Biology 11

How cell theory developed

I can explain the three tenets of cell theory and how evidence, technology, and changing paradigms built and revised it over time.

Microscope technique and recording data

I can prepare a wet mount, focus a compound microscope through its magnifications, and record accurate labelled observations.

Observing and describing organelles

I can identify and describe the visible organelles of plant and animal cells using light microscopy and models.

Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells

I can compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells by structure, and distinguish plant, animal, and bacterial cell types.

Organelles and cell processes

I can link each major organelle to the cell process it performs and explain how they work together as a division of labour.

Investigating cell size

I can investigate why cells stay small, using the surface-area-to-volume ratio, and display data with controlled variables and a valid conclusion.

Investigating photosynthesis and respiration

I can design and report an experiment that measures a variable of photosynthesis or respiration, controlling conditions and interpreting the data.

Matter and energy in photosynthesis and respiration

I can compare photosynthesis and aerobic respiration as opposite matter-and-energy transformations and explain how they cycle carbon and energy.

Classification systems and nomenclature

I can place an organism in the Linnaean hierarchy and write its name correctly using binomial nomenclature.

Applying taxonomy to local organisms

I can use a dichotomous key and shared characteristics to classify organisms from a Nova Scotia ecosystem.

How classification knowledge changes

I can describe how new evidence and technology have revised biological classification, showing that scientific knowledge is provisional.

Arguing biodiversity decisions from evidence

I can build an evidence-based argument for a biodiversity decision and fairly represent competing perspectives.

Anatomy and physiology across kingdoms

I can describe the body plan and how life functions are carried out in a representative of each kingdom and in a virus.

Life cycles across kingdoms

I can explain and compare the life cycles of representatives from each kingdom and a virus, including alternation of generations and viral replication.

Nutrition, fitness, and homeostasis

I can explain how nutrition and fitness maintain homeostasis, and discuss how society decides which health research to fund.

Behaviour and homeostasis

I can explain how tropisms, instinctive behaviour, and learned behaviour help organisms maintain homeostasis, using specific examples.

Investigating body systems

I can design and carry out a controlled experiment on a body system's response, identifying and controlling the variables.

How body-support systems improved over time

I can analyze how medical technologies such as organ transplants developed over time and report on the science that made them possible.

How plant and animal systems maintain homeostasis

I can explain how specific plant and animal systems use feedback to maintain homeostasis.

Chemicals in body systems

I can identify the key chemicals — water, ions, and biological macromolecules — and describe their roles in body-system structure and function.

Viruses, disease, and disrupted homeostasis

I can predict how a virus, disease, or environmental stressor disrupts homeostasis and propose ways to restore or protect it.

Comparing biomes across continents

I can compare North America's biomes with another continent's and explain the climate and geographic patterns behind them.

Population growth and interactions

I can explain the factors that drive population growth and the interactions between populations, and interpret population data.

Carrying capacity and resource demand

I can use the energy pyramid to reason about Earth's carrying capacity and propose actions on the human demand for natural resources.