Palm Springs Unified School District
Biology Course Guide
2013 – 2014
Biology
Table of Contents
Preface - Important Note to Teachers…………………………………………………….3
Using the Released Test Questions.....................................................................................4
Purpose and Use of Pacing Guide………………………………………………………...5
Honors Biology Requirements……………………………………………………………6
National Educational Technology Standards Grades Pre-K - 12........................................7
Biology California Standards Test (CST) Blueprint…..………………………………….9
California Content Standards at a Glance………………………………………………..16
California Content Standards Unpacked…………………………………………...…….19
Grade 10 Life Science Standards Test Blueprint………………………………………...26
Instructional Segments…………………………………………………………….……..32
CST Blueprint Color-Coded by Instructional Segments…………...................................37
Benchmark Exams at a Glance………………………….……………………………….43
Vocabulary by Instructional Segments……………….………………………………….44
Vocabulary by Instructional Segments in Spanish..….………………………………….45
Pacing Guide……………………………………………………………………………..46
Please direct any questions or comments to:
Pete A’Hearn
K-12 Science Specialist
pahearn@psusd.us
(760) 902-7768
Sandi Enochs
Coordinator, Assessment and Data Analysis
senochs@psusd.us
(760) 416-6066
2
IMPORTANT!
THIS PACING GUIDE IS INTENDED TO BE FLEXIBLE!!!!
Although a Pacing Guide has been created with a suggested order for teaching the textbook lessons, site
curricular teams may change the order of the lessons being taught WITHIN an Instructional Segment.
The only requirement is that all lessons within each Instructional Segment be completed (and standards
mastered) prior to that Instructional Segment’s Closing Date.
The Instructional Segment’s Closing Date is the absolute last date by which the Segment’s Assessment
must be administered and results entered into OARS. These are OARS deadline dates, not just dates by
which the exams must be administered to students. Feel free to administer the Assessment any time
prior to this date.
Please note: Benchmark Exam #3 has been replaced with a CST Mirror Test. During the time between
the administration of the CST Mirror Test and the administration of the actual CST teachers will continue
to teach new content while providing interventions as indicated by the results of the CST Mirror Test.
This Course Guide is NOT suggesting that all content be taught prior to the CST Mirror Test
administration date.
A Scope and Sequence of the National Educational Technology Standards, Grades Pre-K - 12, has been
added to all Course Guides. It clearly identifies the Technology Standards that should be integrated into
all subject areas at the appropriate grade levels.
The Textbook column of the Pacing Guide refers to our adopted textbook, Glencoe California Biology.
The textbook is not the curriculum, feel free to use readings, labs, and activities from outside the text to
help your students master the standards. The far right column (# of Days) on the Pacing Guide has been
intentionally left blank. This column is intended to be used by teachers when planning individually or
collaboratively.
Honors Biology: The standards and lessons listed in red are for the Honors Biology classes. These
standards and lessons are to be taught in addition to all the others listed in the Pacing Guide. They are
designed to provide more rigor to the course, not just more work. Biology CP teachers may also feel free
explore these honors topics, if so desired.
The prior knowledge and misconceptions boxes at the beginning of each unit in the pacing guide are
useful for designing pre-tests and formative assessments. You should test for prior knowledge, but not
assume it is there. Misconceptions need to be directly addressed in instruction. Misconceptions can be
very persistent and prevent students from learning science. Formative assessment can tell you if students
are holding on to their misconceptions.
The column entitled RTQ’s references the specific Biology and Life Science Released Test Question(s)
that align to the lesson being taught at that point in time. If you need a copy of the Biology and/or Life
Science STAR Released Test Questions, you may download them from the CDE websites:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqbiology.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqscience10.pdf .
Please see the following page for some suggestions of how to use the RTQ’s.
3
Using the Released Test Questions throughout the School Year
It is highly recommended that you use the Released Test Questions as a wrap-up of instruction on a
particular standard. Close the lesson with “Now let’s see how the state might test this concept (or
standard)”. After the students have answered the question(s) and selected their responses, thoroughly
review the question and answer choices with them. Discover how many (and which) students answered
the question(s) correctly. Then have a frank and open discussion about the distracters and why each
student chose a particular distracter




Did they totally not understand the concept (standard)?
Did they not know a particular vocabulary word (academic or content-specific)?
Did they miss a step in the process of solving the problem?
Did they not finish solving the problem, because one of the distracters was the answer they
received when they were only part-way through solving the problem?
 Did they arrive at a perfectly good answer, but it was not the answer to the problem?
Try and discover all errors and misconceptions now, so that they can be corrected immediately and not
continue throughout the school year.
Please keep in mind that most standards encompass several (if not many) concepts, as evidenced by the
Unpacked Standards in your Course Guide. These Released Test Questions may only assess some of these
concepts. That does not mean that these are the only aspects of the standard that will be tested on the CST.
These are the questions that CDE chose to release at this point in time. This is not necessarily an
indication of which concepts to stress or an indication of which part of the standard will be tested. You
may need to generate or find additional questions to assess the other portions of the standard.
These questions (and the students’ responses to the questions) should be a focus of your PLC
collaborative discussions. They will generate a wealth of information to be shared by the team. Here are
some facts quoted from Robert Marzano’s book Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work (pp.5 –
6):
 When students receive feedback on a classroom assessment that simply tells them whether their
answers are correct or incorrect, learning is negatively influenced.
 When students are provided with the correct answer, learning is influenced in a positive direction.
This practice is associated with a gain of 8.5 percentile points in student achievement.
 Providing students with explanations as to why their responses are correct or incorrect is
associated with a gain of 20 percentile points in student achievement.
 Asking students to continue responding to an assessment until they correctly answer the items is
associated with a gain of 20 percentile points.
 Displaying assessment results graphically can go a long way to helping students take control of
their own learning. However, this practice can also help teachers more accurately judge students’
levels of understanding and skill. It is associated with a gain of 26 percentile points in student
achievement.
 Teachers within a school or a district should have rigorous and uniform ways of interpreting the
results of classroom assessments. If the interpretation of assessment results is done by a set of
rules, student achievement is enhanced by 32 percentile points.
4
Purpose and Use of this Pacing Guide
1. PSUSD teachers created and revised the original Biology Pacing Guide and the Benchmark assessments
that were aligned to that document. This pacing guide is a work in progress and will be revised, along with
the Benchmark assessments, each year.
2. Emphasis for 2013-2014:
a. More emphasis is being placed on the Key Standards, which are now completely aligned with the
CST High Impact Standards.
b. There are four common Instructional Segments, reconfigured to accommodate CST review and
testing.
c. The Instructional Segment assessment data will provide teachers with information to improve and
drive instruction through team and department collaboration.
d. The assessment data may be used to provide information to assist with grading, but should not be
the only data used in determining grades.
3. Course Guide Format:
a. A scope and sequence of the National Educational Technology Standards has been included to
assist with the integration of the appropriate technology standards into Biology lessons.
b. The actual CST Blueprint from the California Department of Education has been reproduced for
this document. It lists all the Biology standards and the number of items per standard that are on the
CST.
c. Immediately following this official document is an “At a Glance” version of the standards, which
provides a three-page abbreviated summary of the standards.
d. The next section, CA Content Standards Unpacked, restates the standards, followed by a listing
of the individual skills and/or objectives encompassed by each standard. This may be utilized as a
checklist, to check off all components of each standard as they are mastered. Teachers may
reproduce this section as a checklist for students to keep in their notebook to keep track of their
individual progress.
e. Since the majority of Biology students are enrolled in the 10th grade, they will also be taking the
10th Grade Life Science CST. Therefore, the Blueprint for the 10th Grade Life Science CST has been
included in this document.
f. The Pacing Guide is separated into four Instructional Segments. An overview of the four
Instructional Segments is placed at the beginning of the next section. Each Instructional Segment
summary includes the Main Topics and Standards that must be taught prior to the Instructional
Segment Closing Date, with a space to record the site-specific Essential Standards.
g. The next section contains a color-coded version of the Biology CST Blueprint, aligning each
standard with the Instructional Segment where it is taught.
h. This is followed by a Benchmark Exams at a Glance page. This chart lists the CA content
standards tested on each Benchmark Exam, along with the number of questions per standard on
each assessment.
i. The CA content standards (with correlated textbook sections) to be mastered before each
benchmark exam are clearly shown on the Pacing Guide. This pacing guide focuses on the
textbook lessons needed to teach the Biology CA content standards and includes an alignment to the
Released Test Questions. The lessons that are outside of this scope have been omitted. Other lessons
have been included with a notation stating that they are optional. Feel free to omit these lessons if
time is limited. The standards and lessons listed in red are for the Honors Biology classes. Please
see the next page for more information about the requirements for the Honors Biology classes.
5
Honors Biology
The standards listed in red are to be taught in addition to all the others listed in the Pacing Guide. They will
be assessed by essay questions on the honors final exam. In addition, Honors Biology will include the
following as requirements:
 The final exam will be different in that it will add 2 essay questions out of 5 choices that will focus on
the standards that will be taught in honors and shown in red on the pacing guide.
 Projects: Honors students will complete a project involving individual (can be a team project) effort
and research. The teacher may select the project or offer students a choice. Possibilities include:
 A science fair type project based on class content or extending a lab done in class
 A paper evaluating a controversial issue related to biology (see I and E standard 1m)
 A project sharing and comparing data with other school sites such as transects in open desert near
the school
 Evaluation of case studies with research and proposed solutions - examples might be Salton Sea
restoration, medical case studies, bioethics
 Collections comparing two sites
 A detailed study of a natural site across seasons
 Labs will have an open ended component, for example students could select variables to test or design
the method of data collection.
 Honors students will complete at least 4 complete lab reports, lab reports will include more detailed
analysis of data including a discussion of sources of error and ways to improve to experimental design
and data collection.
6
National Educational Technology Standards Grades Pre-K - 12
Scope and Sequence (H = Help / I = Introduce / D = Develop / IU = Independent Use)
Integration and Projects
PK K 1 2 3 4 5
Create developmentally appropriate multimedia
products with support from teachers or student
H
partners
Use technology resources for problem solving,
communication, & illustration of thoughts, ideas
H
& stories
Work responsibly, independently & as part of a
group in developing projects
Use teacher-created rubric for assessment of
project
Use technology for individual & collaborative
writing, communication & publishing activities to
create knowledge products for audiences inside &
outside the classroom.
Determine when technology is useful & select the
appropriate tools & technology resources to
address a variety of tasks & problems
Use information literacy skills to research &
evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness,
comprehensiveness & bias of information sources
concerning real-world problems
Save, find & retrieve work in different formats via
email, network & online sources for project work
Develop & use student-created rubrics for
assessment
Take on specific role & manage different group
activities & rotation strategies as part of a project
Develop essential & subsidiary questions as part
of projects
Properly cite all information sources
Design, develop, publish & present real-world
products using technology resources that
demonstrate & communicate curriculum concepts
to audiences inside & outside the classroom
Select appropriate technology tools for research,
information analysis, problem-solving &
decision-making in content learning as part of
project-based learning
Compile projects in electronic portfolio
6
7
8
9 10 11 12
H I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H I D D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H I D D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H H I D D D IU IU IU IU IU
H H H I
D D D IU IU IU IU
H H H I
D D D IU IU IU IU
H H H I
D D D IU IU IU IU
H H H
I
D D D IU IU IU
H H H
I
D D D IU IU IU
H H H
I
D D D IU IU IU
H H H
I
D D D D IU
H H H
I
D D D D IU
H H H
I
D D D D
7
National Educational Technology Standards Grades Pre-K - 12
Scope and Sequence ( H = Help / I = Introduce / D = Develop / IU = Independent Use)
Social & Ethical Use
Understand and follow rules & procedures for
technology use
Work cooperatively & collaboratively with
others when using technology in the classroom
Demonstrate positive social & ethical behaviors
when using technology
Practice responsible use of technology systems
& software
Discuss responsible use of technology &
information & describe consequences of
inappropriate use
Demonstrate knowledge of current changes in
information technologies & the effect those
changes have on the workplace & society
Exhibit legal & ethical behaviors when using
information & technology & discuss
consequences of misuse
Understand & follow proper use of copyrighted
material & use netiquette when using email
Cite resources properly
Identify capabilities & limitations of emerging
technology resources & assess the potential of
these systems & services to address personal,
lifelong learning, & workplace needs
Access & use primary & secondary sources of
information for an activity
Demonstrate & advocate for legal & ethical
behaviors among peers, family & community
regarding the use of technology & information
PK K 1 2 3 4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12
H
I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H
I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H I D D D IU IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H I D D
D
IU IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H H I D
D
D IU IU IU IU IU IU
H H H I
D
D
D IU IU IU IU IU
H H H H
I
D
D D IU IU IU IU
H H H
H
I
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I
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H
I
D D D IU IU
H
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H
H
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8
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Cell Biology
1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on
a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of
the organism’s cells. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes
that regulate their interaction with their surroundings.
b. Students know enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical
reactions without altering the reaction equilibrium and the activities of
enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of
the surroundings.
c. Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those
from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general
structure.
d. Students know the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow
of information from transcription of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the
nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
e. Students know the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi
apparatus in the secretion of proteins.
f. Students know usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts
and is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.
g. Students know the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemicalbond energy available to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose
to carbon dioxide.
h. Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids,
proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are synthesized from a small
collection of simple precursors.
i.* Students know how chemiosmotic gradients in the mitochondria and
chloroplast store energy for ATP production.
j.* Students know how eukaryotic cells are given shape and internal
organization by a cytoskeleton or cell wall or both.
Genetics
2. Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a
population. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction in which
the pairs of chromosomes separate and segregate randomly during
cell division to produce gametes containing one chromosome of each
type.
b. Students know only certain cells in a multicellular organism undergo
meiosis.
c. Students know how random chromosome segregation explains the
probability that a particular allele will be in a gamete.
# of
Items
%
9
15.0%
1
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1
1
1
1
1
NA*
NA*
19
31.6%
7
1
1
1
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
9
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
d. Students know new combinations of alleles may be generated in a
zygote through the fusion of male and female gametes (fertilization).
e. Students know why approximately half of an individual’s DNA
sequence comes from each parent.
f. Students know the role of chromosomes in determining an individual’s
sex.
g. Students know how to predict possible combinations of alleles in a
zygote from the genetic makeup of the parents.
3. A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its
phenotype depends on its genotype, which is established at
fertilization. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how to predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a
genetic cross from the genotypes of the parents and mode of
inheritance (autosomal or X-linked, dominant or recessive).
b. Students know the genetic basis for Mendel’s laws of segregation and
independent assortment.
c.*Students know how to predict the probable mode of inheritance from a
pedigree diagram showing phenotypes.
d.*Students know how to use data on frequency of recombination at
meiosis to estimate genetic distances between loci and to interpret
genetic maps of chromosomes.
4. Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA sequence of
each organism that specify the sequence of amino acids in
proteins characteristic of that organism. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
a. Students know the general pathway by which ribosomes synthesize
proteins, using tRNAs to translate genetic information in mRNA.
b. Students know how to apply the genetic coding rules to predict the
sequence of amino acids from a sequence of codons in RNA.
c. Students know how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or
may not affect the expression of the gene or the sequence of amino
acids in an encoded protein.
d. Students know specialization of cells in multicellular organisms is
usually due to different patterns of gene expression rather than to
differences of the genes themselves.
e. Students know proteins can differ from one another in the number and
sequence of amino acids.
f.* Students know why proteins having different amino acid sequences
typically have different shapes and chemical properties.
# of
Items
%
1
1
1
1
3
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
NA*
NA*
5
1
1
1
1
1
NA*
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
10
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
5. The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation
of exogenous DNA into the cells. As a basis for understanding
this concept:
a. Students know the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and
protein.
b. Students know how to apply base-pairing rules to explain precise
copying of DNA during semiconservative replication and transcription
of information from DNA into mRNA.
c. Students know how genetic engineering (biotechnology) is used to
produce novel biomedical and agricultural products.
d.*Students know how basic DNA technology (restriction digestion by
endonucleases, gel electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation) is
used to construct recombinant DNA molecules.
e.*Students know how exogenous DNA can be inserted into bacterial
cells to alter their genetic makeup and support expression of new
protein products.
Ecology
6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of
organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.
b. Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from
changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species,
or changes in population size.
c. Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are
determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and
death.
d. Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic
resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles
through photosynthesis and respiration.
e. Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its
producers and decomposers.
f. Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in
newly made structures but much energy is dissipated into the
environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy
pyramid.
g.*Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an
individual organism to its environment and the gradual adaptation of a
lineage of organisms through genetic change.
# of
Items
%
4
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
NA*
NA*
7
11.7%
1
1
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1
1
NA*
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
11
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Evolution
7. The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends
on many factors and may be stable or unstable over time. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than
the genotype of an organism.
b. Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual
may be carried in a heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.
c. Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a
gene pool.
d. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that
at least some members of a species will survive under changed
environmental conditions.
e.* Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a
population and why these conditions are not likely to appear in nature.
f.* Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict
the frequency of genotypes in a population, given the frequency of
phenotypes.
8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly
changing environments. As a basis for understanding this
concept:
a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential
survival of groups of organisms.
b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at
least some organisms survive major changes in the environment.
c. Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms
in a population.
d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.
e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.
f.* Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein
sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to
create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable
evolutionary relationships.
g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated
against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record,
can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms
diverged evolutionarily from one another.
# of
Items
%
9
15.0%
4
1
1
1
1
NA*
NA*
5
1
1
1
1
1
NA*
NA*
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
12
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Physiology
9. As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ
systems, the internal environment of the human body remains
relatively stable (homeostatic) despite changes in the outside
environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how the complementary activity of major body systems
provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste
products such as carbon dioxide.
b. Students know how the nervous system mediates communication
between different parts of the body and the body’s interactions with the
environment.
c. Students know how feedback loops in the nervous and endocrine
systems regulate conditions in the body.
d. Students know the functions of the nervous system and the role of
neurons in transmitting electrochemical impulses.
e. Students know the roles of sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor
neurons in sensation, thought, and response.
f.* Students know the individual functions and sites of secretion of
digestive enzymes (amylases, proteases, nucleases, lipases), stomach
acid, and bile salts.
g.*Students know the homeostatic role of the kidneys in the removal of
nitrogenous wastes and the role of the liver in blood detoxification and
glucose balance.
h.*Students know the cellular and molecular basis of muscle contraction,
including the roles of actin, myosin, Ca+2, and ATP.
i.* Students know how hormones (including digestive, reproductive,
osmoregulatory) provide internal feedback mechanisms for
homeostasis at the cellular level and in whole organisms.
10. Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease. As
a basis for understanding the human immune response:
a. Students know the role of the skin in providing nonspecific defenses
against infection.
b. Students know the role of antibodies in the body’s response to
infection.
c. Students know how vaccination protects an individual from infectious
diseases.
d. Students know there are important differences between bacteria and
viruses with respect to their requirements for growth and replication,
the body’s primary defenses against bacterial and viral infections, and
effective treatments of these infections.
# of
Items
%
10
16.7%
6
2/3***
1/3***
1
1
1/3***
NA*
NA*
NA*
NA*
4
1 or 2
(every three years)
1
1 or 2
(every three years)
1
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
13
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
e. Students know why an individual with a compromised immune system
(for example, a person with AIDS) may be unable to fight off and
survive infections by microorganisms that are usually benign.
f.* Students know the roles of phagocytes, B-lymphocytes, and Tlymphocytes in the immune system.
Investigation and Experimentation
1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding
this concept and addressing the content in the other four strands,
students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will:
a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computerlinked probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform
tests, collect data, analyze relationships, and display data.
b. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.
c. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of
error or uncontrolled conditions.
d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
e. Solve scientific problems by using quadratic equations and simple
trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions.
f. Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.
g. Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as
scientific representations of reality.
h. Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.
i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are
characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks,
locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an
ecosystem).
j. Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for
controlled tests.
k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
l. Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and
applying concepts from more than one area of science.
m. Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the
literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. Examples
of issues include irradiation of food, cloning of animals by somatic cell
nuclear transfer, choice of energy sources, and land and water use
decisions in California.
# of
Items
%
1 or 2
(every three years)
NA*
6
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
10.0%
14
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
# of
Items
%
60
100%
n. Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted
scientific theory, the observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent
(e.g., the Piltdown Man fossil or unidentified flying objects) and that the
theory is sometimes wrong (e.g., Ptolemaic model of the movement of
the Sun, Moon, and planets).
TOTAL
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
15
# CST
Items
9
1
1.5
1.5
1
1
1
1
1
19
7
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1.5
1.5
5
1
1
1
1
1
4
1.5
1.5
1.5
7
7
1
1
STD
Biology Standards at a Glance
1.0
1a
1b
1c
1d
1e
1f
1g
1h
Cell Biology
semi-permeable membranes
enzymes
prokaryotes/eukaryotes/viruses
central dogma
E.R. and Golgi apparatus
chloroplasts
mitochondria
macromolecules
Genetics
2.0
2a
2b
2c
2d
2e
2f
2g
3.0
3a
3b
4.0
4a
4b
4c
4d
4e
5.0
5a
5b
5c
6.0
6a
6b
Genetic variation
meiosis
meiosis only in sex cells
random segregation
fertilization creates new combinations
½ of DNA from each parent
sex determination
predict possible combinations
Phenotype and Genotype
predict outcomes
genetic basis of Mendel’s Laws
Molecular Genetics
protein synthesis
predict amino acids sequence based on RNA
affect of mutations
gene expression and specialization
protein structure
Genetic Engineering
structure of DNS, RNA, protein
replication/transcription
genetic engineering
Ecology
stability in an ecosystem
biodiversity and habitat change
changes in ecosystems
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
16
# CST
STD
Items
1.5
6c
1.5
6d
1
6e
1
6f
9
4
7.0
1
7a
1
7b
1
7c
1
7d
5
8.0
1
8a
1
8b
1
8c
1
8d
1
8e
10
6
9.0
2/3
9a
1/3
9b
1
9c
1
9d
1/3
9e
4
10.0
2/3
10a
1
10b
2/3
10c
1
10d
2/3
10e
6
I and E
1.0
1a
1b
1c
1d
Biology Standards at a Glance
population biology
cycling of matter
importance of producers and decomposers
energy loss
Evolution
Population Genetics
natural selection operates on genotype
heterozygotes carry lethal alleles
mutations
variation improves survival
Evolution is genetic change
natural selection
diversity of species and major change
genetic drift
isolation and speciation
fossil record
Physiology
Homeostasis
systems provide for needs of cells
nervous system mediates body and environment
feedback loops
functions of nervous system and neurons
neurons in sense, thought, response
Immune response
role of skin
antibodies
vaccination
bacteria/viruses
compromised immune system
Investigation and Experimentation
meaningful questions and careful experiments
select and use tools and technology
experimental error
inconsistent results
explain using logic and evidence
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
17
# CST
Items
STD
1e
1f
1g
1h
1i
1j
1k
1l
1m
1n
Biology Standards at a Glance
use equations in science
hypothesis vs. theory
models and theories vs. reality
maps
interpret sequence and time
statistical variability
cumulative nature of science
apply different areas of science to problems
investigate a social issue
mistakes in science
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
18
STD
1.0
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
# CST
Items
The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical
reactions that occur in specialized areas of organism’s cells
fundamental life processes of multicellular organisms occur at the cellular level (gas exchange, metabolism,
food uptake, waste removal, water balance, reproduction, etc)
the fundamental life processes depend on chemical reactions
cells are specialized and different chemical reactions occur in specialized structures
1a
cells are enclosed in a semi-permeable membrane that regulates their interaction with
the environment
1
cell membranes take in and regulate the passage of materials into and out of the cell
simple diffusion (including osmosis) and facilitated diffusion don’t require energy and follow a concentration
gradient
active transport requires energy and goes up a concentration gradient
fundamental life processes (waste removal, food uptake, gas exchange, water balance, etc) occur at semipermeable membranes
1b
enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions without altering the reaction
equilibrium and the activities of enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions,
and the pH of the surroundings
1 or 2
enzymes are proteins
enzymes catalyze favorable biochemical reactions
the action of enzymes is affected by environmental conditions
1c
prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals), and
viruses differ in complexity and general structure
1 or 2
prokaryotes have no organelles or internal membranes
eukaryotes have complex internal structures that allow chemical reactions to occur in organelles
viruses are not cells, they contain DNA and RNA and depend on other cells to carry out chemical reactions
1d
The central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of information from
transcription of RNA in the nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the
cytoplasm
1
DNA contains the information for encoding proteins
DNA is found in the nucleus
DNA is transcribed to RNA in the nucleus
RNA carries the message into the cytoplasm
the RNA message is translated, with the ribosomes, into proteins
1e
The endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus play a role in the secretion of proteins
1
rough ER produces new membrane proteins
proteins to be secreted are processed by the Golgi apparatus
1f
Useable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through the
synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide
1
chloroplasts capture useable energy from sunlight
chloroplasts use the energy to make sugar from carbon dioxide
1g
mitochondria make stored chemical energy available to cells by completing the
breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide
1
mitochondria break glucose down to produce carbon dioxide and water
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
19
STD
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
# CST
Items
mitochondria make energy in the form of ATP
fats, proteins, and carbohydrates can be broken down to provide energy
1h
macromolecules (polysaccarides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms
are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors
1
most large carbon compounds in living things are polymers of smaller monomers
polysaccarides are composed of monosaccarides
proteins are composed of amino acids
lipids are composed of fatty acids, gycerol, and other components
nucleic acids are composed of nucleotides
2.0
Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a population.
7
mutation is a source of genetic variation
sexual reproduction is a source of variation
2a
Meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction in which the pairs of chromosomes
separate and segregate randomly during cell division to produce gametes containing one
chromosome of each type.
1
sex cells are produced through meiosis
meiosis produces haploid cells
meiosis randomly separates chromosome pairs to produce variation
2b
Only certain cells in a multi-cellular organism undergo meiosis.
1
most cells do not undergo meiosis
only cells that produce sperm and eggs undergo meiosis
2c
Random chromosome segregation explains the probability that a particular allele will
be in a gamete
1
genetic predictions are based on probabilities
chromosomes are randomly separated during meiosis
2d
New combinations of alleles may be generated in a zygote through the fusion of male
and female gametes (fertilization)
1
fertilization is the joining of two haploid cells to form a diploid cell
fertilization produces offspring with new combinations of chromosomes
2e
2f
Half of an individual’s DNA comes from each parent
Chromosomes determine an individuals sex
1
1
sex chromosomes determine an individual’s sex
females are XX, males are XY
2g
the combinations of alleles in a zygote can be predicted from the genetic makeup of the
parent
1
determine the possible combinations of alleles in a zygote (punett square)
3.0
A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its phenotype depends on
its genotype, which is established at fertilization
3
a multicellular organism develops from a single fertilized egg
the genotype is established at fertilization
the phenotype depends on the genotype
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
20
STD
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
# CST
Items
3a
The probable outcomes of phenotypes in a genetic cross can be predicted from the
genotypes of the parents and the mode of inheritance (autosomal or X-linked, dominant
or recessive)
1 or 2
the phenotype depends on the genotype
Make predictions about phenotypes if the parent’s genotypes and the mode of inheritance is known (the
framework only specifies monohybrid crosses)
There are different modes of inheritance, including dominant/recessive, incomplete dominance, and sex-linked
3b
Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment have a genetic basis
1 or 2
the law of segregation happens because of the separation of alleles in meiosis
the law of independent assortment happens when alleles are on different chromosomes
the law of dominance happens when one allele masks the affects of a recessive allele
4.0
Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA sequence of each organism that
specify the sequence of amino acids in proteins characteristic of that organism
5
genes are DNA sequences
DNA carries the information to make proteins
4a
ribosomes synthesize proteins, using tRNAs to translate genetic information in mRNA.
1
ribosomes synthesize proteins
tRNAs are used to translate the genetic information in the mRNA
4b
the genetic coding rules can be applied to predict the sequence of amino acids from a
sequence of codons in RNA
1
predict the sequence of amino acids from the sequence of codons in RNA using the genetic code
4c
Mutations in the DNA sequence may or may not affect the expression of a gene or the
sequence of amino acids in the encoded protein
1
mutations are changes in DNA
mutations may or may not affect the amino acid sequence
mutations may or may not affect the expression of the gene
4d
The specialization of cells in a multicellular organism is usually due to different
patterns of gene expression rather than differences of the genes themselves
1
almost all cells in multicellular organisms contain the same DNA
cells are specialized because different genes are expressed in different cells
4e
Proteins differ from each other in the number and sequence of amino acids
1
the number and sequence of amino acids determines the structure and function of the protein
5.0
The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation of exogenous DNA into
cells
4
DNA from outside the cell can be inserted into a cell to change the cell
5a
DNA, RNA, and proteins have specific structures and functions
1 or 2
DNA is a double stranded helix made of nucleotides
DNA carries the genetic code
RNA is a single stranded molecule made of nucleotides
RNA serves as a template for protein production
Proteins are polymers made of amino acids
Proteins function as enzymes, transport molecules, hormones, structural components, and antibodies
5b
Apply base pairing rules to explain precise copying of DNA during semiconservative
replication and transcription of information from DNA into mRNA
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
1 or 2
21
STD
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
# CST
Items
apply base pairing rules to DNA replication
apply base pairing rules to transcription
5c
Genetic engineering(biotechnology) is used to produce novel biomedical and
agricultural products
1 or 2
recombinant DNA contains DNA from two or more different sources
technologies like restriction enzymes and PCR are used to produce recombinant DNA
there are many biomedical and agricultural uses for recombinant DNA
6.0
Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
7
ecology is the study of relationships among living organisms
the relationships are constantly changing
6a
biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by
alterations of habitats
1
biodiversity is the variety of organisms living in a habitat
the more diversity in an ecosystem, the more stable and resilient it is
changes in habitat (ie. climate change, fire, flood, invasive species) affect the structure of an ecosystem
6b
analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity,
introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size
1
analyze changes due to climate change
analyze changes due to human activity
analyze changes due to introduction of non-native species
analyze changes due to population changes
6c
Fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by relative rates of
birth, immigration, emigration and death
1 or 2
births and immigration increase population size
deaths and emigration reduce population size
6d
Water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter in the
ecosystem and oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration
1 or 2
water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between living things and their environment (mainly through food webs)
oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration
6e
The stability of producers and decomposers is a vital part of an ecosystem
1
producers are primarily responsible for energy and matter entering the ecosystem
decomposers are primarily responsible for the recycling of matter back into the environment
6f
At each link in a food web, some energy is stored in newly made structures, but much
energy is dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented
as an energy pyramid.
1
at each link in a food web, some energy is used for growth, but about 90% is lost as heat
an energy pyramid represents the loss of heat at each level.
7.0
The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on many factors and
may be stable or unstable over time
4
evolution happens at the population level
evolution is a change in gene frequencies in a population over time
7a
Natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than on the genotype
1
natural selection only works on expressed traits
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
22
STD
7b
7c
7d
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
Alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual may be carried in a heterozygote and
thus maintained in a gene pool
New mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool
Variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a
species will survive under changed environmental conditions
# CST
Items
1
1
1
genetic diversity promotes the survival of a population through adaptation
populations without diversity are vulnerable to extinction
8.0
8a
Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing
environments
Natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of organisms
5
1
natural selection favors organisms that are better adapted to a given environment
as environments change, selection favors adaptations that are favored in the changed environment
8b
A great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive
major changes in the environment
1
more biodiversity means that some species will survive major changes in the environment (see standard 6a)
8c
Genetic drift effects the diversity of organisms
1
in small isolated populations, random changes in gene frequency may be more important than natural selection
8d
Reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation
1
geographically isolated populations can evolve independently and become separate species
geographic isolation leads to reproductive isolation
reproductive isolation can result from changes in genetics, behavior, or structure
8e
Analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity, episodic speciation, and mass
extinction
1
analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity
analyze fossil evidence with regard to speciation
analyze fossil evidence with regard to mass extinction
9.0
As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ systems, the internal
environment of the human body remains relatively stable (homeostatic) despite changes
in the outside environment.
6
the internal environment of the human body must remain stable (homeostasis)
the structures and functions of organ systems coordinate to maintain homeostasis
the external environment constantly changes, making homeostasis a challenge
9a
The complementary activity of major body systems provides cells with oxygen and
nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide
2/3 (2
every
three
years)
all cells need oxygen, nutrients and waste removal
organ systems work together to make this happen
the circulatory system connects the body systems to the cells
the digestive system provides nutrients
the respiratory system provides oxygen and removes carbon dioxide waste
the excretory system removes nitrogen waste
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
23
STD
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
# CST
Items
1/3
9b
The nervous system mediates communication between different parts of the body and
the body’s interaction with the environment
(one
every
three
years)
the nervous system mediates communication between different parts of the body
the nervous system mediates the body’s interaction with the environment
9c
9d
Feedback loops in the nervous and endocrine systems regulate conditions in the body
The nervous system has many functions and neurons transmit electrochemical impulses
1
1
neurons transmit electrochemical impulses along an axon and across a synapse
the nervous system has many functions
9e
Sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons play a role in sensation, thought,
and response
sensory neurons transmit sensory information to the central nervous system
interneurons process information to lead to conscious awareness and action
motor neurons cause action
10.0
Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease.
4
bacteria, parasites, and viruses cause disease when they enter and infect the body
1 or 2
10a
The skin provides nonspecific defenses against infection
(every
three
years)
the skin provides a barrier to infection
10b
Antibodies play a role in the body’s response to infection
1
antibodies are produces in response to pathogens
antibodies are specific to antigens
antibodies inactivate pathogens directly or signal other immune cells
1 or 2
10c
Vaccination protects an individual from infectious diseases
(every
three
years)
vaccinations promote the production of antibodies with weak or dead pathogens
the body can respond faster to pathogens it has previously been exposed to
10d
There are important differences between bacteria and viruses with respect to their
requirements for growth and replication, the bodies primary defenses against bacterial
and viral infections, and effective treatments of these infections
1
viruses need other cells to reproduce
bacteria are cells
antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not viruses
10e
Individuals with a compromised immune system (for example, a person with AIDS)
may be unable to fight off and survive infections by microorganisms that are usually
benign
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
1 or 2
(every
three
years)
24
STD
BIOLOGY
CA CONTENT STANDARDS UNPACKED
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
I & E investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in
1.0 the other four strands, students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations.
# CST
Items
6
develop meaningful questions
conduct careful investigations
1a
1b
1c
1d
1e
1f
1g
1h
1i
1g
1h
1j
1k
1l
1m
1n
Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including computer linked probes,
spreadsheets and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data, analyze
relationships, and display data
Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error
Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or
uncontrolled conditions.
Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
Solve scientific problems by using quadratic equations and simple trigonometric,
exponential, and logarithmic functions.
Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.
Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific
representations of reality.
Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.
Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of natural
phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of
species in an ecosystem).
Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific
representations of reality.
Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.
Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for controlled tests.
Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts
from more than one area of science.
Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data,
and communicating the findings. Examples of issues include irradiation of food, cloning
of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, choice of energy sources, and land and
water use decisions in California.
Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted scientific theory, the
observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent (e.g., the Piltdown Man fossil or
unidentified flying objects) and that the theory is sometimes wrong (e.g., Ptolemaic
model of the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets).
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years)
© California Department of Education
25
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
# of Items
%
CELL BIOLOGY
All living organisms are composed of cells, from just one to many
trillions, whose details usually are visible only through a microscope.
As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know the nucleus is the repository for genetic information in plant
and animal cells.
Students know that mitochondria liberate energy for the work that cells do
and that chloroplasts capture sunlight energy for photosynthesis.
Students know cells divide to increase their numbers through a process of
mitosis, which results in two daughter cells with identical sets of
chromosomes.
Principles of chemistry underlie the functioning of biological systems.
As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know that living organisms are made of molecules consisting
largely of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
Students know that living organisms have many different kinds of molecules,
including small ones, such as water and salt, and very large ones, such as
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and DNA.
The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a
variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the
organism’s cells. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes that
regulate their interaction with their surroundings.
Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from
plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general structure.
Students know usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and
is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.
10 items
17%
© California Department of Education
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
26
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
GENETICS
A typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that
specify its traits. Those traits may be modified by environmental
influences. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know the differences between the life cycles and reproduction
methods of sexual and asexual organisms.
Students know an inherited trait can be determined by one or more genes.
Students know plant and animal cells contain many thousands of different
genes and typically have two copies of every gene. The two copies (or
alleles) of the gene may or may not be identical, and one may be dominant
in determining the phenotype while the other is recessive.
Students know DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material of living
organisms and is located in the chromosomes of each cell.
Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a
population. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know only certain cells in a multicellular organism undergo
meiosis.
Students know new combinations of alleles may be generated in a zygote
through the fusion of male and female gametes (fertilization).
Students know why approximately half of an individual’s DNA sequence
comes from each parent.
Students know the role of chromosomes in determining an individual's sex.
A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its
phenotype depends on its genotype, which is established at
fertilization. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know how to predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a
genetic cross from the genotypes of the parents and mode of inheritance
(autosomal or X-linked, dominant or recessive).
The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation of
exogenous DNA into the cells. As a basis for understanding this
concept:
Students know the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and
protein.
© California Department of Education
# of Items
%
12 items
20%
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
27
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
ECOLOGY
Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among
themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding
this concept:
Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others
in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.
Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the
functions they serve in an ecosystem.
Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can
support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as
quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition.
Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms
and is affected by alterations of habitats.
Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from
changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or
changes in population size.
Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are
determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death.
Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic
resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles
through photosynthesis and respiration.
Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers
and decomposers.
Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in newly
made structures but much energy is dissipated into the environment as heat.
This dissipation may be represented in an energy pyramid.
© California Department of Education
# of Items
%
11 items
18%
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
28
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
# of Items
%
EVOLUTION
Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed
through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
Students know both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes
of evolution and diversity of organisms.
Students know the reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his
conclusion that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution.
Students know how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and
comparative anatomy provide the bases for the theory of evolution.
The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on
many factors and may be stable or unstable over time. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than the
genotype of an organism.
Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual may be
carried in a heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.
Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene
pool.
Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at
least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental
conditions.
Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly
changing environments. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of
groups of organisms.
Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least
some organisms survive major changes in the environment.
Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.
11 items
18%
© California Department of Education
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
29
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
# of Items
%
PHYSIOLOGY
The anatomy and physiology of plants and animals illustrate the
complementary nature of structure and function. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
Students know plants and animals have levels of organization for structure
and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole
organism.
Students know how bones and muscles work together to provide a structural
framework for movement.
Physical principles underlie biological structures and functions. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
Students know that contractions of the heart generate blood pressure and
that heart valves prevent backflow of blood in the circulatory system.
As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ
systems, the internal environment of the human body remains
relatively stable (homeostatic) despite changes in the outside
environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know how the complementary activity of major body systems
provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste products
such as carbon dioxide.
Students know how the nervous system mediates communication between
different parts of the body and the body’s interactions with the environment.
Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease. As a
basis for understanding the human immune response:
Students know the role of antibodies in the body's response to infection.
Students know how vaccination protects an individual from infectious
diseases.
Students know there are important differences between bacteria and viruses
with respect to their requirements for growth and replication, the body's
primary defenses against bacterial and viral infections, and effective
treatments of these infections.
10 items
17%
© California Department of Education
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
30
CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEST
ADMINISTERED AT GRADE 10
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 1/04)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS – GRADE 10
# of Items
%
INVESTIGATION AND EXPERIMENTATION
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this
concept and addressing the content in the other strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform investigations. As a
basis for understanding this concept. Students will:
Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements
about the relationships between variables.
Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.
Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts,
tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific
evidence.
Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data.
Distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test.
Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error
or uncontrolled conditions.
Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.
Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of
natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over
time, and succession of species in an ecosystem).
Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for controlled
tests.
6 items
10%
Total
60 items
100%
© California Department of Education
31
Instructional Segment 1 – Biology
Benchmark Exam 1 Closing Date: November 1, 2013
Main Topics

Ecology
Standards











6.0 Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
6a Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by
alterations of habitats.
6b Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate,
human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size.
6c Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by the relative
rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death.
6d Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter
in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration.
6e Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers and decomposers.
6f Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in newly made structures but much
energy is dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy
pyramid.
I/E 1a Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked probes,
spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data, analyze relationships, and
display data.
I/E 1b Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.
I/E 1g Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of
reality.
I/E 1i Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena
(e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an ecosystem).
Essential Standards
RED = HONORS
32
Instructional Segment 2 – Biology
Benchmark Exam 2 Closing Date: January 24, 2014
Main Topics


Cell Biology
Mendelian Genetics
Standards


















1a Students know cells are enclosed within semi permeable membranes that regulate their
interaction with their surroundings.
1b Students know enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions without altering the
reaction equilibrium and the activities of enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the
pH of the surroundings.
1c Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and
animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general structure.
1f Students know usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through
the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.
1g Students know the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemical-bond energy available
to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide.
2a Students know meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction in which the pairs of
chromosomes separate and segregate randomly during cell division to produce gametes
containing one chromosome of each type.
2b Students know only certain cells in a multi cellular organism undergo meiosis.
2c Students know how random chromosome segregation explains the probability that a particular allele
will be in a gamete.
2d Students know new combinations of alleles may be generated in a zygote through the fusion of
male and female gametes (fertilization).
2e Students know why approximately half of an individual's DNA sequence comes from each parent.
2f Students know the role of chromosomes in determining an individual's sex.
2g Students know how to predict possible combinations of alleles in a zygote from the genetic makeup
of the parents.
3a Students know how to predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a genetic cross from the
genotypes of the parents and mode of inheritance (autosomal or X-linked, dominant or recessive).
3b Students know the genetic basis for Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment.
3c Students know how to predict the probable mode of inheritance from a pedigree diagram
showing phenotypes.
I/E 1b Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.
I/E 1d Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
I/E 1g Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of
reality.
Essential Standards
RED = HONORS
33
Instructional Segment 3 – Biology
CST Mirror Test Closing Date: April 4, 2014
Please Note: It is not imperative that this entire Instructional Segment be
completed before the administration of the CST Mirror Test. However, it
MUST be completed before the administration of the actual CST.
Main Topics



Molecular Genetics
Evolution
Population Genetics
Standards















1d Students know the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of information from
transcription of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the
cytoplasm.
1e Students know the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus in the secretion of
proteins
1h Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and
organisms are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.
4.0 Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA sequence of each organism that specify
the sequence of amino acids in proteins characteristic of that organism.
4a Students know the general pathway by which ribosomes synthesize proteins, using tRNAs to
translate genetic information in mRNA.
4b Students know how to apply the genetic coding rules to predict the sequence of amino acids from a
sequence of codons in RNA.
4c Students know how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or may not affect the expression
of the gene or the sequence of amino acids in an encoded protein.
4d Students know specialization of cells in multi cellular organisms is usually due to different patterns
of gene expression rather than to differences of the genes themselves.
4e Students know proteins can differ from one another in the number and sequence of amino acids.
4f Students know why proteins having different amino acid sequences typically have different
shapes and chemical properties.
5a Students know the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and protein.
5b Students know how to apply base-pairing rules to explain precise copying of DNA during semi
conservative replication and transcription of information from DNA into mRNA.
5c Students know how genetic engineering (biotechnology) is used to produce novel biomedical
and agricultural products.
5d Students know how basic DNA technology (restriction digestion by endonucleases, gel
electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation) is used to construct recombinant DNA molecules.
5e Students know how exogenous DNA can be inserted into bacterial cells to alter their genetic
makeup and support expression of new protein products.
RED = HONORS
34
















6g Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an individual organism to its
environment and the gradual adaptation of a lineage of organisms through genetic change.
7.0 The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on many factors and may
be stable or unstable over time.
7a Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than the genotype of an
organism.
7b Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual may be carried in a
heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.
7c Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a gene pool.
7d Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a
species will survive under changed environmental conditions.
7e Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a population and why these
conditions are not likely to appear in nature.
7f Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict the frequency of
genotypes in a population, given the frequency of phenotypes.
8.0 Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments.
8a Students know how natural selection determines the differential survival of groups of
organisms.
8b Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive
major changes in the environment.
8c Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms in a population.
8d Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.
8e Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological diversity, episodic
speciation, and mass extinction.
8f Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein sequence comparisons,
and other independent sources of data to create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows
probable evolutionary relationships.
8g Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated against each other and
combined with evidence from the fossil record, can help to estimate how long ago various groups
of organisms diverged evolutionarily from one another.
Essential Standards
RED = HONORS
35
Instructional Segment 4 – Biology
Site-Based End of Year Assessments/Projects Closing Date: June 13, 2014
Main Topics
















Physiology
Standards
1c Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals),
and viruses differ in complexity and general structure.
1h Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and
organisms are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.
9.0 As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ systems, the internal
environment of the human body remains relatively stable (homeostatic) despite changes in the
outside environment.
9a Students know how the complementary activity of major body systems provides cells with
oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as carbon dioxide.
9b Students know how the nervous system mediates communication between different parts of
the body and the body's interactions with the environment.
9c Students know how feedback loops in the nervous and endocrine systems regulate conditions in the
body.
9d Students know the functions of the nervous system and the role of neurons in transmitting
electrochemical impulses.
9e Students know the roles of sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons in sensation, thought,
and response.
9i Students know how hormones (including digestive, reproductive, osmoregulatory) provide
internal feedback mechanisms for homeostasis at the cellular level and in whole organisms.
10.0 Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease.
10a Students know the role of the skin in providing nonspecific defenses against infection.
10b Students know the role of antibodies in the body's response to infection.
10c Students know how vaccination protects an individual from infectious diseases.
10d Students know there are important differences between bacteria and viruses with respect to
their requirements for growth and replication, the body's primary defenses against bacterial and
viral infections, and effective treatments of these infections.
10e Students know why an individual with a compromised immune system (for example, a person
with AIDS) may be unable to fight off and survive infections by microorganisms that are usually
benign.
Essential Standards
RED = HONORS
36
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
# of
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Items
Cell Biology
1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on
a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of
the organism’s cells. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know cells are enclosed within semipermeable membranes
that regulate their interaction with their surroundings.
b. Students know enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical
reactions without altering the reaction equilibrium and the activities of
enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of
the surroundings.
c. Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those
from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general
structure.
c. Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those
from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general
structure.
d. Students know the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow
of information from transcription of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the
nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
e. Students know the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi
apparatus in the secretion of proteins.
f. Students know usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts
and is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.
g. Students know the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemicalbond energy available to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose
to carbon dioxide.
h. Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids,
proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are synthesized from a small
collection of simple precursors.
h. Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids,
proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are synthesized from a small
collection of simple precursors.
i.* Students know how chemiosmotic gradients in the mitochondria and
chloroplast store energy for ATP production.
j.* Students know how eukaryotic cells are given shape and internal
organization by a cytoskeleton or cell wall or both.
9
%
15.0%
1
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1
1
1
1
1
1
NA*
NA*
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
37
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Genetics
2. Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a
population. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction in which
the pairs of chromosomes separate and segregate randomly during
cell division to produce gametes containing one chromosome of each
type.
b. Students know only certain cells in a multicellular organism undergo
meiosis.
c. Students know how random chromosome segregation explains the
probability that a particular allele will be in a gamete.
d. Students know new combinations of alleles may be generated in a
zygote through the fusion of male and female gametes (fertilization).
e. Students know why approximately half of an individual’s DNA
sequence comes from each parent.
f. Students know the role of chromosomes in determining an individual’s
sex.
g. Students know how to predict possible combinations of alleles in a
zygote from the genetic makeup of the parents.
3. A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its
phenotype depends on its genotype, which is established at
fertilization. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how to predict the probable outcome of phenotypes in a
genetic cross from the genotypes of the parents and mode of
inheritance (autosomal or X-linked, dominant or recessive).
b. Students know the genetic basis for Mendel’s laws of segregation and
independent assortment.
c.*Students know how to predict the probable mode of inheritance from a
pedigree diagram showing phenotypes. HONORS
d.*Students know how to use data on frequency of recombination at
meiosis to estimate genetic distances between loci and to interpret
genetic maps of chromosomes.
4. Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA sequence of
each organism that specify the sequence of amino acids in
proteins characteristic of that organism. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
a. Students know the general pathway by which ribosomes synthesize
proteins, using tRNAs to translate genetic information in mRNA.
# of
Items
%
19
31.6%
7
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
NA*
NA*
5
1
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
38
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
# of
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Items
b. Students know how to apply the genetic coding rules to predict the
sequence of amino acids from a sequence of codons in RNA.
c. Students know how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or
may not affect the expression of the gene or the sequence of amino
acids in an encoded protein.
d. Students know specialization of cells in multicellular organisms is
usually due to different patterns of gene expression rather than to
differences of the genes themselves.
e. Students know proteins can differ from one another in the number and
sequence of amino acids.
f.* Students know why proteins having different amino acid sequences
typically have different shapes and chemical properties. HONORS
5. The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation
of exogenous DNA into the cells. As a basis for understanding
this concept:
a. Students know the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and
protein.
b. Students know how to apply base-pairing rules to explain precise
copying of DNA during semiconservative replication and transcription
of information from DNA into mRNA.
c. Students know how genetic engineering (biotechnology) is used to
produce novel biomedical and agricultural products.
d.*Students know how basic DNA technology (restriction digestion by
endonucleases, gel electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation) is
used to construct recombinant DNA molecules. HONORS
e.*Students know how exogenous DNA can be inserted into bacterial
cells to alter their genetic makeup and support expression of new
protein products. HONORS
Ecology
6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of
organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.
b. Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from
changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species,
or changes in population size.
c. Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are
determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and
death.
%
1
1
1
1
NA*
4
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
1 or 2**
NA*
NA*
7
11.7%
1
1
1 or 2**
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
39
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
# of
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Items
d. Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic
resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles
through photosynthesis and respiration.
e. Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its
producers and decomposers.
f. Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in
newly made structures but much energy is dissipated into the
environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy
pyramid.
g.*Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an
individual organism to its environment and the gradual adaptation of a
lineage of organisms through genetic change. HONORS
Evolution
7. The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends
on many factors and may be stable or unstable over time. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than
the genotype of an organism.
b. Students know why alleles that are lethal in a homozygous individual
may be carried in a heterozygote and thus maintained in a gene pool.
c. Students know new mutations are constantly being generated in a
gene pool.
d. Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that
at least some members of a species will survive under changed
environmental conditions.
e.* Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a
population and why these conditions are not likely to appear in nature.
HONORS
f.* Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg equation to predict
the frequency of genotypes in a population, given the frequency of
phenotypes. HONORS
8. Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly
changing environments. As a basis for understanding this
concept:
a. Students know how natural selection determines the differential
survival of groups of organisms.
b. Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at
least some organisms survive major changes in the environment.
c. Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity of organisms
in a population.
%
1 or 2**
1
1
NA*
9
15.0%
4
1
1
1
1
NA*
NA*
5
1
1
1
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
40
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
# of
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Items
d. Students know reproductive or geographic isolation affects speciation.
e. Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and mass extinction.
f.* Students know how to use comparative embryology, DNA or protein
sequence comparisons, and other independent sources of data to
create a branching diagram (cladogram) that shows probable
evolutionary relationships. HONORS
g.* Students know how several independent molecular clocks, calibrated
against each other and combined with evidence from the fossil record,
can help to estimate how long ago various groups of organisms
diverged evolutionarily from one another. HONORS
Physiology
9. As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ
systems, the internal environment of the human body remains
relatively stable (homeostatic) despite changes in the outside
environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know how the complementary activity of major body systems
provides cells with oxygen and nutrients and removes toxic waste
products such as carbon dioxide.
b. Students know how the nervous system mediates communication
between different parts of the body and the body’s interactions with the
environment.
c. Students know how feedback loops in the nervous and endocrine
systems regulate conditions in the body.
d. Students know the functions of the nervous system and the role of
neurons in transmitting electrochemical impulses.
e. Students know the roles of sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor
neurons in sensation, thought, and response.
f.* Students know the individual functions and sites of secretion of
digestive enzymes (amylases, proteases, nucleases, lipases), stomach
acid, and bile salts.
g.*Students know the homeostatic role of the kidneys in the removal of
nitrogenous wastes and the role of the liver in blood detoxification and
glucose balance.
h.*Students know the cellular and molecular basis of muscle contraction,
including the roles of actin, myosin, Ca+2, and ATP.
i.* Students know how hormones (including digestive, reproductive,
osmoregulatory) provide internal feedback mechanisms for
homeostasis at the cellular level and in whole organisms. HONORS
%
1
1
NA*
NA*
10
16.7%
6
2/3***
1/3***
1
1
1/3***
NA*
NA*
NA*
NA*
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
41
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS TEST
BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCE
(Blueprint adopted by the State Board of Education 10/02)
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
# of
CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
Items
10. Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease. As
a basis for understanding the human immune response:
a. Students know the role of the skin in providing nonspecific defenses
against infection.
b. Students know the role of antibodies in the body’s response to
infection.
c. Students know how vaccination protects an individual from infectious
diseases.
d. Students know there are important differences between bacteria and
viruses with respect to their requirements for growth and replication,
the body’s primary defenses against bacterial and viral infections, and
effective treatments of these infections.
e. Students know why an individual with a compromised immune system
(for example, a person with AIDS) may be unable to fight off and
survive infections by microorganisms that are usually benign.
f.* Students know the roles of phagocytes, B-lymphocytes, and Tlymphocytes in the immune system.
TOTAL
%
4
1 or 2
(every three years)
1
1 or 2
(every three years)
1
1 or 2
(every three years)
NA*
60
* Not assessed
** Alternate years
*** Fractional values indicate rotated standards (e.g., 1/2 = rotated every two years; 1/3 = rotated every three years )
© California Department of Education
100%
42
BIOLOGY BENCHMARK EXAMS AT A GLANCE
Benchmark Exam 1 Deadline: November 1, 2013
# of
STD
Items
2
3
5
5
3
3
1
1
1
1
6a
6b
6c
6d
6e
6f
I/E 1a
I/E 1b
I/E 1g
I/E 1i
STANDARD
Biodiversity and habitat change
Changes in ecosystems
Population biology
Cycling of matter
Producers and decomposers
Energy loss
Select and use tools and technology
Experimental error
Models and theories vs. reality
Interpret sequence and time
Benchmark Exam 2 Deadline: January 24, 2014
# of
STD
Items
2
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
1
2
3
1a
1b
1c
1f
1g
2a
2b
2c
2d
2e
2f
2g
3a
3b
I/E 1b
I/E 1d
I/E 1g
STANDARD
Semi-permeable membranes
Enzymes
Prokaryotes/eukaryotes
Chloroplasts
Mitochondria
Meiosis
Meiosis only in sex cells
Random segregation
Fertilization and new combinations
½ of DNA from each parent
Sex determination
Predict possible combinations
Predict outcomes
Genetic basis of Mendel’s Laws
Experimental error
Explain using logic and evidence
Models and theories vs. reality
Review
2
2
2
6b
6c
6d
Biodiversity and habitat change
Population biology
Cycling of matter
43
BIOLOGY VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 1
Ecosystem
Biotic
Abiotic
Stability
Equilibrium
Habitat
Niche
Biodiversity
Invasive
Non-native
Population
Immigration
Emigration
Exponential growth
Logistic growth
Carrying capacity
Limiting factors
Organic
Carbon cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Producer
Decomposer
Consumer
Food web
Food chain
Trophic level
Energy pyramid
Cycles
Matter
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 2
Cell
Cell membrane
Nucleus
Life processes
Semi-permeable
Membrane
Diffusion
Osmosis
Facilitated diffusion
Concentration gradient
Active transport
Glucose
Enzyme
Catalyst
Protein
pH
Mitochondria
Respiration
ATP
Oxygen
Carbon Dioxide
Chloroplast
Chlorophyll
Dark reactions
Light reactions
Photosynthesis
Solute
Concentration
Meiosis
Mitosis
Cell division
INSTRUCTIONAL
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 2 (Con’t)
SEGMENT 3
Chromosome
Phenotype
Homologous
Sex linked
Chromatid
Y chromosome
Diploid
X chromosome
Haploid
DNA
Recombination
mRNA
Probability
tRNA
Random
rRNA
Assortment
Macromolecule
Heterozygous
Nucleotide
Homozygous
Nucleic acid
Allele
Protein
Trait
Amino acid
Dominant
Ribosome
Recessive
Central dogma
Co-dominant
Replication
Gene
Transcription
Linked
Translation
Zygote
Mutation
Sperm
Genotype
IS 3 (Con’t)
Heredity
Genetic drift
Gamete
Founder effect
Egg
Diversity
Punnett square
Variation
Law of segregation
Speciation
Sexual reproduction
Fossil
Genetic engineering
Fossil record
Restriction enzyme
Extinction
Transgenic organism
Incomplete dominance
Law of independent assortment
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 3 (Con’t)
Evolution
Natural selection
Population
Genotype
Phenotype
Allele
Mutation
Gene-pool
Geological time
Geographic isolation
Reproductive isolation
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 4
Homeostasis
Body systems
Complementary
Nutrients
Toxic
Waste
Respiration
Nervous system
Neuron
Feedback loop
Response
Sensory neuron
Motor neuron
Interneuron
Brain
HIV/AIDS
Disease
Regulation
Endocrine system
Circulation
Digestion
Excretion
Immune system
Nonspecific
Infection
Antibodies
IS 4 (Con’t)
Antigen
Antibiotics
Skin
Vaccination
Virus
Immune response
Prokaryote
Central nervous system Bacteria
44
BIOLOGY VOCABULARY IN SPANISH
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 1
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 2
Ecosistema
Biótico
Abiótico
Estabilidad
Equilibrio
Habitación
Nicho
Biodiversidad
Invasivo
No-nativo
Población
Inmigración
Emigración
Crecimiento exponencial
Crecimiento logístico
Capacidad de carga
Limitación de factores
Orgánico
Ciclo de carbono
Ciclo de nitrógeno
Fotosíntesis
Respiración
Productor
Descomponedor
Consumidor
Red de alimentos
Cadena de alimentos
Nivel Trópico
Pirámide de energía
Ciclos
Materia
Célula
Membrana celular
Núcleo
Procesos de la vida
Semipermeable
Membrana
Difusión
Ósmosis
Difusión facilitada
Concentración gradiente
Transporte activo
Glucosa
Enzima
Catalizador
Proteína
pH
Mitocondria
Respiración
ATP
Oxígeno
Bióxido de carbono
Cloroplasto
Clorofila II
Reacciones oscuras
Reacciones iluminadas
Fotosíntesis
Solote
Concentración
Meiosis
Mitosis
División de célula
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 2 (Con’t)
Cromosoma
Homólogo
Cromátidas
Diploide
Haploide
Recombinante
Probabilidad
Desatinado
Surtido
Heterocigoto
Homocigoto
Alelo
Rasgo
Dominante
Recesivo
Codominante
Gene
Ligado
cigoto
Esperma
IS 3 (Con’t)
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 3
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 3 (Con’t)
Fenotipo
Ligado al sexo
Cromosoma Y
Cromosoma X
ADN
RNA mensajero
RNA ribosomal
RNA de transferencia
Macromolécula
Nucleótido
Ácido Nucleico
Proteína
Aminoácido
Ribosoma
Dogma central
Replicación
Transcripción
Traducción
Mutación
Genotipo
Herencia
Gamete
Huevo
Cuadricula de Punnett
Ley de la segregación
Reproducción sexual
Ingeniería genética
Enzima de restricción
Organismo Transgénico
Evolución
Selección natural
Población
Genotipo
fenotipo
Alelo
Mutación
Gene-grupo
Tiempo geológico
Aislamiento geográfico
Aislamiento reproductivo
Deriva genética
Efecto fundador
Diversidad
Variación
Especiación
Registro Fósil
Expediente del fósil
Extinción
Dominación incompleta
Ley de la distribucion independiente
INSTRUCTIONAL
SEGMENT 4
Homeostasis
Sistemas del cuerpo
Complementero
Nutrientes
Tóxico
Desperdicios
Respiración
Sistema nervioso
Neurona
Lazo de regeneración
Respuesta
Neurona sensorial
Neurona motora
Interneuron
Cerebro
VIH/SIDA
Enfermedad
Regulación
Sistema de endocrino
Circulación
Digestión
Excreción
Sistema inmune
IS 4 (Con’t)
Nonspecific
Infection
Antibodies
Antigen
Antibióticos
Vacunación
Inmunorespues
Sistema de nervios central
Piel
Virus
Procariótico
Bacteria
45
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BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Textbook
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 1
Labs and Other Resources
RTQ’s
# of
Biology & Life Days
VOCABULARY LIST 1
ECOLOGY
Misconceptions - Students often don’t get that energy in food chains
originates in the Sun. The idea that matter also flows through food chains
is often not understood. Students think that most of the matter in
rd
th
Prior knowledge - habitats in 3 grade; ecology in 4 grade; food
producers comes from minerals in the ground, not CO2 in the air. It is hard
webs and biomes in 6th grade. Biogeochemical cycles are taught in
for students to connect what happens on the molecular level to the global
Earth Science.
level. They don’t see producers as the most important organisms. Big
animals and predators are seen as the most important. Students overgeneralize about environmental problems- protecting wildlife will prevent
pollution, using less water stops global warming, etc.
Before starting ecology, students should be given an overview of some of the organizing concepts of Biology they have been introduced to at lower
grade levels but are important for ecology to make sense. The characteristics of living things, the needs of living things, homeostasis, adaptation,
levels of organization, etc. Chapter 1.1
Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between
pp 32-33
7
6.0
competing effects.
Sarah R uses different shaped
Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different
hole punches on an overhead(to
1 (3) 6a kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of
5.1
represent different species) to
habitats.
lead a discussion of biodiversity
5.2 esp. pp. 123,
Use food web cards and other
124, 125, 126,
resources at:
Students know how to analyze changes in an
128 - human
http://psusdscienceresources.wik Bio-50,51,52
ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human
activity
ispaces.com/Ecology
LS- 25
1 (1) 6b
activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes
pp. 62-64 Nina S has an-EcoVirtualLab at;
in population size.
succession
https://docs.google.com/View?id
5.3 is optional
=dgpsc7g4_214gmspvhd2
Students know how fluctuations in population size in an
Great stuff at:
Bio-53,54
1.5 (1) 6c ecosystem are determined by the relative rates of birth,
pp 97-98
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
LS- 26
immigration, emigration, and death.
ispaces.com/Ecology
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1.5 (2) 6d
Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle
between abiotic resources and organic matter in the
ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through
photosynthesis and respiration.
pp 45-48
Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability
of its producers and decomposers.
pp 41-42
1 (2)
1 (1)
6e
6f
I/E
1a
I/E
1b
I/E
1g
I/E
1i
Students know at each link in a food web some energy is
stored in newly made structures but much energy is
dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation
may be represented in an energy pyramid.
Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such
as computer-linked probes, spreadsheets, and
graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data,
analyze relationships, and display data.
Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable
experimental error.
Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and
theories as scientific representations of reality.
Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that
are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g., relative
ages of rocks, locations of planets over time, and
succession of species in an ecosystem).
Textbook
pp 42 (Models),
44
BENCHMARK EXAM #1 DUE DATE – November 1, 2013
Labs and Other Resources
Use molecular model kits to
show different forms of carbon.
Bottle Biology at:
http://www.bottlebiology.org/
National Geographic movie
Creatures of the Namib gives
information to create an almost
complete food web for a dune
community.
Lots of ideas at:
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Ecology
RTQ’s
# of
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Bio-55
LS- 27,28
Bio-56
LS- 29
Bio-57,58
LS- 22,23,24,
VOCABULARY LIST 1
BENCHMARK EXAM 1 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERVENTIONS
47
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BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Textbook
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 2
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RTQ’s
# of
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VOCABULARY LIST 2
CELL BIOLOGY
Prior knowledge - Cells and the idea of organ systems was introduced
in 5th grade; cells area big part of the 7th grade standards. Students
should have used microscopes extensively in 7th grade. Photosynthesis
and respiration are introduced in 5th grade and are also taught in 7th
grade. They are part of cycles taught in Earth Science. Organic
chemistry is introduced in 8th grade.
1.0
The fundamental life processes of plants and animals
depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur
in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.
Misconceptions - Most students have a hard time grasping the meaning
of “Cells are the basic unit of life.” The may believe that living things
contain cells rather than being composed of cells (e.g. cells are like the
chocolate chips in a cookie). They don’t connect whole body needs to cell
function (e.g. we breath because all cells need gas exchange, we eat
because cells need food molecules, we urinate because cells need to
remove waste). Students may believe that all cells fight disease. If cells
are taught without reference to the whole body, this unit can be abstract
and meaningless for students. Students confuse cells with atoms (both are
tiny, both are parts of wholes, both have a nucleus). Many students lump
all things too small to see (cells, atoms, dust) as being about the same
size. It’s hard to interpret what is being seen in a microscope. Students
have a hard time understanding that CO2 in air (which is insubstantial)
can build solid heavy things like trees and people. Biochemistry is
abstract because students have a hard time grasping the small scale and
fast speed of reactions. They may not see sugar as energy because they
have been taught that it is unhealthy. They may not connect glucose to
food. They have a hard time connecting cellular processes to the whole
body (e.g. don’t connect respiration to breathing). They have a hard time
with the idea that their energy ultimately comes from the Sun.
Pg 183
48
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Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
RTQ’s
Students know cells are enclosed within semipermiable
membranes that regulate their interaction with their
surroundings.
1 (1)
1a
1.5
1b
1.5 (2)
1c
Tons of great ideas for this
Pp 187-190, 201standard at:
Note: Cut this down to the essentials - focus on diffusion,
207
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
osmosis, facilitated diffusion and active transport. Avoid
ispaces.com/Cell+Biology
overemphasis on vocabulary and technical details. Connect
it to membranes in physiology (lungs, kidneys, intestines)
to make it meaningful and applicable.
Students know enzymes are proteins that catalyze
mini-lab pp159
biochemical reactions without altering the reaction
lab 173
Ch 6.2, esp.
equilibrium and the activities of enzymes depend on the
lots more at:
159-160
temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of the
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
surroundings.
ispaces.com/Cell+Biology
Lots of microscope work. It
pp 185-186, Ch
takes time for students to learn to
7.3, esp. 199
“see” through a microscope
Watch out for
gibberish
Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells
Nina virtual microscope
overload- focus
(including those from plants and animals), differ in
https://docs.google.com/View?d
only on the
complexity and general structure. Save viruses for
ocid=dgpsc7g4_218hn823vdf
organelles needed
Segment 5 to teach with standard 10d.
to distinguish
Microscope lab- cheek vs. onion
different cell
vs. elodea
types.
3d models- cells or membranes
# of
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Bio12,13,14,15
Bio-16,17
LS- 11,12
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BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know usable energy is captured from
sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through the
synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.
Students know the role of the mitochondria in making
stored chemical-bond energy available to cells by
completing the breakdown of glucose to carbon
dioxide.
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
pp 220, 221,
222, 223, 226
Students need to
You can see chloroplasts under
know the
the microscope in Elodea
reactant,
(anachris) from a pet store or
products, and
thin plant sections.
pigments,
Lab pg 235;
but not
mini
lab pg 220
chemiosmosis,
the electron
transport chain,
or details of the
Calvin cycle.
pp. 220, 221,
mini lab pg 220 models
228, 233
Yeast and balloon
know stages
and # of ATP, More at:
but not details http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Cell+Biology
of reactions
RTQ’s
# of
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Bio-19,20
LS- 8
Bio-21,22
LS- 7
GENETICS
Prior knowledge - 7th grade science introduces genetics, they should
know about dominant/recessive but have not done Punett squares.
Students have families and have noticed and talked about differences
and similarities, some may have bred animals.
Misconceptions - traits are passed by blood, inheritance is a blending of
traits, genes of the stronger parent win, the father’s genes end up in male
children, the mother’s in female children, the “law of averages” applies to
offspring’s traits, percentages are absolute (not probabilities), genes
mostly cause disease.
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1 (1)
2b
1 (1)
2d
1 (1)
2e
1 (1)
2f
1
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1 (1)
2g
3.0
BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know meiosis is an early step in sexual
reproduction in which the pairs of chromosomes
separate and segregate randomly during cell division
to produce gametes containing one chromosome of
each type. (LIFE- sexual vs. asexual)
Students know only certain cells in a multicellular
organism undergo meiosis.
Students know new combinations of alleles may be
generated in a zygote through the fusion of male and
female gametes (fertilization).
Students know why approximately half of an individual’s
DNA sequence comes from each parent.
Students know the role of chromosomes in determining
an individual’s sex.
Students know how random chromosome segregation
explains the probability that a particular allele will be in
a gamete.
Students know how to predict possible combinations of
alleles in a zygote from the genetic makeup of the
parents.
A multicellular organism develops from a single
zygote, and its phenotype depends on its genotype,
which is established at fertilization.
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
pp 270-271, 275276 need to know
outcomes,
Great resources at:
Students do not
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
need to
memorize phases ispaces.com/Genetics
or details of the
process!
pp 271
pp 305
Ch 10.2
Bio-23,24
LS- 6,9,16,17
modeling with pipe cleaners
(you can label specific genes and
alleles with tape)
Bio-28
LS-18
Coin flip make a baby lab- Nina
Bio-29
Label coins on each side with
XX for female and XY for male.
Have students in pairs flip coins
to see the sex of their offspring.
Also a good way to talk about
probability and the rule of large
numbers.
Bio-30
pp 279
pp 280-282
RTQ’s
Tons of resources at;
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Genetics
# of
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LS- 13
Bio-31
Bio-35
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0
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and
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I
and
E
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BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know the genetic basis for Mendel’s laws of
segregation and independent assortment.
Students know how to predict the probable outcome of
phenotypes in a genetic cross from the genotypes of
the parents and mode of inheritance (autosomal or Xlinked, dominant or recessive). (7th grade - one or
more pairs of genes determines a trait)
Students know how to predict the probable mode of
inheritance from a pedigree diagram showing
phenotypes.
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
RTQ’s
Ch 10.1, 10.2
pp 302-303,
307-308, 309
Mendelian Virtual Lab
https://docs.google.com/View?d
ocid=dgpsc7g4_219dfg4ps9g
Bio-32,33,34
LS-14,19,20
Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable
experimental error.
Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and
theories as scientific representations of reality.
BENCHMARK EXAM 2 DUE DATE – January 24, 2014
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VOCABULARY LIST 2
BENCHMARK EXAM 2 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERVENTIONS
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VOCABULARY LIST 3
It is not imperative that this entire Instructional Segment be completed before the administration of the
CST Mirror Test. However, it MUST be completed before the administration of the actual CST.
MOLECULAR GENETICS
Prior knowledge - DNA is introduced as the genetic material in 7th
grade. Some basic carbon chemistry including polymers is introduced
in 8th grade.
Students know the central dogma of molecular biology
outlines the flow of information from transcription of
1 (2) 1d ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus to translation of
proteins on ribosomes in the cytoplasm. (LIFE- DNA in
the nucleus)
Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides,
nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are
1 (2) 1h
synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.
(LIFE- 8th grade basic ideas of O-chem)
Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA
sequence of each organism that specify the sequence
5
4.0
of amino acids in proteins characteristic of that
organism.
Students know the general pathway by which
1
4a ribosomes synthesize proteins, using tRNAs to
translate genetic information in mRNA.
Students know how to apply the genetic coding rules to
1
4b predict the sequence of amino acids from a sequence of
codons in RNA.
Students know proteins can differ from one another in the
1
4e
number and sequence of amino acids.
Misconceptions - genes are there to cause disease; DNA is primarily
there to solve crimes.
pg 336
Protein Synthesis Virtual Lab
https://docs.google.com/View?d
ocid=dgpsc7g4_223dg77qcgx
None
LS- 6
Ch. 6.4
use molecular model kits or
gumdrops and toothpicks to
build models
None
LS- 10,15
Ch 12.3
pp 338-340
pp 338-339
pp 170, 347
DNA Bracelets- at
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Genetics
AMINO bingo game at
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Genetics
Bio-36,37
Bio-38
Bio-42
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BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know the general structures and functions of
DNA, RNA, and protein.
1.5
5b
Students know how to apply base-pairing rules to explain
precise copying of DNA during semiconservative
replication and transcription of information from DNA
into mRNA.
1
1e
1
4c
1
4d
1.5
5c
0
5d
0
5e
Labs and Other Resources
RTQ’s
Students know the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and
Golgi apparatus in the secretion of proteins. (optional)
Students know how mutations in the DNA sequence of a
gene may or may not affect the expression of the gene or
the sequence of amino acids in an encoded protein.
Students know specialization of cells in multicellular
organisms is usually due to different patterns of gene
expression rather than to differences of the genes
themselves.
Students know how genetic engineering
(biotechnology) is used to produce novel biomedical
and agricultural products.
pp 170-171,
329-330, 336
pp 333-334, 337
United streaming Photo 51 see
video guide at;
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Genetics
Assign kids to be A,T,C, or G.
Give them construction paper
cutouts representing each and
have them form a human DNA
molecule
pp 194-195
optional
pp 345-349
pg 344 Hox
Genes
Ch 13.2
Bio-43,44
LS- 21
Bio-45,46,47
Bio-18
Protein synthesis bracelet
activity above
Bio-39,40
Bio-41
Great stuff at;
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Genetics
# of
Biology & Life Days
Students know why proteins having different amino
acid sequences typically have different shapes and
chemical properties.
5a
1.5 (1)
Textbook
Bio-48,49
Students know how basic DNA technology (restriction
digestion by endonucleases, gel electrophoresis,
ligation, and transformation) is used to construct
recombinant DNA molecules.
Students know how exogenous DNA can be inserted
into bacterial cells to alter their genetic makeup and
support expression of new protein products.
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EVOLUTION
Prior knowledge - fossils in 2nd grade; adaptation in 3rd and 4th grades;
natural selection and Earth history in 7th grade.
8.0
Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in
constantly changing environments.
1 (3)
8a
Students know how natural selection determines the
differential survival of groups of organisms. (LIFEnatural selection, Darwin)
1 (1)
8b
1
8c
1
8d
1 (2)
8e
5
Misconceptions - Many will have perceived or real religious objections
to evolution. May think that individuals evolve, acquired traits are passed
on, individuals or species choose to evolve, imagine evolution happening
much more quickly than it does (geologic time is hard to grasp), large
changes happen quickly.
beak lab- pp443
Great stuff at;
Ch 15.1
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Evolution
Students know a great diversity of species increases the
pp 117, 122 - not Tie back to ecology biodiversity
chance that at least some organisms survive major
well addressed by
standard- local squirrels
changes in the environment.
the text
variation
Randomly select a small group
of students from the class- if
they were the founders of a new
Students know the effects of genetic drift on the diversity
pg 433- skip
population, what would that
of organisms in a population.
hardy weinberg
population look like? How
would it be different from the
class as a whole?
pp 437- 438 (the Good stuff at:
Students know reproductive or geographic isolation
vocab is pretty http://psusdscienceresources.wik
affects speciation.
intimidating) ispaces.com/Evolution
pp 393, 423Students know how to analyze fossil evidence with
424, 396-400
regard to biological diversity, episodic speciation, and
Chapter 16
mass extinction.
provides
examples
Bio-66,67
LS- 30, 35
Bio-68
LS- 36
Bio-69,70
Bio-71,72
Bio-73,74
LS- 31,37
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Students know how to use comparative embryology,
DNA or protein sequence comparisons, and other
independent sources of data to create a branching
diagram (cladogram) that shows probable
evolutionary relationships. (LIFE- evidence for
evolution-no branching diagram)
Students know how several independent molecular
clocks, calibrated against each other and combined
with evidence from the fossil record, can help to
estimate how long ago various groups of organisms
diverged evolutionarily from one another.
Students know how to distinguish between the
accommodation of an individual organism to its
environment and the gradual adaptation of a lineage
of organisms through genetic change.
RTQ’s
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
pp 423-427
http://psusdscienceresources.wiki
spaces.com/Evolution
None
Sickle cell- and Tay-Sachs are
good examples of this
Bio-59,60
LS- 32
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Evolution
Bio-61,62,63
LS- 33
pg. 434, pp.
345-349
Connect back to DNA mutations
standard
Bio-64
LS-34
Ch 15.1
Connect with Natural Selection
standard
Bio-65
POPULATION GENETICS
4
7.0
The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a
population depends on many factors and may be
stable or unstable over time.
1 (1)
7a
Students know why natural selection acts on the
phenotype rather than the genotype of an organism.
1 (1)
7b
1 (1)
7c
1 (1)
7d
Students know why alleles that are lethal in a
homozygous individual may be carried in a heterozygote
and thus maintained in a gene pool.
Students know new mutations are constantly being
generated in a gene pool.
Students know variation within a species increases the
likelihood that at least some members of a species will
survive under changed environmental conditions.
pp 296-298,
Ch15.3- not very
well addressed.
# of
Biology & Life Days
56
RED = HONORS
# CST
Items STD
(LIFE)
0
7e
0
7f
BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
RTQ’s
# of
Biology & Life Days
Students know the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium in a population and why these conditions
are not likely to appear in nature.
Students know how to solve the Hardy-Weinberg
equation to predict the frequency of genotypes in a
population, given the frequency of phenotypes.
It is not imperative that this entire Instructional Segment be completed before the administration of the
CST Mirror Test. However, it MUST be completed before the administration of the actual CST.
CST MIRROR TEST DEADLINE: April 4, 2014
CST MIRROR TEST DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERVENTIONS
BIOLOGY AND LIFE SCIENCE CST REVIEW
INSTRUCTIONAL SEGMENT 4
VOCABULARY LIST 4
PHYSIOLOGY
Prior knowledge - body systems are taught in 5th grade, esp.
circulatory and digestive. 7th grade emphasizes the musculoskeletal
system, reproductive system and the eye.
As a result of the coordinated structures and
functions of organ systems, the internal environment
6
9.0 of the human body remains relatively stable
(homeostatic) despite changes in the outside
environment.
Misconceptions - students don’t connect macroscopic activities to the
cellular level. (e.g. they breathe because lungs need air, they eat because
the stomach needs food), have a hard time seeing the body as a system.
pg. 10
Evolve video series guides and
lots more at;
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Physiology
57
RED = HONORS
# CST
Items STD
(LIFE)
2/3 (6) 9a
1/3 (1) 9b
1
9c
0
9i
1
9d
BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know how the complementary activity of
major body systems provides cells with oxygen and
nutrients and removes toxic waste products such as
carbon dioxide. (LIFE - 7th grade - muscles, heart,
levels of organization)
Students know how the nervous system mediates
communication between different parts of the body
and the body’s interactions with the environment.
Students know how feedback loops in the nervous and
endocrine systems regulate conditions in the body.
Students know how hormones (including digestive,
reproductive, osmoregulatory) provide internal
feedback mechanisms for homeostasis at the cellular
level and in whole organisms.
Students know the functions of the nervous system and
the role of neurons in transmitting electrochemical
impulses.
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
pp. 992, 1000, Whole animal dissection with an
1005, 1020emphasis on major systems and
don’t need to
how the circulatory system
memorize parts.
connects them. Frozen squid
Connect to cell from an ethnic market are a good
function and
low cost specimen (15 for $3)
basic needs of
Or virtual dissection as an
living things.
alternative.
RTQ’s
Bio-75,76
LS- 38, 39,
40, 41,42,43
pp. 962- 963,
967, 968-972
77,78,79
pp. 971-972,
1031-1032
80,81
Sheep brain dissection
pp. 962, 967, 968This standard connects to day 7
972
of the Health unit which can be
Ignore the details
found at
of how an action
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
potential is
ispaces.com/Health
transmitted.
82
Reflexes (blink and kneecap)
1/3
9e
Students know the roles of sensory neurons, interneurons,
and motor neurons in sensation, thought, and response.
pp. 963, 973976
This standard connects to day 7
of the Health unit which can be
found at
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Health
# of
Biology & Life Days
83
58
RED = HONORS
# CST
Items STD
(LIFE)
1
1h
BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides,
nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are
synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.
pp 1020, 10261027
Foods lab - test foods for fats
(brown paper), proteins
(biuret’s), sugar (benedict’s), and
starches (iodine)
RTQ’s
# of
Biology & Life Days
None
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Prior knowledge - students generally know quite a bit about disease
transmission, it is a high interest subject.
4
10
2/3
10a
1 (1)
10b
2/3 (1) 10c
1 (1)
1.5
Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat
disease. As a basis for understanding the human
immune response:
Students know the role of the skin in providing
nonspecific defenses against infection.
Lab pg. 1097
pg. 1084
Students know the role of antibodies in the body’s
response to infection.
pp. 1086-1089
Students know how vaccination protects an individual
from infectious diseases.
pp. 1088-1090,
1083
Students know there are important differences
between bacteria and viruses with respect to their
10d requirements for growth and replication, the body’s
primary defenses against bacterial and viral
infections, and effective treatments of these infections.
1c
Misconceptions - all pathogens are viruses, viruses and bacteria are the
same thing, antibiotics work on viruses, behavioral risk factors cause
disease (e.g. unprotected sex causes AIDS as opposed to a virus
transmitted by unprotected sex).
Students know how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells
(including those from plants and animals), and
viruses differ in complexity and general structure.
pp. 525-527,
516, 519, 524,
1082, 10761078
Bio-84,85
Jigsaw puzzle pieces can be used
to represent antibodies
recognition of an antigen on a
pathogen
Immune system posters- Kim
NaOH epidemic activity
Bio-None
LS-44
Bio-86,87
LS- 45
This standard connects to day 4
of the Health unit which can be
found at
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Health
Bio-88,89
Bio-16
59
RED = HONORS
# CST
Items STD
(LIFE)
2/3
10e
BIOLOGY PACING GUIDE 2013-2014
Students know why an individual with a compromised
immune system (for example, a person with AIDS)
may be unable to fight off and survive infections by
microorganisms that are usually benign.
Textbook
Labs and Other Resources
pp. 1090-1091
This standard connects to day 4
of the Health unit which can be
found at
http://psusdscienceresources.wik
ispaces.com/Health
RTQ’s
# of
Biology & Life Days
Bio-90
HEALTH UNIT
The resources for this unit can be found at http://psusdscienceresources.wikispaces.com/Health
SITE-BASED END OF YEAR ASSESSMENTS/PROJECTS CLOSING DATE: JUNE 13, 2014
END OF YEAR DATA ANALYSIS
60