From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes *
Understanding the characteristics of life is the unifying theme of biology Before starting Instructional Segment (IS) 1, teachers should assess what students know about the characteristics of life For example, working in small groups, students can sort pictures of living and nonliving things into two categories and support an argument [SEP-7] for where they put each item Objects can include plants, insects, mammals, electronics, plastic toys, as well as unusual examples and outliers such as a sponge, rock, lichen, tunicates, snakeskin, molds, and/or a skeleton Students in a group come to a consensus as to what goes in each category and why After presenting the group’s thinking to the entire class and listening to the thinking of their classmates, students re-sort the items Groups discuss the similarities and differences between the living organisms Instructional segment 1 also builds on other key ideas in life science that students engaged in during the middle grades including (1) models of cells and how they interact in multicellular organisms (MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-2 and MS-LS1-3) and (2) the ability to explain the role of genes and how changes in them (mutations) can cause a change in the proteins a cell constructs (MS-LS3-1 and MS-LS3-2) Formative assessments at the beginning of the course will help teachers determine what level of detail they will need to revisit to help students succeed.
California Department of Education. 2018. 2016 California Science Framework Chapter 8. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education, 1031-1032.
Big Idea Success Criteria
The categories and their related standards below unpack the success criteria of this big idea.
Guiding Questions
- How does the structure of DNA affect how cells look and behave?
- How do systems work in a multi-celled organism and what happens if there is a change in the system?
- How do organisms survive even when there are changes in their environment?
Primary Standards
- HS-LS1-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins, which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include identification of specific cell or tissue types, whole body systems, specific protein structures and functions, or the biochemistry of protein synthesis.]
- HS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on functions at the organism system level such as nutrient uptake, water delivery, and organism movement in response to neural stimuli. An example of an interacting system could be an artery depending on the proper function of elastic tissue and smooth muscle to regulate and deliver the proper amount of blood within the circulatory system.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include interactions and functions at the molecular or chemical reaction level.]
- HS-LS1-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis. [Clarification Statement: Examples of investigations could include heart rate response to exercise, stomate response to moisture and temperature, and root development in response to water levels.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the cellular processes involved in the feedback mechanism.]
Guiding Questions
- How do organisms grow?
- How do cells create exact copies of themselves?
Primary Standards
- HS-LS1-4. Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific gene control mechanisms or rote memorization of the steps of mitosis.]
- HS-LS3-1. Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the phases of meiosis or the biochemical mechanism of specific steps in the process.]
Guiding Questions
- How do living things acquire energy and matter for life?
- How do organisms store energy?
- How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration connected?
- How do organisms use the raw materials they ingest from the environment?
Primary Standards
- HS-LS1-5. Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on illustrating inputs and outputs of matter and the transfer and transformation of energy in photosynthesis by plants and other photosynthesizing organisms Examples of models could include diagrams, chemical equations, and conceptual models ] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific biochemical steps.]
- HS-LS1-6. Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using evidence from models and simulations to support explanations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the details of the specific chemical reactions or identification of macromolecules.]
- HS-LS1-7. Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the conceptual understanding of the inputs and outputs of the process of cellular respiration.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment should not include identification of the steps or specific processes involved in cellular respiration.]
California Department of Education. 2018. 2016 California Science Framework Chapter 8. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education, 1029-1036.
Alternative Means of Expression
The following options give educators and IEP teams viable alternative means of expression a student could use when showing their understanding of this big idea. Much of the initiative team’s approach to identifying options centered on developing or adopting performance tasks to show what assessment might look like for this big idea.
Remember, LEAs adopt their own policies related to how a student meets the requirements for graduation. Educators and IEP teams should explore these resources with knowledge of these local policies.
Sample Coursework
Project Created Performance Task
Alternate Means of Expression Option 1 is a performance task created by the project team that represents a viable alternate means of expression a school, district, teacher, or IEP team could utilize as an assessment option for this big idea.
Performance Tasks
Alternate Means of Expression Option 2 represent either a single performance task or a set of performance tasks that have been curated from publicly available task repositories that can be used as a viable assessment option.
Bring Your Own Task (BYOT)
A Call to IEP Teams
We want students’ IEP team members to share their ideas regarding viable alternative means of expression pertaining to this big idea for students with disabilities, including those eligible for the CAA, these teams serve. IEP teams can define viable alternative means of expression for an individual student with an IEP, as long as these mediums meet the local requirements of the coursework.
A Call to Content-based Educators
In addition to IEP teams, we know secondary teachers and district curriculum leads have a wealth of experience and ideas related to innovative ways to assess students’ understanding of this content. We are interested in sample alternative means of expression this community sees as viable assessments of this big idea.
Please use the entry boxes below to share these ideas.
Important Note —These assessment tools will not be shared outside the review of the initiative team and will remain the intellectual property of the users who have made this submission. Furthermore, feedback or comments from the initiative team will not be given to uploaded content, nor does uploading materials imply that the alternative means of expression strategy is a viable option for this big idea.
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