Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Science Practices

Course Content

Concept Explanation

Visual Representations

Questions and Methods

Representing and Describing Data

Statistical Tests and Data Analysis

Argumentation

Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Function

Cellular Energetics

Cell Communication and Cell Cycle

Heredity

Gene Expression and Regulation

Natural Selection

Ecology

Explain biological concepts, processes, and models presented in written format.

Describe biological concepts and/or processes.

Explain biological concepts and/or processes.

Explain biological concepts, processes, and/or models in applied contexts.

Analyze visual representations of biological concepts and processes.

Describe characteristics of a biological concept, process, or model represented visually.

Explain relationships between different characteristics of biological concepts, processes, or models represented visually

Explain how biological concepts or processes represented visually relate to larger biological principles, concepts, processes, or theories.

Represent relationships within biological models, including

Determine scientific questions and methods.

Identify or pose a testable question based on an observation, data, or a model.

State the null hypotheses, or predict the results of an experiment.

Identify experimental procedures that are aligned to the question, including

Make observations, or collect data from representations of laboratory setups or results. (Lab only; not assessed)

Propose a new/next investigation based on

Represent and describe data.

Construct a graph, plot, or chart (X,Y; Log Y; Bar; Histogram; Line, Dual Y; Box and Whisker; Pie).

Describe data from a table or graph, including

Perform statistical tests and mathematical calculations to analyze and interpret data.

Perform mathematical calculations, including

Use confidence intervals and/ or error bars (both determined using standard errors) to determine whether sample means are statistically different.

Perform chi-square hypothesis testing.

Use data to evaluate a hypothesis (or prediction), including

Develop and justify scientific arguments using evidence.

Make a scientific claim.

Support a claim with evidence from biological principles, concepts, processes, and/or data.

Provide reasoning to justify a claim by connecting evidence to biological theories.

Explain the relationship between experimental results and larger biological concepts, processes, or theories.

Predict the causes or effects of a change in, or disruption to, one or more components in a biological system based on

Explain how the properties of water that result from its polarity and hydrogen bonding affect its biological function.

Describe the properties of the monomers and the type of bonds that connect the monomers in biological macromolecules.

Explain how a change in the subunits of a polymer may lead to changes in structure or function of the macromolecule.

Describe the composition of macromolecules required by living organisms.

Describe the structural similarities and differences between DNA and RNA.

Describe the structure and/ or function of subcellular components and organelles.

Explain how subcellular components and organelles contribute to the function of the cell.

Describe the structural features of a cell that allow organisms to capture, store, and use energy.

Explain the effect of surface area-to-volume ratios on the exchange of materials between cells or organisms and the environment.

Explain how specialized structures and strategies are used for the efficient exchange of molecules to the environment.

Describe the roles of each of the components of the cell membrane in maintaining the internal environment of the cell.

Describe the Fluid Mosaic Model of cell membranes.

Explain how the structure of biological membranes influences selective permeability.

Describe the role of the cell wall in maintaining cell structure and function.

Describe the mechanisms that organisms use to maintain solute and water balance.

Describe the mechanisms that organisms use to transport large molecules across the plasma membrane.

Explain how the structure of a molecule affects its ability to pass through the plasma membrane.

Explain how concentration gradients affect the movement of molecules across membranes.

Explain how osmoregulatory mechanisms contribute to the health and survival of organisms.

Describe the processes that allow ions and other molecules to move across membranes.

Describe the membranebound structures of the eukaryotic cell.

Explain how internal membranes and membranebound organelles contribute to compartmentalization of eukaryotic cell functions.

Describe similarities and/or differences in compartmentalization between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Describe the relationship between the functions of endosymbiotic organelles and their free-living ancestral counterparts.

Describe the properties of enzymes.

Explain how enzymes affect the rate of biological reactions.

Explain how changes to the structure of an enzyme may affect its function.

Explain how the cellular environment affects enzyme activity.

Describe the role of energy in living organisms.

Describe the photosynthetic processes that allow organisms to capture and store energy.

Explain how cells capture energy from light and transfer it to biological molecules for storage and use.

Describe the processes that allow organisms to use energy stored in biological macromolecules.

Explain how cells obtain energy from biological macromolecules in order to power cellular functions.

Explain the connection between variation in the number and types of molecules within cells to the ability of the organism to survive and/or reproduce in different environments.

Describe the ways that cells can communicate with one another.

Explain how cells communicate with one another over short and long distances.

Describe the components of a signal transduction pathway.

Describe the role of components of a signal transduction pathway in producing a cellular response.

Describe the role of the environment in eliciting a cellular response.

Describe the different types of cellular responses elicited by a signal transduction pathway.

Explain how a change in the structure of any signaling molecule affects the activity of the signaling pathway.

Describe positive and/ or negative feedback mechanisms.

Explain how negative feedback helps to maintain homeostasis.

Explain how positive feedback affects homeostasis.

Describe the events that occur in the cell cycle.

Explain how mitosis results in the transmission of chromosomes from one generation to the next.

Describe the role of checkpoints in regulating the cell cycle.

Describe the effects of disruptions to the cell cycle on the cell or organism.

Explain how meiosis results in the transmission of chromosomes from one generation to the next.

Describe similarities and/ or differences between the phases and outcomes of mitosis and meiosis.

Explain how the process of meiosis generates genetic diversity.

Explain the inheritance of genes and traits as described by Mendel's laws.

Explain deviations from Mendel's model of the inheritance of traits.

Explain how shared, conserved, fundamental processes and features support the concept of common ancestry for all organisms.

Explain how the same genotype can result in multiple phenotypes under different environmental conditions.

Explain how chromosomal inheritance generates genetic variation in sexual reproduction.

Describe the structures involved in passing hereditary information from one generation to the next.

Describe the characteristics of DNA that allow it to be used as the hereditary material.

Describe the mechanisms by which genetic information is copied for transmission between generations.

Describe the mechanisms by which genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

Explain how the phenotype of an organism is determined by its genotype.

Explain the use of genetic engineering techniques in analyzing or manipulating DNA.

Describe the types of interactions that regulate gene expression.

Explain how the location of regulatory sequences relates to their function.

Explain how the binding of transcription factors to promoter regions affects gene expression and/or the phenotype of the organism.

Explain the connection between the regulation of gene expression and phenotypic differences in cells and organisms.

Describe the various types of mutation.

Explain how changes in genotype may result in changes in phenotype.

Explain how alterations in DNA sequences contribute to variation that can be subject to natural selection.

Describe the causes of natural selection.

Explain how natural selection affects populations.

Describe the importance of phenotypic variation in a population.

Explain how humans can affect diversity within a population.

Explain the relationship between changes in the environment and evolutionary changes in the population.

Explain how random occurrences affect the genetic makeup of a population.

Describe the role of random processes in the evolution of specific populations.

Describe the change in the genetic makeup of a population over time.

Describe the conditions under which allele and genotype frequencies will change in populations.

Explain the impacts on the population if any of the conditions of Hardy- Weinberg are not met.

Describe the types of data that provide evidence for evolution.

Explain how morphological, biochemical, and geological data provide evidence that organisms have changed over time.

Describe the fundamental molecular and cellular features shared across all domains of life, which provide evidence of common ancestry.

Describe structural and functional evidence on cellular and molecular levels that provides evidence for the common ancestry of all eukaryotes.

Explain how evolution is an ongoing process in all living organisms.

Describe the types of evidence that can be used to infer an evolutionary relationship.

Explain how a phylogenetic tree and/or cladogram can be used to infer evolutionary relatedness.

Describe the conditions under which new species may arise.

Describe the rate of evolution and speciation under different ecological conditions.

Explain the processes and mechanisms that drive speciation.

Describe factors that lead to the extinction of a population.

Explain how the risk of extinction is affected by changes in the environment.

Explain species diversity in an ecosystem as a function of speciation and extinction rates.

Explain how extinction can make new environments available for adaptive radiation.

Explain how the genetic diversity of a species or population affects its ability to withstand environmental pressures.

Describe the scientific evidence that provides support for models of the origin of life on Earth.

Describe the strategies organisms use to acquire and use energy.

Explain how changes in energy availability affect populations and ecosystems.

Explain how the activities of autotrophs and heterotrophs enable the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

Explain how the behavioral and/or physiological response of an organism is related to changes in internal or external environment.

Describe the structure of a community according to its species composition and diversity.

Explain how interactions within and among populations influence community structure.

Explain how community structure is related to energy availability in the environment.

Explain how the behavioral responses of organisms affect their overall fitness and may contribute to the success of the population.

Describe factors that influence growth dynamics of populations.

Explain how the density of a population affects and is determined by resource availability in the environment.

Explain how invasive species affect ecosystem dynamics.

Describe human activities that lead to changes in ecosystem structure and/ or dynamics.

Explain how geological and meteorological activity leads to changes in ecosystem structure and/or dynamics.

Describe the relationship between ecosystem diversity and its resilience to changes in the environment.

Explain how the addition or removal of any component of an ecosystem will affect its overall short-term and longterm structure.

Explain the interaction between the environment and random or preexisting variations in populations.

In theoretical contexts.

In applied contexts.

Mathematical models.

Diagrams.

Flow charts.

Identifying dependent and independent variables.

Identifying appropriate controls.

Justifying appropriate controls.

An evaluation of the evidence from an experiment.

An evaluation of the design/methods.

Orientation

Labeling

Units

Scaling

Plotting

Type

Trend line

Identifying specific data points.

Describing trends and/or patterns in the data.

Describing relationships between variables.

Mathematical equations in the curriculum.

Means.

Rates.

Ratios.

Percentages.

Rejecting or failing to reject the null hypothesis.

Supporting or refuting the alternative hypothesis.

Biological concepts or processes.

A visual representation of a biological concept, process, or model.

Data.