1^st Six Weeks

SC-HS-4.6.5

Students will describe and explain the role of carbon-containing molecules and chemical reactions in energy transfer in living systems.

Living systems require a continuous input of energy to maintain their chemical and physical organization since the universal tendency is toward more disorganized states. The energy for life primarily derives from the Sun. Plants capture energy by absorbing light and using it to break weaker bonds in reactants (such as carbon dioxide and water) in chemical reactions that result in the formation of carbon-containing molecules. These molecules can be used to assemble larger molecules (e.g., DNA, proteins, sugars, fats). In addition, the energy released when these molecules react with oxygen to form very strong bonds can be used as sources of energy for life processes.

DOK 3

SC-HS-1.1.2

Students will understand that the atom’s nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons that are much more massive than electrons. When an element has atoms that differ in the number of neutrons, these atoms are called different isotopes of the element.

2^nd Six Weeks

SC-HS-4.6.4

Students will:

·     describe the components and reservoirs involved in biogeochemical cycles ( water, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen);

·     explain the movement of matter and energy in biogeochemical cycles and related phenomena.

The total energy of the universe is constant. Energy can change forms and/or be transferred in many ways, but it can neither be created nor destroyed. Movement of matter between reservoirs is driven by Earth’s internal and external sources of energy. These movements are often accompanied by a change in physical and chemical properties of the matter. Carbon, for example, occurs in carbonate rocks such as limestone, in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas, in water as dissolved carbon dioxide and in all organisms as complex molecules that control the chemistry of life.

DOK 3

SC-HS-4.7.5

Students will:

• predict the consequences of changes in resources to a population;
• select or defend solutions to real-world problems of population control.

Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size. However, behaviors, environments and resources influence the size of populations. Models (e.g., mathematical, physical, conceptual) can be used to make predictions about changes in the size or rate of growth of a population.

DOK 3

SC-HS-4.6.1

Students will:

·     explain the relationships and connections between matter, energy, living systems and the physical environment;

·     give examples of conservation of matter and energy.

As matter and energy flow through different organizational levels (e.g., cells, organs, organisms, communities) and between living systems and the physical environment, chemical elements are recombined in different ways. Each recombination results in storage and dissipation of energy into the environment as heat. Matter and energy are conserved in each change.

DOK 3

SC-HS-4.7.1

Students will:

·     analyze relationships and interactions among organisms in ecosystems;

·     predict the effects on other organisms of changes to one or more components of the ecosystem.

Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. Often changes in one component of an ecosystem will have effects on the entire system that are difficult to predict. The interrelationships and interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or thousands of years.

DOK 3

SC-HS-4.7.2

Students will:

·     evaluate proposed solutions from multiple perspectives to environmental problems caused by human interaction;

·     justify positions using evidence/data.

Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter the dynamics in ecosystems. These activities can threaten current and future global stability and, if not addressed, ecosystems can be irreversibly affected.

DOK 3

3^rd Six Weeks

SC-HS-3.4.1

Students will explain the role of DNA in protein synthesis.

Cells store and use information to guide their functions. The genetic information stored in DNA directs the synthesis of the thousands of proteins that each cell requires. Errors that may occur during this process may result in mutations that may be harmful to the organism.

DOK 3

SC-HS-3.4.3

Students will:

·     describe cell regulation (enzyme function, diffusion, osmosis, homeostasis);

·     predict consequences of internal/external environmental change on cell function/regulation.

Cell functions are regulated. Regulation occurs both through changes in the activity of the functions performed by proteins and through selective expression of individual genes. This regulation allows cells to respond to their internal and external environments and to control and coordinate cell growth and division.

DOK 2

SC-HS-3.4.8

Students will understand that multicellular animals have nervous systems that generate behavior. Nerve cells communicate with each other by secreting specific molecules. Specialized cells in sense organs detect light, sound and specific chemicals enabling animals to monitor what is going on in the world around them.

SC-HS-3.4.2

Students will understand that most cell functions involve chemical reactions. Food molecules taken into cells react to provide the chemical constituents needed to synthesize other molecules. Both breakdown and synthesis are made possible by a large set of protein catalysts, called enzymes. The breakdown of some of the food molecules enables the cell to store energy in specific chemicals that are used to carry out the many functions of the cell.

SC-HS-4.6.10

Students will:

·     identify the components and mechanisms of energy stored and released from food molecules (photosynthesis and respiration);

·     apply information to real-world situations.

Energy is released when the bonds of food molecules are broken and new compounds with lower energy bonds are formed. Cells usually store this energy temporarily in the phosphate bonds of adenosine triphosphate  (ATP). During the process of cellular respiration, some energy is lost as heat.

DOK 3

SC-HS-4.6.5

Students will describe and explain the role of carbon-containing molecules and chemical reactions in energy transfer in living systems.

Living systems require a continuous input of energy to maintain their chemical and physical organization since the universal tendency is toward more disorganized states. The energy for life primarily derives from the Sun. Plants capture energy by absorbing light and using it to break weaker bonds in reactants (such as carbon dioxide and water) in chemical reactions that result in the formation of carbon-containing molecules. These molecules can be used to assemble larger molecules (e.g., DNA, proteins, sugars, fats). In addition, the energy released when these molecules react with oxygen to form very strong bonds can be used as sources of energy for life processes.

DOK 3

SC-HS-3.4.4

Students will understand that plant cells contain chloroplasts, the site of photosynthesis. Plants and many microorganisms (e.g., Euglena) use solar energy to combine molecules of carbon dioxide and water into complex, energy-rich organic compounds and release oxygen to the environment. This process of photosynthesis provides a vital link between the Sun and energy needs of living systems.

4^th Six Weeks

SC-HS-3.4.6

Students will understand that in all organisms and viruses, the instructions for specifying the characteristics are carried in nucleic acids. The chemical and structural properties of nucleic acids determine how the genetic information that underlies heredity is both encoded in genes and replicated.

SC-HS-3.4.5

Students will:

·     explain the relationship between sexual reproduction (meiosis) and the transmission of genetic information;

·     draw conclusions/make predictions based on hereditary evidence/data (pedigrees, punnet squares).

Multicellular organisms, including humans, form from cells that contain two copies of each chromosome. This explains many features of heredity. Transmission of genetic information through sexual reproduction to offspring occurs when male and female gametes, that contain only one representative from each chromosome pair, unite.

DOK 3

SC-HS-3.5.1

Students will:

·     predict the impact on species of changes to 1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life, or (4) natural selection;

·     propose solutions to real-world problems of endangered and extinct species.

Species change over time. Biological change over time is the consequence of the interactions of (1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life and (4) natural selection. The consequences of change over time provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life forms and for the striking molecular similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms. Changes in DNA (mutations) occur spontaneously at low rates. Some of these changes make no difference to the organism, whereas others can change cells and organisms. Only mutations in germ cells have the potential to create the variation that changes an organism’s future offspring.

DOK 3

5^th Six Weeks

SC-HS-4.7.4

Students will understand that evidence for one-celled forms of life, the bacteria, extends back more than 3.5 billion years. The changes in life over time caused dramatic changes in the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, which did not originally contain oxygen.

SC-HS-3.5.2

Students will:

·     predict the success of patterns of adaptive behaviors based on evidence/data;

·     justify explanations of organism survival based on scientific understandings of behavior.

The broad patterns of behavior exhibited by organisms have changed over time through natural selection to ensure reproductive success. Organisms often live in unpredictable environments, so their behavioral responses must be flexible enough to deal with uncertainty and change. Behaviors often have an adaptive logic.

DOK 3

SC-HS-3.5.1

Students will:

·     predict the impact on species of changes to 1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life, or (4) natural selection;

·     propose solutions to real-world problems of endangered and extinct species.

Species change over time. Biological change over time is the consequence of the interactions of (1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life and (4) natural selection. The consequences of change over time provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life forms and for the striking molecular similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms. Changes in DNA (mutations) occur spontaneously at low rates. Some of these changes make no difference to the organism, whereas others can change cells and organisms. Only mutations in germ cells have the potential to create the variation that changes an organism’s future offspring.

DOK 3

6^th Six Weeks

SC-HS-3.4.7

Students will:

·     classify organisms into groups based on similarities;

·     infer relationships based on internal and external structures and chemical processes.

Biological classifications are based on how organisms are related. Organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based on similarities that reflect their relationships. Species is the most fundamental unit of classification. Different species are classified by the comparison and analysis of their internal and external structures and the similarity of their chemical processes.

DOK 2