STUDENT GUIDE TO VCE UNIT

1 BIOLOGY

Please note: The following information provides an overview of Unit 1

Biology. Included is the area of study, duration of time spent on each
specific subject area within the area of study, general information about
the topics to be explored and an outline of activities to be covered within
each lesson. Also included are descriptions of the SACs.

AOS 1- How Do Organisms Function?

Week 1 - 2

What are cells? The cell theory, Basic structural features of life,
prokaryote/eukaryote cells, surface area to volume ratio internal
structure of cell (cell organelles, structure and function).

Lesson Outline:

Holiday Homework: Organelle flash cards; Organelle mix and match

activity
Introductory activity: K-W-L chart (What do I know about cells? What
do I want to know about cells? What have I learnt about cells?
Experiment 1: Investigating cells using a microscope to make
biological drawings of stained and unstained cells, including preparation
and staining of a wet mount. Preparation of biological drawings of a
diversity of cells from a variety of kingdoms.
Recap in Biozone textbook.

Week 3 - 4

Crossing the plasma membrane Characteristics of the

plasma membrane, internal and external cellular environments, simple
diffusion, facilitated diffusion, active transport.

Lesson outline:
 SAC 1: During this task, you will investigate the relationship
between surface area and volume and apply findings to explain
how cell structure meets the input needs of living things for
molecules.
Student facilitated demonstration and simulation of diffusion,
osmosis and active transport.

Weeks 5 - 7

Energy transformations and functioning systems

(distinction between photosynthetic autotrophs and chemosynthetic
autotrophs and heterotrophs; photosynthesis; aerobic and anaerobic
respiration, vascular plant systems, mammalian systems.

Lesson outline:

Data analysis: distinction between autotrophs and heterotrophs,

photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Experiment 2: The effect of light on photosynthesis
Investigation of an issue: Bioanthol burns clean (textbook activity)
Jigsaw activity: student groups work on a selected vascular plant
system
Experiment 3: plant transport systems
Sac 2: Body Systems (Problem Based Learning). = You will
be issued with a problem that you need to solve. Your solutions
will need to be justified in the form of a written report and/or an
oral presentation.

AOS 2- How Do Living Things

Sustain Life?
Weeks 8 - 9

Survival through adaptations and regulation

Structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations; models for
Biomimicry, homeostasis, stimulus response model, feedback loops,
malfunctions in homeostasis)

Lesson outline:

Textbook activity on Environment and adaptation

 Melbourne Zoo excursion: structural, physiological and behavioural
adaptations
Homeostasis scenario problem solving activity
Experiment 4: The skin and temperature control
Animation analysis of stimulus-response models
Biomimicry research investigation
Model class zoo: students create imaginary animal or plant that is
adapted to a specific environment.
Weeks 10 - 11

Organising Biodiversity Classification of biodiversity, binomial

nomenclature, morphology and molecular characteristics, strategies for
managing Earths biodiversity

Lesson Outline:

Brainstorm different categories on classification

Activity- classification of plants and animals using a key (including
imaginary plant and animal created from zoo activity)
Activity- binomial nomenclature (creating a key)
Experiment 5: Identifying insects
Data analysis: managing biodiversity Bronwyn Fancourt research
into eastern Quoll decline in Tasmania

Weeks 12 - 14

Relationships between organisms within an

ecosystem amensalism, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism,
predation, keystone species, food chains and webs, factors affecting
distribution, density and size of a population.

Lesson Outline:

Activity- Habitat and niches, communities, population dynamics and

change in ecosystems
SAC 3: changes in abiotic factors and impacts on survival of
an organism
Simulation: food chains and food webs
Field exercise: undertake field work in a local environment involving
sampling techniques

AOS 4- Practical Investigation

Weeks 15 17
 Negotiation with students/class to define
research question laboratory investigation
and/or further field work Hypothesis formulation,
determination of aims, questions, and predictions, identification of
independent, dependent and controlled variables, methodology and
equipment list, fieldwork techniques, risk assessment, analysis of data,
postulating conclusions, possible further research inquiry, presentation of
research

Lesson Outline:

SAC 4- Observation of applying scientific skills within a

practical setting.

SUMMATIVE ASSESMENT TASK: PROBLEM BASED LEARNING:

BODY SYSTEMS

The following SAC relates to AOS 1 How do body systems function.

It is designed to assess the students ability to apply learned
information about functions of an organism to solve practical
problem involving the human body.

Students will need to create a presentation of their choice (poster,

interactive, demonstration, model) of their problem and articulate to
the class how they would solve the problem.

Body Systems Activity

Below is an example of a problem that you may be issued
with to solve. For your given problem, you must justify
your solution. You will have one week of class and
homework time to solve the problem and present a report.

Problem
Homer loves eating McDonalds, frequently eating French fries
and Big Macs. Both of these contain a high proportion of fats.
How does Homers body obtain the energy contained in these
foods?

How to approach solving this problem:

1. Fill out a KWL table answering the questions:

 - What do I already know?
- What do I need to know? Hint, use the key words in
the problem to direct you, ask lots of questions that
need to be answered.
- What do I need to do (Refer to rubric)

2. Research the problem and try to collect the

relevant information:
- Textbook, other reference books
- The Internet
- Previous work, workbooks

Body Systems Activity

Problems
Problem
Homer loves eating McDonalds, frequently eating French fries
and Big Macs. Both of these contain a high proportion of fats.
How does Homers body obtain the energy contained in these
foods?

Problem
Michael Dean from the Sothern Ettalong United Football Club on
the Central Coast in NSW died of a heart attack suddenly when
he was playing football in August 2015. What is the most likely
cause of his heart attack and how has this killed him?

Problem
Lee Troop is about to compete in a marathon. Temperatures will
be extremely high and consequently he will need to hydrate
himself extremely well before the race. Lee drinks about 6 litres
of water a day. However, any water that is not used is excreted.
How does the body control the amount of water that is kept or
excreted at any given time?

Problem
Many school-aged children suffer from asthma. How are the lungs
affected in people who suffer from asthma?

Problem
Problem
Plants need to move nutrients around their structure. However,
Angus is an 8 is
Their system year olddifferent
quite boy whotohas
that recently beenwho
of humans, diagnosed with
use blood.
haemophilia.
Compare and This was discovered
contrast first when
the two different typesAngus fell over while
of transport
riding his bike. Explain why he was diagnosed when
systems. Include in your answer the types of substances he fell off his
bike. How is around
transported Angus each
bloodorganism
different to
andnormal blood?
the types of vessels these
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