2 ) Gather and synthesize information to explain how prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cells differ in structure and function, including the methods of asexual and
sexual reproduction.
3 ) Construct an explanation of the function (e.g., mitochondria releasing
energy during cellular respiration) of specific cell structures (i.e., nucleus,
cell membrane, cell wall, ribosomes, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and vacuoles)
for maintaining a stable environment.
4 ) Construct models and representations of organ systems (e.g., circulatory,
digestive, respiratory, muscular, skeletal, nervous) to demonstrate how multiple
interacting organs and systems work together to accomplish specific functions.
5 ) Examine the cycling of matter between abiotic and biotic parts of
ecosystems to explain the flow of energy and the conservation of matter.
a. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how food is broken
down through chemical reactions to create new molecules that support growth
and/or release energy as it moves through an organism.
b. Generate a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of
photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of matter and flow of
energy into and out of organisms.
6 ) Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence regarding how resource
availability impacts individual organisms as well as populations of organisms
within an ecosystem.
7 ) Use empirical evidence from patterns and data to demonstrate how changes to
physical or biological components of an ecosystem (e.g., deforestation,
succession, drought, fire, disease, human activities, invasive species) can lead
to shifts in populations.
8 ) Construct an explanation to predict patterns of interactions in different
ecosystems in terms of the relationships between and among organisms (e.g.,
competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism).
9 ) Engage in argument to defend the effectiveness of a design solution that
maintains biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., using scientific, economic,
and social considerations regarding purifying water, recycling nutrients,
preventing soil erosion).
10 ) Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal
behaviors (e.g., building nests to protect young from cold, herding to protect
young from predators, attracting mates for breeding by producing special sounds
and displaying colorful plumage, transferring pollen or seeds to create conditions for seed germination and growth) and specialized plant structures
(e.g., flower brightness, nectar, and odor attracting birds that transfer
pollen; hard outer shells on seeds providing protection prior to germination)
affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.
11 ) Analyze and interpret data to predict how environmental conditions (e.g.,
weather, availability of nutrients, location) and genetic factors (e.g.,
selective breeding of cattle or crops) influence the growth of organisms (e.g.,
drought decreasing plant growth, adequate supply of nutrients for maintaining
normal plant growth, identical plant seeds growing at different rates in
different weather conditions, fish growing larger in large ponds than in small
ponds).
12 ) Construct and use models (e.g., monohybrid crosses using Punnett squares,
diagrams, simulations) to explain that genetic variations between parent and
offspring (e.g., different alleles, mutations) occur as a result of genetic
differences in randomly inherited genes located on chromosomes and that
additional variations may arise from alteration of genetic information.
13 ) Construct an explanation from evidence to describe how genetic mutations
result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function
of an organism.
14 ) Gather and synthesize information regarding the impact of technologies
(e.g., hand pollination, selective breeding, genetic engineering, genetic
modification, gene therapy) on the inheritance and/or appearance of desired
traits in organisms.
15 ) Analyze and interpret data for patterns of change in anatomical structures
of organisms using the fossil record and the chronological order of fossil
appearance in rock layers.
16 ) Construct an explanation based on evidence (e.g., cladogram, phylogenetic
tree) for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and
between modern and fossil organisms, including living fossils (e.g., alligator,
horseshoe crab, nautilus, coelacanth).
17 ) Obtain and evaluate pictorial data to compare patterns in the
embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not
evident in the adult anatomy.
18 ) Construct an explanation from evidence that natural selection acting over
generations may lead to the predominance of certain traits that support
successful survival and reproduction of a population and to the suppression of
other traits.