GTLE Biology cheat sheet

Cell theory: all living things are made of cells, the cell is the basic unit of structure and function, and all cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.

Prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; they have 70S ribosomes, a single circular chromosome, and a peptidoglycan cell wall in bacteria.

Eukaryotic organelles and functions: mitochondria (aerobic respiration, ATP), chloroplasts (photosynthesis), rough ER (protein synthesis and transport), smooth ER (lipid synthesis, detoxification), Golgi (modification and packaging), lysosomes (hydrolytic digestion).

Membrane transport decision rule: simple diffusion for small nonpolar molecules down a gradient; facilitated diffusion for polar molecules or ions via channels or carriers down a gradient; active transport against a gradient and requires ATP.

Enzyme kinetics: rate rises with substrate concentration until Vmax; Km is the substrate concentration at half Vmax and inversely reflects enzyme affinity; competitive inhibitors raise Km but not Vmax; non-competitive inhibitors lower Vmax but not Km.

Photosynthesis: light-dependent reactions in thylakoid membranes generate ATP and NADPH and split water, releasing O2; the Calvin cycle in the stroma fixes CO2 using RuBisCO to produce G3P.

Cellular respiration: glycolysis in the cytoplasm yields 2 ATP and 2 NADH per glucose; the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria yield most ATP, roughly 30-32 ATP per glucose in eukaryotes.

Mendelian genetics: alleles segregate during meiosis (law of segregation); genes on different chromosomes assort independently; a monohybrid cross of heterozygotes gives a 3:1 phenotype ratio and a 1:2:1 genotype ratio.

DNA replication is semiconservative: helicase unwinds, primase lays RNA primers, DNA polymerase III extends 5' to 3', and the leading strand is continuous while the lagging strand forms Okazaki fragments joined by ligase.

The 5E instructional model sequences a lesson as Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate; exploration precedes formal explanation so students construct concepts from evidence.

Bloom's revised taxonomy orders cognitive objectives as remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create; assessment items should match the intended cognitive level.

Inquiry-based instruction varies by teacher guidance: structured inquiry supplies the question and procedure, guided inquiry supplies the question only, and open inquiry supplies neither.

Formative assessment is low-stakes and used during instruction to adjust teaching; summative assessment occurs after instruction and measures achievement against standards.

Misconception correction requires eliciting prior ideas, presenting discrepant evidence, and providing a plausible replacement model; simply stating the correct fact usually fails to displace an alternative conception.

Common biology misconceptions to anticipate: plants do not respire, evolution is a goal-directed process, all mutations are harmful, and diffusion requires energy input.

Laboratory safety and practical pedagogy: pre-lab risk assessment, explicit handling of reagents and sharps, and modeling of techniques before students work independently reduce incidents and cognitive load.

Differentiation strategies include tiered tasks, flexible grouping, scaffolded graphic organizers, and multiple representations (diagram, equation, text) of the same concept.

Backward design (Wiggins and McTighe) plans units by first identifying desired results, then determining acceptable evidence, and only then designing learning experiences.

Reflective practice cycle: describe the situation, analyze causes and assumptions, evaluate outcomes against intended goals, and plan a concrete change for the next iteration.

Professional learning communities rest on collective inquiry, shared norms, and a focus on evidence of student learning rather than on individual teacher autonomy alone.

Data-driven instruction uses disaggregated assessment results to identify specific skill gaps, then targets reteaching to those gaps rather than reteaching the whole unit.

Constructive alignment requires that learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment tasks address the same knowledge and cognitive demand.

Ethical professional conduct includes safeguarding student confidentiality, avoiding dual relationships, and reporting suspected harm through designated channels.

Classroom management decision rule: prevention through routines and clear expectations precedes correction; correction should be private, specific, and consistent.

Standardized assessment interpretation: percentile ranks are norm-referenced, whereas proficiency levels are criterion-referenced against standards; the two answer different questions.

Collaborative planning documents should specify learning goals, evidence of success, resources, timeline, and assigned responsibilities so implementation can be verified.

Mean is the sum of values divided by the count; median is the middle value of ordered data; mode is the most frequent value; the median resists outliers better than the mean.

Standard deviation measures average distance of values from the mean; a small standard deviation indicates tightly clustered data.

Percentage change equals (new minus old) divided by old, multiplied by 100; always divide by the original value, not the new one.

Chi-square test compares observed counts to expected counts: chi-square equals the sum of (observed minus expected) squared divided by expected; a large value indicates a poor fit to the expectation.

Magnification equals image size divided by actual size; rearranged, actual size equals image size divided by magnification.

Rate calculations in biology: rate equals change in quantity divided by time; population growth rate equals (births plus immigration) minus (deaths plus emigration) per unit time.

Scale conversions: 1 mm = 1000 micrometers = 1,000,000 nanometers; unit conversion errors are the most common source of numerical error in microscopy questions.

Scientific literacy in reading questions: identify the independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variables before interpreting the result or evaluating a claim.

Cell theory: all living things are made of cells, the cell is the basic unit of structure and function, and all cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.

Prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; they have 70S ribosomes, a single circular chromosome, and a peptidoglycan cell wall in bacteria.

Eukaryotic organelles and functions: mitochondria (aerobic respiration, ATP), chloroplasts (photosynthesis), rough ER (protein synthesis and transport), smooth ER (lipid synthesis, detoxification), Golgi (modification and packaging), lysosomes (hydrolytic digestion).

Membrane transport decision rule: simple diffusion for small nonpolar molecules down a gradient; facilitated diffusion for polar molecules or ions via channels or carriers down a gradient; active transport against a gradient and requires ATP.

Enzyme kinetics: rate rises with substrate concentration until Vmax; Km is the substrate concentration at half Vmax and inversely reflects enzyme affinity; competitive inhibitors raise Km but not Vmax; non-competitive inhibitors lower Vmax but not Km.

Photosynthesis: light-dependent reactions in thylakoid membranes generate ATP and NADPH and split water, releasing O2; the Calvin cycle in the stroma fixes CO2 using RuBisCO to produce G3P.

Cellular respiration: glycolysis in the cytoplasm yields 2 ATP and 2 NADH per glucose; the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria yield most ATP, roughly 30-32 ATP per glucose in eukaryotes.

Mendelian genetics: alleles segregate during meiosis (law of segregation); genes on different chromosomes assort independently; a monohybrid cross of heterozygotes gives a 3:1 phenotype ratio and a 1:2:1 genotype ratio.

DNA replication is semiconservative: helicase unwinds, primase lays RNA primers, DNA polymerase III extends 5' to 3', and the leading strand is continuous while the lagging strand forms Okazaki fragments joined by ligase.

The 5E instructional model sequences a lesson as Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate; exploration precedes formal explanation so students construct concepts from evidence.

Bloom's revised taxonomy orders cognitive objectives as remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create; assessment items should match the intended cognitive level.

Inquiry-based instruction varies by teacher guidance: structured inquiry supplies the question and procedure, guided inquiry supplies the question only, and open inquiry supplies neither.

Formative assessment is low-stakes and used during instruction to adjust teaching; summative assessment occurs after instruction and measures achievement against standards.

Misconception correction requires eliciting prior ideas, presenting discrepant evidence, and providing a plausible replacement model; simply stating the correct fact usually fails to displace an alternative conception.

Common biology misconceptions to anticipate: plants do not respire, evolution is a goal-directed process, all mutations are harmful, and diffusion requires energy input.

Laboratory safety and practical pedagogy: pre-lab risk assessment, explicit handling of reagents and sharps, and modeling of techniques before students work independently reduce incidents and cognitive load.

Differentiation strategies include tiered tasks, flexible grouping, scaffolded graphic organizers, and multiple representations (diagram, equation, text) of the same concept.

Backward design (Wiggins and McTighe) plans units by first identifying desired results, then determining acceptable evidence, and only then designing learning experiences.

Reflective practice cycle: describe the situation, analyze causes and assumptions, evaluate outcomes against intended goals, and plan a concrete change for the next iteration.

Professional learning communities rest on collective inquiry, shared norms, and a focus on evidence of student learning rather than on individual teacher autonomy alone.

Data-driven instruction uses disaggregated assessment results to identify specific skill gaps, then targets reteaching to those gaps rather than reteaching the whole unit.

Constructive alignment requires that learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment tasks address the same knowledge and cognitive demand.

Ethical professional conduct includes safeguarding student confidentiality, avoiding dual relationships, and reporting suspected harm through designated channels.

Classroom management decision rule: prevention through routines and clear expectations precedes correction; correction should be private, specific, and consistent.

Standardized assessment interpretation: percentile ranks are norm-referenced, whereas proficiency levels are criterion-referenced against standards; the two answer different questions.

Collaborative planning documents should specify learning goals, evidence of success, resources, timeline, and assigned responsibilities so implementation can be verified.

Mean is the sum of values divided by the count; median is the middle value of ordered data; mode is the most frequent value; the median resists outliers better than the mean.

Standard deviation measures average distance of values from the mean; a small standard deviation indicates tightly clustered data.

Percentage change equals (new minus old) divided by old, multiplied by 100; always divide by the original value, not the new one.

Chi-square test compares observed counts to expected counts: chi-square equals the sum of (observed minus expected) squared divided by expected; a large value indicates a poor fit to the expectation.

Magnification equals image size divided by actual size; rearranged, actual size equals image size divided by magnification.

Rate calculations in biology: rate equals change in quantity divided by time; population growth rate equals (births plus immigration) minus (deaths plus emigration) per unit time.

Scale conversions: 1 mm = 1000 micrometers = 1,000,000 nanometers; unit conversion errors are the most common source of numerical error in microscopy questions.

Scientific literacy in reading questions: identify the independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variables before interpreting the result or evaluating a claim.