Bioscience 1 Honors (#2000500)

Version for Academic Year:

Course Standards

General Course Information and Notes

General Notes

Laboratory investigations that include the use of scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, laboratory apparatus and technologies, experimental procedures, and safety procedures are an integral part of this course. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) recommends that at the high school level, all students should be in the science lab or field, collecting data every week. School laboratory investigations (labs) are defined by the National Research Council (NRC) as an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that provides students with opportunities to interact directly with natural phenomena or with data collected by others using tools, materials, data collection techniques, and models (NRC, 2006, p. 3). Laboratory investigations in the high school classroom should help all students develop a growing understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work, as well as the skills to calibrate and troubleshoot equipment used to make observations. Learners should understand measurement error; and have the skills to aggregate, interpret, and present the resulting data (National Research Council, 2006, p.77; NSTA, 2007). Bioscience I is a laboratory based course that focuses on introducing students to the basic lab techniques, equipment, critical thinking, work ethics, and communication skills currently used in the medical, agricultural, marine and industrial bioscience fields. Students will gain an understanding of basic DNA and molecular biology, epigenetics, genetically modified foods, bacterial plasmids, and forensics. Students will learn the principles, methodologies, and applications of equipment such as thermocyclers, horizontal gel electrophoresis apparatus, micropipettes, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, etc. Students will gain proficiency in calculating, preparing, and pH control of common lab reagents, solutions, buffers, and agarose gels. Students will learn the principles of qualitative and quantitative analysis using biomolecular indicators, spectrophotometry, and standard curves. Topics covered will include the genetics of cancer, epigenetics, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that affect plants and animals, ethics of bioscience, and careers in bioscience.

Laboratory activities should include but not be limited to:

Sterilization, handling and safety requirements according to standard operating procedures;
The preparation of buffer solutions and agarose gels for horizontal electrophoresis;
The preparation of solutions for spectroscopy;
Use a spectrophotometer to measure solution concentrations and graph standard curves;
Bacterial transformation and ligation using the Green fluorescent protein gene;
Extraction of DNA;
Quantitative analysis of DNA molecular weights;
Polymerase chain reactions using given primers;
Simulate DNA fingerprinting techniques used in crime scene analysis using given gene sequences.

Special Notes:

Instructional Practices
Teaching from a range of complex text is optimized when teachers in all subject areas implement the following strategies on a routine basis:

Ensuring wide reading from complex text that varies in length.
Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
Emphasizing text-specific complex questions, and cognitively complex tasks, reinforce focus on the text and cultivate independence.
Emphasizing students supporting answers based upon evidence from the text
Providing extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).

Prerequisite: Honors Biology
Corequisite: Honors Chemistry

General Information

Course Number: 2000500

Course Path:

Section: Grades PreK to 12 Education Courses > Grade Group: Grades 9 to 12 and Adult Education Courses > Subject: Science > SubSubject: Biological Sciences >

Abbreviated Title: BIOSCIENCE 1 HON

Course Length: Year (Y)

Course Attributes:

Honors

Course Type: Core Academic Course

Course Level: 3

Course Status: Course Approved

Grade Level(s): 9,10,11,12

Educator Certifications

One of these educator certification options is required to teach this course.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this course.

Original Student Tutorials

Quadratic Functions Part 1: Ball Games:

Join us as we watch ball games and explore how the height of a ball bounce over time is represented by quadratic functions, which provides opportunities to interpret key features of the function in this interactive tutorial.

This is part 1 of a two-part series: Click HERE to open part 2.