GTLE Biology flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Cell theory tenets

Three principles: all organisms consist of one or more cells, the cell is the basic unit of structure and function, and new cells arise only from existing cells through division.

Prokaryote vs eukaryote

Prokaryotes have no membrane-bound nucleus or organelles and use 70S ribosomes; eukaryotes have a nucleus, membrane-bound organelles, and 80S ribosomes.

Mitochondrial function

Mitochondria carry out aerobic respiration, using the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis to generate most of the cell's ATP from pyruvate and fatty acids.

Enzyme competitive inhibition

A competitive inhibitor binds the active site, so higher substrate concentration can outcompete it; Vmax is unchanged but Km increases, indicating lower apparent affinity.

Calvin cycle inputs

The Calvin cycle uses ATP and NADPH from the light reactions to fix carbon dioxide via RuBisCO, producing glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate for sugar synthesis in the stroma.

Glycolysis net yield

Glycolysis converts one glucose into two pyruvate in the cytoplasm, with a net gain of two ATP and two NADH per glucose molecule, and requires no oxygen.

Law of segregation

During meiosis the two alleles of a gene separate into different gametes, so each gamete carries only one allele for each gene locus.

Semiconservative replication

Each new DNA molecule contains one original parental strand and one newly synthesized strand, with polymerase extending new strands in the 5-prime to 3-prime direction.

Osmosis definition

Osmosis is the net movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of higher water potential to one of lower water potential.

Natural selection conditions

Heritable variation must exist, more offspring are produced than survive, and variants differ in fitness; allele frequencies then change across generations in response to selection.

Five E instructional model

A lesson sequence of Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate, where student exploration with evidence precedes the teacher's formal explanation of the concept.

Bloom revised taxonomy

Six ordered cognitive levels: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create; objectives and assessment items should be written at the intended level.

Formative versus summative assessment

Formative assessment happens during instruction and informs teaching adjustments; summative assessment happens after instruction and reports achievement against standards.

Structured versus open inquiry

Structured inquiry gives students the question and method, guided inquiry gives only the question, and open inquiry gives neither, requiring students to design the investigation.

Conceptual change strategy

Elicit the learner's existing idea, present discrepant evidence that the idea cannot explain, then supply a plausible, more powerful replacement model and apply it.

Backward design stages

Plan units by identifying desired results first, then determining acceptable evidence of learning, and finally designing learning experiences and instruction aligned to both.

Constructive alignment

Objectives, teaching activities, and assessment tasks must address the same content and the same cognitive demand, so assessment genuinely measures the stated learning intention.

Differentiation by task

Teachers vary content, process, or product through tiered tasks, flexible grouping, scaffolds, and multiple representations while holding the same core objective for all students.

Practical work risk assessment

Before any laboratory activity, identify hazards, assess likelihood and severity of harm, record control measures, and confirm students know emergency and waste procedures.

Reflective practice cycle

A structured cycle of describing a teaching situation, analyzing causes and assumptions, evaluating outcomes against goals, and planning a specific change for next time.

Professional learning community

A team of educators committed to collective inquiry, shared norms, and examining evidence of student learning together in repeated cycles of improvement.

Data-driven reteaching

Disaggregate assessment results by skill, identify which specific items or concepts most students missed, and reteach only those gaps rather than the entire unit.

Student confidentiality duty

Educators share student information only with those who need it for educational or safeguarding purposes, storing records securely and following institutional data policies.

Norm versus criterion referencing

Norm-referenced scores compare a student to peers, such as percentile rank; criterion-referenced scores compare performance to defined standards, such as proficiency levels.

Classroom management prevention

Clear routines, stated expectations, and structured transitions reduce misbehavior before it starts; correction should then be private, specific, and consistently applied.

Collaborative planning record

A shared document listing learning goals, evidence of success, resources, timeline, and named responsibilities so that agreed actions can later be verified.

Mean median mode

The mean is the sum divided by the count, the median is the middle ordered value, and the mode is the most frequent value; the median resists extreme outliers.

Standard deviation meaning

Standard deviation quantifies the average spread of values around the mean; a small value means data cluster tightly, a large value means wide scatter.

Percentage change formula

Percentage change equals the new value minus the old value, divided by the old value, multiplied by one hundred; the original value is always the divisor.

Chi-square test formula

Chi-square equals the sum over categories of observed minus expected, squared, divided by expected; larger values indicate greater departure from the expected distribution.

Magnification formula

Magnification equals image size divided by actual size; rearranged, actual size equals image size divided by magnification, with both sizes in the same unit.

Population growth rate

Growth rate per unit time equals births plus immigration minus deaths minus emigration; dividing by population size gives the per-capita rate used in growth models.