Download VCE Biology: Sample teaching plan

VCE Biology Units 1 and 2: 2016–2020; Units 3 and 4: 2017–2021
VCE Biology: Sample teaching plan
Sample Course Outline – VCE Biology Unit 1: How do living things stay alive?
Note: This is a sample guide only and indicates one way to present the content from the VCE Biology Study Design over the weeks in each school
term. Teachers are advised to consider their own contexts in developing learning activities: Which local fieldwork sites would support learning in the
topic area? Which local issues lend themselves to debate and investigation? Which experiments can students complete within the resource limitations
of their learning environments?
Week
Area
Topics
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1
Cells (basic structural features of life; prokaryote; eukaryote; surface
area to volume ratio; internal structure of the cell; cell organelle
structure and function)
2
3
How do
organisms
function?
4
5
7
9
Crossing the plasma membrane (characteristics of the plasma
membrane; internal and external cellular environments; simple
diffusion; facilitated diffusion; osmosis, active transport)
Energy transformations and functioning systems (distinction
between photosynthetic autotrophs and chemosynthetic autotrophs
and heterotrophs; photosynthesis; aerobic and anaerobic respiration;
vascular plant systems; mammalian systems)
6
8
Learning activities
How do
living
systems
sustain life?
© VCAA 2016
Survival through adaptations and regulation (structural,
physiological and behavioural adaptations; models for biomimicry;
homeostasis; stimulus-response model; feedback loops; malfunctions
in homeostasis)
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Experiment: Is yeast alive?
How to correctly and safely use a light 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 (stimulus material includes professionally prepared biological
drawings)
Experiment: surface area to volume ratios
Experiment: movement of materials across a membrane by diffusion and
osmosis
Simulation: active transport
Student-designed experiment: Photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Data analysis: distinction between autotrophs and heterotrophs
Jigsaw activity: student groups work on a selected vascular plant system
Disease research: students choose a disease of interest and consider
cause and treatments from system, organ and cellular perspectives
Zoo excursion: structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations
Homeostasis activity
Animations: stimulus-response models
Biomimicry research investigation
Model class zoo: students each create an imaginary animal or plant that is
adapted to a specified environment
VCE Biology Units 1 and 2: 2016–2020; Units 3 and 4: 2017–2021
SAMPLE TEACHING PLAN

10
Organising biodiversity (classification of biodiversity; binomial
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nomenclature; morphology and molecular characteristics; strategies for
managing Earth’s biodiversity)
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11
12
13
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)
14
15
16
17
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Activity: classification of plants using a key (including student-created plants
from class zoo)
Activity: classification of animals using a key (including student-created
animals from class zoo)
Activity: binomial nomenclature – creating a key
Data analysis: management of biodiversity – Bronwyn Fancourt research
into Eastern Quoll decline in Tasmania
Simulation: food chains and food webs
Field trip: food chains and food webs
Experiment: limiting factors on duckweed population growth
Negotiation with students/class to define research question – laboratory investigation and/or fieldwork (hypothesis formulation; determination of
Practical aims, questions and predictions; identification of independent, dependent and controlled variables; methodology and equipment list; fieldwork techniques;
investigation risk assessment; undertaking of experiment and/or fieldwork; analysis and evaluation of data, methods and models; limitations of conclusions; possible
further investigations; poster presentation)
18
19
© VCAA 2016
Unit revision
Page 2