Biology Syllabus
Tracey Hagin – thagin@paulding.k12.ga.us
Matt Curtis- mcurtis@paulding.k12.ga.us
Jeanne Allen – jeallen@paulding.k12.ga.us
Jennifer Sewell - jsewell@paulding.k12.ga.us
Trey Donaldson - tdonaldson@paulding.k12.ga.us
SPHS Phone – 770-949-9221
Course Description: This course is a laboratory-based course that will focus on instructing students on the
research, laboratory and technical skills needed in the study of biology. Students will be required to complete all
materials described in the syllabus. Students who successfully complete this course will have mastered all of the
Georgia Performance Standards and be prepared for subsequent advanced science classes.
Grading Policy:
Semester Course Work
85% of the final average
- Summative Assessment
60%
- Formative Assessment
25%
- Informal
0%
End of Course Test
15% of final average
Summative Assessments Include but are not limited to: unit tests, projects, large portfolios, enrichment
work
Formative Assessments Include but are not limited to: quizzes, small portfolios, classwork, enrichment
work
Textbook: Mcdougall Littell, Biology 2008. Cost - $ 76.98 (Replacement cost if lost)
(Additional texts and resources will be used)
Tardy Policy: As listed in the student handbook. No more than 3 tardies are allowed before Exam
Exemption is honored per class. If more than 10 Tardies – all classes—no Exam Exemption. EOCT can
NOT be exempted.
Class/Lab Procedures and Rules: Rules will be described in class. All school policies in the student handbook will
be followed, as well as all lab safety rules and teacher policies.
Tentative Semester Outline: The activities listed below represent a proposed sequence of learning with an
estimated amount of time it will take to accomplish each GPS objective. Please understand that this sequence may
need to be adjusted and/or require that some activities be omitted altogether.
1st 4.5 weeks
Unit One Focus:
2nd 4.5 -weeks
Unit Two Focus:
3rd 4.5 -weeks
Unit Three Focus:
4th 4.5 weeks
Unit Four Focus:
Study of Life, Cellular
Structure & Function
Life is organized at all levels
from cells to biosphere.
Energy Transformations &
Ecology
Energy can be neither created
nor destroyed but can be
transformed from one form to
another as it flows through
organisms and ecosystems.
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Cycles of Matter
Energy Flow
Ecosystem Structure
Food Chains and Webs
Plant Adaptations
Animal Adaptations and
Behavior
Succession
Human Impact on the
Environment
Growth and Heredity
Organisms must be able to
grow and reproduce to ensure
species survival.
Organism Diversity &
Evolution
Survival and stability require
that living things maintain
biological balance at all
levels.
Cell Growth & Cell Cycle
Asexual & Sexual
Reproduction
Mendelian Genetics
DNA & RNA form and
function/Protein Synthesis
Chromosomes & Mutations
Genetic Engineering
DNA Technology and
Cloning/Bioethics
Biological Resistance
Classification of Kingdoms
Evolutionary History
(Theorists)
History of Life (Evidences)
Natural Selection
Population Genetics and
Evolution of Populations
Use of field guides
Introduction to Biology
Characteristics of Life
Viruses
Introduction to Scientific
Method
Lab Safety
Properties of water & its
benefit to living things.
Organic Molecules/Enzymes
Cell: Structure and Function
Cellular Transport
Homeostasis
Performance Assessments will include but will not be limited to: benchmark tests, quizzes, unit tests, lab reports,
projects, portfolios, and final exams.
Georgia Performance Standards for High School Biology
SB1.
Students will analyze the nature of the relationships between structures and functions in living
cells.
a. Explain the role of cell organelles for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including the cell
membrane, in maintaining homeostasis and cell reproduction.
b. Explain how enzymes function as catalysts.
c. Identify the function of the four major macromolecules (i.e., carbohydrates, proteins,
lipids, nucleic acids).
d. Explain the impact of water on life processes (i.e., osmosis, diffusion).
SB2.
Students will analyze how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
a. Distinguish between DNA and RNA.
b. Explain the role of DNA in storing and transmitting cellular information.
c. Using Mendel’s laws, explain the role of meiosis in reproductive variability.
d. Describe the relationships between changes in DNA and potential appearance of new traits including
 Alterations during replication.
 Insertions
 Deletions
 Substitutions
 Mutagenic factors that can alter DNA.
 High energy radiation (x-rays and ultraviolet)
 Chemical
e. Compare the advantages of sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction in different situations.
f. Examine the use of DNA technology in forensics, medicine, and agriculture.
SB3.
Students will derive the relationship between single-celled and multi-celled organisms and the
increasing complexity of systems.
a. Explain the cycling of energy through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.
b. Compare how structures and function vary between the six kingdoms (archaebacteria, eubacteria,
protists, fungi, plants, and animals).
c. Examine the evolutionary basis of modern classification systems.
d. Compare and contrast viruses with living organisms.
SB4.
Students will assess the dependence of all organisms on one another and the flow of energy and
matter within their ecosystems.
a. Investigate the relationships among organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes.
b. Explain the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems by
 Arranging components of a food chain according to energy flow.
 Comparing the quantity of energy in the steps of an energy pyramid.
 Explaining the need for cycling of major nutrients (C, O, H, N, P).
c. Relate environmental conditions to successional changes in ecosystems.
d. Assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment such as global
warming, population growth, pesticide use, and water and power consumption.
e. Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to the ability to survive stressful environmental
conditions.
f. Relate animal adaptations, including behaviors, to the ability to survive stressful
environmental conditions.
SB5. Students will evaluate the role of natural selection in the development of the theory of evolution.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Trace the history of the theory.
Explain the history of life in terms of biodiversity, ancestry, and the rates of evolution.
Explain how fossil and biochemical evidence support the theory.
Relate natural selection to changes in organisms.
Recognize the role of evolution to biological resistance (pesticide and antibiotic resistance).