Queens
College/CUNY
Education Unit
Spring 2014
BIOLOGY TEACHERS' COMPETENCIES CHECKLIST*
I have achieved the competency ............................ 1
I have achieved the competency but only to a limited degree . 2
I have not had the opportunity to achieve the competency .... 3
I once achieved the competency but now have forgotton how to perform it, however, I feel I could refresh my skill with review ............................................... 4
1. Use pipettes ____
2. Prepare an infusion such as a hay or peppercorn infusion ____
3. Prepare limewater solution. ____
4. Set up an aquarium. ____
5. Use scientific classification keys. ____
6. Make use of the technique of paper chromatography. ____
7. Set up a terrarium. ____
8. Determine the diameter on a microscope of both the low and high power fields of view (in microns). ____
9. Determine the actual size (in microns) of an object viewed by both the low and high power objectives of a microscope. ____
10. Perform an activity which demonstrates osmosis. ____
11. Use the statistical method known as the Chi-Square test ____
12. Make use of a technique for extracting chlorophyll and
other pigments from leaves. ____
13. Use an oil immersion objective in microscopic
investigations. ____
14. Type human blood. ____
15. Perform an activity which demonstrates principles of diffusion. ____
16. Prepare solutions of various molar concentrations, for example, a 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution. ____
17. Use the basic units of the metric system. ____
*Prepared by polling National Association of Biology Teachers outstanding biology teacher awardees. Dr. Roderick Kreuzer and Dr. Burton E. Voss, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Modified by adding additional competencies indicated by Presidential Awardees.
I have achieved the competency ............................ 1
I have achieved the competency but only to a limited degree . 2
I have not had the opportunity to achieve the competency .... 3
I once achieved the competency but now have forgotton how to perform it, however, I feel I could refresh my skill with review ............................................... 4
18. Observe circulation of blood in the tail of a fish or in the webbing of a frog's foot in order to investigate circulation in capillaries. ___
19. Perform an activity to develop understanding of the pH concept. Examples would be investigating the pH of acidic and basic solutions or measuring the pH values of various substances with pH paper. ___
20. Perform activities involving sensory receptors such as investigating the skin's sensitivity to touch and temperature, locating various types of taste receptors on the tongue, investigating the relationship of smell to taste, etc. ___
21. Prepare solutions of various percentages, for example, a 5% glucose solution or a 0.1% sodium chloride solution. ___
22. Investigate experimentally and use basic priciples of probability, for example, the product rule and expanding and interpreting (a+b)n. ___
23. Dissect a frog (or other animal) to study its internal structure, organs, and systems. ___
24. Collect and analyze freshwater samples. ___
25. Cross fruit flies to study heredity. ___
26. Perform tests for sugars, starches, fats, proteins, etc.___
27. Use pH indicators, for example, most of (but not necessarily all) the common items such as litmus paper, hydrion paper, bromthymol blue, phenolpthalein, phenol red, and methylene blue. ___
28. Experiment to study phototropism in plants. ___
29. Experiment to study geotropism in plants. ___
30. Observe the heartbeat of Daphnia (or other small animal) under a microscope and investigate the effects of various temperatures, stimulants, or depressants on the heartbeat rate. ___
I have achieved the competency ............................ 1
I have achieved the competency but only to a limited degree . 2
I have not had the opportunity to achieve the competency .... 3
I once achieved the competency but now have forgotton how to perform it, however, I feel I could refresh my skill with review ............................................... 4
31. Collect and analyze soil samples in order to study the organisms that live in soil. ___
32. Perform a bacteriological analysis of water or milk products or other food products. ___
33. Investigate rates of oxygen consumption using small animals and some type of volumetric apparatus for the purpose of determining and comparing rates of metabolism___
34. Perform an activity either demonstrating or investigating transpiration in plants. ___
35. Experiment with the germination of seeds. ___
36. Conduct an experiment (as with yeast) to investigate fermentation. ___
37. Perform an experiment using dialysis tubing to study, for example, diffusion, digestion, etc. ___
38. Investigate the work of simple catalysts especially the work of an enzyme. ___
39. Conduct a survey of a lake, river, or stream (or some similar activity) in order to study environmental pollution. ___
40. Perform an activity to study the behavior of a small animal such as a pill bug, a caterpillar, or a fruit fly___
41. Make use of basic microbiological techniques such as aseptic techniques, preparing agar plates, transferring microorganisms, streaking, etc. ___
42. Perform an activity to study the decomposing action of soil microbes. ___
43. Perform an activity to demonstrate the presence of microorganisms in the surrounding environment and to suggest means of reducing microorganisms to reduce the spread of disease. ___
44. Perform activities investigating the structure and function of a leaf of a plant. ___
I have achieved the competency ............................ 1
I have achieved the competency but only to a limited degree . 2
I have not had the opportunity to achieve the competency .... 3
I once achieved the competency but now have forgotton how to perform it, however, I feel I could refresh my skill with review ............................................... 4
45. Perform activities investigating the structure and function of a stem of a plant. ___
46. Perform activities investigating the structure and function of a root of a plant. ___
47. Conduct a field exercise to study the interrelationships of plants in a plant community. ___
48. Conduct a field exercise to study an animal community as to the interrelationships of animals in that community and the interrelationships between the animals studied and the plant community in which they exist. ___
49. Perform activities to study the structure and behavior of a representative arthropod such as a crayfish, a lobster, or a grasshopper. ___
50. Perform various activities investigating a one-celled animal such as a Paramecium (as to structure, function, movement, ingestion, digestion, etc.) in order to make a detailed study of a representative of the animal kingdom. ___
51. Culture bacteria and perform an activity to study them. ___
52. Collect and identify specimens from each of the following groups of plants: molds, algae, mosses, ferns___
53. Examine various types of cells (leaf epidermis, onion, cork, human cheek, etc.) identifying the various parts and observing similarities and differences. ___
54. Carry out an experiment or an exercise (as with pea, corn, or tobacco seeds, fruit flies, etc.) to study Mendelian principles. ___
55. Prepare materials for microscopic examination (including such things as proper handling of slides and coverslips, preparation of wet mounts, use of "smear" and "squash" techniques, cleaning slides, cutting freehand thin sections for observation, etc.) ___
56. Conduct an experiment to study biochemical reactions. An example would be that of hydrogen peroxide reacting with liver or potato, manganese dioxide may be used as a catalyst. ___
I have achieved the competency ............................ 1
I have achieved the competency but only to a limited degree . 2
I have not had the opportunity to achieve the competency .... 3
I once achieved the competency but now have forgotton how to perform it, however, I feel I could refresh my skill with review ............................................... 4
57. Conduct an experiment to investigate photsynthesis. ___
58. Culture various protozoans such as amebas, paramecia, and euglenas. ___
59. Apply the fundamentals of staining technology such as which common stains to use, how, and where. ___
60. Prepare plant cells, such as onion root cells, and make microscopic observations of mitosis and cell division. ___
61. Use microcomputers to collect and analyze data. ___
62. Use microcomputers to show simulations. ___
63. Use electronic techniques to study animals instead of disssection. ___
64. Use online or print scientific databases. ___
65. Use photographic techniques for studying animals and plants. ___
66. Carry out a demonstration of eletrophoresis. ___
67. Use models and other alternatives to dissection. ___
68. Use a videointegrated microscope. ___
69. Use interactive videodisc. ___
70. Use electronic mail to communicate with a colleague. ___
71. Carry out an experiment to demonstrate recombinant DNA techniques. ___
72. Carry out an experiment to demonstrate cloning of plant tissue. ___
73. Use a videocamera. ___
74. Use computer networks such as the Internet for personal use and for use by students in the classroom. ___
75. Prepare molar solutions such as 5M HCl given concentrated HCl. ___