1. Welcome to Introduction to Biology
Ms. Carballosa

2. Science What is Science?
Science is an organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world.
It is a way of thinking and knowing about the world.
Science is a process, not a “thing”.
Comes from the latin word scientia, which means “knowledge”

3. What are the goals of Science?
One goal of science is to provide natural explanations for events in the natural world. (Learn all there is to know)
Science also aims to use those explanations to understand patterns in nature and to make useful predictions about natural events. (Rearrange it to suit our needs)

4. How do you “know” about something?
Where does knowledge come from?
What does it mean to say that science is a process?
Do you think the phrase “a way of knowing” accurately describes science as a method of learning?

5. Science vs non-science
Non-science/psuedoscience
Explanations suggest supernatural phenomena.
Explanations based on belief.
It deals only with the natural world.
Scientists collect and organize information in an orderly way, looking for patterns and connections among events.
Scientists propose explanations that are based on evidence, not belief.

6. What is Biology? Biology is the study of life
How to identify living things…
bio means “life”
logy means “study of”
What role does science play in the study of life?
Examples
Bird flu
Illegal drugs
Cloning human cells
Living things are made up of basic units called cells
are based on a universal genetic code
obtain and use materials and energy
grow and develop
Reproduce
respond to their environment
maintain a stable internal environment
change over time.

7. The Heart of Science Scientific Methodology Involves:
observing and asking questions
making inferences and forming hypotheses
conducting controlled experiments
collecting and analyzing data
and drawing conclusions.

8. What are the central themes of biology?
Big Ideas in Biology
What are the central themes of biology?
The study of biology revolves around several interlocking big ideas:
The cellular basis of life
Information and heredity
Matter and energy
Growth, development,
& reproduction
Homeostasis
Evolution
Structure and function
Unity and diversity of life
Interdependence in nature
And science as a way of knowing

9. Class independent assignment
Objective:
Identify and describe the central themes of biology.
How:
I will assign each one of you a biology textbook number
Use the format on the right.
You will turn to page 21 and follow the instructions the right.

10. Independent Assignment

11. Experimental Design

12. Lab Safety Rules

13. Controlling Variables
Why is it important to control variables?
If several variables are changed in the experiment, researchers can’t tell which variable is responsible for any results they observe.
The variable that is deliberately changed is called the Independent variable (manipulated variable).
The variable that is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable is called the dependent variable (responding variable)

14. Identifying variables
Next, we will identify the independent variable and dependent variable in a simulated experiment using Gizmos!

15. Consider this question…
Does the amount of sleep a student gets affect how well that student does in school?
Design an experiment that would address the question.
Write a short summary of the procedure it would follow.

16. Where do we find reliable resources for background information/research?
Scientific articles
Scientific journals
Peer-reviewed