Unit D: Human Systems is the largest unit in Biology 20 by far, taking up nearly half of the course time allocated for Biology 20. Traditionally, biology is taught with the expectation that students will be able to memorize facts. However, this can be overwhelming to students due to the sheer amount of content.

This performance task is designed to help students become comfortable in the mastery of knowledge within this course, acting as teachers preparing review materials for future classes. During this task, they will be making connections between concepts and forming transferable understandings regarding cycles, systems, and homeostasis.

This performance task draws heavily on the building of 21st Century Competencies such as communication, collaboration and leadership, and lifelong learning. Furthermore, students will grapple with big ideas of science, such as that organisms are organized on a cellular basis, while understanding that science truly is a “highly creative endeavor” (McComas, 2004)