Honors Biology Overview

Honors Biology: Investigates the living world and how it affects our lives. The course content includes: ecology, cells, cell energies, heredity, genetics, classification, evolution, diversity of organisms, and structure and function of plants and animals. The student discovers and learns to appreciate the interrelationships of the various forms of life. Lab activities form the nucleus of this course. Gr. 10 All Year Prerequisite: Physical Science

Unit 1: Biology Foundation - Scientific Method

Graphing Skills / Scientific Method
Black River Water Quality

3. Conduct 2 Field Tests on Black River

Curling Club
Allman Street Bridge

Unit 1: Biology Foundation - What is Life?

1. What is Life? / Themes of Biology

Cell Structure and Function
Stability and Homeostasis
Reproduction and Inheritance
Evolution
Interdependence of Organisms
Matter, Energy and Organization

Unit 2: Ecology

1. Population Growth and Regulation (Ch 26)

How does population size change?
How is population growth regulated?
How are populations distributed in space and age?
How is human population changing?

2. Community Interactions (Ch 27)

Why are community interactions important?
How does the ecological niche influence competition?
How do predator-prey interactions shape evolutionary adaptations?
What are parasitism and mutualism?
How do keystone species influence community structure?
How do community interactions cause changes over time?

3. Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling in Ecosystems (Ch 28)

How do nutrients move through ecosystems?
How does energy move through ecosystems?
How do nutrients cycle within and among ecosystems?
What happens when humans disrupt nutrient cycles?

4. Earth’s Diverse Ecosystems (Ch 29)

What determines the distribution of life on earth?
What factors influence earth’s climate?
What are the principal terrestrial biomes?
What are the principal aquatic biomes?

Units 3 & 4: The Life of the Cell

1. Cell structure and Function (Ch 4)

What is the cell theory?
What are the basic attributes of cells?
What are the major features of eukaryotic cells?
What are the major features of prokaryotic cells?

2. Cell membrane Structure and Function (Ch 5)

How is the structure of the cell membrane related to its function?
How do substances move across membranes?

3. Energy Flow in the Life of a Cell (Ch 6) **If Time Permits**

What is energy?
How do enzymes promote biochemical reactions?

4. Capturing Solar Energy (Ch 7)

What is photosynthesis
What is the light dependent reaction?
What is the light independent reaction?

5. Harvesting Energy: Glycolysis & Cellular Respiration (Ch 8)

How do cells obtain energy?
What happens during glycolysis?
What happens during cellular respiration?
What happens during fermentation?

Unit 5: Inheritance

1. Cellular Reproduction (Ch 9)

Why do cells divide?
What occurs during the prokaryotic cell cycle?
How is the DNA in eukaryotic chromosomes organized?
What occurs during the eukaryotic cell cycle?
How does mitotic cell division produce genetically identical daughter cells?
How is the cell cycle controlled?
Why do so many organisms reproduce sexually?
How does meiotic cell division produce haploid cells?
When do mitotic and meiotic cell division occur in the life cycles of eukaryotes?
How do meiosis and sexual reproduction produce genetic variability?

2. DNA: The Molecule of Heredity (Ch 11)

How did scientists discover that genes are made of DNA?
What is the structure of DNA?
How does DNA encode genetic information?
How does DNA replication ensure genetic constancy during cell division?
What are mutations and how do they occur?

3. Gene Expression (Ch 12)

How is the information in DNA used in a cell?
How is the information in a gene transcribed into RNA?
How is the base sequence of mRNA translated into a protein?
How do mutations affect protein structure and function?

4. Biotechnology (Ch 13)

What is biotechnology?
What are the tools of genetic engineering?
What is a GMO?
What is CRISPR?

5. Patterns of Inheritance Ch 10)

What is the physical basis of inheritance?
How were the principles of inheritance discovered?
How are single traits inherited?
How are multiple traits inherited?
Do the Mendelian rules of inheritance apply to all traits?
How are sex and sex-linked traits inherited?
How are human genetic disorders inherited?

Unit 6: Evolution

1. Principles of Evolution (Ch 14)

How did evolutionary thoughts develop?
How does natural selection work?
How do we know that evolution has occurred?
What is the evidence that populations evolve by natural selection?

2. How Populations Evolve (Ch 15)

How are populations, genes, and evolution related?
What causes evolution?
How does natural selection work?

3. The History of Life (Ch 17)

How did life begin?
What were the earliest organisms like?

4. Seeking Order Amid Diversity - Classification (Ch 18)

How are organisms named and classified?
What are the domains of life?
Why do classifications change?

Unit 7: Microorganisms

1. The Diversity of Prokaryotes and Viruses (Ch 19)

Which organisms are members of the domains archaea and bacteria?
How do prokaryotes survive and reproduce?
How do prokaryotes affect humans and other organisms?
What are viruses and prions

2. The Diversity of Protists (Ch 20)

What are protists?
What are the major groups of protists?
How do protists affect humans?

3. The Diversity of Fungus (Ch 22)

What are the key features of fungi?
What are the major groups of fungi?
How to fungi interact with other species?
How do fungi affect humans?

Unit 8: Invertebrates (Animal Body Plan)

1. Animal Diversity: Invertebrates (Ch 23)

What are the key features of animals?
Which anatomical features mark branch points on the animal evolutionary tree? (cladograms and phylogeny)
What are the 9 phyla in the animal body plan?

Unit 9: Vertebrates (Form and Function)

1. Animal Diversity: Vertebrates (Ch 24)

What are the key features to chordates?
Which animals are chordates?
What are the major groups of vertebrates?

2. Animal Behavior (Ch 25)

How do innate and learned behaviors differ?
How do animals communicate?
How do animals compete for resources?
How do animals find mates?
Why do animals play?

Unit 10: Plant Anatomy and Physiology

1. Diversity of Plants (Ch 20)

What are the key features of plants?
How have plants evolved?
What are the major groups of plants? (Cladograms)

2. Plant Anatomy and Nutrient Transport Ch 43)

How are plant bodies organized?
How do plants grow?
What are the tissues and cell types of plants?
What are the tissues and cell types of leaves?
What are the tissues and cell types of stems?
What are the tissues and cell types of roots?
How do plants acquire nutrients?
How do plants move water and minerals from roots to leaves?
How to plants transport sugars

3. Plant Reproduction and Development (Ch 44)

How do plants reproduce
What are the functions and structures of flowers?
How do fruits and seeds develop?
How do seeds germinate and grow?
How do plants and their pollinators interact?
How do fruits help disperse seeds?

4. Plant Responses to the Environment (Ch 45)

What are some major plant hormones?
How do hormones regulate plant life cycles?
How do plants communicate, defend themselves, and capture prey?