A workshop in understanding concept
science
Memorize facts
 Highlight text
 Reread lecture notes
This type of learning helps you to recognize
ideas but does not give you the big picture or
show you how things go together
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Has no shortcuts or tricks
Requires hard work and a commitment of
time
Involves seeing the big idea or concept, not
just the pieces
Means being organized
Involves active learning
Requires monitoring your understanding
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Reading to get
assignment out of the
way
Going over and over
class notes repeatedly
(recall and repeat)
Sitting in class and just
taking notes (passive)
Low Quality
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Reading critically and
asking questions about
things you don’t
understand
Organizing information
in such a way that it
helps you understand the
way concepts are related
Asking for explanations
when you don’t
understand or “how do
we know that,” “Why does
it work that way?” “How
does this relate?”
High Quality-labor
intensive
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Learning the tremendous amount of new
vocabulary
Understanding the principles and concepts .
Understanding does not mean memorizing;
it means taking the time to understand the
concepts that make up each chapter
Because biology builds on each new
concept you need to study after every
lecture to make sure you understand each
new concept and how they fit into the
overall framework.
Biology is built around a conceptual
framework. Think of the conceptual
framework as the house.
1. Blueprints are the major concepts
2. The components (doors, windows, walls)
are the supporting concepts
3. The materials (wood, concrete, nails) are
the facts and details
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Chapter 4 Cell Organization and Structure is
the concept
The components of the study of cellular
organization and structure are two fold:
eurkaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells
The materials are the parts of the cell such as
the golgi bodies, the cell membrane, the
ribosomes, the nuclear envelope, etc
A concept science
Read the assigned textbook chapters
prior to the lecture. This will give you
an overview of the subject matter as
well as prepare you to recognize the
conceptual elements of the subject.
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Part 1 – Cell
Part 2 –Genetic basis of life
Part 3 – Evolution
◦ Part 4 – Microbiology and evolution
◦ Part 5 – Plant evolution and Biology
◦ Part 6 – Animal Evolution
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Part 7 - Comparative Animal Biology
Part 8 - Behavior and Ecology
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The text moves overall from the smallest
parts of life (such as the cell) to the largest
parts of life (different populations and
ecology)
However each chapter moves from
introducing the big idea or concept of the
chapter into the small parts that make up the
concept
A good way to look at each chapter is to use
something called a concept map
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Each chapter is split into sections labeled 4.1, 4.2,
4.3, etc (4 being the chapter number and 1, 2, 3
the sections) Note that each of these sections is
also printed in blue, which helps it to stand out.
These are the blueprints.
Each section represents a concept or idea. This
particular text begins with the big idea and moves
to the smaller ones.
For example
◦ Section 4.1 is called “cellular organization of life”
◦ Section 4.2 is called “procaryotic cells”
◦ Section 4.3 is called “eukaryotic cells”
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Under each blue chapter section are
subheadings printed in black bold face.
These are the main features (or components)
of the cell. Under prokaryotic cell there are
two subheadings
◦ The structure of Bacteria
◦ The structure of Archea
If you read the section you recognize that these are
two forms of prokaryotic cells. The main point of
the reading is to recognize the features of
prokaryotic cells. This is summarized in the table
at the end of the reading.
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The second major heading is Eukaryotic Cells.
Under this heading are the following
subheadings
◦ Structure of Eukarytic cells
◦ Nucleus and Ribosomes
◦ Endomembrane Structure
◦ Perioxisomes and Vacuoles
◦ Energy Related Organelles
◦ Cytoskeleton
The first subheading is an introduction to the parts of
a cell and the the rest of the headings talk about
cell parts by function
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Under each subheading is a list of specific
structure. For example under
endomembrane structure the following parts
are listed
◦ Endoplastic reticulum
◦ Golgi apparatus
◦ Lysosomes
Each subheading has similar lists of parts
Cell Structure
Prokaryotic
Eurkaryotic
Cell Envelope
Nucleus and
Ribosomes
Endomembrane
Cytoplasm
Perioxisomes
Energy Related
Organelles
Appendages
Cytoskeleton
Go to handout of Concept Maps
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Read the text to prepare for and understand
what is going to be discussed in class
SQ3R strategy for reading
Note new vocabulary words
Pay attention to diagrams and figures
Pay attention to what you understand and
what you find difficult so you know what to
ask questions about or look to the lecture
to clarify.
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Attend all lectures. Instructors emphasize
what they think is important (and usually on
the tests) in lectures. Also gives you visual
and auditory learning experiences
Take notes. Use what ever method works
best for you
– Outlines
– Bullets
– Cornell notes
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Be organized. Have a note taking system,
appropriate supplies, notebooks and folders.
(binders often work best because you can add
and remove pages)
Engage your brain in the lecture. Don’t just take
notes. Think, be critical, ask questions! Know
what you understand and what you don’t. If you
have a difficult time asking questions in class,
write them down and see the instructor after
class.
Pay attention to the big picture and how all the
smaller parts fit into the overall concept
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Reread lecture notes and lab notes everyday after class –
at least within 24 hours after class. Research shows that
people who go over notes after class do better on tests.
Identify what you do not understand, go over the concept
in the book and if it is still unclear ask the instructor to
clarify
Use any method that works for you to review the material
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Recite out loud
Draw pictures
Rewrite notes
Pretend to teach to someone
Summarize
Look at pictures and notes together to help you understand
Use concept maps
Three column Cornell Notes
Concept maps
Fact sheets
Diagrams
3 x 5 cards
Charts
Diagrams
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Always make sure that you are looking at and
understanding the big idea and how the
smaller concepts fit into the big idea. Your
organizational notes should reflect this
Recommend making a concept map of each
chapter and then smaller concept maps and
diagrams, pictures, charts of the concepts that
make up the big idea
Also make up vocabulary cards to go with each
major concept. Keep the cards with the notes
on that concept so you are associating them
with ideas
Surviving Biology Tests and Succeeding
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Stem – the part of the question that states
the question itself or presents the situation
Key words – you need to identify the most
important words in the stem in order to
understand what the question is asking
Client – who is the focus of the question
Options – choices of answers
A model for success in taking
multiple choice tests
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R – Recognize what
information is in
the stem
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Key words
Who is the client
What is the topic
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A – ask what is the
questions asking
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What key words in
stem indicate a
need for a
response
What is the
question asking me
to do
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C- Critically analyze the
options in relation to the
question asked in the
stem
 Scrutinize each option
in relation to the
information in the
stem
 Identify a rationale for
each option
 Compare and contrast
the options in relation
to the information in
the the stem and their
relationships to one
another
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E- eliminate
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Eliminate as many
options as
possible
Eliminate one
option at a time
Knowledge, comprehension, appliction
analysis, synthesis and evaluation
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Knowledge - the emphasis is on recalling
information
Comprehension – the emphasis is on
understanding the meaning and intent of
information
Application – the emphasis is on
remembering understood information and
using the information in new situations
Analysis – emphasis is on comparing and
contrasting a variety of elements of
information
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observation and recall of information
knowledge of dates, events, places
knowledge of major ideas
Question Cues:
list, define, tell, describe, identify, show,
label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote,
name, who, when, where, etc.
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Vacuoles function
in
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Food storage
Waste storage
Water regulation
a and b
All of these
Last one correct
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R
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Key words –
vacuoles function
Topic Vacuoles in
cells
A - What do
vacuoles do?
C – Critically
analyze
E - evaluate
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understanding information
grasp meaning
translate knowledge into new context
interpret facts, compare, contrast
order, group, infer causes
predict consequences
Question Cues:
summarize, describe, interpret, contrast,
predict, associate, distinguish, estimate,
differentiate, discuss, extend
Example – How do diuretics work?
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Which of these allows
amino acids to cross
the cell membrane
◦ Simple diffusion
◦ Transport proteins
◦ Cholesterol
◦ Glycoproteins
◦ Phospholipids
Correct answer # 1
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R key words allow
amino acids, cross,
cell membrane
A What substance or
process allows amino
acids to cross cell
membrane
C You need to know
what amino acids are
and you also need to
understand the
system by which they
are transported
E
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use information
use methods, concepts, theories in new
situations
solve problems using required skills or
knowledge
Questions Cues:
apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete,
illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify,
relate, change, classify, experiment,
discover
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Potatoes are nutritious because of the
_________they contain.
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Mitochondria
Vacuoles
ER
Nuclei
Ribosomes
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You discover a Parmecium that can not move.
Which of the following is NOT a logical
hypothesis as to why it is immobile?
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It has failed to produce cilia
It is lacking basal bodies
It has low numbers of mitochondria
Its microtubule organizing centers are not functioning
It has very few golgi bodies
e3