Course Overview

The Bloom Institute Introduction to Biology course will cover elements of the California Science Framework for Biology and Common Core/Next Generation Science Standards. Throughout the course, students will utilize their critical thinking skills, explore content, and develop mastery of content with a deep level of comprehension. 

In addition to mastery of the content listed above, students will develop the academic behaviors necessary for success in future high school courses and in college. We will use the class to refine note taking skills, organization, reflection, revision, and research. Together, we will hone our reading, writing, and presenting skills within the context of science. Lastly, we are all in this together; supporting each other as we work individually, collaborating as we work in pairs and bringing out the best in each other as we work in teams in discussions, projects, or activities.

The three big ideas studied in this course are:

1. Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
2. Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.
3. Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.

Course Outline/Units of Study

Content that will be covered in this course includes:

Course Features: 

The Introduction to Biology course will include the following features to promote understanding of the different aspects of startups and businesses, as well as plenty of engaging and interactive activities to solidify the lessons learned. 

1. A series of discussions/lectures on fundamental biology topics. 
2. A set of various activities such as icebreakers, worksheets, projects, demonstrations, and more as supplement to the lessons. 
3. A culminating final project where students will encapsulate their understanding of the lessons by creating and sharing their own interactive presentations, models, or experiments that demonstrate key biological concepts.

Course Calendar: 

All classes will be held on Saturdays and Sundays (Jun 14th – Aug 9th) for one hour over zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 PM PT.