General Biology Syllabusfletcher
General Biology SyllabusFletcher
The dates given below are approximate and of course will not always line up week to week as presented below. Updated information will continually be available in class and online.
Semester 1 Summer/Fall 2016
WEEK 1 (August 11 – 19)
Introductions, guidelines and procedures
Lab 1 An Investigation of the Behavior of Milk, Dye and Soap
Notes 1 Science and Biology – What is Science?
WEEK 2(August 22 – 26)
The Book of Life – HumansA Quick Look at Classification
Lab 2 Is It Alive?
WEEK 3 (August 29 – September 2)
Notes 2 The Characteristics of Life
Book of Life – Chimpanzees and Bonobos
Lab 3 The Microscope/Is it alive?
Labor Day 9/5
WEEK 4 (September 6 – September 9)
Lab 3 The Microscope/Is it alive? (Continued)
Notes 3 Fields of Biology
WEEK 5 (September 12 - September 16)
Book of Life – Gorillas
Notes 4 Metric Measurements, Tables and Graphs
Lab 4 Metric Measurement
WEEK 6 (September 19 – September 23)
Test 1 Notes 1 – 4; Labs 1 – 4
Notes 5 Chemistry and Life
WEEK 7 (September 26 – September 30)
Book of Life – Orangutans and Gibbons
Lab 5 The Properties of Water
Notes 6 Water
WEEK 8 (October 3 – October 7)
Notes 6 Water (Continued)
Book of Life – Old World Monkeys
Lab 5 An Investigation of Unknown Liquids
Fall Break 10/10 – 10/14
WEEK 9 (October 17 – October 21)
Book of Life – New World Monkeys
Notes 7 Biomolecules
Lab 7 Molecular Models
WEEK 10 (October 24 – October 28)
Lab 7 Molecular Models (Continued)
Book of Life – Tarsiers, lemurs, Bush babies and a few more
Test 2 Notes 5 – 7; Labs 5- 7
WEEK 11 (October 31 – November 4)
Notes 8 The Cell
Lab 8 Microscopes and the Cell
WEEK 12 (November 7 – November 10)
Book of Life – Rodents and Rabbits
Notes 9 The Cell Membrane
Veteran’s day 11/11
WEEK 13 (November 14 – November 18)
Lab 9 An Investigation of Osmosis
Book of Life Laurasiatheres
Notes 10 Energy, the Cell and the Organism
WEEK 14 (November 21 – November 23)
Notes 10 Energy, the Cell and the Organism (Continued)
Test 3 Notes 8 – 10; Labs 8,9
Thanksgiving 11/24, 25
WEEK 15 (November 28 – December 2)
Lab 10 An Investigation of Enzymes
Notes 11 Ecology Basics
Book of LifeXenarthrans and Afrothers
WEEK 16 (December 5 – December 9)
An Investigation of Cellular Respiration
Notes 12 How Populations Grow and Influence Each Other
WEEK 17 (December 12 – December 16)
Book of Life - Marsupials and Monotremes
Notes 13 Population Growth of the Human Species and Human’s Influence on Other Species
Lab 11 An Investigation of Photosynthesis
WEEK 18 (December 19 – December 22)
Finals WeekNotes 1 – 13; Labs 1 -12
Semester 2Winter/Spring 2017
The agenda presented above for semester 1 is an ambitious schedule. As planned it requires students to work at a challenging pace. Working hard, we have a chance of sticking to this schedule. But even with the best of work ethic and intention, we sometimes do not reach our goal. One reason for this is that many of our labs call for student exploration (“inquiry”), which requires some degree of flexibility in regard to how the labs proceed. Other happenings, such as open ended discussions, current events, unscheduled assemblies and so forth, also sometimes leave us behind schedule. Therefore, the topics and labs that will be explored during the second semester, and the approximate placement of tests, are given below, but are not accompanied by specific dates. More specific information regarding when we will explore these topics and labs will be offered at the beginning of semester 2.
WEEKS 1 - 4 (January 9 = February 3)
Martin Luther King Jr Day 1/16
Lab 12 Flour Beetles Ecology
Notes 14 Cell Cycle
The Book of Life - Sauropsids
Notes 15 Mitosis and Meiosis
Lab 13 A Model of the Cell Cycle
The Book of Life - Amphibians
Lab 12 Flour Beetles Ecology (Continued)
Notes 16 Genes
Lab 12 Flour Beetles Ecology (Continued)
Test 1 Notes 14 – 16; Labs 12, 13
WEEKS 5 - 8 (February 6 – March 3)
Rodeo Days 2/23, 24
Notes 17 DNA Structure and Making Proteins
Lab 14 Brine Shrimp Ecology
The Book of Life – Lungfish and Coelacanths
Notes 18 DNA Replication, Mutation and Changing DNA
Lab 15 Gel Electrophoresis
The Book of Life - Ray-finned fish and Sharks and their kin
Notes 19 The History of Life
Lab 16 Bacterial Transformation
The Book of Life – Lampreys and HagfishLancelets
Test 2 Notes 17 – 19; Labs 14 - 16
WEEK 9 - 12 (March 6 – April 7)
Spring Break 3/13 – 3/17
Notes 20 Evidence of the History of Life
Video – Great Transformations Part 1
The Book of Life - Sea squirtsAmbulacrariansProtostomes
Notes 21 What Evidence Suggests Evolution
Video – Great Transformations Part 2
The Book of Life - Acoelomorph flatwormsCnidariansCtenophores
Notes 22 Evolution and the Theory of Natural Selection
Lab 17 Natural Selection
The Book of Life – Placozoans Sponges Choanoflagellates and Drips
WEEK 13 - 16 (April 10 – May 5)
Notes 23 Biological Classification
The Book of Life – FungiAmoebozoans
Test 3 Notes 19 – 22; Lab 17
Notes 24 The Kingdoms of Life
The Book of Life – Plants
Lab 18 Plant Transpiration
Notes 25 A Closer Look at Animals
The Book of Life – A bunch of stuff whose phylogeny is not
WEEK 17 (May 8 – May 12)
Notes 26 A Closer Look at Plants
The Book of Life - ArchaeaEubacteria
Lab 19 Flatworm Regeneration
WEEK 18 (May 15 – May 19)
Catch up
WEEK 19 (May 22 – May 25)
Finals WeekNotes 14 – 26; Labs 12 - 19