The student will make planned oral presentations.

1. Include definitions to increase clarity.
2. Use relevant details to support main ideas.
3. Illustrate main ideas through anecdotes and examples.
4. Cite information sources.
5. Make impromptu responses to questions about presentation.
6. Use grammatically correct language including vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose.

The student will make informative and persuasive presentations.

1. Gather and organize evidence to support a position.
2. Present evidence clearly and convincingly.
3. Support and defend ideas in public forums.
4. Use grammatically correct language including vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose.

The student will read and analyze a variety of informational materials.

1. Use information from texts to clarify or refine understanding of academic concepts.
2. Read and follow directions to complete an application for college admission, for a scholarship, or for employment.
3. Apply concepts and use vocabulary in informational and technical materials to complete a task.
4. Generalize ideas from selections to make predictions about other texts.
5. Analyze information from a text to draw conclusions.

The student will make a 5-10 minute formal oral presentation.

1. Choose the purpose of the presentation: to defend a position, to entertain an audience, or to explain information.
2. Use a well-structured narrative or logical argument.
3. Use details, illustrations, statistics, comparisons, and analogies to support purposes.
4. Use visual aids or technology to support presentation.
5. Use grammatically correct language, including vocabulary appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose.

The student will demonstrate knowledge of personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life by

1. practicing trustworthiness and honesty;
2. practicing courtesy and respect for the rights of others;
3. practicing responsibility, accountability, and self-reliance;
4. practicing respect for the law;
5. practicing patriotism.

The student will investigate and understand the history of biological concepts. Key concepts include

1. evidence supporting the cell theory;
2. scientific explanations of the development of organisms through time (biological evolution);
3. evidence supporting the germ theory of infectious disease;
4. development of the structural model of DNA ; and
5. the collaborative efforts of scientists, past and present.

The student will investigate and understand the chemical and biochemical principles essential for life. Key concepts include

1. water chemistry and its impact on life processes;
2. the structure and function of macromolecules;
3. the nature of enzymes; and
4. the capture, storage, and transformation and flow of energy through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.

The student will investigate and understand life functions of monerans, protists, fungi, plants, and animals, including humans. Key concepts include

1. how their structures and function vary between and within the kingdoms; ;
2. comparison of their metabolic activities;
3. analyses of their responses to the environment;
4. maintenance of homeostasis;
5. human health issues, human anatomy, body systems, and life functions; and
6. how viruses compare with organisms.

The student will investigate and understand common mechanisms of inheritance and protein synthesis. Key concepts include

1. cell growth and division;
2. gamete formation;
3. cell specialization;
4. prediction of inheritance of traits based on the Mendelian laws of heredity;
5. genetic variation (mutation, recombination, deletions, additions to DNA) ;
6. the structure, function, and replication of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA);
7. events involved in the construction of proteins;
8. use, limitations, and misuse of genetic information; and
9. exploration of the impact of DNA technologies.

The student will investigate and understand bases for modern classification systems. Key concepts include

1. structural similarities in organisms;
2. fossil record interpretation;
3. comparison of developmental stages in different organisms;
4. examination of biochemical similarities and differences among organisms; and
5. systems of classification that are adaptable to new scientific discoveries.