Biology G/T

Course Overview

The high school Performance Expectations (PEs) in Life Science and Earth Science build on the middle school ideas and skills and allow high school students to explain more in-depth phenomena central not only to the life sciences, but to Earth and physical sciences as well.  They blend Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) with Scientific and Engineering Practices (SEP) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCC) to support students in developing usable knowledge to explain real-world phenomena across the science disciplines.  In Biology G/T, students regularly engage in asking scientific questions that drive their investigations and lead to increasingly sophisticated evaluation of data and their presentation.

Through the Howard County Watershed Report Card program Links to an external site., students will be able to collect and analyze data on the Howard County Watershed in their schoolyard and at a local stream.  Students will research how to improve the health of the watershed.  Finally, students will demonstrate their knowledge of the watershed by presenting their information collected and proposing a possible action plan to improve the health of the Howard County Watershed. 

There are strong connections to mathematical practices of analyzing and interpreting data. The performance expectations strongly reflect the many societally relevant aspects of Life Science and Earth Science (resources, hazards, environmental impacts) with an emphasis on using engineering and technology concepts to design solutions to challenges facing human society. For complete storyline and performance expectations, read the full NGSS storyline for Life Science (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and Earth Science (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. 

The learning sequence in Biology G/T is organized around a series of driving questions that provide the context and motivation for learning.  While exploring each driving question, students engage in unique learning experiences that are carefully designed to immerse them in the SEPs as they construct their understanding of important concepts. These experiences are carefully sequenced so that students encounter ideas that are developmentally and cognitively appropriate.  By the end of the learning experiences,  students will be able to meet the NGSS performance expectations and address the driving questions below:

1. How and why do organisms interact with their environment, and what are the effects of these interactions? How and why is Earth constantly changing?
2. How do organisms live and grow? How should funding be allocated to address sustainability problems related to world health?
3. How are characteristics of one generation passed to the next? What are some of the benefits and trade-offs of producing specific genetically modified organisms?
4. What evidence shows that different species are related? How might a conservation plan expand the biodiversity hotspot on the island of Kapikua?

The Maryland State Board of Education has approved changes to the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) that requires that, beginning with the 2023- 2024 school year, students entering the 9th grade shall have the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment for life science comprise 20% of the final grade. Therefore, students enrolled in Biology G/T (regardless of their grade level) this school year will be required to take the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment for Science (Life Science MISA) and have it comprise 20% of their final grade for this course. Students in Biology G/T will not have a separate midterm or final exam grade.

Unit OVERVIEW

Students will investigate the cycling of energy & matter in Earth’s ecosystems through the lens of Earth processes and interactions between organisms. Students will formulate an answer to the questions, “How and why do organisms interact with their environment, and what are the effects of these interactions?” and “How and why is Earth constantly changing?” The Disciplinary Core Ideas include: Earth materials and systems, the roles of water in Earth’s surface processes, biogeology, interdependent relationships in ecosystems, cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems, ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience, social interactions and group behavior. High school students can use mathematical reasoning to demonstrate understanding of fundamental concepts of carrying capacity, factors affecting biodiversity and populations, and the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. Students develop models and explanations for the ways that feedbacks between different Earth systems control the appearance of Earth’s surface. Through the Howard County Watershed Report Card program, students will be able to collect and analyze data on the Howard County Watershed in their schoolyard and at a local stream. The crosscutting concepts of cause and effect, energy and matter, structure and function and stability and change are called out as organizing concepts for these disciplinary core ideas.

Unit OVERVIEW

Diseases are caused by infectious microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, genetic factors, and other events that cause breakdowns in the structure and/or function of cells. Understanding the mechanisms of disease is essential to people’s ability to prevent, eradicate, and cure them in order to maintain the sustainability of populations and communities. The Disciplinary Core Ideas include cellular organization, structure, & function; cellular diversity & interactions; and cellular energy processing. Students will use SEPUP Biology: World Health to explore the relationship between energy & matter in the context of cellular structure & function. Students will also consider organismal structure & function.  Students will research a particular disease and make a proposal for an intervention to support treatment and/or prevention of the disease. Students pursue the driving question, How should funding be allocated to address sustainability problems related to world health?

Unit OVERVIEW

Students will explore the relationship between biotechnology and global food supply concerns. Students will investigate how genes and patterns of inheritance function in organisms and generations of organisms. Students will learn about the procedures and results of genetic modification, and about the benefits and trade-offs of producing specific genetically modified organisms. Students will make connections between DNA structure & function and explain the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Students will be able to make and analyze models of inheritance from the molecular, cellular, and organismal perspectives. Students will use biotechnology tools and protocols and consider the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical concerns of using biotechnology in 21st century society.

The Disciplinary Core Ideas include DNA structure & function, protein synthesis, chromosomal model of inheritance, and sources of genetic variation (including mutation & sexual reproduction). The performance task students will work towards: make an evidence-based recommendation about whether a country that relies heavily on soybean crops should grow the GM soy.

Unit OVERVIEW

Students will be able to independently use their learning to answer the questions: “How can there be so many similarities among organisms yet so many different plants, animals, and microorganisms? How does biodiversity affect humans?” Students will investigate patterns to find the relationship between the environment and natural selection. Students demonstrate understanding of the factors causing natural selection and the process of evolution of species over time. They demonstrate understanding of how multiple lines of evidence contribute to the strength of scientific theories of natural selection and evolution. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the processes that change the distribution of traits in a population over time and describe extensive scientific evidence ranging from the fossil record to genetic relationships among species that support the theory of biological evolution. Students will use models, apply statistics, analyze data, and produce scientific communications about evolution. Understanding of the crosscutting concepts of patterns, scale, structure and function, and cause and effect supports the development of a deeper understanding of this topic. In this unit, students will investigate the levels of biodiversity, and the evolutionary processes that increase, decrease, or maintain biodiversity. They will also examine humans’ social, environmental, and economic influences on biodiversity; and make recommendations for which forest area on a fictitious island should receive funds for conservation.