NGSSS SCIENCE SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES
STUDENT PACKET
Biology
SC.912.L.16.13
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEM ATICS AND SCIENCE
THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Ms. Perla Tabares Hantman, Chair
Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman, Vice-Chair
Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall
Ms. Susie V. Castillo
Dr. Wilbert “Tee” Holloway
Dr. Martin Karp
Ms. Lubby Navarro
Ms. Raquel A. Regalado
Dr. Marta Pérez Wurtz
Mr. Logan Schroeder-Stephens
Student Advisor
Mr. Alberto M. Carvalho
Superintendent of Schools
Ms. Maria L. Izquierdo
Chief Academic Officer
Office of Academics and Transformation
Dr. Maria P. de Armas
Assistant Superintendent
Division of Academics
Mr. Cristian Carranza
Administrative Director
Division of Academics
Department of Mathematics and Science
Dr. Ava D. Rosales
Executive Director
Department of Mathematics and Science
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide students with enhancement tutorial sessions that will
enrich the depth of content knowledge of the Biology 1 course. Each tutorial session is aligned to
Biology Annually Assessed Benchmarks of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards
(NGSSS) as described in the course description and the Biology Item Specifications and include
an ExploreLearning Gizmos activity and/or a science demonstration followed by assessment
questions.
The Nature of Science Body of Knowledge (BOK) is embedded in all lessons. Teachers are
encouraged to generate an inquiry-based environment where students grow in scientific thinking
while creating and responding to higher-order questions.
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Biology
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Table of Contents
Organisms, Populations, and Ecosystems - Benchmark SC.912.L.16.13 Describe the basic
anatomy and physiology of the human reproductive system. Describe the process of human
development from fertilization to birth and major changes that occur in each trimester of
pregnancy.
Activity 1 - The Reproductive System .........................................................................................3
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Activity 1 - The Reproductive System
Scientific Background
On average, a human pregnancy lasts 38 weeks from the time of conception, when a man's sperm
fertilizes a woman's egg, to birth. Explore the major stages of human fetal development. When
sperm is deposited in the vagina, it travels through the cervix and into the Fallopian tubes.
A single sperm penetrates the mother's egg cell, and the resulting cell is called a zygote. The
zygote contains all of the genetic information (DNA) necessary to become a child. Half of the
genetic information comes from the mothers egg and half from the fathers sperm. The zygote
spends the next few days traveling down the Fallopian tube and divides to form a ball of cells.
The zygote continues to divide, creating an inner group of cells with an outer shell. This stage is
called a blastocyst. The inner group of cells will become the embryo, while the outer group of cells
will become the membranes that nourish and protect it. The blastocyst reaches the womb (uterus)
around day 5, and implants into the uterine wall on about day 6. At this point in the mother's
menstrual cycle, the lining of the uterus has grown and is ready to support a baby. The blastocyst
sticks tightly to the lining, where it receives nourishment via the mother's bloodstream.
The cells of the embryo now multiply and begin to take on specific functions. This process is called
differentiation. It leads to the various cell types that make up a human being (such as blood cells,
kidney cells, and nerve cells).
There is rapid growth, and the baby's main external features begin to take form. It is during this
critical period (most of the first trimester) that the growing baby is most susceptible to damage.
The following can interfere with the baby's development:
 Alcohol, certain prescription and recreational drugs, and other substances that cause
birth defects
 Infection (such as rubella or cytomegalovirus)
 Nutritional deficiencies
 X-rays or radiation therapy
Week by Week Changes
The period of time between conception and birth during which the fetus grows and develops inside
the mother's womb is called gestation. In humans, the length of pregnancy, or gestational age, is
the time measured from the first day of the woman's last menstrual cycle to the current date. It is
measured in weeks.
The time interval of a gestation plus 2 weeks is called the gestation period, and the length of time
plus 2 weeks that the baby has spent developing in the womb is called the gestational age.
The following list describes specific changes that occur in the womb:
 Week 3 of gestation (embryo development); week 5 of pregnancy
o The brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop.
o The gastrointestinal tract begins to develop.
 Weeks 4 to 5 of gestation; week 6 - 7 of pregnancy
o Arm and leg buds become visible.
o The brain develops into five areas and some cranial nerves are visible.
o The eyes and ear structures begin to form.
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o Tissue forms that develops into the vertebra and some other bones.
o The heart continues to develop and now beats at a regular rhythm.
o Rudimentary blood moves through the main vessels.
Week 6 of gestation; week 8 of pregnancy
o The arms and legs have grown longer, and foot and hand areas can be distinguished.
o The hands and feet have fingers and toes (digits), but may still be webbed.
o The brain continues to form.
o The lungs begin to form.
Week 7 of gestation; week 9 of pregnancy
o Nipples and hair follicles form.
o Elbows and toes are visible.
o All essential organs have begun to form.
Week 8 of gestation; week 10 of pregnancy
o The eyelids are more developed.
o External features of the ear begin to take their final shape.
o Facial features continue to develop.
o The intestines rotate.
The end of the eighth week marks the end of the "embryonic period" and the beginning of the
"fetal period."
 Weeks 9 to 12 of gestation; weeks 11 to 14 of pregnancy
o Eyelids close and will not reopen until about the 28th week.
o The face is well formed.
o Limbs are long and thin.
o Genitals appear well differentiated.
o Red blood cells are produced in the liver.
o The head makes up nearly half of the baby's size.
o The baby can make a fist with its fingers.
o Tooth buds appear for the baby teeth.
 Weeks 13 to 16 of gestation; weeks 15 to 18 of pregnancy
o The skin is almost transparent.
o Fine hair called lanugo develops on the head.
o Meconium is made in the intestinal tract.
o More muscle tissue and bones have developed, and the bones become harder.
o The baby begins to make active movements.
o The liver and pancreas produce fluid secretions.
o Sucking motions are made with the mouth.
 Weeks 17 to 19 of gestation; weeks 19 to 21 of pregnancy
o The baby can hear.
o The baby makes more movements.
o The mother may feel a fluttering in the lower abdomen.
 Week 20 of gestation; week 22 of pregnancy
o Lanugo hair covers entire body.
o Eyebrows and lashes appear.
o Nails appear on the fingers and toes.
o The baby is more active with increased muscle development.
o The mother can feel the baby moving.
o The fetal heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope.
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Weeks 21 to 23 of gestation; weeks 23 to 25 of pregnancy
o Bone marrow begins to make blood cells.
o The lower airways of the baby's lungs develop but still do not produce surfactant (a
substance that allows the alveoli to open for gas exchange).
o The baby begins to store fat.
Week 24 of gestation; week 26 of pregnancy
o Eyebrows and eyelashes are well formed.
o All eye parts are developed.
o The baby has a hand and startle reflex.
o Footprints and fingerprints are forming.
o Air sacs form in lungs.
Weeks 25 to 28 of gestation; weeks 27 to 30 of pregnancy
o Rapid brain development occurs.
o The nervous system is developed enough to control some body functions.
o The eyelids open and close.
o The respiratory system, while immature, has developed to the point where gas
exchange is possible.
Weeks 29 to 32 of gestation; weeks 31 to 34 of pregnancy
o A rapid increase in the amount of body fat occurs.
o Rhythmic breathing movements occur, but the lungs are not fully mature.
o The bones are fully developed, but still soft and pliable.
o The baby's body begins storing iron, calcium, and phosphorus.
Week 36 of gestation; week 38 of pregnancy
o Lanugo begins to disappear.
o Body fat increases.
o Fingernails reach the end of the fingertips.
Weeks 37 to 40 of gestation; weeks 39 to 42 of pregnancy
o Lanugo is gone except for on the upper arms and shoulders.
o Fingernails extend beyond fingertips.
o Small breast buds are present on both sexes.
o Head hair is now coarse and thicker.
The primary reproductive organs in the female are the ovaries. The ovaries are located in the
abdominal cavity. As in males, puberty in females starts when the hypothalamus signals the
pituitary gland to release FSH and LH. FSH stimulates cells within the ovaries to produce
estrogen. The main function of the female reproductive system is to produce ova. In addition, the
female reproductive system prepares the female's body to nourish a developing embryo. In
contrast to the millions of sperm produced each day in the male reproductive system, the ovaries
usually produce only one mature ovum (plural: ova), or egg, each month.
Each ovary contains about 400,000 primary follicles, which are clusters of cells surrounding a
single egg. The function of a follicle is to help an egg mature for release into the reproductive
tract, where it can be fertilized. Eggs develop within their follicles. Although a female is born with
thousands of immature eggs (primary follicles), only about 400 eggs will actually be released.
Approximately every 28 days, under the influence of FSH, a follicle gets larger and completes the
first meiotic cell division. When meiosis is complete, a single large haploid egg and three smaller
cells called polar bodies are produced. The polar bodies have very little cytoplasm and soon
disintegrate. When a follicle has completely matured, its egg is released in a process called
ovulation. The follicle breaks open, and the egg is swept from the surface of the ovary into the
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opening of one of the two Fallopian tubes. The egg moves through the fluid-filled Fallopian tube,
pushed along by microscopic cilia lining the walls of the tube. During its journey through the
Fallopian tube, an egg can be fertilized. After a few days, the egg passes from the Fallopian tube
into the cavity of an organ known as the uterus. The lining of the uterus is ready to receive a
fertilized egg, if fertilization has occurred. The outer end of the uterus is called the cervix. Beyond
the cervix is a canal—the vagina—that leads to the outside of the body.
The release of FSH and LH stimulates cells in the testes to produce testosterone. FSH and
testosterone stimulate the development of sperm. Once large numbers of sperm have been
produced in the testes, the developmental process of puberty is completed. The reproductive
system is now functional, meaning that the male can produce and release active sperm. The
main function of the male reproductive system is to produce and deliver sperm.
The primary male reproductive organs, the testes, develop within the abdominal cavity. Just
before birth (and sometimes just after) the testes descend through a canal into an external sac
called the scrotum. The testes remain in the scrotum, outside the body cavity, where the
temperature is about one to three degrees lower than the normal temperature of the body (37°C).
The lower temperature is important for proper sperm development. Within each testis are clusters
of hundreds of tiny tubules called seminiferous tubules (sem-uh-NIF-ur-us). The seminiferous
tubules are tightly coiled and twisted together. Sperm are produced in the seminiferous tubules.
Sperm are derived from specialized cells in the testes that undergo the process of meiosis to form
the haploid nuclei of mature sperm. A haploid cell contains only a single set of chromosomes. A
sperm cell consists of a head, which contains a highly condensed nucleus; a midpiece, which is
packed with energy-releasing mitochondria; and a tail, or flagellum, which propels the cell forward.
At the tip of the head is a small cap that contains an enzyme vital to the process of fertilization.
Sperm produced in the seminiferous tubules are moved into the epididymis (ep-uh-DID-ih-mis).
This is the structure in which sperm fully mature and are stored. From the epididymis, some sperm
are moved into a tube called the vas deferens. The vas deferens extends upward from the
scrotum into the abdominal cavity. Eventually, the vas deferens merges with the urethra, the tube
that leads to the outside of the body through the penis.
Glands lining the reproductive tract—including the seminal vesicles, the prostate, and the
bulbourethral (bul-boh-yoo-REE-thrul) glands—produce a nutrient-rich fluid called seminal fluid.
The seminal fluid nourishes the sperm and protects them from the acidity of the female
reproductive tract. The combination of sperm and seminal fluid is known as semen. The number
of sperm present in even a few drops of semen is astonishing. Between 50 and 130 million sperm
are present in 1 milliliter of semen. That's about 2.5 million sperm per drop!
When the male is sexually aroused, the autonomic nervous system prepares the male organs to
deliver sperm. Sperm are ejected from the penis by the contractions of smooth muscles lining the
glands in the reproductive tract. This process is called ejaculation. Because ejaculation is
regulated by the autonomic nervous system, it is not completely voluntary. About 2 to 6 milliliters
of semen are released in an average ejaculation. If these sperm are released in the reproductive
tract of a female, the chances of a single sperm fertilizing an egg, if one is available, are quite
good.
Vocabulary:
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Puberty, Scrotum, Seminiferous tubule, Epididymis, vas deferens, Urethra, Penis, Follicle,
Ovulation, Fallopian tube, Uterus, Vagina, Menstrual cycle, Corpus luteum, Menstruation, Zygote,
Implantation, Differentiation, Gastrulation, Neurulation, Placenta, Fetus.
During this interactive simulation, you will match each of several fetal development images to its
appropriate stage in the developmental timeline. You will read a description of what happens
during that stage. Finally, you will watch the developmental stages in their correct sequence from
fertilization to birth.
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Read the Introduction and click the Continue button.
Identify the Exploration components.
Roll your mouse over each image for a hint about the stage of fetal development it
represents.
Drag each image to its place in the timeline. Read and discuss the fetal development that
occurs during that stage.
When you have completed the timeline, click the Next button to watch the developmental
stages in their sequence from conception to birth.
Explore / Explain:
Explore and Explain by accessing four short video clips, each focusing on a different area. You
will each video segment one at a time allowing you to focus on answering the question in your
own words.
1. Female
Reproductive
System
(Video
Segment
4:10
min)
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=87dec02a-84e7-40e3-b7f6bd12d943c8cd
A. Explain how the female reproductive system works. The following terms are required in
your explanation: ovaries, oviduct (fallopian tube), uterus, cervix, vagina.
2. Structures of the Male Reproductive System (Video Segment: 6:47 min)
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=3bb7d529-88d8-4183-b743ba3818f6f585
A. Explain how the male reproductive system works. The following terms are required in your
explanation: seminal vesicle, prostate gland, vas deferens, urethra, epididymis, scrotum,
penis, testes.
3. Embryonic Development Immediately Following Fertilization of Egg (Video Segment 1:09 min)
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=c3b5bd42-3887-43f5-bbe0e6e3209a5ea7
A. Describe the events that occur from fertilization to implantation of the egg. As part of your
description include the following terms in your explanation: implantation, morula,
blastocyst, gastrulation, neurulation.
4. Fetal
Growth
(Video
Segment
6:14
min)
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=8cc51c28-a0d8-4071-862413986ad04215
A. Describe the general characteristics or milestones for each trimester of human
development.
Evaluate :
1. What happens during implantation?
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2. How will the fetus’ body temperature be regulated after birth? During which stage does this
method of regulation develop?
3. The embryo is developed enough to be called a fetus at the end of which stage?
4. What is the function of the placenta? During which stage is it completely formed?
5. Label the diagram “The Female Reproductive System.” Fill in the correct term using the words
provided below the picture.
Uterus
Fallopian tube
Ovary
Vagina
Cervix
6. Label the diagram “The Male Reproductive System.” Fill in the correct term using the words
provided below the picture.
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Penis
Scrotum
Seminiferous tubules
Urethra
Bladder
Testes
Seminal vesicle
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Anti-Discrimination Policy
Federal and State Laws
The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida adheres to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and
educational programs/activities and strives affirmatively to provide equal opportunity for all as required by:
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or
national origin.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended - prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of
race, color, religion, gender, or national origin.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 - prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) as amended - prohibits discrimination on the basis of
age with respect to individuals who are at least 40.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 as amended - prohibits gender discrimination in payment of wages to women and
men performing substantially equal work in the same establishment.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - prohibits discrimination against the disabled.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) - prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities
in employment, public service, public accommodations and telecommunications.
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) - requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of
unpaid, job-protected leave to "eligible" employees for certain family and medical reasons.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 - prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of
pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
Florida Educational Equity Act (FEEA) - prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin,
marital status, or handicap against a student or employee.
Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 - secures for all individuals within the state freedom from discrimination
because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status.
Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) - prohibits discrimination against
employees or applicants because of genetic information.
Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act of 2002 – no public school shall deny equal access to, or a fair
opportunity for groups to meet on school premises or in school facilities before or after school hours, or
discriminate against any group officially affiliated with Boy Scouts of America or any other youth or
community group listed in Title 36 (as a patriotic society).
Veterans are provided re-employment rights in accordance with P.L. 93-508 (Federal Law) and Section 295.07
(Florida Statutes), which stipulate categorical preferences for employment.
In Addition:
School Board Policies 1362, 3362, 4362, and 5517 - Prohibit harassment and/or discrimination against
students, employees, or applicants on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnic or national origin, religion, marital
status, disability, genetic information, age, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identification,
social and family background, linguistic preference, pregnancy, and any other legally prohibited basis.
Retaliation for engaging in a protected activity is also prohibited.
Revised: (07.14)