FTCE Biology 6-12 case studies
FTCE Biology 6-12 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Biology 6–12 (002) is one of the subject-area certification tests in the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) program, which appears on the official FTCE/FELE test list alongside the other certification fields. Candidates take it to demonstrate the biology content knowledge Florida expects of a teacher certified to teach biology in grades 6 through 12; it is typically taken by aspiring secondary biology teachers, career-changers coming from science or laboratory work, and educators adding a science certification to an existing certificate. The FTCE Biology 6-12 case studies are 5 cases and about 3,598 words.
1The Duckweed Claim: Confounded Light and an Overread Null
Two student teams test a garden-center label claim that a new liquid plant food doubles duckweed growth. Team A sets 10 cups on a bench - five with 5 mL of plant food, five with 5 mL of distilled water - but places the five food cups on the side of the bench nearest the window.
681 words, about 3 min2Catalase, a Mystery Solution, and an Unmeasured pH
A student grinds 20 g of potato in cold pH 7.0 buffer, filters the extract, and measures catalase activity as mL of O2 collected in 2 minutes from 10 mL of 1% H2O2 at 25 °C. Tube 1 (fresh extract) gives 48 mL.
756 words, about 4 min3Eight Classes, One Chromosome: Reading a Three-Point Testcross
A genetics student crosses a triple heterozygote (AaBbCc, all three dominant alleles inherited from one parent) to a tester (aabbcc) and scores 1,000 progeny without molecular markers. The counts are: ABC 390, abc 380 aBC 52, Abc 48 ABc 40, abC 45 AbC 22, aBc 23 All three genes lie on the same chromosome.
732 words, about 4 min4Grass Carp or Phosphorus: A Lake With Two Proposals
Lake Moreau is a 40-hectare shallow lake. Total phosphorus has risen from 25 to 90 µg/L since 1995; chlorophyll a averages 60 µg/L; submerged plants have disappeared and the water is turbid.
727 words, about 4 min5Minute Ventilation and the Breath-Holding Lab
Students in a physiology lab measure breathing at rest and immediately after five minutes of stair climbing. Minute ventilation = breathing rate × tidal volume.
702 words, about 4 min