Gateway Science 

Standard Number:

Performance Indicators

State:

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At Level 1, the student is able to

·          identify major cell organelles, given a diagram;

        Animal, plant, and bacteria cell overview

·          distinguish between plant and animal cells, given diagrams or scenarios;

                Interactive Animal Cell Diagram

                Interactive Plant Cell Diagram

·          predict the movement of water molecules across the cell membrane, given solutions of different concentrations;

       Diffusion, Osmosis, Passive and Active Transport

·          sequence a series of diagrams depicting the movement of chromosomes during mitosis;

       Cell Cycle and Mitosis Tutorial

·          compare and contrast the cell cycle in plant and animal cells, given a diagram or description.

       Interactive mitosis tutorial  

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          distinguish proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, given structural diagrams;

       Interactive tutorial:  Proteins

       Interactive tutorial:  Carbohydrates

       Interactive tutorial:  Lipids

·          identify a positive test for carbohydrates and lipids when given an experimental procedure, data, and results;

       Structural diagrams of organic compounds

·          distinguish between active and passive transport, given examples of different molecules;

        Diffusion, Osmosis, Passive and Active Transport

·          evaluate the role of meiosis in maintaining genetic variability and continuity, given a scenario;

         Meiosis and genetic variation

• determine the number of chromosomes following mitosis or meiosis, given the number of chromosomes in the original cell;

            Create a mitosis flipbook- student/teacher worksheet

            Create a meiosis flipbook (scroll down page to find 5 master copies in pdf )

            Animated comparision of mitosis and meiosis

·          recognize the significance of homeostasis to the viability of humans and other organisms, given the definition of homeostasis.

A

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          identify the biomolecules responsible for communicating, responding, regulating, or reproducing in the cell.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          demonstrate appropriate use and care of compound light microscopes;

        10 steps for Using a Microscope properly

        Microscope Activities

·          examine plant and animal cells using compound light microscopes;

        Gallery of Microscopic cells pics

        Eukaryotic Cell animation

        Prokaryotic Cell animation

·          create a 3-D model of a typical cell;

       A neat way to create a 3-D model of a cell

·          prepare wet mount slides;

       How to prepare a wet mount slide

·          demonstrate molecular movement across a semi-permeable membrane;

         Interactive site for active and passive transport

·          model or observe the movement of chromosomes during mitosis in plant and animal cells;

        Interactive model of Mitosis

        The Cell Cycle and Mitosis

·          model or observe the movement of chromosomes during meiosis in plant and animal cells;

        Meiosis and genetic variation

·          research careers that relate to the study of cells, such as microscopist, cytologist, oncologist, medical technician, and biochemist;

        Careers in Biology

·          write a persuasive essay, supported by current scientific journals, to relate certain lifestyle choices to a particular disease;

        Articles related to lifestyle choices and disease

·          create a time line that traces the development of microscopes and correlates this information to cytology.

        Timeline of Microscopes

At Level 2, the student is able to

·         construct a model of each of the biomolecules, given a structural diagram;

·         conduct an experiment to identify carbohydrates and lipids;

·         prepare a slide using proper staining technique;

·         record nutritional intake for one week, calculating daily caloric intake for each biomolecule, and evaluate the diet to develop an improvement plan;

·         calculate the ratio of cell surface area to cell volume;

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          design and conduct a controlled experiment to observe enzymatic actions and identify possible sources of experimental error;

·          conduct a test to detect the presence of proteins.

Standard Number :

2.0 Interactions

Performance Indicators

State:

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A

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          identify commensalism, parasitism, and mutualism, given a scenario with examples;

·          classify organisms as producers, consumers, or decomposers, given their behaviors and environment.

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          identify abiotic and biotic factors, given a description or an illustration of an ecosystem;

·          make inferences about how environmental factors would affect population growth, given a scenario;

·          examine the energy flow and loss through the trophic levels of an ecosystem, given an illustration of an energy pyramid;

·          determine the effects of human activities on ecosystems, given a scenario;

·          analyze and interpret population growth curves, given graphs.

A

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          distinguish between a learned and an innate behavior, given a description of that behavior in a scenario.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          compare and contrast the three types of symbiotic relationships: parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism;

·          recognize the general conditions necessary to maintain an ecosystem by constructing a model of an ecosystem;

·          describe the niche and habitat of an organism in an ecosystem;

·          recognize the kinds of organisms always found at the base of a food chain;

·          identify the producers, consumers, and decomposers in a food chain;

·          observe an outdoor habitat, identifying the abiotic and biotic factors, types of populations, producers, consumers, and decomposers;

·          research careers that relate to the environment, such as urban planner, forester, park ranger, environmental engineer, and environmental lawyer.

At Level 2, the student is able to

·          use current publications to research examples where human influence has changed an ecosystem, communicate findings through written and/or oral presentation;

·          investigate the impact of parasites on human population;

·          investigate the effects of acid rain on the environment;

·          maintain a model of an ecosystem;

·          illustrate the flow of energy through an ecosystem from the sun to producers, consumers, and decomposers;

·          collect data, construct and interpret population graphs to determine if the population is stable, increasing, or declining.

Standard Number:

Performance Indicators

As documented through state assessment  -

State:

A

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At Level 1, the student is able to

·          identify the reactants and products of photosynthesis and respiration, given the equations;

·          identify the cell organelle in which photosynthesis occurs, given a diagram of a plant;

·          interpret a diagram of the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle, given a diagram.

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration in terms of the presence or absence of oxygen and ATP produced;

·          relate the interdependence of the processes of photosynthesis and respiration to living organisms, given a diagram or a description.

A

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          recognize the transfer of energy from respiration to cellular work, given an equation or diagram of the ATP cycle.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          identify and explore the chloroplasts in a leaf such as Elodea;

·          construct a model or diagram of the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle;

·          research careers that relate to photosynthesis and respiration, such as horticulturist, brewer, environmentalist, paper manufacturer and agricultural extension agent;

·          model or illustrate the paths of water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide through a plant.

At Level 2, the student is able to

·          construct charts comparing reactants, products, and energy transfer in photosynthesis and respiration;

·          demonstrate that oxygen is made during photosynthesis in a laboratory investigation;

·          sequence the major events of cellular respiration and anaerobic respiration;

·          investigate the importance of fermentation to the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food and beverage industries.

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          produce concept maps of the major events occurring in the light dependent and light independent reactions;

·          compare the efficiency of aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Standard Number:

4.0  Genetics and Biotechnology

Performance Indicators

As documented through state assessment  -

State:

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At Level 1, the student is able to

·          distinguish between asexual and sexual methods of reproduction, using a scenario;

·          identify the dominant trait, given the results of a monohybrid cross in a scenario;

·          determine the genotype and phenotype of a monohybrid cross, given a Punnet square;

·          relate changes in the DNA instructions to cause mutations, given diagrams.

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          recognize the two major functions of DNA as replication and protein synthesis, given diagrams showing a strand of bases with a complimentary strand;

·          identify the sex chromosomes in humans and recognize inheritance patterns that are sex-linked, using a pedigree;

·          analyze modes of inheritance including co-dominance, incomplete dominance, polygenic, and multiple alleles using genetic problems or Punnet Squares;

·          analyze a series of DNA bases to determine the sequence which demonstrates a mutation;

·          describe and analyze DNA fingerprinting using an illustration of DNA bands;

·          determine the probability of having a child with cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, or Tay-Sachs if both parents are carriers, given a scenario or genetic problem.

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At Level 3, the student is able to

·          differentiate the processes of transcription and translation, given diagrams;

·          analyze a dihybrid cross given a completed Punnet square to determine the probability of a particular trait.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          construct a model of DNA;

·          construct a monohybrid cross given a genetic problem to solve;

·          distinguish between dominant and recessive traits given the results of a monohybrid cross;

·          research careers that relate to genetics and inheritance, such as lab technician, forensic pathologist, livestock breeder, medical doctor, and reproductive endocrinologist.

At Level 2, the student is able to

·          identify a DNA molecule when given a choice of several structural formulas;

·          construct a chart comparing DNA with RNA for shape, functions, and molecular make-up;

·          model the processes of replication, transcription, and translation;

·          construct a dihybrid cross and predict genotypic and phenotypic ratios;

·          use a microscope or hand lens to diagram and label different types of reproductive cells;

·          participate in a classroom debate regarding the scientific and ethical issues surrounding current emerging DNA technologies and/or the Human Genome Project;

·          model the process of recombinant DNA.

Standard Number:

5.0  Diversity

Performance Indicators

State:

A

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At Level 1, the student is able to

·          infer animals or plants indigenous to an environment, given pictures or diagrams of the organisms and a description of the environment;

·          infer the biome in which an animal or plant lives, given a description of the organism and pictures of various biomes;

·          infer the relatedness of different organisms using the Linnean system of classification, given pictures of a variety of different plants or animals and a key to classification of organisms.

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          determine the genus and species of an organism, given a dichotomous key containing descriptions of the characteristic of each classification level;

·          determine whether an insect undergoes complete or incomplete metamorphosis, given pictures or diagrams of the insect in its stages of development;

·          infer the body symmetry of an organism, given a diagram or picture of the organism;

·          predict the function of a system or organ, given structural descriptions, whether in the earthworm, crayfish, frog, or human.

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At Level 3, the student is able to

·          predict the function of an organ, given a description of its component tissues;

·          compare and contrast life cycles of various organisms to include alternation of generations, given pictorial representations.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          develop a rationale for a system of classification, given a group of objects to classify;

·          examine plant and animal specimens and compare and contrast their structural components, symmetry, and life cycles;

·          illustrate or construct a biome for specific plant and animal species by determining the needs of the organisms;

·          predict the types of plants and animals indigenous to a biome by determining the characteristics of the biome;

·          research careers that relate to diversity, such as farmer, zoo keeper, pest control consultant, entomologist, taxonomist, lab technician, naturalist, and botanist.

At Level 2, the student is able to

·          relate the advantages and disadvantages of various types of classification systems, including the Aristotelian, Linnean, and DNA sequencing systems;

·          model or observe the stages of complete and incomplete metamorphosis;

·          model or observe body plans with asymmetry, radial, and bilateral symmetry;

·          observe or illustrate the alternation of generations in a plant or animal species;

·          predict the function of a system or organs given the characteristics of the organs contained within that system;

·          classify a group of organisms, given a dichotomous key with characteristics of the organisms.

Standard Number:

6.0 Biological Evolution

Performance Indicators

As documented through state assessment  -

State:

A

A

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          differentiate between the relative age of various fossils in sedimentary rock, given a diagram of rock strata;

·          predict how environmental changes will encourage or discourage the formation of a new species or extinction of an existing species, given a written scenario.

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At Level 2, the student is able to

·          transfer knowledge of divergent evolution, as in Darwin’s finches, to determine why species with a common ancestor have adapted differently, given a diagram of the various species;

·          compare homologous structures in species to determine the relatedness of certain species, given diagrams or pictures of each;

·          differentiate between natural selection and selective breeding, given a scenario.

A

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          recognize the relatedness of species using DNA strands.

Performance Indicators

Teacher:

At Level 1, the student is able to

·          compare and contrast the processes of fossil formation;

·          construct “mock” fossils using casts and molds;

·          collect and/or observe various fossils and relate them to biogeographical changes;

·          research careers that relate to biological evolution, such as farmers, field biologist, geologist, archeologist, epidemiologist, and anthropologist.

At Level 2, the student is able to

·          calculate the approximate age of a fossil, given the amount of Carbon 14 atoms found in the fossil and the half-life of C-14;

·          compare and contrast the homologous and analogous structures of organisms to demonstrate relatedness;

·          view embryos of different vertebrates to compare their early embryonic development to show relatedness;

·          analyze a graph of the population distribution of peppered moths as their environment changed;

·          predict the role of mutations in the survival of a population.

At Level 3, the student is able to

·          develop a diorama or time line that depicts change of organisms through time;

·          collect data from local or regional records regarding population counts of a specific species found in the area and hypothesize what events might affect populations.