Download Key Stage 3 Biology Specification

KS3 Biology Specification
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Key Stage 3 Biology Specification
Year 7
Unit 7A: Cells and Reproduction
• Explore cell structure and differences between plant and
animal cells
• Identify and name features of cells and describe some
differences between plant and animal cells
• Learn about some functions of cells
• Learn that cells are the basic units of life and are
organised into tissues from which organs are made
• Describe how some cells in an organism are specialised
to carry out particular functions
• Explain that growth occurs when cells divide and
increase in size
• Recognise that viruses are not cells
• Identify and name the main reproductive organs and
describe their functions
• Explain how egg and sperm cells are specialised and
describe how they carry the information for
development of a new life
• Describe fertilisation as the fusion of two cell nuclei
• Explain how the foetus obtains the materials it needs for
growth
• Describe the menstrual cycle
• Relate the way their bodies change during adolescence
to human reproduction, growth and the menstrual cycle
• Consider how offspring are protected and nurtured
• Consider and compare reproductive patterns in other
animals with those in humans
• Describe differences between the gestation periods and
the independence of the young of humans and other
mammals
Unit 7B: Variation and Ecology
• Consider why classification is important and are
introduced to scientific classification of animals
• Identify similarities and differences between organisms
of the same species and classify organisms into plants
and animals
• Identify some of the main taxonomic groups of animals
and describe some features of these
• Name some organisms which are not readily classified
as plant or animal
• Explore variation within and between species
• Investigate patterns of variation in living things and
ways of representing and explaining the occurrence of
variations
• Identify similarities and differences in organisms of the
same species and begin to attribute these to
environmental or inherited factors
• Recognise that inherited and environmental causes of
variation cannot be completely separated
• Identify differences between different habitats and relate
these to the organisms found in them
• Learn how plants and animals are adapted to live in a
particular habitat
• Describe ways in which organisms are adapted to daily
or seasonal changes in their environment
• Describe ways in which organisms are adapted to their
mode of feeding
• Explain why a variety of habitats is needed in a
community
• Describe how different organisms contribute to the
community in which they are found
• Learn how plants and animals interact with their
environment and with each other, including feeding
relationships
• Describe food chains within an environment and
combine these into food webs
• Relate food chains to energy transfer
Year 8
Unit 8A: Food and Digestion
• Learn about different foods and how they can be
combined to produce a balanced diet
• Name nutrients, fibre and water as part of a balanced
diet, identifying examples of foods in which they are
found
• Describe the role of the main nutrients in the body
• How food is broken down by digestion so it can be used
by the body, for energy, growth and repair
• Use a model to describe how large molecules are broken
down during digestion
• Explain why some nutrients have to be broken down
before they can be used by the body and why some
foods cannot be digested by humans
• Describe the role of blood in transporting products of
digestion around the body
• Describe the features of alveoli and explain how
damaged alveoli result in less gas exchange
• Describe the role of blood in transporting carbon
dioxide from, and oxygen to, the lungs
• Explain why tissues need a good blood supply
• Describe and explain differences between inhaled and
exhaled air
• How cells are supplied with the materials they need for
respiration
• How cells in animals and plants release energy
• Represent the process of aerobic respiration as a word
and/or symbol equation and identify similarities with the
burning of fuels
• Describe some effects of an inadequate oxygen supply
• Know that the process of respiration is similar in all
cells
Unit 8B: Respiration and Circulation
Unit 8C: Microbes and Disease
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KS3 Biology Specification
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• Learn that microorganisms share the characteristics of
other living things
• Classify bacteria, fungi and viruses as microorganisms
• Find out about the role of microorganisms in infectious
diseases
• Name some of the diseases microorganisms can cause
and describe how they can be transmitted
• Describe some of the defences the body has against
disease
• Learn about the body’s defence systems and how
immunisation can protect against microbial infections
• Explain how immunisation can improve immunity
• Describe how antibiotics may be effective across a wide
spectrum or against specific bacteria but not against
viruses
• Find out about growing microorganisms to make
products
Unit 8D: Ecological Relationships
• Study a habitat in detail
• Learn how organisms can be identified and sizes of
populations compared
• Identify and name organisms found in a particular
habitat
• Classify some plant specimens into the main taxonomic
groups of plants
• Learn how living things within a community influence
each other and are affected by the environment
• Describe how they are adapted to the environmental
conditions, explaining how the adaptations help survival
• Relate the abundance and distribution of organisms to
the resources available within a habitat
• Learn how feeding relationships can be modelled
quantitatively
• Explain how pyramids of numbers represent feeding
relationships in a habitat
Year 9
Unit 9A: Inheritance and Selection
• Learn that characteristics are inherited
• Identify some inherited characteristics and describe how
some characteristics are influenced by environmental
conditions
• Describe how sexual reproduction results in genetic
information being inherited from both parents
• Learn about variations arising from environmental
differences
• Learn why selective breeding is important
• Identify characteristics in a plant or animal which are
desirable in particular circumstances
• Outline how these characteristics might be passed on
• Suggest some of the issues to be considered in relation
to selective breeding
• Describe how selective breeding can result in offspring
with particular characteristics
• Recognise that asexual reproduction produces clones
Unit 9B: Fit and Healthy
• Learn how the human respiratory, digestive and
circulatory systems interact to maintain activity
• Describe how cells in the respiratory system are adapted
for their purpose and how they may be damaged by
smoking and other forms of air pollution
• Describe how the body uses the energy in food,
representing respiration by a word and a symbol
equation
• Learn about the functions of the skeleton
• Describe some effects of diet, smoking, alcohol and
other drugs on some organ systems and on a developing
foetus
• Describe some effects of exercise on some organ
systems and on a developing foetus
Unit 9C: Plants and Photosynthesis
• Explain photosynthesis as the source of biomass
• Represent photosynthesis as a word and symbol
equation
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• Identify carbon dioxide from the air and water as the
raw materials, and light as the energy source, for
photosynthesis
• Learn that chlorophyll enables a plant to utilise light in
photosynthesis
• Learn about the role of the leaf in photosynthesis
• Describe how cells in the leaf and root are adapted for
photosynthesis and for taking in water
• Learn about the importance of photosynthesis to humans
and other animals
• Describe the relationship between photosynthesis and
respiration in plants
Unit 9D: Plants for Food
• Learn about humans as part of a complex food web
• Learn about factors affecting plant growth
• Learn how management of food production has many
implications for other animal and plant populations in
the environment
• Consider some of the issues involved in sustainable
development of the countryside
• Name the products of photosynthesis and some of the
nutrients supplied by fertilisers
• Identify conditions in which crops will grow well
• Describe how the abundance and distribution of
organisms may be affected by pesticides or weedkillers,
relating this to knowledge of food webs
• Describe how other plants compete with food crops, and
other animals compete with humans for the food crops,
and that there are ways of achieving a balance between
communities
• Relate crop production to pyramids of numbers and
explain some ways of achieving a balance between the
demands of different communities within an
environment
• Explain how toxic materials can accumulate in a food
chain