This is an overview of the topics that we will cover this year. Keep in mind that it is only a rough outline. The official syllabus is located on my teacher site. It is too large to print. It is your responsibility to know, understand, and be able to apply these concepts.
Introduction to Science
-Significant digits / Scientific Units
-Conversions
-Scientific Method
-Chi Square Calculations
-Standard Deviation Calculations
Introduction to Chemistry
-The elements and properties
-Types of bonds (covalent / ionic / hydrogen)
-Oxidation/Reduction Reactions (with calculations)
-Carbon
-Organic Chemistry
-Functional Groups
-Naming Organic Compounds
-Properties of water
Evolution
-Origin of Life (Starting with explosion of star, creating heavier elements / Proper conditions /Earth changes/ Beginnings of evolution)
-Evolution
-Natural Selection
-Lamarck vs. Darwin
-Genetic Drift
-Bottleneck effect / Founder Effect
-Stabilizing Disruptive, and Directional Selection
-Use columns with sunflower seeds as mini-lab activity
-Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (Formulas and Conditions)
-Lab - Simulating Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by programing an excel simulation.
-Lab 8 – Hardy Weinberg Coin Toss with Chi Square (alternate = teddy grams)
-Heterozygous Advantage (Discuss sickle cell and malaria and complete activity to show how the trait is not selected out of a population)
-Comparative Embryology
-Comparative Anatomy
-Homologous Structures
-Analogous Structures/Coevolution
-Speciation
-Peppered moth
-Bacterial Resistance
-Cladograms, Phylogenetic Trees (basic intro)
-Fossil Evidence
-Fossil Dating Methods
-Speciation (different occurrences that cause it and names for these)
-Geologic Time / radioactive dating / Mass extinctions through time
-Natural Selection vs. Artificial Selection (and compare to genetic engineering)
-Epigenetics
-Kin Selection (look at honey bees as an example)
Macromolecules
-Structure (synthesis and breakdown)
-Function
-Sources
-Cycles that gives the organic molecules. (Carbon, nitrogen, and water)
-3D folding of proteins and the amino acid properties that cause the spontaneous folding.
-Properties / Identification of macromolecules lab
-Lip Balm formulation lab (different lipids will combine to give properties for the lip balm) After discussing properties of lipids.
Enzymes
-Structure
-Feedback inhibition
-Denaturation
-Lock and Key Model vs. induced fit
-Graphs of how enzymes lower the activation energy
-Concentrations of reactions and enzymes and the effect on speed.
Cells / Organelles
-In depth look at the organelles in the cell – lysosome, peroxisome, spindle fibers, microtubules and microfilaments. Phospholipid Bilayer
-Transport across the cell membrane (Active, passive, sodium and potassium pumps, diffusion, osmosis).
-Semi-permeability lab with iodine starch.
-Cell size limit lab with phenolphthalein based agar.
-Structure of the cell membrane in detail, including signaling and receptor proteins.
-Hyper / Hypo / Isotonic. Red Blood cell in distilled water. (Review/introduction to water potential)
-Water potential equations – Discuss and practice
Cellular Respiration / Photosynthesis
-Oxidation / Reduction
-Glycolysis
-Krebs cycle
-Electron Transport Chain (compare substrate level phosphorylation vs. oxidative phosphorylation)
-Aerobic vs. Anaerobic (Purpose of anaerobic to regenerate NAD+ so that glycolysis can continue)
-Accounting
-Rate of respiration lab using germinating peas and worms.
Photosynthesis
-Steps of photosynthesis. (Photophosphorylation)
-Floating Disk Lab to measure rate of Photosynthesis
Reproduction
-Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis (overview)
-Cell Cycle
-Cell Cycle Regulation
-Mitosis
-Meiosis
-Prophase, Metaphase, anaphase, telophase, cytokinesis
-Differentiation
-Crossing Over between homologous chromosomes
-Centromere, Chromatin, Chromatid, Homologous Chromosomes, Sister Chromatin, Microtubules, Kinetochore,
-Mapping gene location and distance on a chromosome. Two and three gene maps and calculate c.o.c. and I.
-Nondisjunction Mutations and Karyotyping activity
-Finding a Gene Activity
Genetics
-Review Dihybrid crosses
-Fork Line Method for tri-hybrid crosses and beyond
-Sex-linked Traits (autosomal vs. sex linked traits / x and y sex-linked traits and autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive traits)
-Heredity Charts
-Karyotypes
-Codominance and incomplete dominance (practice and use sickle cell as a model - remember sickle cell and heterozygous advantage)
-Blood typing Practice and Codominance.
DNA
-Structure / Function
-Leading and lagging strand (5’ and 3’)
-DNA Replication (Enzymes: DNA Polymerase III, DNA Polymerase I, DNA Helicase, DNA ligase, RNA Polymerase)
-Okazaki Fragments
-Central Dogma
-mRNA processing
-Alternate splicing
-Gene regulation (positive and negative regulation)
-Lac Operon example
-Plasmids (role in natural world and uses in biotech. Sticky ends palindromes)
-Cell Signaling and Communication
Virology
-Virus Structure
-Types of Viruses
-Antigenic Shift vs. Drift
-lytic vs lysogenic cycle
-Case Study
Immune System
-As we study the immune system, we will look closely at how it evolved, responds to new pathogens, and how it builds a defense for future attacks. We will discuss how our limited genetic code can create a nearly unlimited amount of recognition to foreign molecules. The following are a few of the vocabulary words you should be familiar with
-Non-specific (innate) -Variable Region -T-helper cell -Phagocyte -Bone Marrow -Spleen
-Specific -Constant Region -B-cell -Neutrophil -Basophil -Eosinophil
-Lymphocyte -Epitope -Cytokines- -T-cell -Compliment -Antigen
-Thymus -Antigen -B-Helper cell -Macrophage -Antibody
Organ Systems
-Nervous -Respiratory -Digestive
-Skeletal -Lymphatic -Circulatory
-Urinary -Reproductive
Classification
-Plant Hormones / Tropisms
-6 Kingdoms of life and characteristics
-Endosymbiotic theory
-Cladograms in detail
-Online Lab Assignment – (Complete modules 1-3and write lab report) http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/vlabs/lizard/
-Tree of Life assignment
----When completing the TOL assignment, look at various structures of different organisms. How have various parts changed from one species to another? (Oxygen delivery / Circulatory system / Nervous System)
In the animal kingdom, play special attention to
-Sponges
-Echinoderms
-Deuterostomes vs. Protostomes
-Fish
-Amphibians
-Reptiles
-Mammals / Birds
-Countercurrent gas exchange in fish
Plant Biology
-Classifying Plants
-Structures (including flower)
-Lab 9 - Transpiration
--Mini Lab - Viewing Stomata
Ecology
-The role of abiotic factors in the formation of biomes.
-How density, demographics and dispersion can describe a population.
-The differences between exponential and logistic models of population growth.
-K vs. r selection
-How density-dependent and density-independent factors can control population growth.
-Competitive exclusion in interspecific competition.
-The symbiotic relationships of parasitism, mutualism, and commensalisms with examples.
-The impact of keystone species on community structure.
-The difference between primary and secondary succession.
-How energy flows through the ecosystem
-The difference between gross primary productivity and net primary productivity.
-Behavioral ecology
-Lab 11 - Animal Behavior Lab - Large Choice Box – Using hissing cockroaches or pill bugs. Will use chi square calculations.
Recombinant DNA and Biotechnology
-Gel electrophoresis lab
-Polymerase chain reactions
-DNA sequencing
-Recombinant DNA (pGLO gene
-Relate Recombinant DNA to medicine