Critical Thinking Questions- Biology A



Biology IB—Course Overview2013-14Semester 1 (Aug 14-Dec 20)Unit 1 Chapters: 1-2—The Nature of Life-The Science of Biology, The Chemistry of LifeChapter 1-The Science of Biology (Lab Dates: Aug. 21-22 Test Date: Aug. 27)1-Essential Question: What role does science play in the study of life?1.1-Key Questions: What are the goals of science? What procedures are at the core of scientific methodology?Vocabulary: science, observation, inference, hypothesis, controlled experiment, independent variable, dependent variable, control group, data1.2- Key Questions: What scientific attitudes help generate new ideas? Why is peer review important? What is a scientific theory? What is the relationship between science and society?Vocabulary: theory, bias1.3- Key Questions: What characteristics do all living things share? What are the central themes of biology? How do different fields of biology differ in their approach to studying life? How is the metric system important in science?Vocabulary: biology, DNA, stimulus, sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction, homeostasis, metabolism, biosphereChapter 2-The Chemistry of Life (Lab Dates: Aug. 28-29 Test Date: Sep. 3)2-Essential Question: What are the basic chemical principles that affect living things? 2.1- Key Questions: What three subatomic particles make up atoms? How are all the isotopes of an element similar? In what ways do compounds differ from their component elements? What are the main types of chemical bonds?Vocabulary: atom, nucleus, electron, element, isotope, compound, ionic bond, ion, covalent bond, molecule, van der Waals forces2.2- Key Questions: How does the structure of water contribute to its unique properties? How does water’s polarity influence its properties as a solvent? Why is it important for cells to buffer solutions against rapid changes in pH?Vocabulary: hydrogen bond, cohesion, adhesion, mixture, solution, solute, solvent, suspension, pH scale, acid, base, buffer2.3- Key Questions: What elements does carbon bond with to make up life’s molecules? What are the functions of each of the four groups of macromolecules?Vocabulary: monomer, polymer, carbohydrate, monosaccharide, lipid, nucleic acid, nucleotide, protein, amino acid2.4- Key Questions: What happens to chemical bonds during chemical reactions? How do energy changes affect whether a chemical reaction will occur? What role do enzymes play in living things and what affects their function?Vocabulary: chemical reaction, reactant, product, activation energy, catalyst, enzyme, substrateEssential Skills: Think logically (if…and…then…but…therefore), employ scientific method, use metrics, graphUnit 1-The Nature of Life Performance Assessment: Sep. 4-5Unit 2 Chapters: 3-6—Ecology-The Biosphere, Ecosystems and Communities, Populations, Humans in the BiosphereChapter 3-The Biosphere (Lab Dates: Sep. 11-12 Test Date: Sep. 17)3-Essential Question: How do Earth’s living and nonliving parts interact and affect the survival of organisms?3.1- Key Questions: What is ecology? What are biotic and abiotic factors? What methods are used in ecological studies?Vocabulary: biosphere, species, population, community, ecology, ecosystem, biome, biotic factor, abiotic factor3.2- Key Questions: What are primary producers? How do consumers obtain energy and nutrients?Vocabulary: autotroph, primary producer, photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, heterotroph, consumer, carnivore, herbivore, scavenger, omnivore, decomposer, detritivore3.3- Key Questions: How does energy flow through ecosystems? What do the three types of ecological pyramids illustrate?Vocabulary: food chain, phytoplankton, food web, zooplankton, trophic level, ecological pyramid, biomass3.4- Key Questions: How does matter move through the biosphere? How does water cycle through the biosphere? What is the importance of the main nutrient cycles? How does nutrient availability relate to the primary productivity of an ecosystem?Vocabulary: biogeochemical cycle, nutrient, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, limiting nutrientChapter 4-Ecosystems and Communities (Lab Dates: Sep 18-19 Test Date: Sep. 24)4-Essential Question: How do abiotic and biotic factors shape ecosystems?4.1- Key Questions: What is climate? What factors determine global climate?Vocabulary: weather, climate, microclimate, greenhouse effect4.2- Key Questions: What is a niche? How does competition shape communities? How do predation and herbivory shape communities? What are the three primary ways that organisms depend on each other?Vocabulary: tolerance, habitat, niche, resource, competitive exclusion principle, predation, herbivory, keystone species, symbiosis, mutualism, parasitism, commensalism4.3- Key Questions: How do communities change over time? Do ecosystems return to “normal” following a disturbance?Vocabulary: ecological succession, primary succession, pioneer species, secondary succession4.4- Key Questions: What abiotic and biotic factors characterize biomes? What areas are not easily classified into a major biome?Vocabulary: canopy, understory, deciduous, coniferous, humus, taiga, permafrost4.5- Key Questions: What factors affect life in aquatic ecosystems? What are the major categories of freshwater ecosystems? Why are estuaries so important? How do ecologists usually classify marine ecosystems? Vocabulary: photic zone, aphotic zone, benthos, plankton, wetland, estuaryChapter 5-Populations (Lab Dates: Sep. 25-26 Test Date: Oct. 1)5-Essential Question: What factors contribute to changes in populations?5.1- Key Questions: How do ecologists study populations? What factors affect population growth? What happens during exponential growth? What is logistic growth?Vocabulary: population density, age structure, immigration, emigration, exponential growth, logistic growth, carrying capacity5.2- Key Questions: What factors determine carrying capacity? What limiting factors depend on population density? What limiting factors do not typically depend on population density?Vocabulary: limiting factor, density-dependent limiting factor, density-independent limiting factor5.3- Key Questions: How has human population size changed over time? Why do population growth rates differ among countries?Vocabulary: demography, demographic transitionChapter 6-Humans in the Biosphere (Lab Dates: Oct. 2-3 Test Date: Oct. 8)6-Essential Question: How have human activities shaped local and global ecology?6.1- Key Questions: How do our daily activities affect the environment? What is the relationship between resource use and sustainable development?Vocabulary: monoculture, renewable resource, nonrenewable resource, sustainable development6.2- Key Questions: Why is soil important, and how do we protect it? What are the primary sources of water pollution? What are the major forms of air pollution?Vocabulary: desertification, deforestation, pollutant, biological magnification, smog, acid rain6.3- Key Questions: Why is biodiversity important? What are the most significant threats to biodiversity? How do we preserve biodiversity?Vocabulary: biodiversity, ecosystem diversity, species diversity, genetic diversity, habitat fragmentation, ecological hot spot6.4- Key Questions: How does the average ecological footprint in America compare to the world’s average? How can ecology guide us toward a sustainable future?Vocabulary: ecological footprint, ozone layer, aquaculture, global warmingUnit 2-Ecology Performance Assessment: Oct. 9-10Unit 3 Chapters: 7-10—Cells-Cell Structure and Function, Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration and Fermentation, Cell Growth and DivisionChapter 7-Cell Structure and Function (Lab Dates: Oct. 16-17 Test Date: Oct 22)7-Essential Question: How are cell structures adapted to their functions?7.1- Key Questions: What is the cell theory? How do microscopes work? How are prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell different?Vocabulary: cell, cell theory, cell membrane, nucleus, eukaryote, prokaryote7.2- Key Questions: What is the role of the cell nucleus? What are the functions of vacuoles, lysosomes, and the cytoskeleton? What organelles help make and transport proteins? What are the functions of chloroplasts and mitochondria? What is the function of the cell membrane?Vocabulary: cytoplasm, organelle, vacuole, lysosome, cytoskeleton, centriole, ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, chloroplast, mitochondrion, cell wall, lipid bilayer, selectively permeable7.3- Key Questions: What is passive transport? What is active transport?Vocabulary: diffusion, facilitated diffusion, aquaporin, osmosis, isotonic, hypertonic, hypotonic, osmotic pressure7.4- Key Questions: How do individual cells maintain homeostasis? How do the cells of multicellular organisms work together to maintain homeostasis?Vocabulary: homeostasis, tissue, organ, organ system, receptor ................
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