Biology Life Science: In order to make sense of life science students must formulate answers to the following questions: 1. How do organisms live and grow? Structure and Function Growth and Development of Organisms Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms. Students demonstrate they can use investigations and gather evidence to support explanations of cell function and reproduction; understand the role of proteins as essential to the work of the cell and living systems; use models to explain photosynthesis, respiration and the cycling of matter and flow of energy in living organisms in order to understand the hierarchical organization of an organism. LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes.
2. How and why do organisms interact with the their environment, and what are the effects of these interactions? Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems, Ecosystem Dynamics,Functioning, and Resilience, and Social Interactions and Group Behavior. Students 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 in order to understand systems and develop design solutions for reducing the impact of human activities on the environment and maintaining biodiversity. LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics.
3. How are characteristics of one generation passed to the next? How can individuals of the same species and even siblings have different characteristics? Inheritance of Traits and Variation of Traits. Students ask questions, make and defend a claim, use concepts of probability to explain the genetic variation in a population, demonstrate understanding of why individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave, explain the mechanisms of genetic inheritance, describe the environmental and genetic causes of gene mutation and the alteration of gene expression. LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
4. What evidence shows that different species are related? Evidence of common ancestry and diversity, natural selection, adaptation and biodiversity and humans. Students can construct explanations for the processes of natural selection and evolution and communicate how multiple lines of evidence support these explanations; evaluate the evidence of the conditions that may result in a new species; understand the role of genetic variation in natural selection; apply concepts of probability to explain trends in populations as those trends relate to advantageous heritable traits in a specific environment in order to understand the evolution of life on Earth. LS4:Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity