10 Honors Biology is the College Preparatory course usually for Sophomores, while 10 Biology is the course for the general student who is unsure of future plans. It is the core of the Biology Programs at CSD and is the prerequisite course for all of your upper level studies. The curriculum has been developed to reflect the Maryland High School Assessment Test .

The 10 Honors Assignment Page and 10 Assignment Page contains all of the units to be studied. The Classroom Instruction, Homework , Lab and Reference sections have the information and links to cover each Chapter from the text. Though textbooks are different and the depth of course presentations varies, the same Maryland Assessment is administered to all biology students. Therefore, the Internet resource materials are basically the same for both courses, but wil be assigned differently based on which of the two courses the student is taking. The following is a course overview:

Biology is the study of life and living things. Life is a chemical process and living things are the material result of the interactive chemistry and physics. From what we can determine life appears to have appeared on earth roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago. It has been making its cellular way on this planet using gene directed metabolic activities in an ever changing environment producing diverse biological phenotypes (physical appearance of the organism).

Underlying these phenotyes is a chemical system with adaptive abilities. Life appears to depend on variation and diversity within a species. The differences in living things are the result of reproductive practices and genetic actions that are "tested" in the natural world by selective agents of different kinds. Natural Selection, as Darwin referred to it, creates situations where phenotypes interact with environmental factors that can ultimately determine the fate of individuals and hence populations. This process appears to have fashioned the life forms that we see and the lifestyles that they display.

With evolution as the core of Biology this course will describe the current thinking on the living systems on earth. Their chemical and physical origins, cellular structure and function, metabolic interactions, genetic operations, and environmental relationships. The program is coupled to a laboratory component to demonstrate and support the subject matter. The significance of historical events that have lead to our current understandings are an integral part of instruction. The daily classroom uses integrated technology and multimedia presentations to transfer pertinent knowledge to students to help you develop more global thinking when it comes to the living world.

Biology is a science that requires a knowledge of facts in order to reason and problem solve. There will never be a time when you will know too much in the study of life. It is imperative that you seek resources other than your textbook and classroom activities to become proficient as a student of the life sciences. This site will help you seek out other resources as you pursue your biological education. Come back often and feel free to E-mail me with any suggestions that you may have on how to improve on what you find here. Enjoy!