BSCS Biology: Unit 5 Overview

BSCS Biology:
A Human Approach
Fourth edition, © 2011 by BSCS
Unit 5 Overview
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I
n unit 5, Development: Growth and
Differentiation in Living Systems,
the students will have the opportunity to explore growth and differentiation in living systems. In
chapter 13, Processes and Patterns of
Development, students will examine
general principles of growth and
differentiation across a diversity of
organisms as they consider developmental processes and patterns. In
chapter 14, The Human Life Span,
students will explore the life stages of
humans from birth through old age.
They also will make observations of
humans at specific life stages and learn
about the social expression of life
stages in other cultures.
For this unit, the students
should receive the Unit 5
Assessment before they begin
chapter 13. This procedure provides
the students with the opportunity to
direct and monitor their own learning.
Specific suggestions about the use of
the Unit 5 Assessment can be found in
the Guide to Assessment. You will also
find suggestions for how to guide
student work around the
Unit 5 Assessment in the Preparations
sections of selected chapter 13 and 14
activities.
Advance Preparation for
the Unit
Unit 5 focuses on growth and
­differentiation in living systems,
which will challenge students to
consider development as more than
simply a process of getting larger.
The BSCS 5E instructional model
used throughout this program offers
opportunities for teachers and students to develop biologically correct
understandings about development in
humans and other organisms.
We have heard from teachers
and school districts that unit 5 of
BSCS Biology: A Human Approach
is frequently skipped due to time
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I
n unit 4, Continuity: Reproduction and Inheritance
in Living Systems, you learned about genetic
processes that allow for continuity from one
generation to the next and for change in species over
evolutionary time. In unit 5, Development: Growth
and Differentiation in Living Systems, you will explore
developmental processes that allow organisms to
slowly change from a fertilized egg to an adult. In
chapter 13, Processes and Patterns of Development, you
will learn how processes that make cells different
from one another underlie the development of tis­
sues, organs, and organisms. In chapter 14, The
Human Life Span, you will focus on changes in
human growth and development from birth through
old age. You also will explore human life stages in
other cultures to learn how culture influences the
expression of life stages. In this unit, you will revisit
your critter and participate in a multicultural fair.
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constraints. We urge you to c­ arefully
consider including this unit or portions of it. The unit is closely tied
to the National Science Education
Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Importantly, the benchmarks (­American Association for the
Advancement of Science [AAAS], 2001)
for students in grades 9 through 12
include understanding that embryonic
development unfolds as a succession
of mitotic cycles that result in increasing numbers of cells. In the chapter 13
Elaborate activity, Development Gone
Awry, the students will investigate the
consequences that can result when
developmental errors occur. In that
context, they will consider common risk-taking behaviors that affect
developmental processes as well as
Unit 5 Development: Growth and Differentiation in Living Systems
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their possible long-term effects. The
­benchmarks for grades 9 through 12
(AAAS, 2001) include understanding
that the decisions of one generation
may come to bear on another generation. This concept is brought to the
forefront in the chapter 13 essays that
describe choices that can lead to birth
defects or cancer.
Before you begin
this unit, review the
Unit 5 Assessment,
which outlines the preparations you
will need to make in the classroom,
including ordering and caring for live
embryos. The Unit 5 Assessment is
designed to be used in a formative
manner to guide students’ learning
throughout the unit. Distribute the
assessment before students begin
U N I T
5
Development:
Growth and
Differentiation in
Living Systems
By the end of unit 5, you should be
able to understand how
✔ cells divide through a process
known as mitosis;
✔ embryonic development
involves processes of growth and
differentiation;
✔ humans grow and develop in
different ways through life
(physically, cognitively,
emotionally, and socially);
culture
influences how human
✔
life stages are interpreted and
experienced; and
✔ as scientists answer specific
questions, knowledge
accumulates to address larger
questions.
UNIT CONTENTS
13 Processes and Patterns
of Development
14 The Human Life Span
13 14
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Unit Goals
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chapter 13 and allow them to use it as
a learning tool. Part A of the assessment contains instructions, in activity
form, for setting up live organism
observations, which will provide living
examples of developmental principles.
We suggest students begin work on
part A no later than the first chapter 13
Explore-Explain activity, A Start in
Development. See the Unit 5 Assessment
package in the Guide to Assessment for
detailed instructions.
For the chapter 14 activity, G
­ rowing
Up—What Does That Mean?, (first
Explore), you will need to determine
whether your school district has
specific guidelines and regulations for
students conducting observations of
people. If your district has a research
division, it may be able to advise you.
The activities, A View of Life (second
Explore) and Cultural Diversity in the
Human Life Span (Elaborate-Evaluate),
also require special arrangements for
students to conduct interviews and use
resources on different cultures to contribute projects to a multicultural fair;
see the Preparations section for each of
these activities.
Video segments are featured in all
of the chapter 13 activities (except the
Evaluate, Development in Your Critter)
and in the chapter 14 Engage activity,
A Century of Photographs. If needed,
reserve a computer with Web access in
advance. You may also wish to reserve
computers for students to conduct
Web research for the chapter 13 Elaborate activity, Development Gone Awry.
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Unit 5 Development: Growth and Differentiation in Living Systems
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