Biology
Biology Online High School Course
COURSE LENGTH:
Full Year (30 Sessions)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Biology is an accelerated honors-level course that follows an engaging storyline driven by three central questions relating to the study of life:
Module 1: How did life evolve?
Beginning with a robust exploration of the scientific method, the process of generating new knowledge in science is applied and practiced. By first exploring the nuances of the scientific method and how scientific research is performed, students gain an early ability to apply basic skills of experimentation and data analysis. A discussion of the theorized origin of life is followed by a survey of the biodiversity present on prehistoric and modern-day Earth.
Module 2: How is life sustained?
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are explored within the framework of trophic structures within ecosystems, examining the extraction and transfer of the sun’s energy within trophic webs. Cellular respiration is contextualized in the digestive, respiratory, and excretory systems, which maintain the complex chemical pathways governing energy input and waste output. Our understanding of metabolism is deepened through discussion of energetic demands on cells, energy sources, and mechanisms for energy transfer.
Module 3: How does life change over time?
Genetics and evolution are intricately overlapping fields of biology. The structure, function, and inheritance of DNA are discussed in detail as we evaluate how DNA stores genetic information to build an organism, how variations in genes set the stage for evolution, and how natural selection dually contributes to adaptation and extinction. The central dogma of biology reveals a core tenant of the field: DNA is copied to produce RNA, which is read and translated to build a phenotype; genotypes dictate phenotypes, which dictate adaptation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Approach science as a collaborative, objective, and revision-based process
Use evidence-based reasoning to support arguments
Identify, read, and interpret credible scientific sources Apply scientific knowledge to novel situations and problems
Form and investigate hypotheses through observation and experimentation
Interpret and apply statistical analyses to data
Explore and participate in a mock peer review process of scientific publication
Participate in and coordinate regional citizen science initiatives
Follow appropriate lab safety procedures and ethical guidelines
Develop a personalized passion for science
ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
Distill and summarize complex information
Write concisely and precisely
Follow a lab procedure
Develop and run an experiment
Revise ideas using new evidence
Interpret a dataset and draw reasonable conclusions
Identify and use credible sources
Competently navigate and interpret scientific resources
Collaborate with peers
Effectively convey findings to others
Think critically and creatively
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
Science is a body of knowledge collected through rigorous observation and experimentation and is always subject to change, pending new evidence.
Scientific experimentation and publication require careful adherence to controlled methodology, ethics, objectivity, and peer review.
Science seeks to identify cause-and-effect relationships through statistical analysis of empirical evidence; correlation does not equate to causation.
All organisms are related to varying degrees via shared evolutionary ancestry.
Early atmospheric and oceanic conditions of Earth were conducive to the synthesis of organic molecules and simple cell-like structures.
The basic elemental building blocks of life are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and nitrogen.