SC15.BIO.13

Science (2015) Grade(s): 09-12 - Biology

Engaging in Argument from Evidence; Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Patterns

Students know:

Historical systems of classification (Aristotle, Linnaeus).
Taxa are organized into a hierarchal system—each taxa contained within another, arranged from broadest to most specific.(domain ← kingdom ← phylum ← class ← order ← family ← genus ← species)
Characteristics of living things: made of cells, obtain and use energy, grow and develop, reproduce, respond to their environment, adapt to their environment.
Viruses do not exhibit all the characteristics of life: they do not possess cells, nor are they cells, they have no organelles to take in nutrients or use energy, they cannot make proteins, they cannot move, and they cannot replicate on their own.

Students are able to:

Organize items based on physical characteristics and/or DNA sequences, etc. and communicate reasoning to others.
Design a classification scheme (e.g., dichotomous key) for a collection of common but not necessarily related objects.
Correctly write an organism's name using binomial nomenclature.
Research viruses using a variety of sources—analysis should include viral life cycles, reproductive strategies and their structure and function.
Argue from evidence whether a virus is living or not.

Students understand that:

Biologists find it easier to communicate and retain information about organisms when organisms are organized into groups.
Though viruses exhibit several of the characteristics of life, they are not considered to be living things and are not included in the biological classification system.