Course Description
Biology 1 CP is designed to help the college preparatory student develop a three dimensional approach to learning, integrating Science and Engineering Practice, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Students will be taught using the South Carolina State Department of Education (SCDE) Standards for Biology. Biology 1 is a requirement for high school graduation and has an End-of-Course Exam (EOCE).
Course Goals and Standards:
By the end of this course, each student will be able to:
B-LS1-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins, which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.
B-LS1-4. Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.
B-LS1-5 Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.
B-LS1-6. Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and other large carbon-based molecules necessary for essential life processes.
B-LS1-7. Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy.
B-LS2-1. Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of biotic and abiotic factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
B-LS2-5. Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
B-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.
B-LS3-2. Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.
B-LS3-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
B-LS4-1. Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.
B-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
B-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
B-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
Biology Standards can be accessed on my website or on the SC Department of Education web site. SC Department of Education website.
PARENT/STUDENT DOCUMENTS
Please click on each document below and read/complete each document in its entirety. The parent/student behavior contract, student information sheet (online), science safety contract, and video permission form, should be completed and returned to me no later than Monday, August 18, 2025. Students cannot participate in labs, or watch school approved videos until I have received the signed documents.
Parent/Student Behavior Contract (sign and return; a hard copy was provided to the student)
Student Information Sheet (complete online)
Class Syllabus (read and refer to throughout the year)
Science Safety Contract (read, sign, and return; a hard copy was provided to the student)
Video Permission Form (sign and return; a hard copy was provided to the student)
Class Expectations and Procedures (read and refer to throughout the year)
Semester Weekly Lesson Planner for our class during the 2025- 2026 school year. Please refer to the planner each week and especially if you will be absent as it will give you an idea of what we will working on each day in class. I hope you find this information helpful for your planning and time management.