Life Science & English
About this course
This course is composed of multiple modules designed to introduce students to life science. The class begins with scientific thinking and the scientific method and then moves to define characteristics of life and an in-depth look at cell structures and functions. Next, diversity within the living world is analyzed and genetics are explored. Finally, large-scale biological processes are introduced by looking at how energy and matter enter and move through the living world. Helpful videos, pictures, lab exercises, models, and other visual strategies are used as learning tools with an expanded emphasis on writing and math to bring meaning to the content being addressed.
Course Outcomes
- Define and describe the nature of biology.
- Apply the steps of the scientific method to everyday situations as well as laboratory investigations
- Identify and describe the characteristics common to all living things.
- Identify and describe the basic structural components of cells.
- Compare and contrast the structural and functional characteristics of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
- Describe the structure and function of DNA and how it relates to traits and inheritance.
- Describe how DNA is used by all living organisms to guide all cellular functions.
- Compare and contrast the following areas of ecological study: population ecology, community interaction, and ecosystem ecology.
- Demonstrate basic lab skills through the collection, synthesis, and analysis of data
- Critique information presented online and in the media to determine if the information is “scientific and credible”.