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    From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms. HS-LS1-2

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • SL.11-12.5 - Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. (HS-LS1-2)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • How We Get Our Skin Color

    This lesson is designed as a supporting resource for the HHMI resource, The Biology of Skin Color.  The interactive animation describes how and where melanin is produced and includes five stop points where students can learn more information. &n ...

  • Enzymes Help Us Digest Food

    This lesson is a sequence of learning activities that support student understanding of the role of enzymes in the digestive system and how the digestive system is supported by the circulatory system to provide nutrients to all cells. The lesson plan ...

  • Designing a Digestive System

    This interactive simulation of the human digestive system provides student the opportunity to understand the coordination of the parts of the digestive system to perform the overall function of this body system. In the simulation students manipulate ...

  • Which Will Dry Out Last Assessment Probe

    This is one of 25 assessment probes from the book, “Uncovering Student Ideas in Life Science, Volume 1: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes,” by Page Keeley and co-authors. All assessment probes in this collection are aligned to a particular science c ...

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  •  New from BioInteractive Infectious Diseases and Viruses ...

    Extra! Extra! Hot off the presses! Presenting newly released and FREE classroom-ready resources and strategies for incorporating infectious diseases and viruses in your classroom. All of these HHMI BioInteractive resources are aligned with the NGSS, ...

  •  Of Mice and Men Engaging HS Students in Biomedical Scie ...

    Understanding the immune system and how diseases develop will help students long after they have left your classroom. This session introduced free modules that help students understand these concepts and more, including the use of animals in biomedic...

  •  Exploring Ocean Frontiers: A New England Story for Sust ...

    Four secondary lessons that accompany the documentary film, Ocean Frontiers II. Part 2 of a 3-part set for the film series.

  •  Cell Membrane Structure and Function

    This activity includes two hands-on experiments and numerous analysis and discussion questions to help students understand how the molecular composition and organization of a cell membrane result in its selective permeability. In the hands-on experim...

  •  Summary of Cell: Animal - Energy & Storage

    The goal of the Animal Cell virtual labs are to allow students to examine a cell at the microscopic level. Students conduct investigations to learn how organelles work together to sustain the cell’s functions.

  •  Summary of Cell: Animal - Function

    The goal of the Animal Cell virtual labs are to allow students to examine a cell at the microscopic level. Students conduct investigations to learn how organelles work together to sustain the cell’s functions.

  •  Summary of Cell: Plant - Energy & Storage

    The goal of the Plant Cell virtual labs are to allow students to examine a cell at the microscopic level. Students conduct investigations to learn how organelles work together to sustain the cell’s functions.

  •  Summary of Cell: Plant - Function

    The goal of the Plant Cell virtual labs are to allow students to examine a cell at the microscopic level. Students conduct investigations to learn how organelles work together to sustain the cell’s functions.

  •  Free & affordable life science resources for learning a ...

    Animalearn has compiled free & affordable life science education resources so you can learn or teach from home. Biology, anatomy, life cycle, and more.

  •  3D Molecular Designs - The Science of Coronaviruses

    This free, four-part series includes videos, hands-on modeling activities and computer visualization tutorials that students can do in the classroom or at home.

  •  Coronaviruses – What They Are and How They Can Make You ...

    This analysis and discussion activity introduces students to the novel coronavirus. Students learn how coronaviruses replicate. They learn about immune responses to a coronavirus infection and the effects on the respiratory and circulatory systems. T...

  •  Levels of Organization in Biology

    This activity uses the example of a flock of pelicans in flight to illustrate how analysis at multiple levels of organization enhances our understanding of a biological phenomenon. Through an interactive whole-class discussion of PowerPoint slides, s...

  •  Jim Allison: Breakthrough - Film and Educators Toolkit

    Jim Allison: Breakthrough is an award-winning documentary that tells the moving, true story of one warm-hearted, stubborn scientist’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer. Breakthrough highlights how courage, passion, determination, collaboratio...

Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.