Peabody
School
Student Learning Goals for Honors Biology Grade 8
In Honors Biology, students will study life and the interaction of living things. This
course aims to help students understand the conceptual framework of biology based on
factual knowledge and, more importantly, themes and relationships among said
knowledge. Essential to this conceptual understanding are the following: a grasp of
science as a process rather than as an accumulation of facts; personal experience in
scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of
biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental
and social concerns.
Major Topics
of Study
Differentiation
Instruction is characterized by variations in:
*Content, *Open-ended tasks, *Pacing, *Complexity of thought, *Student choice, *Product Outcomes
Knowledge
Natural Selection
and Evolution
 Species
 Population
dynamics
 Charles Darwin
 Natural selection
 Evidence of
evolution
Ecology
 Community,
population, and
individuals
 Dichotomous
keys
 Ecological
succession
 Food webs and
energy pyramids
 Nutrient cycles
 Human activity
Biochemistry
 What is biology?
 Lab safety
 Water chemistry
 Structure and
function of
organic
macromolecules
 Enzyme structure
and function
 Membrane
Skills
Natural Selection and Evolution
Students will:
 Define species
 Describe the characteristics of a population that may lead
to natural selection
 Relate Darwin’s observations to his theory of Natural
Selection
 Simulate the process of natural selection
 Relate natural selection to observed adaptations in
various organisms
 Summarize physiological, paleontological, and
molecular evidence for evolution
Ecology
Students will:
 Recognize and describe ecological relationships on the
individual, population, community, and environmental
scales
 Create and interpret population growth curves
 Use a dichotomous key to identify local organisms
 Relate specific adaptations to the order of organisms’
appearance during ecological succession
 Interpret a diagram of a food web or energy pyramid
 Describe the general flow of energy in a given
ecosystem
 Recognize nutrient cycles of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
and water
 Examine the ecological implications of various human
activities
 Visit the Chesapeake Bay to learn more about local
ecological issues first-hand
The Nature of
Science
Throughout the
year, the following
principles
regarding the
nature of science
itself will be
introduced and
reinforced both
implicitly and
explicitly:
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Biochemistry
Students will:
Science seeks
to explain the
natural world
and its
explanations
are tested
using evidence
from the
natural world
Scientific
knowledge is
based on
observational
and inferential
evidence
Scientific
claims are
subject to peer
review and
replication
There is no
such thing as
“The Scientific
dynamics
 Homeostasis
Cells
 History of the
microscope
 Cell Theory
 Cellular
organelles
 Plasma
membrane
 Viruses
 Cell cycle
 Meiosis
Life Functions and
Processes
 Photosynthesis
 Cellular
respiration
 Human health
 Body systems
 Germ theory
Genetics
 The discovery of
DNA
 DNA structure
and function
 DNA replication
 DNA technology
 Mendelian
genetics
 Mutations
 Protein synthesis
 Design a controlled experiment
 Identify and use proper procedures and equipment
 Recognize and describe the importance of water in living
systems
 Explain the significance of carbon in organic molecules
 Identify the structure of different macromolecules
 Describe the general function of different
macromolecules
 Generalize the structure and function of enzymes in
terms of catalyzing reactions
 Differentiate between osmosis and diffusion
 Understand that cellular functions occur in specific
ranges of pH and temperature
Cells
Students will:
 Describe the relationship between technology and
scientific discovery
 Summarize the key functional differences between
multi-cellular and unicellular organisms
 Understand the relationships between organelles and
how they contribute to the overall function of the cell
 Diagram the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane;
summarize its functions
 Distinguish between viruses and cells; illustrate how
viruses reproduce
 Describe and diagram the cell cycle, emphasizing the
importance of mitosis and cytokinesis
 Explain how meiosis increases genetic variation of a
population’s gene pool
Life Functions and Processes
Students will:
 Explain the significance of photosynthesis (carbon
fixation and solar energy trapping) to most living things
 Recognize the complementary nature of photosynthesis
and cellular respiration
 Understand the role respiration plays in “scaling down”
food energy into smaller “packets” of energy in ATP
 Recognize the essential function of each human body
system
 Summarize the historical development of the Germ
Theory of Infectious Diseases
 Relate Germ Theory to modern sanitation practices
Genetics
Students will:
 Explain how the structure of DNA enables an effective
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Method”
Scientific
conclusions
are reliable,
but tentative
Science is not
democratic
Science is nondogmatic
Science cannot
make moral or
aesthetic
decisions
Science is
designed to try
to remove
human bias,
though this is
ultimately
impossible.
Science is
affected by the
cultural
context in
which it is
practiced
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copying mechanism and reliable way to store
information
Understand when, where, how, and why DNA is copied
Discuss the science behind and the ethical implications
of DNA fingerprinting, genetic engineering, and cloning
Predict the outcomes of various crosses using Punnet
squares
Relate all modes of inheritance to specific, human traits
Understand types and causes of mutations, relating them
to either errors during meiosis or changes in DNA
nucleotide sequences
Describe the basic events of transcription and translation