High School Biology

The Biology curriculum unit is composed of six 45-minute lessons and is designed to fit with the ecology unit of most introductory biology courses. This unit covers the high school NGSS standards HS LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS LS2-6, and HS LS2-7 as well as most SEP’s and CCC’s.

As part of these materials, students will:

  1. Explore factors that impact relationships between plant populations and wildfire
  2. Develop explanations for how invasive grasses and wildfire frequency are impacting the biodiversity, carrying capacity, and ecological stability in Nevada
  3. Have the option to spend a class period collecting plant population data around their school campus or a nearby field site
  4. Develop and evaluate a land management plan to increase the wildfire resilience of a Nevada community
  5. Learn about career opportunities that conduct the science or resilience actions featured in these lessons

High School Biology Executive Summary

Overview Documents

1. Biology Overview and Table of Contents

2. Biology Parent Letter

3. Wildfire Trauma-Informed Teacher Information

Download All Biology Unit Materials

High School Biology Curriculum

Lesson 1: Plant Populations

Lesson 1 (Plant Populations) PowerPoint

Lesson 1 (Plant Populations) Student Worksheet

Lesson 1 (Plant Populations) Wildfire Preparedness Homework Assignment

Biology Unit Vocabulary

Cheatgrass Reading

Bottlebrush Squirreltail Reading

Pinyon Pine Reading

Sagebrush Reading

(Challenge Option) Emberville Succession Activity Without Cheatgrass

Lesson 2: Biodiversity

Lesson 2 (Biodiversity) PowerPoint

Lesson 2 (Biodiversity) Student Information Sheet

Lesson 2 (Biodiversity) Student Worksheet

Graph Decoder

Quadrat Surveys Pre-Lab Reference Pictures

Quadrat Surveys Pre-Lab Worksheet

Lesson 3: Field Activity

Quadrat Survey Data Sheet

Quadrat Survey Plant Field Guide

Defensible Space Survey Instructions

Defensible Space Graph Paper Worksheet

Tree Survey Worksheet

Lesson 4: Carrying Capacity

Lesson 4 (Carrying Capacity) PowerPoint

Lesson 4 (Carrying Capacity) Student Worksheet

Matchstick Model Forest Demonstration Instructions

(Optional) Matchstick Model Forest Full Lesson Activity Guide

Lesson 5: Design a Land Management Plan

Lesson 5 (Land Management Plan) PowerPoint

Lesson 5 (Land Management Plan) Stability CER Worksheet

Lesson 5 (Land Management Plan) Student Information Sheet

Lesson 5 (Land Management Plan) Student Worksheet

Lesson 5 (Land Management Plan) Budget Spreadsheet

Lesson 6: Peer Evaluations

Lesson 6 (Peer Evaluations) PowerPoint

Lesson 6 (Peer Evaluation) Student Worksheet

Biology Wildfire Unit Final Assessment

Sample Biology Final Exam

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