Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from nonliving things.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.2: Describe and explain the structures and functions of the human body at different organizational levels (e.g., systems, tissues, cells, organelles).

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 1.2a: Important levels of organization for structure and function include organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and whole organisms.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 1.2f: Cells have particular structures that perform specific jobs. These structures perform the actual work of the cell. Just as systems are coordinated and work together, cell parts must also be coordinated and work together.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 1.2g: Each cell is covered by a membrane that performs a number of important functions for the cell. These include: separation from its outside environment, controlling which molecules enter and leave the cell, and recognition of chemical signals. The processes of diffusion and active transport are important in the movement of materials in and out of cells.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 1.2i: Inside the cell a variety of specialized structures, formed from many different molecules, carry out the transport of materials (cytoplasm), extraction of energy from nutrients (mitochondria), protein building (ribosomes), waste disposal (cell membrane), storage (vacuole), and information storage (nucleus).

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.3: Explain how a one-celled organism is able to function despite lacking the levels of organization present in more complex organisms.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 1.3a: The structures present in some single-celled organisms act in a manner similar to the tissues and systems found in multicellular organisms, thus enabling them to perform all of the life processes needed to maintain homeostasis.

Key Idea 3: Individual organisms and species change over time.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 3.1: Explain the mechanisms and patterns of evolution.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 3.1a: The basic theory of biological evolution states that the Earth’s present-day species developed from earlier, distinctly different species.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 3.1e: Natural selection and its evolutionary consequences provide a scientific explanation for the fossil record of ancient life-forms, as well as for the molecular and structural similarities observed among the diverse species of living organisms.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 3.1j: Billions of years ago, life on Earth is thought by many scientists to have begun as simple, single-celled organisms. About a billion years ago, increasingly complex multicellular organisms began to evolve.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 3.1k: Evolution does not necessitate long-term progress in some set direction. Evolutionary changes appear to be like the growth of a bush: Some branches survive from the beginning with little or no change, many die out altogether, and others branch repeatedly, sometimes giving rise to more complex organisms.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 3.1l: Extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient to allow its survival. Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived long ago are extinct. Extinction of species is common; most of the species that have lived on Earth no longer exist.

Key Idea 5: Organisms maintain a dynamic equilibrium that sustains life.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 5.1: Explain the basic biochemical processes in living organisms and their importance in maintaining dynamic equilibrium.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 5.1b: Plant cells and some one-celled organisms contain chloroplasts, the site of photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis uses solar energy to combine the inorganic molecules carbon dioxide and water into energy-rich organic compounds (e.g., glucose) and release oxygen to the environment.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 5.1c: In all organisms, organic compounds can be used to assemble other molecules such as proteins, DNA, starch, and fats. The chemical energy stored in bonds can be used as a source of energy for life processes.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 5.1d: In all organisms, the energy stored in organic molecules may be released during cellular respiration. This energy is temporarily stored in ATP molecules. In many organisms, the process of cellular respiration is concluded in mitochondria, in which ATP is produced more efficiently, oxygen is used, and carbon dioxide and water are released as wastes.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 5.1e: The energy from ATP is used by the organism to obtain, transform, and transport materials, and to eliminate wastes.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 5.3: Relate processes at the system level to the cellular level in order to explain dynamic equilibrium in multicelled organisms.

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 5.3a: Dynamic equilibrium results from detection of and response to stimuli. Organisms detect and respond to change in a variety of ways both at the cellular level and at the organismal level.

KEY IDEA 1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative process

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.1: Elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent one's thinking.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.2: Hone ideas through reasoning, library research, and discussion with others, including experts

KEY IDEA 3: The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into natural phenomena.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 3.1: Use various methods of representing and organizing observations (e.g. diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, equations matrices) and insightfully interpret the organized data

Follows safety rules in the laboratory

Uses a compound microscope/stereoscope effectively to see specimens clearly, using different magnifications: Identifies and compares parts of a variety of cells

Uses a compound microscope/stereoscope effectively to see specimens clearly, using different magnifications: Compares relative sizes of cells and organelles

Uses a compound microscope/stereoscope effectively to see specimens clearly, using different magnifications: Prepares wet-mount slides and uses appropriate staining techniques

Organizes data through the use of data tables and graphs

Analyzes results from observations/expressed data

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text. 

Reading: Craft and Structure

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

Reading: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently

Writing: Range of Writing

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.