Biology J Web Page

Overview of Bio J

Biology J meets 3 double periods per week (blocks).  Block scheduling permits me to integrate activities within normal lecture discussion periods.  A second advantage is that labs can be scheduled any of the three days when the timing is appropriate, vs. a "scheduled" day each week, which may or may not correspond with the lecture topic.

The text used for this course is Biology (Miller and Levine)

Biology J begins with the scientific method, characteristics of life, and organizational hierarchy of living things (atoms to the biosphere).

Each stage of the organizational hierarchy is then discussed in greater detail.  We begin with inorganic and organic molecules and then move to cell structure and parts of the cell.

Bacterial cellular structure is compared to viral structure.  Students will have a large poster project on Bacterial/Viral diseases in humans.

A brief section on evolution looks at the transition from organic molecules to life, and then the differentiation between procaryotic and eucaryotic cells and the complexity of lifeforms that contain each cell type. The reasons for evolution and the need for sexual vs. asexual reproduction to maintain diversity in a species is discusssed.

A large amount of time is spent on cell structure and the function of organelles and biomolecules within the cell.  Protein synthesis and gene structure and function are discussed and demonstrated in detail and several lab exercises highlight the steps and products of protein synthesis.  Photosynthesis and respiration are also covered in detail.

During the third marking period, the emphasis is on multicellular organisms including plants and humans. Multicellular structures and their functions, including tissues, organs, and organ systems are illustrated.

The final section of this course is ecological interactions. As a final project students will work in groups to create dioramas and powerpoint presentations of biomes.