Biology Triple Spring Term

Course overview

Learners will finish Genetic inheritance & the nervous system and move onto new topics “Evolution” & “Plant organisation”


Genetic inheritance; This unit starts by looking at types of reproduction and how asexual leds to making clones and sexual produces unique offspring. We will study how meiosis produces gamete cells, containing half the number of chromosomes in a normal body cell. We will look at the structure of DNA, that scientists have studied the whole genome and the importance of this for medicine. Genetic mutations occur continuously but rarely they can affect the functioning of an animal or plant, sometimes for the better. We will also look at genetic inheritance and study some genetic disorders. In triple we also look into the history of genetics and how the work of different scientists have helped us gain the knowledge we have today.


Nervous system; The human body can only survive under specific conditions; constant body temperature and pH as well as a constant supply of food and water. The body has a series of control systems to monitor and adjust the composition of the blood and tissues to stay alive. In this unit we look at the importance of this and focus on how the nervous system helps to sense changes in our body and how we respond to those changes. We will look at both conscious responses and reflex responses, carrying out a practical to find out how fast our reflexes are. In Triple science we will look into the nervous system in more detail; studying the structure of the brain, looking at how our body changes to respond to different temperatures and the structure of the eye. We will look at how challenging it is to understand what the brain does and how scientists have overcome these challenges. We will also look at how we use lenses to correct vision.


Evolution; During this unit learners will be able to explore where we all came from and how things develop over time. There is a key focus on animals and evolution, they will also apply their knowledge of evolution to a developing issue in our hospitals with MRSA. They will get to see what survival of the fittest really means and touch on the key moments in history where our understanding of evolution came from. This unit looks at Darwin’s theory as well as reviewing and comparing others theories and why Darwin’s theory was accepted. Learners will get to explore speciation, evidence of evolution with a focus on fossils as well as classification.


Plant organisation; Students look at the structure of plant cells, tissues and organs and how they are adapted to their functions. This unit will also give them an opportunity to revise the different organelles in cells and compare plant and animal cells. Students specifically look into the xylem and phloem which transport substances around a plant. They will look into what can affect the rate of transpiration and how this links to how plants are adapted to live in different environments. They will recall the various methods of cell transport and how root hair cells are specialised to carry out all three.

Key Concept:

Genetics, nervous system including reflex responses, evolution & how plants are organised

Assessment Points:

End of unit assessment will consist of a 40 mark test

Midway assessment set by class teacher which could be an exam question

Guidance:

Learners will receive guidance in a variety of ways. These include marked assessments, reports, verbal feedback, written feedback in books, 1:1 interaction, Google Classroom and whole class feedback.

Key Vocabulary:

Genetic inheritance

Alleles

Antenatal

chromosome

cystic fibrosis

DNA

dominant

gamete

Gene

genotype

heterozygous

homozygous

nucleus

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

probability

recessive

recessive allele

Zygote


Nervous system

Brain

Central Nervous System

Cerebellum

Cerebral Cortex

Effector

Enzyme

Glucose

Hypothalamus

Medulla

MRI

Nervous System

Neurone

Neurotransmitter

Receptors

Reflex Action

Reflex Arc

Stimulus

Synapse

Homeostasis

Hormones

Vasoconstriction

Vasodilation

Hyperopia

Myopia

The Eye

Thermoregulatory Centre


Evolution

alleles

antibiotic

bacteria

evolution

gene

natural selection

organism

phenotype

predators

sediment

speciation

species

variation

Charles Darwin

pathogen

predators

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

off spring

genetic variation

isolation

Fossil

amber

sediment

organism

geological activity

extinct

MRSA

binomial

genus

phylum

classification


Plant organisation

active transport

calibrate

chloroplast

companion cell

compound measure

cytoplasm

diffuse

epidermal cells

evaporation

eyepiece

field of view

graticule

hydrogen bonding

lignin

minerals

multicellular

nuclei

organism

osmosis

palisade mesophyll

phloem

photosynthesis

representative sample

spongy mesophyll

stomata

translocation

transpiration

transport system

tuber

turgid

vascular bundles

xylem vessels

mitochondria

eukaryotic cell