Board Approved – April 8, 2004

Science Grade 10 – Course Expectations

BIOLOGY – "Diversity"

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SYSTEMS (Content)

PROPERTIES – Life Science

Characteristics of Living Things

• Identify related organisms.
• Explain why different organisms are related.
• Classify organisms based on their shared physical characteristics, reproductive processes, cellular characteristics, and/or functional process (respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, etc.) systems when given background information about different species.
• Explain the degree of kinship between organisms based on their biochemical similarities.

STRUCTURE –Life Science

Structure and Organization of Living Things

• Recognize the components, structure, and organization of living systems and the interconnections within and among them.
• Identify or describe how specialization of cells defines different functions of the parts of living systems.
• Identify or describe different cell processes controlled by the parts of the cell.
• Describe how genes control protein synthesis.
• Describe how proteins control life functions within different parts of the cells.

Human Biology

• Name the structural and functional characteristics of each system.
• Describe how homeostasis is maintained by organ systems.
• Explain how each system helps maintain human health.
• Describe the role of human systems during human growth and development.

BIOLOGY – "Energetics"

SYSTEMS (Content)

PROPERTIES – Physical Science

Properties of Substances

• Identify or describe how changing the number of electrons, neutrons, and/or protons of an atom affects that atom including atomic name and number.
• Use the periodic table to identify or name elements that have the same properties as a given element.
• Describe what atomic change causes atomic number to increase
• Describe the properties shared by elements in a given vertical column (groups or families) of the periodic table.
• Predict the properties of elements based on their vertical location (groups or families) on the periodic table.

Energy Sources and Kinds

• Identify and describe the forms of energy within a common system.
• Describe the kinetic or potential energy of the parts of a system.
• Describe the thermal (heat) energy of a system, subsystems, or parts of a system.
• Describe the energy components of a system, subsystems, or parts of a system.

PROPERTIES – Life Science

Characteristics of Living Things

• Analyze living systems, including inputs and outputs of a system and its subsystems.

STRUCTURE

Systems Approach

• Describe the parts or components of a system and how they work together.
• Describe a subsystem within a system.
• Analyze the interconnections between the parts of a system.
• Describe the inputs, and outputs of a system.
• Analyze the transfers and/or transformations within a system.

STRUCTURE – Physical Science

Energy Transfer and Transformation

• Describe or explain conditions likely to transfer energy from one part of a system to another.
• Describe or explain conditions likely to increase or decrease the amount of thermal (heat) energy of the parts or subsystems of a system.
• Identify or describe how chemical or nuclear reactions give off energy in a system.
• Describe how transformations result in thermal energy and how thermal energy is transferred within and among systems.
• Examine and explain how energy is transferred within and among systems.
• Identify or describe what happens to the system's total energy as energy is transferred or transformed.
• Determine whether the system is an open or closed system.
• Explain and give examples of how changes in the atomic or molecular configuration can result in an input or a release of energy.
• Measure decreases and increases of energy during energy transfers in terms of energy conservation.

Structure of Matter

• Describe the characteristics of electrons, neutrons, and/or protons.
• Describe the role of the electrons, neutrons, and/or protons in the atom in atomic/molecular attractions and bonds.
• Identify or describe what occurs at the electron level during atomic bonding.
• Predict and explain whether an atom will lose, gain, or share electrons when forming chemical bonds with another atom.
• Identify or describe what conditions are necessary for the given molecule to be stable.
• Describe the cause of the decay.

CHANGES – Life Science

Life Processes and the Flow of Matter and Energy

• Identify or describe, at a conceptual level, the matter and energy inputs and outputs of photosynthesis.
• Identify or describe, at a conceptual level, how chemical reactions in the cell create energy.
• Explain how organisms can sustain life by obtaining, transporting, transforming, releasing, and eliminating matter and energy.

Interdependence of Life

• Compare characteristics of biomes, ecosystems, communities, and populations.
• Compare the cycles of nutrients and flow of energy among living and non-living components of the biosphere.
• Illustrate how energy is transferred through trophic levels.
• Describe how changes in an ecosystem can impact organisms in that ecosystem.
• Describe how population changes cause changes in the cycle of matter and the flow of energy in ecosystems.

BIOLOGY – "Evolution"

SYSTEMS (Content)

PROPERTIES – Life Science

Characteristics of Living Things

• Identify related organisms.
• Explain why different organisms are related.
• Classify organisms based on their shared physical characteristics, reproductive processes, cellular characteristics, and/or functional process (respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, etc.) systems when given background information about different species.
• Explain the degree of kinship between organisms based on their biochemical similarities.

STRUCTURE – Earth/Space Science

Components and Patterns of the Earth System

• Describe the interactions among the parts of Earth's system(s), such as the atmosphere and the hydrosphere (weather) or the hydrosphere and the lithosphere (plate tectonics/rock cycle) and how the interactions impact biological systems.
• Explain how the theory of plate tectonics has caused changes in biological systems (e.g., evolution of species, etc.).

STRUCTURE –Life Science

Structure and Organization of Living Things

• Identify or describe how specialization of cells defines different functions of the parts of living systems.
• Identify or describe different cell processes controlled by the parts of the cell.
• Describe how genes control protein synthesis.
• Describe how proteins control life functions within different parts of the cells.

Molecular Basis of Heredity

• Identify and describe how genes are combined from sex cells to create offspring.
• Describe and explain the significance of the steps of the cell cycle.
• Describe the relationship between genes and chromosomes.
• Illustrate and explain the processes of transcription and translation and their role in protein production.
• Explain how organisms pass on genetic information via both asexual and sexual reproduction, including the role of DNA, chromosomes, and Mendelian genetics.
• Explain how organisms can be affected by both genetic information and interactions with the environment.

CHANGES – Earth/Space Science

Processes and Interactions in the Earth System

• Describe the possible impacts of geologic events (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.) on biological systems.

History and Evolution of the Earth

• Understand how fossils and radioactive elements are used to correlate and determine the sequence of geological events.
• Explain how decay rates of radioactive isotopes in rock layers are used to estimate the age of fossil remains or the time of geologic events.

CHANGES – Life Science

Biological Evolution

• Explain how molecular and anatomical similarities and differences among organisms are used to determine common ancestry.
• Create a lineage that shows evolution over time based upon molecular and anatomical similarities and differences among organisms.
• Predict the likely impact on survival and/or extinction of certain organisms based upon the principles of natural selection as environmental conditions change over time.
• Identify or provide an explanation for the benefits of speciation in the survival of organisms as environmental conditions change over time.
• Identify or describe the characteristics of organisms that are likely to be heritable and/or those that are likely to be the effect of environmental conditions.
• Identify or describe characteristics that are inherited and those that are learned.
• Identify or describe how the physical characteristics may help one organism to adapt to environmental conditions better than another organism.
• Discriminate between adaptations that help organisms survive widely varying environmental conditions and those that limit adaptation.