G. Scott Hunter - Regents Living Environment Power Pack Revised Edition

Gregory Scott Hunter, M.A.
has served New York State public education as

Superintendent of Schools
Chatham Central School District
Chatham, New York

Superintendent of Schools
Mexico Academy and Central School District
Mexico, New York

School Business Administrator and
Biology and General Science Teacher
Schodack Central School District
Castleton-On-Hudson, New York

Consultant
New York State Education Department
Bureaus of Science Education, Educational Testing,
and Curriculum Development
Albany, New York

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ISBN: 978-1-5062-7823-0

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This book is designed to be used as a review text for the New York State Regents course in Living Environment. The material presented illustrates and complements the Core Curriculum for this course. Dont let the words Core Curriculum scare you. The Core Curriculum simply lists and describes what topics you must learn to complete this course. Because this book is comprehensive, it can be used to supplement any college-preparatory course in biology taught anywhere in the United States.

The topics in this book parallel those of the New York State Core Curriculum for Living Environment. The Core Curriculum is reproduced in its entirety within the text of this book. All Key Ideas, Performance Indicators, and Major Understandings for Standards 1 and 4 of the Core Curriculum appear within the text. In addition, this edition contains information about the laboratory experiences required of all New York State biology students.

Each section contains the material considered to be most relevant to a Major Understanding. However, the contents of this book do not represent all the information you will be required to learn for this course. Requirements will vary among teachers and school districts. This book illustrates and explains the concepts contained in the Major Understandings. Students are expected to do more than simply memorize facts. You are also required to demonstrate understanding of scientific concepts. Your teacher may supplement material in the basic curriculum due to interest expressed by a class or a particular student. Feel free to ask your teacher about the areas of biology that interest you.

Practice question sets that mirror the style and content of the Regents examination appear in this book. The multiple-choice questions usually require that you use your knowledge of biology to make judgments and to select an appropriate choice from among a number of possible responses. Free-response questions ask you to construct single-word, complete-sentence, or essay answers that are understandable as well as scientifically accurate. Graphical analysis questions challenge you to organize, represent in graphic form, and draw inferences from experimental data.

Answers Explained for the practice multiple-choice questions provide an extensive analysis of each question, not simply an answer key. The explanations give you information about why choices are correct or incorrect. Sample free-response and essay answers guide you toward the standard required to perform successfully on a Regents examination in biology. Graphs and charts provide guidance for construction of responses that will meet new Regents standards.

An extensive glossary provides an alphabetical listing of terms commonly used in biology courses together with simple, easy-to-understand definitions. Many of these terms will appear in Regents examination questions or in your reading assignments.

Finally, two full-length Regents examinations are included. They will give you an opportunity to test your knowledge of biology and to practice your question-answering skills before taking the Regents examination.

Any student enrolled in the New York State course on Living Environment will find this book to be a valuable supplement to the regular class textbook. In addition, this book can be used to prepare for tests throughout the school year and for the year-end Regents examination on Living Environment. It will help you do your best on the Regents examination by increasing your self-confidence in your test-taking abilities.

Students in any secondary-level biology course anywhere in the United States can use this book in much the same way. Its clear, concise style helps to clarify concepts. The absence of extraneous material enables you to concentrate on the learning standards without being bogged down in unnecessary details.

Several graduation or commencement standards are required of students in New York State public schools regarding their performance in math, science, and technology. Living Environment Core curriculum addresses two of these standards as follows:

• Standard 1 : Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

• Standard 4 : Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

The Core Curriculum for Living Environment was devised from these two commencement standards. The Core Curriculum is not a detailed outline, or syllabus, for biology. It does not prescribe what must be taught and learned in any particular classroom. Instead, it defines the skills and major understandings that you must master to achieve graduation standards for life science.

Each topic within the graduation standards is broken down into a number of Key Ideas. Key Ideas are broad, general statements about what you as a student will be expected to know. Within Standard 1, three Key Ideas are concerned with laboratory investigation and data analysis. Within Standard 4, seven Key Ideas present a set of concepts that are central to the science of biology. The unifying principles develop your understanding of the essential characteristics of living things and how these characteristics allow them to be successful in diverse habitats.

Each Key Idea contains Performance Indicators. The Performance Indicators spell out what skills you should be able to demonstrate when you have mastered the Key Idea. Performance Indicators help you understand what is expected of you.