•  

     

    Characteristics of living things - Students are taught how to tell the difference between living and nonliving things based on characteristics common to living things, including growth and development, reproduction, cellular organization, use of energy, exchange of gases, and response to the environment.

    • Life cycles - Students will learn how to distinguish between the different life cycles of various organisms, including complete and incomplete metamorphosis and human life cycles. Stimuli and behavior - Students must learn to predict how an organism will change its behavior given an external stimulus.
    • Homeostasis of organisms and feedback - Students are taught to predict how an organism's internal environment will respond given a stimulus.

    Course Information Section 2

    Cells

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover the basics of cells. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of cell theory, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, cell structures, plant and animal cells, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, homeostasis of cells.

    Lessons in this chapter are organized into the following sections:

    • Cell theory - Students will learn how to explain the components of the scientific theory of cells: all organisms are composed of cells, all cells come from pre-existing cells, and cells are the basic unit of life.
    • Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells - Students must learn to describe the structure and function of the nucleus and distinguish between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell.
    • Cell structures - Students are taught how to describe the structure and function of cell membranes, cytoplasm, and mitochondria.
    • Plant and animal cells - Students will learn how to describe the structure and function of cell walls, vacuoles, and chloroplasts, and distinguish between plant and animal cells.
    • Photosynthesis - Students must learn how to explain how light energy is transferred to chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis.
    • Cellular respiration - Students are taught how to describe and investigate how aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration breaks down food to provide energy and releases carbon dioxide.
    • Homeostasis of cells - Students will learn to explain how cells of all organisms undergo similar processes to maintain homeostasis, including extracting energy from food, getting rid of waste, and reproduction.

    Course Information Section 3

    Unicellular and Multicellular Organisms

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover the unicellular and multicellular organisms. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of cells and organisms, unicellular organisms, and multicellular organisms.

    Lessons are organized into the following sections:

    • Cells and organisms - Students are taught how to compare life processes at the organism level with life processes at the cellular level.
    • Unicellular organisms - Students will learn how to identify unicellular organisms, including bacteria and protists, by their methods of locomotion, reproduction, ingestion, excretion, and effects on other organisms.
    • Multicellular organisms - Students must learn how to compare and contrast unicellular and multicellular organisms

     

    Course Information Section  4

    Classification

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover the topic of classification. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of domains and kingdoms, classification of life

    Lessons are organized into the following sections:

    • Domains and kingdoms - Students are taught how to describe how living things are classified into domains and kingdoms.
    • Classification of life - Students will learn how to analyze how organisms can be classified by family, genus, and specie

     

    Course Information Section 5

    Organs and Organ Systems

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover organs and organ systems. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of levels of organization in living things, integumentary system, skeletal and muscular systems, circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, excretory system, nervous system, endocrine system, reproductive systems, and disease and the immune system.

    Lessons are organized into the following sections:

    • Levels of organization in living things - Students are taught how to tell the difference between cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
    • Integumentary system - Students will learn how to relate the structure and function of the integumentary system.
    • Skeletal and muscular systems - Students must learn to relate the structure and function of the skeletal and muscular systems.
    • Circulatory system - Students are taught how to relate the structure and function of the circulatory system.
    • Respiratory system - Students learn how to relate the structure and function of the respiratory system.
    • Digestive system - Students must learn how to relate the structure and function of the digestive system.
    • Excretory system - Students are taught how to relate the structure and function of the excretory system.
    • Nervous system - Students will learn how to relate the structure and function of the nervous system.
    • Endocrine system - Students are taught how to relate the structure and function of the endocrine system.
    • Reproductive systems - Students must learn how to relate the structure and function of the reproductive system.
    • Disease and the immune system - Students will learn how to relate the structure and function of the immune system.

     

    Course Information Section  6

    Plants

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover the topic of plants. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of plant structures and plant reproduction.

    Lessons are organized into the following sections:

    • Plant structures - Students will learn how to relate the structure and function of leaves, stems, and roots.
    • Plant reproduction - Students must learn to describe how flowering plants reproduce and how tropism effects the growth of seedlings.

     

    Course Information Section 7

    Genetics

    The materials in this chapter introduce and cover the basics of genetics. It is organized into sections that teach, reinforce and test students on the concepts of sexual and asexual reproduction, heredity, genes, and chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, predicting inheritance, genetic disorders, DNA, and selective breeding.

    Lessons are organized into the following sections:

    • Sexual and asexual reproduction - Students must learn how to compare and contrast asexual and sexual reproduction.
    • Heredity, genes, and chromosomes - Students are taught to define heredity and explain the role of genes and chromosomes in the process of inheriting a specific trait.
    • Mitosis - Students will learn to describe how cells divide to increase their numbers through the process of mitosis, and sequence the steps of mitosis.
    • Meiosis - Students must learn how to contrast the processes of mitosis and meiosis in relation to growth, repair, reproduction, and heredity.
    • Genetic disorders - Students must learn how to tell the difference between genetic disorders due to errors in meiosis and those due to combinations of genes from each parent.
    • DNA - Students are taught how to compare and contrast DNA and RNA.
    • Selective breeding - Students will learn to describe how organisms can be selectively bred for particular traits.