Week 1 Biology Outline
-Balancing Nails
-Rules and Procedures
-Create a name plate and take photos.
-Zen Obelisk
-What’s in the Box?
-Line-Up Silently by birthday
-Neodymium Magnet
-Euler’s Disk (Discuss difference between a disk and cylinder)
-Human Knot
-Pass out/Collect Safety Contracts
Lab Safety
-Tour of the classroom’s safety equipment and procedures.
-SpongeBob reading
-Lab Safety Video
-Draw a Safety Map of the classroom
Scientific Method
-Steps of the Scientific Method
-Independent and Dependent Variables
----Famous fertilizer experiment
----Grow Kidney Beans (should grow within two weeks. Give some miracle grow and some none.
----Create Alka-Seltzer Pop top rockets
-Mystery Tube
---Discuss how not all experiments follow the scientific method.
---Show mystery tube. They diagram the tube. They try to model the tube. We discuss the inference and hypothesis.
Ecology
-Characteristics of Living Things
----Discuss which properties are needed by an individual and which by a species
-Biotic and Abiotic Factors
----Remove Iron from cereal
----Collect biotic and abiotic items outside
-Levels of Organization in Ecology
----Create Poster
-Limiting Factors and Carrying Capacity
----Activity: Use tape, make square on floor. Have students model density I/D. Change # of students in box. Discuss
what will affect them due to population size (Dependent) and what will affect them regardless (Independent).
----Read Kaibab Deer Population. Have students graph the population for homework
----Otter Game
-Predator and Prey Relationships
----Predator and Prey Simulation and graph the predator and prey population.
-Natural Selection/Evolution
----Discuss in terms of ecosystems, briefly.
-Niches
----What is a niche? What is the niche of each organism in an ecosystem?
-Food Chains and Webs
----Create a large food web using supplied cards
----Create a large food web with entire class and yarn
----Practice manipulating food webs (if x decreases, how will z be affected)
----Generic food webs (x,a,y,q,r,p) and determine the niche of each
-Energy Pyramids
----Discuss the 10% Rule
----Measuring sand to represent the 10% rule.
-Symbiotic Relationships
----Quick foldable (One sheet, divided into three flaps). Describe each, and provide examples.
----Symbiosis matching activity - Match with relationship and then categorize by type of relationship.
-Ecological Succession
----Trip to Arabia Mountain
----The succession of a location
----Life after people video
-Biomes
----Create a large diorama, labeling all biotic and abiotic factors and caption boxes explaining how organisms are
adapted to survive in those conditions.
----Biome adaptation sheet.
----Aquatic Biome Lab – viewing microorganisms.
-Biogeochemical Cycles
----Follow a molecule. Pretend you are an atom and describe your adventures and the places (and processes you
experience).
Macromolecules
-Discuss the Function, Monomers, and Properties of each type of molecule.
----Macromolecules in food poster or foldable.
----Grow crystals to show how small monomers can join together to create larger ones
----Analyze a nutritional label from a food package. Foldable
Cells
-Cell Theory
----View Cork under a microscope
----Put numbers 1-8 in boxes, puzzle
----Cell theory timeline
-Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic
-Function of Cell Organelle
----Can crush demonstration
----A cell is like a……. analogy
----Create a model of the cell (for extra credit)
-Phospholipid Bilayer
---Structure
---Active vs. Passive Transport
---Osmosis
-Mitochondria in detail
----ATP/ADP Cycle
----Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Respiration
----Formulas for cellular respiration and photosynthesis
-End of Semester
----Review and take final exam
-DNA
-Structure
----What is DNA? Where is it found? What does it do? Why do we need it? How long is it?
----What are the different forms of DNA? (Chromatin vs. Chromatid forms)
----Double Helix (staircase)
----4 Bases (Adenosine, Guanine, Thiamine, and Cytosine)
----Complementary Structure for bases
----Extract DNA from banana
---- Candy DNA molecule using Twizler’s, toothpicks, and colored candy.
----Create helix using nucleotide printouts (template in folder)
-Function
----How does DNA store information.
----Remove DNA from Banana lab
-Replication
---- 5' -> 3'
---- Semi-Conservative (Discuss conservative, non-conservative)
----Enzymes (DNA Polymerase)
----Okazaki Fragments
----Create a diagram of how DNA is replicated
-Central Dogma
----DNA->RNA->Protein
----Transcription/Translation, Codons, Using a codon chart, amino acid properties.
----Practice with protein synthesis
----RNA Structure (3 types of RNA)
----Protein Shape and Function
-DNA Mutations
----The fat cat ate the rat.
----Determining types of mutations
----Frameshift Vs. Point Mutations
----Mutagens
----Practice creating a protein and compare to a mutated protein.
Mitosis and Meiosis
----Sexual vs. Asexual reproduction
----Steps of each
----Haploid vs. Diploid
----Comparing (what lines up, etc)
----End Result of each (haploid vs. diploid, two vs. four)
----Nondisjunction mutations (trisomy vs. monosomy)
----Research a genetic disorder and discuss during class
----Karyotyping activity
----Locating a gene activity
-Mendelian Genetics
----Introductory activity: Interesting traits.
----Mendel's Laws
----Dominant and recessive
----Punnett Square
----Dihybrid Cross
----Trihybrid Cross
----Statistics (percentage and ratio)
----Test Crosses
----Incomplete Dominance
----Codominance
----Genetics Lab
-Classification
----Characteristics of the six kingdoms
----Dichotomous keys (create several for practice)
----Cladograms
----Shark Identification Activity
----Create a tree of life
-Evolution
----Skittles Activity
----Discuss Natural Selection and then relate it to evolution.
----Paint Sample Activity
----Discuss how changes are small, but add up over time. What you end with is not the same as the organism you start with.
----Discuss Lamarck vs. Darwin
----Go over PowerPoint
---Prezi: with whale fossils.
----Hiding Butterfly activity
----Go over 2nd PowerPoint
----Complete Natural Selection worksheet – Finish for homework
----Convergent and Divergent Evolution with graphs
----Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
----Homologous vs Analogous Structures
----Darwin’s Finches
----Pesticide / Antibiotic Resistance
-Plant Tropism
----Hydro, photo, geo, thigmo, etc.
-Review for GA Milestones