Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
1
Science – BIOLOGY
Benchmark Assessments and Instructional Pacing Guide
Instructional Guides are provided as resource for Alliance classroom teachers. They identify high priority grade-level standards to be taught during each quarter of
instruction in the context of proposed units with a suggested amount of time. High priority standards are assessed on quarterly benchmark exams.
Unit
Unit 1: Cell Biology
Unit Summary
This unit will focus on
the structure and
functions of cells.
This includes
distinguishing
between cellular
organisms and
viruses, as well as
between prokaryotic
and eukaryotic cells.
It also includes
understanding the
function of the
plasma membrane
and the processes of
diffusion, osmosis,
and active transport.
Additionally, this unit
will address the
functions of various
cell organelles,
including the
chloroplast’s role in
photosynthesis and
the mitochondria’s
role in cellular
respiration.
NA = not assessed on CST
High Priority Standards
Benchmark Assessment
IE1a Students know how to 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.
1a Students know cells are enclosed within
semipermeable membranes that
regulate their interaction with their
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 stored via 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.
CST
Items
1
1
1st Qtr
Items
0
CST
Items
(6 total IE 1a-1n )
Topics to be
Addressed


5
1
5
1
5
1
Medium Priority
Standards
IE1j Students know how
to recognize the issues of
statistical variability and
the need for controlled
tests.
5
1b Students know that
enzymes are proteins and
catalyze biochemical
reactions without altering
the reaction equilibrium.
The activity of enzymes
depends on the
temperature, ionic
conditions and pH of the
surroundings.
1e Students know the role
of the endoplasmic
reticulum and Golgi
apparatus in 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.
1i Students know how
chemiosmotic




Scientific
inquiry
Features of
prokaryotic
and
eukaryotic
cells
Plasma
membrane
Diffusion,
osmosis,
and active
transport
Cell
organelles
Photosynth
esis and
cellular
respiration
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
2.3-2.4, 7.17.3, 8.1-8.3,
9.1-9.2,
19.1-19.2
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 2: Protein
Synthesis
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
the processes
involved in protein
synthesis. Students
should understand
the basic structure
and function of DNA,
RNA, and proteins
and the steps of
transcription and
translation in forming
proteins. This unit
also addresses DNA
replication.
NA = not assessed on CST
High Priority Standards
Benchmark Assessment
1d Students know 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.
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.
5a Students know the general structures
and functions of DNA, RNA, and protein.
5b Students know how to apply basepairing rules to explain precise copying
of DNA during semiconservative
replication and transcription from DNA
into mRNA.
CST
Items
1st Qtr
Items
1
5
1
5
Medium Priority
Standards
gradients in the
mitochondria and
chloroplast store
energy for ATP
production.
1j Students know how
eukaryotic cells are
given shape and
internal organization
by a cytoskeleton
and/or cell wall.
4e Students know
proteins can differ in
the number and
sequence of amino
acids.
CST
Items
1
Topics to be
Addressed



1
5
1
5
1
5
Structure
and
function of
DNA, RNA,
and
proteins
DNA
replication
Transcripti
on and
translation
2
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
2.3, 12.112.3
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 3: Mutations
and Biotechnology
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
understanding how
mutations form and
how they can be
inherited. It also
addresses gene
regulation as it
relates to cell
specialization in
multicellular
organisms, as well as
the use of
biotechnology in
producing novel
medical and
agricultural products.
NA = not assessed on CST
High Priority Standards
Benchmark Assessment
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 how specialization of
cells in multicellular organisms is
usually due to different patterns of gene
expression rather than to differences in
the genes themselves.
IE1m Students know how to investigate a
science-based societal issue by
researching the literature, analyzing
data, and communicating the findings.
Examples of issues include the
irradiation of food, cloning of animals
by somatic cell transfer, choice of
energy sources, and land and water use
decisions in California.
CST
Items
1
1st Qtr
Items
5
1
5
1
0
Medium Priority
Standards
5c Students know how
genetic engineering
(biotechnology) is
used to produce novel
biomedical and
agricultural products.
5e Students know how
exogenous DNA can
be inserted into
bacterial cells to alter
their genetic makeup
and support
expression of new
protein products.
CST
Items
1
alternate
yrs
Not
Assessed
Topics to be
Addressed
 Mutations
 Gene
expression
 Biotechnol
ogy
3
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
12.4-12.5,
13.1-13.4
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 4: Meiosis and
Fertilization
Unit Summary
This unit addresses
the process of
meiosis in gamete
formation. Students
should understand
how alleles separate
during chromosome
segregation and the
process of sexual
reproduction that
leads to the formation
of a zygote with a
genetic composition
unique to either
parent. This unit will
also address how
meiotic division
relates to the
inheritance of genetic
traits.
Unit 5: Genetics
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
Mendelian genetics
and the modes of
inheritance. Students
should understand
how to use Punnett
squares to predict the
genotypes of
offspring given the
genotypes of the
parents for traits with
either autosomal or
X-linked inheritance.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
CST
Benchmark Assessment
Items
2a Students know meiosis is an early step
1
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
1
multicellular organism undergo
meiosis.
2c Students know how random
1
chromosome segregation explains the
probability that a particular allele will be
in a gamete.
2d Students know new combinations of
1
alleles may be generated in a zygote
through fusion of male and female
gametes (fertilization).
2e Students know why approximately half
1
of an individual’s DNA sequence comes
from each parent.
2f Students know the role of chromosomes 1
in determining an individual’s sex.
2nd Qtr
Items
3
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.
3
1
1
1
Supporting Standards
4
CST
Items
Topics to be
Addressed
 Meiosis
 Chromoso
me
segregatio
n
 Fertilization
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
11.1, 11.4,
14.1, 16.1,
39.3-39.4
Not
Assess
ed

Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
11.1-11.3,
11.5, 14.114.2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3c Students know how to
predict the probable
mode of inheritance
from a pedigree
diagram showing
phenotypes.
3d 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.


Not
Assess
ed
Mendelian
genetics
Punnett
squares
Modes of
inheritance
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 6: Genetic
Variation and
Evolution
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
the genetic variability
found within species
and how this
variability relates to
evolution. Students
should understand
that genetic
variability increases a
species’ likelihood to
survive
environmental stress
and how factors such
as genetic drift,
which decreases
genetic variability,
affect a population’s
ability to adapt to a
changing
environment.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
Benchmark Assessment
IE1f Students know how to distinguish
between hypothesis and theory as
scientific terms.
IE1g Students know how to recognize the
usefulness and limitations of models
and theories as scientific
representations of reality.
IE1k Students know how to recognize the
cumulative nature of scientific
evidence.
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 the 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.
CST
Items
1
2nd Qtr
Items
0
1
0
1
0
1
3
1
3
1
3
Supporting Standards
IE1j Students know how to
recognize the issues of
statistical variability and
the need for controlled
tests.
7c Students know
mutations are
constantly being
generated in a gene
pool.
7e Students know the
conditions of HardyWeinberg equilibrium in
a population and why
these conditions are not
likely to be found in
nature.
7f Students know how to
solve the HardyWeinberg equation to
predict the frequency of
genotypes in a
population, given the
frequency of the
phenotypes.
8c Students know the
effects of genetic drift
on the diversity of
organisms within a
population.
CST
Items
6 total
IE1a1n
1
NA
NA
1
5
Topics to be
Addressed
 Scientific
inquiry
 Scientific
method
 Scientific
hypotheses
and theories
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
1.1-1.2, 1.4,
Appendices
A, C, D
 Experimental
design
 Natural
selection
 Gene
frequency
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
15.3, 16.116.2
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 7: Natural
Selection and
Evolutionary
Relationships
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
Darwinian evolution
and natural selection.
Students should
recognize different
factors that promote
speciation and how
to use fossil evidence
to recognize
evolutionary events
from the past. The
unit also addresses
how multiple lines of
evidence can be
used to estimate the
evolutionary
relationships among
different groups of
organisms.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
Benchmark Assessment
8a Students know how natural selection
determines the differential survival of
groups of organisms.
8b Students know a great diversity of
species increases the chances that at
least some organisms survive major
changes in the environment.
8e Students know how to analyze fossil
evidence with regard to biological
diversity, episodic speciation, and
mass extinction.
IE1l Students know how to analyze a
situation and solve problems that
require combining and applying
concepts from more than one area in
science.
IE1n Students 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., the Ptolemaic model of
the movement of the Sun, Moon, and
planets).
CST
Items
1
2nd Qtr
Items
3
1
3
1
3
1
0
1
0
Supporting Standards
8d Students know
reproductive or
geographic isolation
affects speciation.
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.
IE1i Students know how to
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).
CST
Items
1
NA
NA
6 total
(IE 1a
-1n)
Topics to be
Addressed
 Natural
Selection
 Evolutionar
y
relationship
s between
species
 Speciation
6
Textbook/
Resource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
15.3, 16.3,
17.1, 17.4,
18.2,
Appendix G
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 8: Ecology
Unit Summary
This unit addresses
ecosystems,
including variations in
the biodiversity of
different biomes,
energy flow through
food chains and
webs, and nutrient
cycling (e.g. the
carbon, water, and
nitrogen cycles). It
also addresses the
impact of various
factors, including
human activity, on
the stability of
ecosystems.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
Benchmark Assessment
6a Students know biodiversity is the sum
total of different kinds of organisms
that is affected by the 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.
IE1e Students know how to solve
scientific problems using exponential
functions.
IE1m Students know how to investigate a
science-based societal issue by
researching the literature, analyzing
data, and communicating the findings.
Examples of issues include the
irradiation of food, cloning of animals
by somatic cell transfer, choice of
energy sources, and land and water
use decisions in California.
CST
Items
1
3rd Qtr
Items
5
1
0
1
5
1
5
1
5
1
0
1
0
Supporting Standards
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.
6g Students know how to
distinguish between the
accommodation of an
individual to its
environment and the
gradual adaptation of a
lineage of organisms
through genetic change.
CST
Items
1
NA
Topics to be
Addressed
 Biodiversity
 Food
chains,
webs, and
pyramids
 Nutrient
cycling
 Factors
that affect
the stability
of
ecosystem
s
7
Textbook/R
esource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
3.1-3.3, 4.14.2, 5.1-5.2,
6.2-6.4
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Unit
Unit 9: Human
Physiology
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
the functions of the
nervous and
endocrine systems.
Students should
understand the role
of the nervous
system in mediating
between the external
environment and the
central nervous
system of the human
body. The unit also
addresses feedback
loops in the nervous
and endocrine
systems and other
specific regulatory
functions of different
body systems,
including the
circulatory, excretory,
and musculoskeletal
systems.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
Benchmark Assessment
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 the 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.
CST
Items
2
3rd Qtr
Items
5
1
5
1
5
1
5
Supporting Standards
9e Students know the roles
of sensory neurons,
interneurons, and motor
neurons in sensation,
thought, and response.
9f Students know the
individual functions and
sites of secretion of
digestive enzymes
(amylases, proteases,
nucleases, lipases),
stomach acids, and bile
salts.
9g 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.
9h Students know the
cellular and molecular
basis of muscle
contraction, including
the various roles of
actin, myosin, Ca2+, and
ATP.
9i Students know how
hormones (including
digestive, reproductive,
osmoregulatory)
provide internal
feedback mechanisms
for homeostasis at the
cellular level and in
whole organisms.
CST
Items
1 every
3 yrs
NA
NA
NA
NA
Topics to be
Addressed
 Human
physiology
 Nervous
system
 Endocrine
system
 Neuron
structure
and
function
8
Textbook/R
esource
Prentice
Hall Biology
Sections
35.1-35.5,
36.2, 37.1,
37.3, 38.238.3, 39.139.2
9
Biology Instructional Guide, 2011-2012
Instruction Continues After CST – Q4
Inquiry methods and concrete laboratory experiences should be the vehicle for content as well as for science skills and processes to enrich our
students learning science content as “scientists” wherever possible throughout the teaching of science.
Unit
Unit 10: Immune
System
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on
the human immune
system. It addresses
both the specific and
nonspecific immune
responses, the role of
antibodies in immunity,
the differences
between viral and
bacterial infections,
compromised
immunity, and the role
of vaccinations in
protecting against
infections.
NA = not assessed on CST
Essential Standards
Benchmark Assessment
10a Students know the role of the skin in
providing nonspecific diseases 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
those 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.
CST
Items
1
1
1
1
1
Supporting Standards
10f Students know the roles
of phagocytes, Blymphocytes, and Tlymphocytes in the
immune system.
CST
Items
NA
Topics to be
Addressed
 Immune
response
 Viral and
bacterial
infections
Textbook/Re
source
Prentice Hall
Biology
Sections
35.1, 37.2,
40.1-40.3