Grade 8 Biology (Peng, Morgensen, Pinzás)
Semester 2 Final Exam Outline
Updated 5/12/25 - please check back for more updates!
Spring 2025
Below you will find a list of topics that we have covered – you should look over your old tests, study guides, Schoology folders, labs, and notes on these topics and identify anything that is unclear to you. Make a list of topics that you don’t understand or that you have questions about and bring them to class or Office Hours. Think about topics and concepts that were emphasized in your labs.
* Review Day: Week 16, class meeting 3, May 15 or 16, 2025.
* Office Hours: During finals week, Tue 5/27 and Wed 5/28 from 2:30-3:30pm.
* Final Exam Days: Tue, May 27th (Per 8, 7, 6), Wed, May 28th (Per 5, 4, 3), Thu, May 29th (Per 2, 1),
Topics list (Semester 2)
* Genetics
* Evolution
* Intro to Anatomy & Physiology / Homeostasis
* Endocrine System
* Reproductive System
* Immune System
* Skeletal System
* Circulatory System
* Nervous System
Format of Exam
The exam will be 60 minutes in length. The format will be 70 points on Scantron and 30 points on free response for a grand total of 95 points.
How to Study (crowdsourced from your classmates)
* Write down potential test questions as you go through the textbook/your own notebook
* Quiz yourself with end-of-chapter questions (“Check your progress”)
* Make your own flashcards for vocabulary
* Use Quizlet for vocabulary
* Draw your own diagrams for anatomy questions
* Study with a friend and quiz each other
* Go through labs and make sure you understand the main ideas from each lab
* Search up anatomy diagrams on Google images to label (e.g. cow’s eye, reproductive system, endocrine system)
* Re-watch youtube videos and take notes or write down potential test questions
What to use while studying (listed in order of decreasing importance)
* Old tests and lab checks
* Lab notebook notes
* Lab handouts/discussion questions (posted on Schoology)
* Lectures/videos/handouts/study guides and other resources posted on Schoology
* Agendas and HW posted on Peng Weekly Agenda Doc
* Main ideas and keywords from textbook readings (see below for chapters to focus on)
* Dissection binders (they stay in the classroom - come take a look at them during OH; most documents found inside are posted on Schoology)
* Any other handouts and assignments from class
* Youtube videos
* Genetics playlist
* Evolution playlist
* Human Anatomy and Physiology playlist
* Quizlets (join Ms. Peng’s class)
* Genetics: Quizlet
* From Ms. Hawk: Genetics Quizizz and Kahoot
* Evolution Quizlet
* Endocrine system Quizlet
* From Ms. Hawk: Endocrine System Quizizz
* Homeostasis Quizlet
* Reproductive system: here and here
* Fetal Development Quizlet
* STIs and Contraception Quizlet
* From Ms. Hawk: Kahoot
* Skeletal system (includes more than the skeleton song)
* Circulatory: https://quizlet.com/_2aek7e
* Chicken wing dissection
* Immune system
* Cow eyeball (functions)
* Cow eyeball (structures)
* General Semester 2 Kahoot (from Ms. Hawk)
What You Should Know and Be Able to Do
Critical Thinking and Application (Free Response): You may be asked to recall, apply, analyze, and/or evaluate information and experiences you gained from lectures, videos, labs, discussions, homework, class work, and notebook entries.
More specifically, you should be able to...
* Genetics
* Compare and contrast asexual vs. sexual reproduction
* Predict genotypes and phenotypes of offspring from monohybrid and dihybrid crosses (Mendelian genetics) using Punnett squares
* Solve genetics problems involving non-Mendelian genetics (incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, polygenic traits, sex-linked traits, epistasis, lethal genes)
* Create and interpret pedigrees
* Evolution
* define evolution
* list the types of evidence for evolution (biogeographical, fossil, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, DNA, molecular, direct observation)
* name the 5 mechanisms of evolution (natural selection, nonrandom mating or sexual selection, genetic drift or small population size, gene flow or migration, mutation)
* Intro to Anatomy & Physiology (Homeostasis)
* Draw, label, or analyze a negative feedback loop (e.g. pancreas and blood sugar; parathyroid and blood calcium; hypothalamus and body temperature)
* Explain the difference between negative and positive feedback
* Endocrine system
* Label a diagram of endocrine glands
* Match the names and functions of endocrine glands
* Reproductive system
* relate the changes in the follicle, egg, and lining of the uterus to changes in LH, FSH, estrogen, and progesterone levels
* Identify the structures and functions of the male and female reproductive systems
* Categorize preventive measures based on their ability to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), prevent pregnancy, or prevent both
* Chicken Wing Dissection
* Identify the structures and functions of a chicken wing and how they work together: skin, fat, muscle, tendon, bone, ligament, cartilage, joint
* Skeletal system
* Sing the skeleton song and identify the 14 bones from the song (cranium, scapula, clavicle, sternum, humerus, radius, ulna, ribs, pelvis, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, tarsals)
* Circulatory system
* label a diagram of a heart and know the functions of its parts- you are responsible for everything on the cardiovascular system task card
* Immune system
* Describe the 3 layers of defense in the immune system and determine which ones provide specific vs. non-specific responses to pathogens.
* Define herd immunity
* Nervous system
* Organize the structure of the nervous system: central (brain, spinal cord) versus peripheral (somatic vs. autonomic, which includes sympathetic and parasympathetic)
* Label a diagram of a neuron (cell body, dendrites, axon) and how it signals via action potentials (along the axon) and neurotransmitters (at the synapse)
* name the parts of the cow’s eye, both exterior and interior views: sclera, cornea, lens, iris, pupil, retina, optic nerve, blind spot, tapetum, aqueous humor, vitreous humor
Scientific Vocabulary: You should know the meaning of all vocabulary introduced in the textbook readings, labs, lectures, homework and class assignments, and class discussions.
Textbook Modules to review
* M10: Genetics
* M10L1: Mendelian Genetics
* M10L5: Complex Patterns of Inheritance
* M10L4: Basic Patterns of Human Inheritance
* M14: Evolution
* M25, L3: Endocrine System
* M26: Reproductive System
* M22, L2: Skeletal System
* M24, L1: Circulatory System
* M27: Immune System (skim)
* M23: Nervous System
Labs, Homework, and Activities to review
* Genetics (How are traits passed on? What are the patterns of inheritance? How can we predict traits based on parental genes?
* Punnett Squares
* Monohybrid Crosses (Problem Sets 0, I)
* Dihybrid Crosses (Problem Set II)
* Virtual lab: Breeding Drakes
* Lab: Condor Genetics (Morgensen students)
* Alternate Patterns of Inheritance (Problem Sets III, IV)
* Harry Potter Pedigree practice
* Evolution (What is biological evolution? How does it work? How do we know that it occurs?)
* Peng Evolution Workshop Morgensen Evolution Workshop
* Lab: Crazy Traits
* Lab: Comparing Amino Acid Sequences (Morgensen)
* Lab: Conservation Genetics with Lemurs (Morgensen)
* Lab: Build a Beak Design Challenge
* Project: March Mammal Madness
* Intro to Anatomy & Physiology
* Levels of Organization, Organ Systems, Feedback loops (positive, negative)
* STEM Study: Homeostasis
* Lab: Homeostasis & Exercise
* Endocrine System
* Worksheet: Endocrine Glands & Disorders
* Breakout EDU: Endocrine System
* Reproductive System
* What anatomy and physiology make sexual reproduction possible?
* Reproductive anatomy and processes, Intersex, Menstrual Cycle, Fertilization and Contraception, Fetal Growth and Development, Pregnancy and Birth, Sexually Transmitted Infections and Preventive Measures
* Labs: Menstrual Cycle, Elephant Reproductive Endocrinology, Human Fetal Development, Movie: Life's Greatest Miracle, Sexually Transmitted Infections (dice game, risky behavior, word web, preventive measures gallery walk)
* Case Study: Tuskegee Syphilis Study
* Skeletal Song: link
* Skeletal system station: broken bones x-rays, assembling skeleton, coloring sheet
* Morgensen - skeleton labels, vertebrae info, broken bones
* Integumentary, muscular, skeletal lab: Chicken Wing Dissection
* Skin, fat, muscle, ligament, tendon, cartilage, bone, join
* Circulatory System
* Lab: Sheep Heart Dissection
* Cardiovascular system poster
* Immune System
* Lab: Herd Immunity Simulation
* Morgensen - Medical Mystery of Epidemic Proportions Lab
* Peng - Immune System Science in the News Symposium
* Nervous System
* Sight vs. Sound Experiment (Reaction time testing)
* Nervous System Stations (blind spot, 2-point discrimination, Stroop, reflexes–knee jerk, pupil, blink)
* Lab: Cow Eye Dissection (Morgensen students - eye only for Nervous System)
* Fetal Pig Dissections will NOT be on the final exam
* Morgensen students - pig dissection pictures may be used in place of diagrams for anatomy identification
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