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Standard 7.1 Cell Biology –

All living organisms are composed of cells, from just one to many trillions, whose details usually are visible only  through a microscope

     Priority One - Students know:

a)  cells function similarly in all living organisms.

b)  the characteristics that distinguish plant cells from animal cells, including chloroplasts and cell walls.

c)  the nucleus is the repository for genetic information in plant and animal cells.

d)  that mitochondria liberate energy for the work that cells do and that chloroplasts capture sunlight energy for photosynthesis.

e)  cells divide to increase their numbers through a process of mitosis, which results in two daughter cells with identical sets of chromosomes.

f)  that, as multi-cellular organisms develop, their cells differentiate.

How Do Cells Reproduce?

This activity illustrates the process of mitosis, or cell division, in yeast.

The Bicycle as a System

To explore the nature of systems by examining the systems that make a bicycle work. Students will begin to understand how the different systems of a bicycle relate to each other and be able to identify the properties of each part or subsystem.

The Cell as A System

To review cell structures and investigate how the components of a cell operate as a system.

What’s Inside a Cell?

In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the components of a cell. They will match definitions of organelles with the organelle name, research the organelle’s form and function, and contribute to a class drawing of a cell by depicting a specific organelle within the composite cell.

How Many Cells are Born in a Day?

In this lesson, students use calculators or pencils to predict the number of cells that result from a series of cell divisions. They then graph the results to represent their findings.

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Standard 7.2 Genetics ‑

A typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that specify its traits.  Those traits may be modified by environmental influences.

     Priority One - Students know

a)  the differences between the life cycles and reproduction methods of sexual and asexual organisms.

b)  sexual reproduction produces offspring that inherit half their genes from each parent.

c)  an inherited trait can be determined by one or more genes.

d)  plant and animal cells contain many thousands of different genes and typically have two copies of every gene.  The two copies (or alleles) of the gene may or may not be identical, and one may be dominant in determining the phenotype while the other is recessive.

e)  DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material of living organisms and is located in the chromosomes of each cell.

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Standard 7.3 Evolution ‑

Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations.

     Priority One - Students know

a)  both genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and diversity of organisms.

b)  the reasoning used by Charles Darwin in reaching his conclusion that natural selection is the mechanism of evolution.

c)  how independent lines of evidence from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy provide the bases for the theory of evolution.

d)  how to construct a simple branching diagram to classify living groups of organisms by shared derived characteristics and how to expand the diagram to include fossil organisms.

e)  that extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and that the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival.

Evidence of Evolution

This is a Windows of the Universe production on evolution. Very appealing and suitable for seventh grade.

Lizards and Snakes Alive

This on-line exhibit shows the remarkable adaptations in behavior, shape, movement, and feeding that contribute to the success of squamates.

KQED Evolution Unit

Outstanding source of information about evolution. 4 teacher and 7 student online videos are excellent. They cover the whole gamut of evolution--the teacher ones as background, the student ones as support. Excellent.

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Standard 7.4 Earth and Life History (Earth Science) ‑

Evidence from rocks allows us to understand the evolution of life on Earth.

a)  Earth processes today are similar to those that occurred in the past and slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long periods of time.

b)  the history of life on Earth has been disrupted by major catastrophic events, such as major volcanic eruptions or the impacts of asteroids.

c)  that the rock cycle includes the formation of new sediment and rocks and those rocks are often found in layers, with the oldest generally on the bottom.

d)  that evidence from geologic layers and radioactive dating indicates Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old and that life on this planet has existed for more than 3 billion years.

e)  fossils provide evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed.

f)  how movements of Earth’s continental and oceanic plates through time, with associated changes in climate and geographic connections, have affected the past and present distribution of organisms.

g)  how to explain significant developments and extinctions of plant and animal life on the geologic time scale.

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Standard 7.5 Structure and Function in Living Systems ‑

The anatomy and physiology of plants and animals illustrate the complementary nature of structure and function.

     Priority One - Students know

a)  plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism.

b)  organ systems function because of the contributions of individual organs, tissues, and cells.  The failure of any part can affect the entire system.

d)  how the reproductive organs of the human female and male generate eggs and sperm and how sexual activity may lead to fertilization and pregnancy.

e)  the function of the umbilicus and placenta during pregnancy.

f)  the structures and processes by which flowering plants generate pollen, ovules, seeds, and fruit.

     Priority Two - Students know

c)  how bones and muscles work together to provide a structural framework for movement.

g)  how to relate the structures of the eye and ear to their functions.

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Standard 7.6 Physical Principles in Living Systems (Physical Science) –

Physical principles underlie biological structures and functions.

     Priority One - Students know

a)  visible light is a small band within a very broad electromagnetic spectrum.

b)  that for an object to be seen, light emitted by or scattered from it must be detected by the eye.

c)  light travels in straight lines if the medium it travels through does not change.

d)  how simple lenses are used in a magnifying glass, the eye, a camera, a telescope, and a microscope.

e)  that white light is a mixture of many wavelengths (colors) and that retinal cells react differently to different wavelengths.

f)  light can be reflected, refracted, transmitted, and absorbed by matter.

     Priority Two - Students know

g)  the angle of reflection of a light beam is equal to the angle of incidence.

h)  how to compare joints in the body (wrist, shoulder, thigh) with structures used in a machines and simple devices (hinge, ball-and-socket, and sliding joints).

i)   how levers confer mechanical advantage and how the application of this principle applies to the musculoskeletal system.

j)   that contractions of the heart generate blood pressure and that heart valves prevent backflow of blood in the circulatory system.

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Standard 7.7 Investigation and Experimentation in Physical Principles in Living Systems (Physical Science) ‑

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.  As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.

     Priority One - Students Will

a)  Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.

b)  Use a variety of print and electronic resources (including the World Wide Web) to collect information and evidence as part of a research project.

c)  Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific evidence.

d)  Construct scale models, maps, and appropriately labeled diagrams to communicate scientific knowledge (e.g., motion of Earth’s plates and cell structure).

e)  Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.

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