Teks Based Staar Review - 2012

TEKS BASED STAAR REVIEW - 2012

In Biology, students conduct laboratory and field investigations, use scientific methods during investigations, and make informed decisions using critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Students in Biology study a variety of topics that include: structures and functions of cells and viruses; growth and development of organisms; cells, tissues, and organs; nucleic acids and genetics; biological evolution; taxonomy; metabolism and energy transfers in living organisms; living systems; homeostasis; and ecosystems and the environment.

Knowledge and skills.

(1) Scientific processes. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts laboratory and field investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations; and

(B) demonstrate an understanding of the use and conservation of resources and the proper disposal or recycling of materials.

(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods and equipment during laboratory and field investigations. The student is expected to:

(A) know the definition of science and understand that it has limitations, as specified in subsection (b)(2) of this section;

(B) know that hypotheses are tentative and testable statements that must be capable of being supported or not supported by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable explanatory power which have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are incorporated into theories;

(C) know scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable of being tested by multiple independent researchers. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories are well-established and highly-reliable explanations, but they may be subject to change as new areas or science and new technologies are developed;

(D) distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories;

(E) plan and implement descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations, including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;

(F) collect and organize qualitative and quantitative data and make measurements with accuracy and precision using tools such as calculators, spreadsheet software, data-collecting probes, computers, standard laboratory glassware, microscopes, various prepared slides, stereoscopes, metric rulers, electronic balances, gel electrophoresis apparatuses, micropipettors, hand lenses, Celsius thermometers, hot plates, lab notebooks or journals, timing devices, cameras, Petri dishes, lab incubators, dissection equipment, meter sticks, and models, diagrams, or samples of biological specimens or structures;

(G) analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and

(H) communicate valid conclusions supported by the data through methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology-based reports.

(3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed decisions within and outside the classroom. The student is expected to:

(A) in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student;

(B) communicate and apply scientific information extracted from various sources such as current events, news reports, published journal articles, and marketing materials;

(C) draw inferences based on data related to promotional materials for products and services;

(D) evaluate the impact of scientific research on society and the environment;

(E) evaluate models according to their limitations in representing biological objects or events; and

(F) research and describe the history of biology and contributions of scientists.

The above three TEKS are non-content. These involve process skills that you should have. About 22 questions will be dual-coded, meaning that they will reference both a content-based TEKS and a process skill.

On the pages that follow are the content-based TEKS with some explanation. The explanation is intentionally short. There should be things that you have to look up to completely review. The TEKS that are in bold-faced print are what are called Readiness Standards. That means that these will definitely be tested every year on the STAAR test. The TEKS that are not in bold-faced print are Supporting Standards which means they were taught with the Readiness Standards but will only be directly assessed every 2 to 3 years, at random.

There will be approximately 54 questions on the STAAR test with 22-25 coming from the Readiness Standards and 19-22 coming from the Supporting Standards.

Remember, you MUST pass your EOC exams (EOC = End of Course) in the STAAR system of testing to graduate. STUDY!!! STUDY!!!STUDY!!!

Cells & Cellular Processes

(4) Science concepts. The student knows that cells are the basic structures of all living things with specialized parts that perform specific functions and that viruses are different from cells. The student is expected to:

(A) compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells;

All cells have:

·  plasma membrane

·  nucleic acid (DNA)

·  ribosomes

·  cytoplasm

·  cytoskeleton

Eukaryotes have:

·  golgi

·  endoplasmic reticulum (smooth & rough)

·  vesicles

·  vacuoles

·  lysosomes

·  mitochondria

·  nucleus

·  cell wall (some)

·  cilia or flagella (some)

·  chloroplasts (some)

·  linear DNA

Eukaryotes reproduce:

·  sexually – gametes, produced through meiosis, fuse to produce genetically different offspring

·  asexually – exact copies of one parent are produced through a variety of methods that usually involve mitosis

Prokaryotes have:

·  nucleoid region

·  pili

·  flagella (some)

·  plasmids

·  capsule (some)

·  cell wall

·  circular DNA

Prokaryotes reproduce:

·  binary fission – asexual reproduction resembling mitosis

·  conjugation – exchange of genetic material through specialized pili; does NOT result in an increase in the number of cells, so technically not a form of reproduction

(B) investigate and explain cellular processes, including homeostasis, energy conversions, transport of molecules, and synthesis of new molecules; and

- homeostasis – ability of an organism to keep conditions constant even when the environment changes

- energy conversions – photosynthesis & cellular respiration; enzymes; metabolism

- transport of molecules – passive transport (diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis); active transport (sodium-potassium pumps, proton pumps, endocytosis [pinocytosis, phagocytosis], exocytosis)

- synthesis of new molecules – DNA replication, protein synthesis, photosynthesis

(C) compare the structures of viruses to cells, describe viral reproduction, and describe the role of viruses in causing diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and influenza.

Viruses have:

·  nucleic acid (DNA or RNA)

·  capsid (protein)

Cells do not have capsids and generally have both DNA and RNA

Viruses reproduce (as studied in bacteriophages):

·  lysogenic cycle – life cycle of a bacteriophage in which nucleic acid is injected into a cell where it becomes a part of the host cell’s DNA; it is replicated with the host cell’s DNA and passed along to new cells in mitosis; eventually a trigger will cause the viral DNA to be expressed and the virus enters the lytic cycle

·  lytic cycle – life cycle of a bacteriophage in which nucleic acid is injected into a cell where it is immediately translated into more viral parts, which assemble into viruses, and often the cell bursts when the new viruses are released

HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus – virus associated with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which results from an impaired immune system due to the destruction of the helper T cells produced in the thymus; HIV positive is a status indicating that the virus is present in the body, but has not begun destroying helper T cells, similar to the lysogenic cycle described in bacteriophages

-  a syndrome is a cluster of infections associated with a particular pathogen or disorder, in this case the HIV is the pathogen

-  HIV is a spherical retrovirus; retroviruses have RNA in their capsids that is transcribed into DNA with the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase; the DNA is then used by the cell in normal protein synthesis to make more viruses

Influenza – viral infection caused by a spherical virus that mutates rapidly, making it difficult to immunize against permanently; symptoms include respiratory problems (coughing, difficulty breathing) and fever, as well as body aches, chills, and lack of appetite

(5) Science concepts. The student knows how an organism grows and the importance of cell differentiation. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the stages of the cell cycle, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication and mitosis, and the importance of the cell cycle to the growth of organisms;

cell cycle – typical stages cells go through during their lifespan

·  interphase – cells spend most of their time in this phase, in which it performs the basic functions unique to that cell type as well as protein synthesis & cellular respiration; divided into

o  G1 – the cell grows and performs the functions it normally does

o  S – synthesis; DNA replication - in the nucleus, resulting in 2 identical copies of each chromosome joined together by a centromere and called sister chromatids, which are separated in mitosis

§  helicase

§  DNA polymerase

§  ligase

§  leading & lagging strand; 5’à3’; Okasaki fragments

o  G2 – the cell continues to grow and prepare for cell division

·  mitosis – nuclear division with 3 important functions – growth, repair, and asexual reproduction; 4 phases

o  prophase – chromosomes composed of 2 sister chromatids condense and become visible

o  metaphase – chromosomes line up at the middle of the cell

o  anaphase – sister chromatids are separated

o  telophase – sister chromatids reach opposite poles, nuclear membrane reforms, chromosomes uncoil

·  cytokinesis – division of the cytoplasm that usually follows mitosis (or meiosis)

(B)  examine specialized cells, including roots, stems, and leaves of plants; and animal cells such as blood, muscle, and epithelium;

specialized cells are found in the following tissues/organs as described below:

·  roots – root cap, zone of cell division, zone of elongation, zone of maturation/differentiation (including root epithelium with root hairs to increase surface area and water absorption); the stele (xylem & phloem vascular bundle) runs through the roots; apical meristem (perpetual embryonic tissue that continuously divides) is present at the root tips & referred to as the zone of cell division

·  stems – can be herbaceous (soft) or woody (having lignin and specialized layers such as cork and bark); have epithelium; the stele is present through the length of the stems; apical meristem is present at the tips for primary growth

·  leaves – organs of photosynthesis; typically flat blades to increase light absorption for photosynthesis; cuticle, epithelium, palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, guard cells, stomata, xylem, phloem; transpiration

·  blood – connective tissue in which red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended in plasma; carries nutrients from small intestine and oxygen from alveoli to all cells of the body where it picks up nitrogenous waste from protein digestion and carbon dioxide from cellular respiration

·  muscle – specialized cells involved in movement; made of protein fibers composed of actin and myosin that slide past each other, allowing muscle tissue to contract and relax; 3 types

o  smooth – involuntary, spindle-shaped cells that line the tracts of the body (such as the digestive tract) and is involved in moving substances (such as food) through a system

o  skeletal – voluntary, striated tissue that is often multinucleate; it is attached to bones with tendons and allows organisms to move, particularly their limbs and other jointed locations (like the jaw)

o  cardiac – involuntary, branched, striated tissue that is joined by specialized structures called intercalated disks that allow electrical messages to be passed to every cell so that it contracts in unison; found only in the heart

·  epithelium – tissue composed of epithelial cells that covers the inside and outside of organisms; skin is epithelium, as is the lining of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive, and excretory tracts; offers protection from substances entering or leaving an organ due to tight junctions that join the cells together, as well as the source of specialized structures such as ciliated cells of the respiratory tract

(C)  describe the roles of DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA), and environmental factors in cell differentiation; and

·  every cell has all of the chromosomes with all of their genes

·  cells are different depending on which genes are expressed and which genes are not expressed

·  the decisions of which genes are expressed and which genes are not is made early in the embryonic development, based on environmental signals that result in chemical groups being added onto parts of the chromosome that prevents some genes from ever being expressed

·  embryonic stem cells are cells that still have the ability to become any kind of cell because they have not had any of the chemical groups bonded onto their chromosomes; totipotent

·  adult stem cells are cells such as those in the bone marrow that have the ability to become several different kinds of cells because they have had some genes disabled, but not enough to make them a particular type of cell; pleuripotent

(D)  recognize that disruptions of the cell cycle lead to diseases such as cancer.

·  checkpoints are places in the cell cycle where chemical signals either pause the cell cycle or force it to continue to the next stage; these chemical signals are coded for by genes; when these genes are mutated and the signals are either produced in excess (like a stuck accelerator) or not produced enough (like broken brakes), the cell cycle goes out of control

·  when the cell cycle is out of control, cancer results

Molecular Genetics & Heredity

(6) Science concepts. The student knows the mechanisms of genetics, including the role of nucleic acids and the principles of Mendelian Genetics. The student is expected to:

(A) identify components of DNA, and describe how information for specifying the traits of an organism is carried in the DNA;

- traits are coded for by sequence or order of the nucleotides in the DNA (the GCTA)

- DNA is composed of nucleotides held together by hydrogen bonds across the double helix (A-T, G-C)

- a nucleotide is composed of a 5-C sugar (deoxyribose or ribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base (GCATU)

- the sides of the DNA molecule are held together with covalent bonds between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate group of another nucleotide