Biology

Analyze structural, cellular, biochemical, and genetic characteristics in order to determine the relationships among organisms. 

• Analyze the relationship among organisms based on their shared physical, biochemical, genetic, and cellular characteristics and functional processes.

Understand cellular structures, their functions, and how specific genes regulate these functions. 

• Describe cellular structures that allow cells to extract and use energy from food, eliminate wastes, and respond to the environment (e.g., every cell is covered by a membrane that controls what goes into and out of the cell).
• Describe how DNA molecules are long chains linking four kinds of smaller molecules, whose sequence encodes genetic information.
• Describe how genes (DNA segments) provide instructions for assembling protein molecules in cells.
• Describe how proteins control life functions (e.g., the proteins myosin and actin interact to cause muscular contraction; the protein hemoglobin carries oxygen in some organisms).

Understand how genetic information (DNA) in the cell is encoded at the molecular level and provides genetic continuity between generations. 

• Describe the role of chromosomes in reproduction (i.e., parents pass on chromosomes, which contain genes, to their offspring).
• Describe the possible results from mutation in DNA (e.g., only mutations in sex cells can be passed to offspring; mutations in other cells can only be passed to descendant cells).
• Describe how organisms pass on genetic information via asexual life cycles (i.e., the replication of genes in asexual reproduction results in the same gene combinations in the offspring as those of the parent).
• Describe how organisms pass on genetic information via sexual life cycles (i.e., the sorting and the recombination of genes in sexual reproduction results in a great variety of gene combinations and resultant variations in the offspring of any two parents).

Analyze how human organ systems regulate growth, development, and life functions. 

• Name the structural and functional characteristics of human organ systems, including the endocrine, immune, nervous, reproductive, and skin systems.
• Describe how the human body maintains relatively constant internal conditions (e.g., temperature, acidity, and blood sugar).
• Explain how human organ systems help maintain human health. Describe the role of human organ systems during human growth and development.
• Compare the structure and function of a human body system or subsystem to a nonliving system (e.g., human joints to hinges, enzyme and substrate to interlocking puzzle pieces).

Understand how organisms, including cells, use matter and energy to sustain life and that these processes are complex, integrated, and regulated. 

• Describe how organisms sustain life by obtaining, transporting, transforming, releasing, and eliminating matter and energy.
• Describe how energy is transferred and transformed from the Sun to energy-rich molecules during photosynthesis.
• Describe how individual cells break down energy-rich molecules to provide energy for cell functions.

Analyze the living and nonliving factors that affect organisms in ecosystems. 

• Describe how matter and energy are transferred and cycled through ecosystems (i.e., matter and energy move from plants to herbivores/omnivores to carnivores and decomposers).
• Compare different ecosystems in terms of the cycling of matter and flow of energy.
• Describe how population changes cause changes in the cycle of matter and the flow of energy in ecosystems.
• Describe the living and nonliving factors that limit the size and affect the health of a population in an ecosystem.

Analyze the scientific evidence used to develop the theory of biological evolution and the concepts of natural selection, speciation, adaptation, and biological diversity. 

• Describe the factors that drive natural selection (i.e., overproduction of offspring, genetic variability of offspring, finite supply of resources, competition for resources, and differential survival).
• Explain how natural selection and adaptation lead to organisms well suited for survival in particular environments.
• Examine or characterize the degree of evolutionary relationship between organisms based on biochemical, genetic, anatomical, or fossil record similarities and differences.

Analyze the effects human activities have on Earth’s capacity to sustain biological diversity. 

•  Explain how the use of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources affects the sustainability of an ecosystem.
• Explain how human activities affect Earth’s capacity to sustain biological diversity (e.g., global warming, ozone depletion).

Structure of Systems

(GLE 1.2.1/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze how systems function, including the inputs, outputs, transfers, transformations, and feedback of a system and its subsystems.  Describe the function of a system’s parts or subsystems. Explain inputs, outputs, transfers, transformations, and feedback of matter, energy, and information in a system.

• Explain the interconnections between a system’s parts or subsystems.  

Inquiry

Questioning (GLE 2.1.1/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Understand how to generate and evaluate questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. 

• Generate a new question that can be investigated with the same materials and/or data as a given investigation.
• Generate questions, and critique whether questions can be answered through scientific investigations.

Planning and Conducting Safe Investigations (GLE 2.1.2/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Understand how to plan and conduct systematic and complex scientific investigations. 

• Make a hypothesis about the results of an investigation that includes a prediction with a cause-effect reason.
• Generate a logical plan for, and conduct, a systematic and complex scientific controlled investigation with the following attributes:
  • hypothesis (prediction with cause-effect reason)
  • appropriate materials, tools, and available computer technology
  • controlled variables
  • one manipulated variable
  • responding (dependent) variable
  • gather, record, and organize data using appropriate units, charts, and/or graphs
  • multiple trials
  • experimental control condition when appropriate
  • additional validity measures
• Generate a logical plan for a simple field investigation with the following attributes:
  • Identify multiple variables
  • Select observable or measurable variables related to the investigative question
• Identify and explain safety requirements that would be needed in an investigation.

Explaining (GLE 2.1.3/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Synthesize a revised scientific explanation using evidence, data, and inferential logic. 

•  Generate a scientific conclusion, including supporting data from an investigation, using inferential logic. (e.g., The fertilizer did help the plants grow faster, but had little effect on the number of seeds that germinated. With the fertilizer, the plants matured 35 days sooner than plants without the fertilizer. Almost all of the 30 seeds used germinated, 13 seeds in the fertilized soil and 14 seeds in the soil without fertilizer.)
• Describe a reason for a given conclusion using evidence from an investigation.
• Generate a scientific explanation of an observed phenomenon using given data.
•  Predict and explain what logically might occur if an investigation lasted longer or changed.
• Explain the difference between evidence (data) and conclusions.
• Revise a scientific explanation to better fit the evidence and defend the logic of the revised explanation.
• Explain how scientific evidence supports or refutes claims or explanations of phenomena.

Modeling (GLE 2.1.4/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze how physical, conceptual, and mathematical models represent and are used to investigate objects, events, systems, and processes. 

• Compare how a model or different models represent the actual behavior of an object, event, system, or process.
• Evaluate how well a model describes or predicts the behavior of an object, event, system, or process.
• Create a physical, conceptual, and/or mathematical (computer simulation) model to investigate, predict, and explain the behavior of objects, events, systems, or processes (e.g., DNA replication).

Communicating (GLE 2.1.5/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Apply understanding of how to report complex scientific investigations and explanations of objects, events, systems, and processes and how to evaluate scientific reports. 

• Report observations of scientific investigations without making inferences.
•  Summarize an investigation by describing:
  • reasons for selecting the investigative plan
  • materials used in the investigation
  • observations, data, results
  • explanations and conclusions in written, mathematical, oral, and information technology presentation formats
  • ramifications of investigations to concepts, principles, and theories
  • safety procedures used
• Describe the difference between an objective summary of data and an inference made from data.
• Compare the effectiveness of different graphics and tables to describe patterns, explanations, conclusions, and implications found in investigations.
  • Critique a scientific report for completeness, accuracy, and objectivity.

Intellectual Honesty ( GLE 2.2.1/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze why curiosity, honesty, cooperation, openness, and skepticism are important to scientific explanations and investigations.  

• Explain why honesty ensures the integrity of scientific investigations (e.g., explanations in the absence of credible evidence, questionable results, conclusions or explanations inconsistent with established theories).
•  Explain why a claim or a conclusion is flawed (e.g., limited data, lack of controls, weak logic).
• Explain why scientists are expected to accurately and honestly record, report, and share observations and measurements without bias.
• Explain why honest acknowledgement of the contributions of others and information sources are necessary (e.g., undocumented sources of information, plagiarism).
• Explain why peer review is necessary in the scientific reporting process.

Limitations of Science and Technology (GLE  2.2.2/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze scientific theories for logic, consistency, historical and current evidence, limitations, and capacity to be investigated and modified. 

• Describe how a theory logically explains a set of facts, principles, concepts and/or knowledge.
•  Describe a theory that best explains and predicts phenomena and investigative results.
• Explain how scientific theories are open to investigation and have the capacity to be modified.

Evaluating Inconsistent Results (GLE 2.2.3/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Evaluate inconsistent or unexpected results from scientific investigations using scientific explanations. 

• Evaluate similar investigations with inconsistent or unexpected results.
• Explain whether sufficient data has been obtained to make an explanation or conclusion (e.g., reference previous and current research; incorporate scientific concepts, principles, and theories).
• Explain why results from a single investigation or demonstration are not conclusive about a phenomenon.

Evaluating Methods of Investigation (GLE 2.2.4/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze scientific investigations for validity of method and reliability of results. 

• Describe how the methods of an investigation ensured reliable results.
• Explain how to increase the reliability of the results of an investigation (e.g., repeating an investigation exactly the same way increases the reliability of the results).
• Describe how the methods of an investigation ensured validity (i.e., validity means that the investigation answered the investigative question with confidence; the manipulated variable caused the change in the responding or dependent variable).
• Explain the purpose of the steps of an investigation in terms of the validity of the investigation.
• Explain how to improve the validity of an investigation (e.g., control more variables, better measuring techniques, increased sample size, control for sample bias, include experimental control condition when appropriate, include a placebo group when appropriate).
•  Explain an appropriate type of investigation to ensure reliability and validity for a given investigative question (e.g., descriptive, controlled, correlational, comparative, see Appendix D and Appendix E).

Evolution of Scientific Ideas (GLE 2.2.5/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Understand how scientific knowledge evolves.  

•  Explain how existing ideas were synthesized from a long, rich history of scientific explanations and how technological advancements changed scientific theories.
• Explain how scientific inquiry results in new facts, evidence, unexpected findings, ideas, explanations, and revisions to current theories.
• Explain how results of scientific inquiry may change our understanding of the systems of the natural and constructed world.
• Explain how increased understanding of systems leads to new questions to be investigated.
• Explain how new ideas need repeated inquiries before acceptance.
• Use new tools to investigate a system to discover new facts about the system that lead to new ideas and questions.

Application

Identifying Problems (GLE 3.1.1/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze local, regional, national, or global problems or challenges in which scientific design can be or has been used to design a solution.   

• Explain how science and technology could be used to solve all or part of a human problem and vice versa (e.g., understanding the composition of an Earth material can be useful to humans, such as copper ore being used to make copper wire).
• Explain the scientific concept, principle, or process used in a solution to a human problem (e.g., understanding the effect of seismic waves on structures can be used to design buildings to withstand an earthquake).
•  Explain how to scientifically gather information to develop a solution (e.g., perform a scientific investigation and collect data to establish the best materials to use in a solution to the problem).
• Describe an appropriate question that could lead to a possible solution to a problem.
• Describe a change that could improve a tool or a technology.

Designing and Testing Solutions (GLE 3.1.2/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Evaluate the scientific design process used to develop and implement solutions to problems or challenges.   

• Research, propose, implement, and document the scientific design process used to solve a problem or challenge:
  • define the problem
  • scientifically gather information and collect empirical data
  • explore ideas
  • make a plan
  • list steps to do the plan
  • scientifically test solutions
  • document the scientific design process
• Evaluate possible solutions to the problem (e.g., describe how to clean up a polluted stream).
• Evaluate the reason(s) for the effectiveness of a solution to a problem or challenge.

Evaluating Potential Solutions (GLE 3.1.3/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Evaluate consequences, constraints, and applications of solutions to a problem or challenge. 

• Explain the criteria to evaluate the solution(s) to a problem or challenge.
• Explain the effectiveness of the solution to the problem or challenge using scientific principles and concepts.
• Explain the consequences of the solution(s) to the problem or challenge (e.g., doubling the fertilizer will probably not double the plant growth and could cause harm to the ecosystem).
•  Explain how to change a system to solve a problem or improve a solution to a problem.
•  Compare and evaluate the effectiveness of different solutions to a problem or challenge based on criteria, using scientific concepts and principles.

Relationship of Science and Technology (GLE 3.2.2/ Federal Way Course Expectation)
Analyze how the scientific enterprise and technological advances influence and are influenced by human activity. 

• Describe how science and/or technology have led to a given social or economic development.
• Explain risks associated with investigations involving living things (e.g., drug trials on animals, testing of genetically engineered plants, release of African snails into the environment after experimentation).  
• Identify the limits of scientific research in solving a given social, environmental, and/or economic problem.
• Compare advantages and/or disadvantages of using new technology or science in terms of ethics, politics, and environmental considerations.
• Explain the concept of proprietary discovery (e.g., patents on genes).