Biology Concepts & Processes

This course will address:
Week 1 -- Ecology -- Students will learn about food chains, food webs, trophic levels and how the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics relates to these feeding relationships. The lesson will cover predator-prey and symbiotic relationships between organisms, etc.  Instructions will be given so students will be able to make their own Eco-Bottle.
Week 2 -- Cells -- Learners will study the main cell structures and their purposes, compare/contrast different types of cells, the processes of mitosis and cell division, and the parts of the Cell Theory.
Week 3 -- Photosynthesis -- Students will learn about  the ingredients and results of photosynthesis, and its significance to the world.  The main components of the light dependent and light independent reactions will be compared/contrasted.
Week 4 -- Cellular Respiration -- Students will learn the reason we need to breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, that plants need both of those gases, what happens when the body or cell is short of oxygen, why mitochondria are considered the "powerhouses of the cell", and the step by step chemical processes of cellular respiration.  
Week 5 -- DNA and Protein Synthesis -- Topics covered will be the structure of DNA and the various forms of RNA, the process and importance of DNA replication, how DNA controls the formation of proteins (transcription), and the synthesis of polypeptide chains (proteins) from amino acids (translation).
Week 6 -- Genetics -- This hour will cover the basics of Mendelian genetics of dominant and recessive traits, predicting possible offspring using Punnett squares of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, study the difference between genotype and phenotype, compare/contrast codominance and incomplete dominance, and a discussion of multiple gene traits such as hair, eye and skin color.
Week 7 -- Evolution -- Students will understand that real evolution does not happen to the individuals of a species.  Evolution happens in a population of a species and generally takes many years, many generations, to achieve.  Natural selection is the accepted mechanism of evolution.  Individuals either survive to reproduce and pass on their traits, or they die.  Those that survive must have been slightly better suited, by random genetic mutation, to their environment or situation.  Humans will be mentioned briefly, but will not be the focus of the class.
Week 8 -- Disease -- Topics are the different types of pathogens and their characteristics; common ways infectious diseases are spread; immunization/vaccination and immunity; common diseases in the United States, their symptoms and treatments.  Familiar animal and plant diseases will be mentioned if time allows.  An activity to demonstrate how easily germs can spread will be included.