Monday, February 25, 2013

High School Biology








High School Biology


High school is likely the first time that a student will be exposed to elements of general biology.  This is a critical time where the foundations of biology need to be established for further development and education in the future.  Concise and specific outcomes need to be defined and established to facilitate a concrete foundation of general biology to ensure that a student will have the option for further study in their academic future.

Objectives:

1.  Recall the procedure to prepare, dye, and mount a slide with a cell from their own cheek using the appropriate tools complying to the necessary sanitary conditions.

2.  List the parts of a microscope and their functions.

3.  Accurately identity all the parts and components of a living cell.

4.  Recall the functions of a cells components including cell respiration and ATP production.



Test Items:

1. A student will swab their own cheek with a cotton swab and smear the spit on a plate.  They will then make predictions as to whether or not the method that they used to swab the  inside of their cheek was effective.  They will smear the material from their cheek onto a slide, seal it with a piece of glass, and then dye the slide with the appropriate dye they believe will be the most effective. They will then mount the slide under neither the microscope.  They will then make predictions as to wether the dye they used was good or if they retrieved the sample properly.




2. The student will be tested with a fill-in-the-blank test for the pieces and parts of a microscope.  This test could also be matching depending on the level of the biology course.



3.  Once under the micro scope the student will draw the cell they see and label all the parts they can identify.  This can be a multiple choice format.  The parts they identify will then be identified according to function and properties.  A cheek cell is quite small so they will only identify a few parts of a cell but will be asked to recall all anatomy of a cell they learn form lecture and other experiments.




4. The cells parts will then be understood as one whole functioning piece.  They will go through the Kreb's Cycle and determine how the individual parts work together to produce ATP or energy through the break down of oxygen in the cells.  This portion of a test can be true/false because these concepts are very advanced I really want the students to have an understanding not know exactly the amino acids and chemicals involved rather just the understanding of function.


Each of these test items will provide the foundation and lead to the understanding of the functions and processes of a cell.  A student will first study the scientific method to develop a test sample.  Once the test sample is developed they will have to recall the parts of a microscope and then apply what they know to use a microscope successfully.  The student will look or watch the cell and identify it under the microscope.  They will then identify all the parts they can see.  Depending on the microscope it might not be possible to see all the parts of a cell.  The students will refer to a blank diagram and will be required to research and read the text in order to identify all the parts of a cell.  Once they have the parts of a cell identified they will listen to instruction to understand all the functions of the parts of a cell ending with the production of energy through cell respiration.  This project will give a student the understanding how their own bodies function giving them life.  This starts with the very basic information and builds to the purpose a cell and its function in our lives.

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