This course is designed to emphasize the study of the interrelationships of living organisms with respect to their environment. Students will engage in laboratory investigations, scientific discussions, and phenomena based instruction in order to apply science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to explain cell structures and processes, ecosystem interactions, inheritance of traits, and evolution. Students will use observations, experiments, models, theories, and technology to make sense of the natural world. Emphasis is placed on important biological and geophysical phenomena that support the understanding of the cycling of matter and flow of energy in living organisms, gene expression, and biodiversity. This course will also involve students developing solutions to authentic problem-based life science issues and investigations, while exploring career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This course is designed to have a general education teacher work in collaboration with a special educator in order to ensure that both general education and special education students have access to the general education curriculum while incorporating instructional practices and strategies to meet the needs of all students.
