STANDARD 5.5 (CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE): by Grade 12
Strands with Cumulative Progress IndicatorsA. Matter, Energy and Organization in Living Systems
- Relate the structure of molecules to their function in cellular structure and metabolism.
- Explain how plants convert light energy to chemical energy.
- Describe how plants produce substances high in energy content that become the primary source of energy for life.
- Relate disease in humans and other organisms to infections or intrinsic failures of system.
B. Diversity and Biological Evolution
- Explain that through evolution the Earth's present species developed from earlier distinctly different species.
- Explain how the theory of natural selection accounts for extinction as well as an increase in the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics within a species.
C. Reproduction and Heredity
- Describe how information is encoded and transmitted in genetic material.
- Explain how genetic material can be altered by natural and/or artificial means; mutations and new gene combinations may have positive, negative, or no effect on organisms or species.
- Assess the impact of current and emerging technologies on our understanding of inherited human characteristics.
