Samoa Year 13 Biology

This course covers the following units:

Unit 1: Variety of Life

• Biological Organization: This section covers the different levels of organization in biology, from the smallest unit (organelles) to the largest (biosphere). It emphasizes the hierarchical structure: molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere. Activities include matching terms with meanings and examples, and creating posters showcasing the features and examples of organisms within a chosen kingdom, phylum, or class.
• Classification: This section explores the diversity of organisms and how they are classified into kingdoms, phyla/divisions, and classes. The curriculum focuses on the following classification structure:
• Kingdom Monera: Bacteria, Blue-green algae
• Kingdom Protista: Unicellular organisms, Algae
• Kingdom Fungi: Fungi
• Kingdom Plantae: Mosses, Ferns, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms (Monocotyledons, Dicotyledons)
• Kingdom Animalia: Coelenterates, Annelids, Molluscs, Arthropods (Crustaceans, Insects, Arachnids, Myriapods), Echinoderms, Chordates (Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, Mammals)
• Naming and Identification: This section introduces the binomial system for naming organisms and the use of dichotomous keys for identification. Students practice using and designing dichotomous keys. Activities include analyzing the scientific classification of sea turtles and discussing how the classification system reveals relationships between organisms.

Unit 2: Cell Biology

• Cell Structure: This section covers the identification and function of cell organelles, including the nucleus, chromosomes, mitochondrion, chloroplast, ribosome, Golgi apparatus, vacuole, cell membrane, cell wall, lysosome, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and centrioles. It also compares plant and animal cells and explores how the surface area to volume ratio affects cell function.
• Microscopy: This section introduces light and electron microscopes, their advantages and disadvantages, and techniques for using a light microscope, including preparing wet mounts, drawing cells and tissues, and determining specimen size.
• Cellular Respiration: This section covers aerobic respiration, including glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the respiratory chain. It also covers anaerobic respiration in muscle and yeast cells and includes investigations of fermentation in yeast or respiration in germinating seeds. The balanced equation for aerobic respiration is emphasized.
• Cell Transport: This section covers diffusion and osmosis, their importance in cell transport, and includes investigations of these processes.
• Enzymes: This section covers the structure and function of enzymes, the effect of temperature on enzyme activity, and includes investigations of the effect of temperature on enzyme structure and function.

Unit 3: Genetics

• Genetic Material: This section covers the structure and function of chromosomes, DNA, and RNA, and the process of protein synthesis, including the roles of DNA, messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomes.
• Mitosis and Meiosis: This section distinguishes between mitosis and meiosis, explains their roles in the life cycle of an organism, and covers the sequence of events in each process. It also discusses the role of crossing over, recombination, and independent assortment in producing variation.
• Mendelian Inheritance: This section covers monohybrid crosses involving complete dominance, co-dominance, and incomplete dominance, using Punnett squares and family tree diagrams. It also explains inheritance patterns using key terms such as phenotype, genotype, dominant allele, recessive allele, heterozygous, and homozygous. Test crosses, multiple alleles (e.g., human blood groups), and sex determination in mammals are also covered. Dihybrid crosses involving complete dominance are introduced.
• Speciation: This section covers the causes of mutation and how mutations produce variation in a population. It also discusses natural selection and how speciation results from geographical and reproductive isolation.
• Applications of Genetics: This section covers selective plant and animal breeding, genetic engineering, and the ethical issues associated with genetic manipulation.

Unit 4: Plants

• Leaf Structure and Photosynthesis: This section covers the internal structure of a leaf, the functions of leaf parts in photosynthesis, the balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis, the extraction and separation of leaf pigments, the structure and function of chloroplasts, and the light and dark phase reactions of photosynthesis. Investigations into the rate of photosynthesis under different conditions are included.
• Gas Exchange: This section covers the exchange of gases for photosynthesis and respiration, the external structure of a leaf, and how guard cells control the movement of gases.
• Stem and Cell Structures: This section explains the need for support and transport systems in plants, the structure and function of stem tissues, and the role of cell turgidity in plant support. Investigations into factors affecting cell turgidity are included.
• Transpiration: This section covers the role of transpiration in plant support, transport, and cooling, and how environmental factors affect transpiration rate. Investigations into factors affecting transpiration rate are included.
• Root Structures: This section covers the structure and function of root tissues in transport, and the process of translocation and its role in transport and storage.
• Reproductive Structures and Processes: This section discusses the advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction, the structure and function of flower parts in sexual reproduction, and the processes of pollination, fertilization, seed development, and fruit development. It also compares the alternation of sporophyte and gametophyte generations in ferns and angiosperms.

Unit 5: Animals

• Nutrition and Diet: This section covers autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition, the importance of different food classes in the human diet, and includes investigations into the presence of nutrients in food. It also compares traditional Pacific diets with modern diets containing refined and processed foods.
• Digestive System: This section covers the structure and function of the digestive system, the processes of ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion, and includes investigations into the action of saliva on starch. It also compares the gut structures of humans with herbivores and carnivores.
• Gas Exchange: This section covers breathing (ventilation), gas exchange, and cellular respiration, the role of the ribs, intercostal muscles, and diaphragm in breathing, and how the trachea, mucus, bronchi, alveoli, and cilia facilitate gas exchange. It also covers the gas exchange systems in insects and fish and compares them to mammalian systems.
• Support: This section covers the advantages and disadvantages of endoskeletons, exoskeletons, and hydrostatic skeletons, the structure and function of the three types of muscles, and how muscles and skeletons work together to produce movement. Investigations into antagonistic muscle pairs are included.
• Transport: This section compares open, closed single, and closed double circulatory systems, the structure and function of the human heart, the effects of smoking, alcohol, and obesity on coronary heart disease, and the structure and function of blood cells and blood vessels.
• Homeostasis: This section defines homeostasis, explains its importance for cell function, and discusses examples such as temperature control in mammals and blood sugar regulation in humans.
• Excretion: This section covers the production of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogenous wastes, the advantages and disadvantages of different nitrogenous waste products, and the structure and function of the mammalian excretory system, including the kidneys, nephrons, urethra, ureters, and bladder.
• Reproduction: This section covers the structure and function of the male and female reproductive systems, reproductive development from gamete production to birth, the function of the placenta, and the role of hormones in reproductive development and the menstrual cycle.

Unit 6: Environment

• Adaptations: This section defines key ecological terms (environment, habitat, ecological niche, adaptation), discusses the four types of adaptations (structural, physiological, behavioral, life history), and explains the concepts of tolerance, acclimation, Gause's Principle, and Liebig's Law. Investigations into local species adaptations are included.
• Populations: This section covers the characteristics of populations (size, distribution, density), the use of sampling methods (quadrats, transects, mark-and-recapture), the effects of natality and mortality on population growth and survivorship curves, and the importance of biodiversity.
• Communities: This section distinguishes between communities and populations, investigates ecological patterns (zonation, stratification, succession), and explores interspecific and intraspecific competition. It also discusses different types of relationships within communities, such as predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism.
• Ecosystems: This section covers the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems, food chains and food webs, energy flow, nutrient cycling (carbon and nitrogen), and the impact of human development on the environment. Investigations into local environmental issues are included.