Unit Objectives
• Understand the organization of living systems; and the role of energy within those systems.
Lesson 26: The Basic Fungus
Lesson Description
The three main types of fungus are zygomycetes; ascomycetes; and basidiomycetes.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe the role of organic; such as mushroom toxins; and inorganic chemicals important to living things.
Lesson 27: Cheese It!
Lesson Description
An appreciation for fungi is not complete unless their role in cheese-making is understood.
Lesson Objectives
• Evaluate scientific information for relevance to cheese making.
Lesson 28: Fungal Symbiosis
Lesson Description
Symbiosis is exemplified by the fungi; both in connection with humans and other life forms.
Lesson Objectives
• Describe biotic and abiotic factors that affect humans.
Lesson 29: The Art of Breadmaking
Lesson Description
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an interesting yeast; being used for both beer and bread.
Lesson Objectives
• Propose further investigations based on the findings of a conducted investigation.
Lesson 30: Finally!
Lesson Description
The final exam and the last case study discussion sum up the concepts of the course.
Lesson Objectives
• Demonstrate mastery of introductory biology.
Assessment of Concepts and Skills/Evaluation of Student Progress
Pretests
Pretests assess a student’s prior knowledge of the content in a unit. These questions are taken directly from the unit exam but do not count toward a student’s grade.
Workbook Questions
Workbook questions are presented to students after most activities containing content. They assess a student’s knowledge of the content immediately after they view/learn the content. Workbook questions typically include multiple choice; true/false; and/or fill-in-the-blank questions.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints assess a student’s knowledge of the concepts taught in a lesson. Typically; multiple choice and true/false questions are presented.
Exams (including Vocabulary Exam)
Exams assess a student’s knowledge of the concepts taught in a unit. Typically; multiple choice and true/false questions are presented.
The Vocabulary Exam assesses a student’s knowledge of several key terms taught throughout the entire course. Typically; multiple choice and true/false questions are presented.
Final Exam
The Final Exam assesses a student’ knowledge of all of the content taught throughout the entire course. Typically; multiple choice and true/false questions are presented.
Discussion Boards
Discussions assess a student’s knowledge of the content taught in each lesson of a unit through answering questions and discussing the content with fellow students. The following case studies are presented for discussion.
Unit 1
“The Biology of Crime and Punishment” presents the place of forensics in criminal investigations. Of what value is sure and swift detection of criminal acts?
Unit 2
“Human Population Growth” discusses the exponential expansion of the human population; and ponders on the carrying capacity of the Earth for the human population and the management of human demographics.
Unit 3
“Faith and Science” discusses the interface between matters of faith and matters of science; and asks the student to reflect on the limitations of science and the need for faith; particularly in the matter of human origins.
Unit 4
“Dinosaurs and Birds” presents the case for the ancestral relationship of dinosaurs and birds; including the cataclysm that supposedly ended the reign of the dinosaurs. The student is asked to analyze how changing environmental conditions domesticated the descendents of the dinosaurs.
Unit 5
“Viruses” reflects on the similarity of computer viruses and biological viruses; including the transmission of information into key processing areas. The student is asked to make connections between the two types of virus; including methods of protection against them.
Unit 6
“Coccidioidomycosis” is a case study in fungal disease in the desert Southwest. The reasons for the prevalence of the disease in Arizona and mechanisms of protection are discussed.
Unit Labs
Unit 1: 1)Extraction of DNA from a living sample; 2)Setting up a protocol for forensic testing

Unit 2: 1)Detecting a food web in an ecosystem; 2)Developing an energy pyramid from the same data

Unit 3: 1)Research dog breeding histories; 2)Testing paper “birds” in a natural selection simulation

Unit 4: 1)Classification of leaves; 2)Classification of human skulls

Unit 5: 1)Personal interviews about polio; 2)Research into Giardia lamblia

Unit 6: 1) Cheese making basics; 2)Bread making basics

School country

United States

School state

Arizona

School city

Chandler

High school

Primavera Online High School

School / district Address

2471 N. Arizona Ave.

School zip code

85225

Requested competency code

Lab Science

Date submitted

09/14/2011

Approved

Yes

Approved competency code

• LBIO
• Biology

Approved date

01/27/2017

Deferred Reason

Please submit a sample of a typical lab and how many labs and what type (physical/virtual) they are.

Online / Virtual

Yes