In this 9-week course, students will learn about ecology and interdependent relationships. The content is covered in the 3rd 9-week course in a conventional biology class. Engaged students learn content needed to successfully take assessments.

Week 1 - Genetics & Heredity
Week 2 - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Symbiosis
Week 3 - Energy Pyramid
Week 4 - Energy Transfer
Week 5 - Natural Selection
Week 6 - Nutrient Cycling
             - Carbon Cycle
             - Nitrogen Cycle
Week 7 - Classification
Week 8 - Kingdoms
Week 9 - Biomes

The students will learn how and why do organisms interact with each other (biotic factors) and their environment (abiotic factors), and what affects these interactions. This section will be taught using pictures, video clips, slides, discussions, lecture, and open-ended questions. Secondary ideas include the interdependent relationships in ecosystems; dynamics of ecosystems; and functioning, resilience, and social interactions. Students use reasoning and/or models to make sense of carrying capacity, factors affecting biodiversity and populations, the cycling of matter and flow of energy through systems. This section will be taught using pictures, video clips, slides, discussions, lecture, and open-ended questions. The students will construct explanations for the role of energy in the cycling of matter in organisms and ecosystems. They apply mathematical concepts to support explanations of the interactions of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Students also understand organisms’ interactions with each other and their physical environment and how organisms obtain resources. This section will be taught using pictures, video clips, slides, discussions, lecture, and open-ended questions. The fourth 9-weeks course will pick up where this course leaves off.