Year 7 Biology

Pupils begin their Year 7 Biology studies with the topic ‘Life Processes and Cells’, during which they are introduced to the use of the microscope. The next topic studied is ‘Variation and Classification’ where they will learn about the Kingdoms of Life and how to use a Key. Then we examine ‘Feeding Relationships and the Environment’ and finally ‘Reproduction’. In the summer term pupils have the opportunity to work in the Nature Reserve, they learn how to sample populations using quadrats and study plants and animals on a school trip to Castle Eden Walkway.

Year 8 Biology

Year 8 Biology starts with the topic of ‘Nutrition’ where we learn about the food we eat and how to carry out food tests.  Next we study ‘the Digestive System’ and discover how our bodies process the food we eat from ingestion to egestion.  In our next topic, ‘Respiration’, we find out how our bodies use the energy from our food and will be testing the gases that are found in our own breath.  Our final topic is ‘Circulation’ where we will look at the heart and lungs and learn how they function.

Year 9 Biology

In Year 9 Biology we use the GCSE textbook and therefore we will be studying GCSE topics. Our first topic is ‘Healthy Eating’ where we will discover what makes a healthy diet, we will examine the issues of obesity and starvation, and we will learn the truth about fast food and fad diets.  The next topic is ‘Drugs’ where we define what a drug is and learn the difference between legal and illegal drugs.  We work to develop understanding of ‘How Science Works’ by designing an experiment involving the drug caffeine.  We will also discuss the topical subjects of passive smoking, binge drinking, and addiction.  Our final topic is ‘Controlling Infection Disease’ where we discover what a pathogen is, how they are spread, what our body does to protect us from them, and how modern medicine treats them.  We will also debate issues such as the use of the MMR jab and animal testing.