Biology 12

Plant and animal systems maintaining homeostasis

I can explain in detail how coordinated plant and animal systems maintain homeostasis through negative feedback.

Water, glucose, and ATP in living systems

I can identify water, glucose, and ATP and explain the specific role each plays in cellular function.

Investigating the nervous system

I can design a controlled experiment on a nervous-system response and identify its variables.

Structure and dynamics of the nervous system

I can describe the structure of a neuron and explain how a nerve impulse is generated and transmitted.

Disease and homeostasis

I can evaluate how different classes of disease disrupt homeostasis and how the body responds.

Drugs, technology, and homeostasis over time

I can analyze how drugs and medical technologies that influence homeostasis have developed and how they act on the body.

Treatments for vision and hearing

I can describe how the eye and ear work and evaluate technologies that treat visual and auditory problems.

Protein and steroid hormones

I can distinguish protein and steroid hormones by structure and explain how each delivers its signal to a cell.

Enzymes in cellular metabolism

I can explain how enzymes catalyze metabolic reactions and how their activity is affected by conditions.

Investigating the endocrine system

I can design and carry out an experiment on an endocrine response, control the variables, and organize the resulting data.

Feedback mechanisms in homeostasis

I can analyze a homeostatic phenomenon and identify whether it is controlled by negative or positive feedback.

Contributions to homeostasis science

I can analyze key scientific contributions — including Canadian ones — to understanding homeostasis and how they built on one another.

Experimenting on plant materials

I can design and evaluate a controlled experiment using plant materials, handling instruments correctly and controlling major variables.

Mitosis and meiosis in detail

I can describe the stages of mitosis and meiosis and explain how they differ in outcome and purpose.

Cell-based genetic technologies

I can describe cell-based genetic techniques such as cloning and tissue culture and communicate examples using organized data.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy

I can explain how radiation therapy and chemotherapy target dividing cancer cells and evaluate their physiological and ethical consequences.

Mammalian reproductive systems

I can describe the anatomy of the male and female reproductive systems and explain the function of each major structure.

Analyzing the human reproductive cycles

I can explain the hormonal control of the human reproductive cycle and how chemicals and diseases affect it.

Current reproductive technologies

I can explain current reproductive technologies for plants and animals using integrated information from multiple sources.

Evaluating reproductive technologies

I can distinguish scientific questions from technological problems and use the distinction to evaluate human reproductive technologies.

Reproductive cycles and technology impact

I can explain the human reproductive cycles and analyze how science and technology have changed reproduction.

The discovery of the gene

I can summarize the key discoveries and evidence that built the modern concept of the gene.

Chromosomes and inheritance

I can describe how chromosomes carry and transmit genetic information during cell division.

DNA, RNA, replication, and protein synthesis

I can describe DNA and RNA structure, explain semi-conservative replication, and trace transcription and translation.

Mutations and their effects

I can classify mutations and predict their effects on protein synthesis, phenotype, and heredity.

Mendelian crosses

I can use Punnett squares to predict and interpret genotype and phenotype ratios for monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.

Causes of genetic disease

I can explain the genetic circumstances — inheritance patterns and chromosomal errors — that cause genetic diseases.

Arguing about genetic engineering

I can analyze the risks and benefits of genetic engineering and build an evidence-based argument that recognizes multiple perspectives.

Genetics-based technology development

I can describe and evaluate how a genetics-based technology was developed and how well it solves the problem it targets.

The Human Genome Project

I can explain what the Human Genome Project achieved and analyze its benefits and risks from multiple perspectives.

Defending a position on genetic modification

I can investigate genetic modification, defend a reasoned position integrating multiple sources, and connect it to related careers.

Peer review and evolutionary concepts

I can explain how peer review and evidence refine evolutionary theory and describe the gradualism vs punctuated-equilibrium debate.

Evidence, theories, and paradigms

I can analyze how evolutionary theories and paradigms are tested by evidence and then restricted, revised, or replaced.

Constructing arguments for diversity

I can pose investigable questions and build evidence-based arguments for the development and diversity of living organisms.

Origin, development, and diversity of life

I can outline the evidence and arguments for the origin and diversification of life on Earth and identify new questions that arise.