OBJECTIVES (I Can Statements)

I Can Statements for Introduction- Chapter 1:

  • State the goals of science
  • Describe the steps used in scientific methodology.
  • Explain how scientific attitudes generate new ideas.
  • Describe the importance of peer review.
  • Explain what a scientific theory is.
  • Explain the relationship between science and society.
  • List the characteristics of living things.
  • Identify the central themes of Biology.
  • Explain how life can be studied at different levels.
  • Discuss the importance of a universal system of measurement


I Can Statements for Biochemistry- Chapter 2:

  • Identify the three subatomic particles found in atoms.
  • Explain how all of the isotopes of an element are similar and how they are different.
  • Explain how Compounds are different from their component elements.
  • Describe the two main types of chemical bonds.
  • Discuss the unique properties of water.
  • Differentiate between solutions and suspensions.
  • Explain what acidic and basic solutions are.
  • Describe the unique qualities of Carbon
  • Describe the structures and functions of each of the four groups of macromolecules
  • Explain how chemical reactions affect chemical bonds
  • Describe how energy changes affect how easily a chemical reaction will occur
  • Explain why enzymes are important to living things


I Can Statements for Ecology- Chapters 34, 36, 37, 38.1-38.4:

  • Describe the study of ecology
  • Explain how biotic and abiotic factors influence an ecosystem
  • Describe the methods used to study ecology
  • Define primary producers
  • Describe how consumers obtain energy and nutrients
  • Trace the flow of energy through living systems
  • Identify the three types of ecological pyramids
  • Describe how matter cycles among the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem
  • Describe how water cycles through the biosphere
  • Explain why nutrients are important in living systems
  • Describe how the availability of nutrients affects the productivity of ecosystems
  • Differentiate between weather and climate
  • Identify the factors that influence climate
  • Define niche
  • Describe the role competition plays in shaping communities
  • Describe the role predation and herbivory play in shaping communities
  • Identify three types of symbiotic relationships in nature
  • Describe how ecosystems recover from a disturbance
  • Compare succession after a natural disaster with succession after a human caused disturbance
  • Describe and compare the characteristics of the major land biomes
  • Identify the areas that are not classified into a major biome
  • List the characteristics used to describe a population
  • Identify factors that affect population growth
  • Describe exponential and Logistic growth
  • Identify factors that determine carrying capacity
  • Identify the limiting factors that depend on population density
  • Identify the limiting factors that do not depend on population density
  • Discuss the trend of human population growth
  • Explain why population growth rates differ in countries throughout the world
  • Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere
  • Describe the relationship between resource use and sustainable development
  • Describe how human activities affect soil and land
  • Describe how human activities affect water resources
  • Describe how human activities affect air resources
  • Define biodiversity and explain its value
  • Identify current threats to biodiversity
  • Describe how biodiversity can be preserved


I Can Statements for Cells- Chapter 4 & 5:

  • State the cell theory
  • Distinguish between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
  • Describe the structure and function of the cell nucleus
  • Describe the role of vacuoles, lysosomes, and the cytoskeleton
  • Identify the role of ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus in making proteins
  • Describe the function of the chloroplasts and mitochondria in the cell
  • Describe the function of the cell membrane
  • Compare and contrast active and passive transport
  • Explain how unicellular and multicellular organisms maintain homeostasis


I Can Statements for Cellular Respiration- Chapter 6:

-Describe the role of ATP in Cellular activities

-Explain where plants get the energy they need to produce food

-Explain the role of light and pigments in photosynthesis

-Explain the role of electron carrier molecules in photosynthesis

-State the overall equation for photosynthesis

-Describe what happens during the light dependent reactions

-Describe what happens during the Calvin Cycle

-Identify factors that affect the rate at which photosynthesis occurs


I Can Statements for Photosynthesis- Chapter 7:

-Explain where organisms get the energy the need for life processes.

-Define cellular respiration

-Compare photosynthesis and cellular respiration

-Describe what happens during glycolysis.

-Describe what happens during the Krebs cycle

-Explain how high-energy electrons are used by the electron transport chain

-Identify how much ATP cellular respiration generates

-Explain how organisms get energy in the absence of oxygen


I Can Statements for Cell Division- Chapter 8:

-Explain the problems that growth causes for cells

-Compare sexual and asexual reproduction

-Describe the role of chromosomes in cell division

-Name the main events of the cell cycle

-Describe what happens during the four phases of mitosis

-Describe the process of cytokinesis

-Describe how the cell cycle is regulated

-Explain how cancer cells are different form other cells


I Can Statements for Inheritance- Chapter 9:

-Describe Mendel’s studies and conclusions about inheritance

-Describe what happens during segregation

-Explain how geneticists use the principles of probability to make Punnett squares

-Explain the principle of independent assortment

-Explain how Mendel’s principles apply to all organisms

-Describe the relationship between genes and the environment

-Contrast the number of chromosomes in body cells and gametes

-Summarize the events of meiosis

-Contrast meiosis and mitosis

-Describe how alleles from different genes can be inherited together

-Identify the types of human chromosomes in a karyotype

-Describe the patterns of inheritance of human traits

-Explain how pedigrees are used to study human traits

-Explain how small changes in DNA cause genetic disorders

-Summarize the problems caused by non-disjunction

-Summarize the methods of DNA analysis

-State the goals of the human genome project and explain what we have learned from it thus far


I Can Statements for DNA- Chapter 10:

-Summarize the process of bacterial transformation

-Describe the role of bacteriophages in indentifying genetic material

-Identify the role of DNA in heredity

-Identify the chemical components of DNA

-Discuss the experiments leading to the identification of DNA as the molecule that carries the genetic code

-Describe the steps leading to the development of the double-helix model of DNA

-Summarize the events of DNA replication

-Compare DNA replication in prokaryotes with that of eukaryotes

-Contrast RNA and DNA

-Explain the process of transcription

-Identify the genetic code and explain how it is read

-Summarize the process of translation

-Describe the “central dogma” of molecular biology

-Define mutations and describe different types of mutations

-Describe the effects mutations can have on genes


I Can Statements for Biotechnology- Chapters 11 & 12:

-Explain the purpose of selective breeding

-Explain how people increase in genetic diversity

-Explain how scientists manipulate DNA

-Describe the importance of recombinant DNA

-Explain how viruses reproduce

-Explain how viruses cause infection (lytic and lysogenic)

-Define transgenic and define the usefulness of some transgenic organisms to humans

-Describe the benefits of genetic engineering as they relate to agriculture and industry

-Explain how recombinant DNA technology can improve human health

-Summarize the process of DNA fingerprinting and explaining its uses

-Describe some of the issues that relate to biotechnology

-Identify some of the pros and cons of genetically modified food

-Describe some of the ethical issues relating to biotechnology


I Can Statements for Evolution- Chapters 13-15:

-State Charles Darwin’s contribution to science

-Describe the three patterns of biodiversity noted by Darwin

-Identify the conclusions drawn by Hutton and Lyell about Earth’s history

-Describe Lamarck’s hypothesis of evolution

-Describe Malthus’ view of population growth

-Explain the role of inherited variation in artificial selection

-Describe the conditions under which natural selection occurs

-Explain the principle of common descent

-Explain how geologic distribution of species relates to their evolutionary history

-Explain how fossils and the fossil record document the descent of modern species from the ancient ancestors

-Describe what homologous structures and embryology suggest about the process of evolutionary change

-Explain how molecular evidence can be used to trace the process of evolution

-Explain the results of the Grant’s investigation of adaptation in Galapagos finches

-Define evolution in generic terms

-Identify the main sources of genetic variation in a population

-State what determines the number of phenotypes for a trait

-Explain how natural selection affects single-gene and polygenic traits

-Describe genetic drift

-Explain how different factors affect genetic equilibrium

-Identify the types of isolation that can lead to the formation of a new species

-Describe the current hypothesis about Galapagos finch speciation

-Explain how molecular clocks are used

-Explain how new genes evolve

-Describe how Hox genes may be involved in evolutionary change


I Can Statements for Bacteria and Protists- Chapter 16:

-explain how the two groups of prokaryotes differ (Eubacteria and Archaebacteria)

-describe how prokaryotes vary in structure and function

-explain the role of bacteria in the living world

-explain how bacteria cause disease

-identify examples of bacteria being beneficial to the environment and to the human race

-Describe what a protist is

-Describe how protists are related to other eukaryotes

-Describe the various methods of protist locomotion

-Describe how protists reproduce

-Describe the ecological significance of photosynthetic protists

-describe how heterotrophic protists obtain food

-Identify the symbiotic relationships that involve protists


I Can Statements for fungi and plants- Chapter 17:

-Identify the defining characteristics of fungi

-describe how fungi affect homeostasis

-Identify the structure and function of plants

I Can Statements for Taxonomy- Chapter 18 & 19:

-Describe the goals of binomial nomenclature and systematics

-Identify the taxa in the classification devised by Linnaeus

-Describe the difference between evolutionary classification and Linnaean Classification

-Describe how to interpret a cladogram

-Explain the use of DNA sequences in classification

-Name the six kingdoms of life as they are currently identified

-Explain what the tree of life represents

-Explain what information fossils can reveal about ancient life

-Differentiate between relative dating and radiometric dating

-Identify the divisions of the geologic time scale

-Describe how environmental processes and living things have shaped life on Earth

-Identify the processes that influence survival or extinction of a species or clade

-contrast gradualism and punctuated equilibrium

-Name two important paterns in macroevolution

-Explain the evolutionary characteristics of coevolving organisms

-Identify some of the hypotheses about early Earth and the origin of life

-Explain the endosymbiotic theory

-explain the importance of sexual reproduction in evolution

-Students will be able to identify basic animal structures from each taxon discussed.

-Students will be able to organize (classify) animals by different characteristics into phyla, classes, and orders.

I Can Statements for Body Systems and Digestion- Chapter 20 & 21:

-Explain how food provides energy

-Identify the essential nutrients that the body needs and how they are important to your body

-Explain how to plan a balanced diet

-Describe the organs of the digestive system and explain their functions

-Explain what happens during digestion

-Describe how nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream and how wastes are eliminated from the body

-Describe the structures of the excretory system and explain their functions

-Explain how the kidneys clean your blood

-Describe how the kidneys maintain homeostasis

I Can Statements for Nervous System- Chapter 28 & 29:

-Identify the structures of the nervous system

-Describe the function of neurons

-Describe how a nerve impulse is transmitted

-Discuss the functions of the brain and spinal cord

-Describe the effects of drugs on the brain

-Describe the functions of the sensory division of the peripheral nervous system

-Describe the functions of the motor division of the peripheral nervous system

-Discuss the sense of touch and identify the various types of sensory receptors in the skin

-Explain the relationship between smell and taste

-Identify the parts of the ears that make hearing and balance possible

-Describe the major parts of the eye and explain how the eye enables us to see

I Can Statements for Skeletal System- Chapter 30:

-List the structures and functions of the skeletal system

-Describe the structure of a typical bone

-List the different kinds of joints and describe the range of motion of each

-Describe the structure and function of each of the three types of muscle tissue

-Describe the mechanism of muscle contraction

-Describe the interaction of muscle bones and tendons to produce movement

-State the functions of the integumentary system

-Identify the structures of the integumentary system

-Describe some of the problems that affect the skin

I Can Statements for Circulatory and Respiratory Systems- Chapter 22 & 23:

-Identify the functions of the human circulatory system

-Describe the structure of the heart and explain how it pumps blood through the body

-Name three types of blood vessels in the circulatory system

-Explain the functions of blood plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets

-Describe the role of the lymphatic system

-List three common circulatory diseases

-Describe the connection between cholesterol and circulatory disease

-Identify the structures of the respiratory system and describe their functions

-Describe gas exchange

-Describe how breathing is controlled

-Describe the effects of smoking on the respiratory system

I Can Statements for Chapter 25-27:

-Describe the structure and function of the endocrine system

-Explain how hormones work

-Identify the functions of the major endocrine glands

-Explain how endocrine glands are controlled

-Describe the effects that sex hormones have on development

-Name and discuss the structures of the male and female reproductive system

-Describe commonly occurring sexually transmitted diseases

-Describe fertilization and early stages of development

-Identify the major events of later stages of development