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Transition Pack for A Level Biology
GetreadyforA-level!AguidetohelpyougetreadyforA-levelBiology,includingeverythingfromtopicguidestodaysout
andonlinelearningcourses.
Commissioned by The PiXL Club Ltd. April 2018
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Pleasenote:theseresourcesarenon-boardspecific.Pleasedirectyourstudentstothespecificsofwherethisknowledgeandskillsmostapply.
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ThispackcontainsaprogrammeofactivitiesandresourcestoprepareyoutostartA levelBiology inSeptember. It isaimedtobeusedafteryou complete your GCSE throughout the remainder of the summertermandover the summerholidays to ensure youare ready to startyourcourseinSeptember.
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Kickbackthissummerwithagoodread.ThebooksbelowareallpopularsciencebooksandgreatforextendingyourunderstandingofBiology.
TheRedQueenItsallaboutsex.Orsexualselectionatleast.Thisbookwillreallyhelpyourunderstandingofevolutionandparticularlythefascinatingroleofsexinevolution.Availableatamazon.co.uk
AShortHistoryofNearlyEverythingAwhistle-stoptourthroughmanyaspectsofhistoryfromtheBigBangtonow.Thisisareallyaccessiblereadthatwillre-familiariseyouwithcommonconceptsandintroduceyoutosomeofthemorecolourfulcharactersfromthehistoryofscience!Availableatamazon.co.uk
StudyingGeographyaswell?Hen’sTeethandHorse’sToesStephenJayGouldisagreatevolutionwriterandthisbookdiscusseslotsoffascinatingstoriesaboutgeologyandevolution.Availableatamazon.co.uk
Aneasyread..Frankenstein’sCatDiscoverhowglowinthedarkfisharemadeandmoregreatbiotechnologybreakthroughs.Availableatamazon.co.uk
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JunkDNAOurDNAissomuchmorecomplexthanyouprobablyrealize,thisbookwillreallydeepenyourunderstandingofalltheworkyouwilldoongenetics.Availableatamazon.co.uk
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InheritTheWind(1960)Greatifyoucanfindit.BasedonareallifetrialofateacheraccusedofthecrimeofteachingDarwinianevolutioninschoolinAmerica.Doesthedebaterumbleontoday?
Lorenzo’sOil(1992)Basedonatruestory.Ayoungchildsuffersfromanautoimmunedisease.Theparentsresearchandchallengedoctorstodevelopanewcureforhisdisease.
AndromedaStrain(1971)SciencefictionbythegreatthrillerwriterMichaelCricthon(mostfamousforwritingJurassicPark).HumansbegindyingwhenanalienmicrobearrivesonEarth.
GorillasintheMist(1988)AnabsoluteclassicthatretellsthetruestoryofthelifeandworkofDianFosseyandherworkstudyingandprotectingmountaingorillasfrompoachersandhabitatloss.Atearjerker.
SomethingtheLordMade(2004)ProfessorSnape(thelategreatAlanRickman)inaverydifferentrole.Thefilmtellsthestoryofthescientistsatthecuttingedgeofearlyheartsurgeryaswellasissuessurroundingracismatthetime.
TherearesomegreatTVseriesandboxsetsavailabletoo,youmightwanttocheckout:BluePlanet,PlanetEarthIandII,,Icarus,Blackfish,TheAscentofMan,Catastrophe,FrozenPlanet,LifeStory,TheHuntandMonsoon.
Everyonelovesagoodstoryandeveryonelovessomegreatscience.Herearesomeofthepicksofthebestfilmsbasedonreallifescientistsanddiscoveries.YouwontfindJurassicParkonthislist,we’velookedbackoverthelast50yearstogiveyouourtop5filmsyoumightnothaveseenbefore.Greatwatchingforarainyday.
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ANewSuperweaponintheFightAgainstCancerAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/paula_hammond_a_new_superweapon_in_the_fight_against_cancer?language=enCancerisaveryclever,adaptabledisease.Todefeatit,saysmedicalresearcherandeducatorPaulaHammond,weneedanewandpowerfulmodeofattack.
WhyBeesareDisappearingAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_why_bees_are_disappearing?language=enHoneybeeshavethrivedfor50millionyears,eachcolony40to50,000individualscoordinatedinamazingharmony.Sowhy,sevenyearsago,didcoloniesstartdyingen-masse?
WhatDoctorsDon’tKnowAbouttheDrugsTheyPrescribeAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe?language=enWhenanewdruggetstested,theresultsofthetrialsshouldbepublishedfortherestofthemedicalworld—exceptmuchofthetime,negativeorinconclusivefindingsgounreported,leavingdoctorsandresearchersinthedark.
GrowingNewOrgansAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_growing_organs_engineering_tissue?language=enAnthonyAtalla'sstate-of-the-artlabgrowshumanorgans—frommusclestobloodvesselstobladders,andmore.
Ifyouhave30minutestospare,herearesomegreatpresentations(andfree!)fromworldleadingscientistsandresearchersonavarietyoftopics.Theyprovidesomeinterestinganswersandasksomethought-provokingquestions.UsethelinkorscantheQRcodetoview:
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1. Divideyourpageintothreesectionslikethis
3.Usethelargeboxtomakenotes.Leaveaspacebetweenseparateideas.Abbreviatewherepossible.
5.Writeasummaryofthemainideasinthebottomspace
2. Writethename,dateandtopicatthetopofthepage
4. Reviewandidentifythekeypointsinthelefthandbox
Imagestakenfromhttp://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
Research,readingandnotemakingareessentialskillsforAlevelBiologystudy.Forthefollowingtaskyouaregoingtoproduce‘CornellNotes’tosummariseyourreading.
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TheBigPictureisanexcellentpublicationfromtheWellcomeTrust.Alongwiththemagazine,thecompanyproducesposters,videosandotherresourcesaimedatstudentsstudyingforGCSEsandAlevel.Foreachofthefollowingtopics,youaregoingtousetheresourcestoproduceonepageofCornellstylenotes.UsethelinksorscantheQRcodetotakeyoutotheresources.
Topic1:TheCellAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/cellThecellisthebuildingblockoflife.Eachofusstartsfromasinglecell,azygote,andgrowsintoacomplexorganismmadeoftrillionsofcells.Inthisissue,weexplorewhatweknow–andwhatwedon’tyetknow–aboutthecellsthatarethebasisofusallandhowtheyreproduce,grow,move,communicateanddie.
Topic2:TheImmuneSystemAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/immuneTheimmunesystemiswhatkeepsushealthyinspiteofthemanyorganismsandsubstancesthatcandousharm.Inthisissue,weexplorehowourbodiesaredesignedtopreventpotentiallyharmfulobjectsfromgettinginsideandwhathappenswhenbacteria,viruses,fungiorotherforeignorganismsorsubstancesbreachthesebarriers.
Topic3:Exercise,EnergyandMovementAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/exercise-energy-and-movementAlllivingthingsmove.Whetherit’saplantgrowingtowardsthesun,bacteriaswimmingawayfromatoxinoryouwalkinghome,anythingalivemustmovetosurvive.Forhumansthough,movementismorethanjustsurvival–wemoveforfun,tocompeteandtobehealthy.Inthisissuewelookatthebiologicalsystemsthatkeepusmovingandconsidersomeofthepsychological,socialandethicalaspectsofexerciseandsport.
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Topic4:PopulationsAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/populationsWhat’sthefirstthingthatpopsintoyourmindwhenyoureadthewordpopulation?Mostlikelyit’stheever-increasinghumanpopulationonearth.You’reamemberofthatpopulation,whichisthetermforallthemembersofasinglespecieslivingtogetherinthesamelocation.Thetermpopulationisn’tjustusedtodescribehumans;itincludesotheranimals,plantsandmicrobestoo.Inthisissue,welearnmoreabouthowpopulationsgrow,changeandmove,andwhyunderstandingthemissoimportant.
Topic4:HealthandClimateChangeAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/health-and-climate-changeTheEarth’sclimateischanging.Infact,ithasalwaysbeenchanging.Whatisdifferentnowisthespeedofchangeandthemaincauseofchange–humanactivities.Thisissueasks:Whatarethebiggestthreatstohumanhealth?Whowillsufferastheclimatechanges?Whatcanbedonetominimiseharm?Andhowdowecopewithuncertainty?
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DNAandtheGeneticCodeInlivingorganismsnucleicacids(DNAandRNA)haveimportantrolesandfunctionsrelatedtotheirproperties.ThesequenceofbasesintheDNAmoleculedeterminesthestructureofproteins,includingenzymes.Thedoublehelixanditsfourbasesstoretheinformationthatispassedfromgenerationtogeneration.Thesequenceofthebasepairsadenine,thymine,cytosineandguaninetellribosomesinthecytoplasmhowtoconstructaminoacidsintopolypeptidesandproduceeverycharacteristicwesee.DNAcanmutateleadingtodiseasesincludingcancerandsometimesanomaliesinthegeneticcodearepassedfromparentstobabiesindiseasessuchascysticfibrosis,orcanbedevelopedinunbornfoetusessuchasDownsSyndrome.Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z36mmp3/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/dna-and-genetic-code
Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-twisting-tale-of-dna-judith-hauckhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-genes-come-from-carl-zimmer
Task:ProduceawalldisplaytoputupinyourclassroominSeptember.YoumightmakeaposterordothisusingPowerPointorsimilar.Yourdisplayshoulduseimages,keywordsandsimpleexplanationsto:• Definegene,chromosome,DNAandbasepair• DescribethestructureandfunctionofDNAandRNA• ExplainhowDNAiscopiedinthebody• OutlinesomeoftheproblemsthatoccurwithDNAreplicationandwhattheconsequencesofthismightbe.
EvolutionTransferofgeneticinformationfromonegenerationtothenextcanensurecontinuityofspeciesorleadtovariationwithinaspeciesandpossibleformationofnewspecies.Reproductiveisolationcanleadtoaccumulationofdifferentgeneticinformationinpopulationspotentiallyleadingtoformationofnewspecies(speciation).Sequencingprojectshavereadthegenomesoforganismsrangingfrommicrobesandplants,tohumans.Thisallowsthesequencesoftheproteinsthatderivefromthegeneticcodetobepredicted.Genetechnologiesallowstudyandalterationofgenefunctioninordertobetterunderstandorganismfunctionandtodesignnewindustrialandmedicalprocesses.Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z237hyc/revision/4http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/evolution
Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-sequence-the-human-genome-mark-j-kielhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-race-to-sequence-the-human-genome-tien-nguyen
Task:ProduceaonepagerevisionguideforanASBiologystudentthatrecapsthekeywordsandconceptsinthistopic.Yourrevisionguideshould:• Describespeciation• Explainwhatagenomeis• Giveexamplesofhowthisinformationhasalreadybeenusedtodevelopnewtreatmentsandtechnologies.
AlevelBiologywilluseyourknowledgefromGCSEandbuildonthistohelpyouunderstandnewandmoredemandingideas.Completethefollowingtaskstomakesureyourknowledgeisuptodateandyouarereadytostartstudying:
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BiodiversityThevarietyoflife,bothpastandpresent,isextensivebutthebiochemicalbasisoflifeissimilarforalllivingthings.Biodiversityreferstothevarietyandcomplexityoflifeandmaybeconsideredatdifferentlevels.Biodiversitycanbemeasured,forexample,withinahabitatoratthegeneticlevel.Classificationisameansoforganisingthevarietyoflifebasedonrelationshipsbetweenorganismsandisbuiltaroundtheconceptofspecies.Originallyclassificationsystemswerebasedonobservablefeaturesbutmorerecentapproachesdrawonawiderrangeofevidencetoclarifyrelationshipsbetweenorganisms.Adaptationsoforganismstotheirenvironmentscanbebehavioural,physiologicalandanatomical.Adaptationandselectionaremajorfactorsinevolutionandmakeasignificantcontributiontothediversityoflivingorganisms.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/ecological-conceptshttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/classification
Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-biodiversity-so-important-kim-preshoffhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-wildlife-adapt-to-climate-change-erin-eastwood
Task:WriteapersuasivelettertoanMP,organisationorpressuregrouppromotingconservationtomaintainbiodiversity.Yourlettershould:• Definewhatismeantbyspeciesandclassification• Describehowspeciesareclassified• Explainonewayscientistscancollectdataaboutahabitat,givinganexample• Explainadaptationandhowhabitatchangemayposeathreattonichespecies.
ExchangeandTransportOrganismsneedtoexchangesubstancesselectivelywiththeirenvironmentandthistakesplaceatexchangesurfaces.Factorssuchassizeormetabolicrateaffecttherequirementsoforganismsandthisgivesrisetoadaptationssuchasspecialisedexchangesurfacesandmasstransportsystems.Substancesareexchangedbypassiveoractivetransportacrossexchangesurfaces.Thestructureoftheplasmamembraneenablescontrolofthepassageofsubstancesintoandoutofcells.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/gas-exchangehttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/nutrition-and-digestion/revise-it/human-digestive-system
Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insights-into-cell-membranes-via-dish-detergent-ethan-perlsteinhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-do-the-lungs-do-emma-bryce
Task:CreateaposterordisplaytogoinyourclassroominSeptember.Yourpostershouldeither:compareexchangesurfacesinmammalsandfish,orcompareexchangesurfacesinthelungsandtheintestines.YoucoulduseaVenndiagramtodothis.Yourpostershould:• Describediffusion,osmosisandactivetransport• Explainwhyoxygenandglucoseneedtobeabsorbedandwasteproductsremoved• Compareandcontrastyourchosenfocus.
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BiologicalMoleculesBiologicalmoleculesareoftenpolymersandarebasedonasmallnumberofchemicalelements.Inlivingorganismscarbohydrates,proteins,lipids,inorganicionsandwaterallhaveimportantrolesandfunctionsrelatedtotheirproperties.DNAdeterminesthestructureofproteins,includingenzymes.Enzymescatalysethereactionsthatdeterminestructuresandfunctionsfromcellulartowhole-organismlevel.Enzymesareproteinswithamechanismofactionandotherpropertiesdeterminedbytheirtertiarystructure.ATPprovidestheimmediatesourceofenergyforbiologicalprocesses.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/biological-molecules-and-enzymeshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zb739j6/revision
Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8WJ2KENlK0http://ed.ted.com/lessons/activation-energy-kickstarting-chemical-reactions-vance-kite
Task:Krabbediseaseoccurswhenapersondoesn’thaveacertainenzymeintheirbody.Thediseaseeffectsthenervoussystem.WritealettertoaGPorasufferertoexplainwhatanenzymeis.Yourpostershould:• Describethestructureofanenzyme• Explainwhatenzymesdoinsidethebody
CellsThecellisaunifyingconceptinbiology,youwillcomeacrossitmanytimesduringyourtwoyearsofAlevelstudy.Prokaryoticandeukaryoticcellscanbedistinguishedonthebasisoftheirstructureandultrastructure.Incomplexmulticellularorganisms,cellsareorganisedintotissues,tissuesintoorgansandorgansintosystems.Duringthecellcyclegeneticinformationiscopiedandpassedtodaughtercells.Daughtercellsformedduringmitosishaveidenticalcopiesofgeneswhilecellsformedduringmeiosisarenotgeneticallyidentical.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/cells-and-organelleshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zvjycdm/revision
Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcTuQpuJyD8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0k-enzoeOMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCLmR9-YY7o
Task:ProduceaonepagerevisionguidetosharewithyourclassinSeptembersummarisingoneofthefollowingtopics:CellsandCellUltrastructure,ProkaryotesandEukaryotes,orMitosisandMeiosis.Whichevertopicyouchoose,yourrevisionguideshouldinclude:• Keywordsanddefinitions• Clearlylabelleddiagrams• Shortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.
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EcosystemsEcosystemsrangeinsizefromtheverylargetotheverysmall.Biomasstransfersthroughecosystemsandtheefficiencyoftransferthroughdifferenttrophiclevelscanbemeasured.Microorganismsplayakeyroleinrecyclingchemicalelements.Ecosystemsaredynamicsystems,usuallymovingfromcolonisationtoclimaxcommunitiesinaprocessknownassuccession.Thedynamicequilibriumofpopulationsisaffectedbyarangeoffactors.Humansarepartoftheecologicalbalanceandtheiractivitiesaffectitbothdirectlyandindirectly.Effectivemanagementoftheconflictbetweenhumanneedsandconservationhelptomaintainsustainabilityofresources.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z7vqtfr/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/ecological-concepts
Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZKIHe2LDP8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8dkWQVFAoA
Task:Produceanewspaperormagazinearticleaboutoneecosystem(e.g.thearctic,theSahara,therainforest,orsomethingclosertohomelikeyourlocalwoodland,naturereserveorshoreline).Yourarticleshouldinclude:• Keywordsanddefinitions• Picturesordiagramsofyourchosenecosystem.• Adescriptionofthechangesthathaveoccurredinthisecosystem• Anexplanationofthethreatsandfuturechangesthatmayfurtheralterthisecosystem.
ControlSystemsHomeostasisisthemaintenanceofaconstantinternalenvironment.Negativefeedbackhelpsmaintainanoptimalinternalstateinthecontextofadynamicequilibrium.Positivefeedbackalsooccurs.Stimuli,bothinternalandexternal,aredetectedleadingtoresponses.Thegenomeisregulatedbyanumberoffactors.Coordinationmaybechemicalorelectricalinnature
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/homeostasishttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/z8kxpv4
Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PPZCLnVkAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PPZCLnVkA
Task:ProduceapostertodisplayinyourclassroominSeptembersummarisingoneofthefollowingtopics:TemperatureControl,WaterandtheKidneys,Glucose,orTheLiver.Whichevertopicyouchoose,yourposterordisplayshouldinclude:KeywordsanddefinitionsClearlylabelleddiagramsShortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.
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ScientificandInvestigativeSkillsAspartofyourAlevelyouwillcompleteapracticalassessment.Thiswillrequireyoutocarryoutaseriesofpracticalactivitiesaswellasplanninghowtodothem,analysingtheresultsandevaluatingthemethods.Thiswillrequireyouto:useappropriateapparatustorecordarangeofquantitativemeasurements(toincludemass,time,volume,temperature,lengthandpH),useappropriateinstrumentationtorecordquantitativemeasurements,suchasacolorimeterorphotometer,uselaboratoryglasswareapparatusforavarietyofexperimentaltechniquestoincludeserialdilutions,useoflightmicroscopeathighpowerandlowpower,includinguseofagraticule,producescientificdrawingfromobservationwithannotations,usequalitativereagentstoidentifybiologicalmolecules,separatebiologicalcompoundsusingthinlayer/paperchromatographyorelectrophoresis,safelyandethicallyuseorganisms,usemicrobiologicalaseptictechniques,includingtheuseofagarplatesandbroth,safelyuseinstrumentsfordissectionofananimalorgan,orplantorgan,usesamplingtechniquesinfieldwork.
Task:Produceaglossaryforthefollowingkeywords:accuracy,anomaly,calibration,causallink,chance,confoundingvariable,controlexperiment,controlgroup,controlvariable,correlation,dependentvariable,errors,evidence,fairtest,hypothesis,independent,nullhypothesis,precision,probability,protocol,randomdistribution,randomerror,rawdata,reliability,systematicerror,truevalue,validity,zeroerror,
EnergyforBiologicalProcessesIncellularrespiration,glycolysistakesplaceinthecytoplasmandtheremainingstepsinthemitochondria.ATPsynthesisisassociatedwiththeelectrontransferchaininthemembranesofmitochondriaandchloroplastsinphotosynthesisenergyistransferredtoATPinthelight-dependentstageandtheATPisutilisedduringsynthesisinthelight-independentstage.
Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zcxrd2p/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/respiration
Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jbG_cfGuQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7YwCtHcgk
Task:ProduceanA3annotatedinformationposterthatillustratestheprocessofcellularrespirationandsummarisesthekeypoints.Yourpostershouldinclude:• Bothtextandimages• Bevisuallystimulating• Keywordsanddefinitions• Clearlylabelleddiagrams• Shortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.
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GlasgowScienceCentre-Glasgow
TheLakelandWildlifeOasis-Milnthorpe
DundeeScienceCentre-Dundee
ScottishSeabirdcentre–NorthBerwick
W5-Belfast
Life–Newcastle-upon-Tyne
AngleseySeaZoo-Anglesey
CambridgeScienceCentre-Cambridge
Think-tank-BirminghamNationalMuseum-Cardiff
HerrimanMuseumandGardens-London
TheEdenProject-CornwallBristolScienceCentre-Bristol
TheLivingRainforest-Newbury
CentreoftheCell-London
RoyalBotanicGardens–Kew-Edinburgh
OxfordUniversityMuseumofNaturalHistory-Oxford
NationalMarineAquarium-Plymouth
IfyouareonholidayintheUK,oronastaycationathome,whynotplanadaytriptooneofthese:
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IfyouareonholidayintheUK,oronastaycationathome,whynotplanadaytriptooneofthese:
Remembertherearealsolotsofzoos,wildlifeandsafariparksacrossthecountry,herearesomeyoumaynothaveheardoforconsidered:ColchesterZoo,CotswoldWildlifePark,BanhamZoo(Norfolk),TropicalBirdland(Leicestershire),YorkshireWildlifePark,PeakWildlifePark,InternationalCentreforBirdsofPrey(York),BlackpoolZoo,BealePark(Reading)
Therearealsohundredsofnaturereserves(someofwhicharefree)locatedalloverthecountryincluding:RSPBsitesatLochwinnoch,Saltholme,FairburnIngs,OldMoor,Conwy,Minsmere,RainhamMarshes,PulboroughBrooks,RadipoleLake,NewportWetlands.WildlifeTrustReservesandothersatRutlandWater,Pensthorpe,InshMarshes,AttenboroughCentre,Inversnaid,Skomer,LochGarten,DonnaNook,ChapmansWell,WoodwaltonFen,LondonWetlandCentre,MartinDownandWoolstonEyesReserve.
Manyorganisationsalsohaveopportunitiesforpeopletovolunteeroverthesummermonths,thismightincludeworkinginashop/café/visitorcentre,helpingwithsitemaintenanceortakingpartinbiologicalsurveys.Notonlyisthisgreatexperience,itlooksgreatonajoborUCASapplication.
Foropportunitieskeepaneyeoutinyourlocalpress,onsocialmedia,orlookatthewebsitesoforganisationsliketheRSPB,WildlifeTrust,NationalTrustorWildlife&WetlandTrust.
Therearealsoprobablylotsofsmallerorganisationsnearyouwhowouldalsoappreciateanysupportyoucangive!
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ScienceonSocialMedia
FindonFacebook:Nature-theprofilepagefornature.comfornews,features,researchandeventsfromNaturePublishingGroup
MarineConservationInstitute–publishesthelatestsciencetoidentifyimportantmarineecosystemsaroundtheworld.
NationalGeographic-since1888,NationalGeographichastravelledtheEarth,sharingitsamazingstoriesinpicturesandwords.
ScienceNewsMagazine-Sciencecoversimportantandemergingresearchinallfieldsofscience.
BBCScienceNews-ThelatestBBCScienceandEnvironmentNews:breakingnews,analysisanddebateonscienceandnaturearoundtheworld.
Science communication is essential in the modern world and all the big scientific companies,researchersandinstitutionshavetheirownsocialmediaaccounts.Herearesomeofourtoptipstokeepuptodatewithdevelopingnewsorinterestingstories:
FollowonTwitter:AlevelBiology–AhubforGCSEandAlevelbiologystudents@flagellum_bio
ALevelBiology–alevelbiology.co.ukprovidesresourcesforAQA,OCRandEdexcelA-LevelBiology.@alevelbiologyuk
DavidChalk–dailyrevisiontipsforASandA2Biology@teacherchalky1
UnderstandBiology–newsstoriesrelatingtoAlevelknowledgeandunderstanding@a_level_biology
SciCurious–feedfromwriterandBethanyBrookshiretweetingaboutgood,badandweirdneuroscience@scicurious
CarlZimmer–SciencewriterCarlblogsaboutthelifesciences@carlzimmer
VirginiaHughes–sciencejournalistandbloggerforNationalGeographic,keepuptodatewithneuroscience,geneticsandbehaviour@virginiahughes
MarynMcKenna–sciencejournalistwhowritesaboutantibioticresistance@marynmck
MolecularBiology-latestnews,research,booksandjournalsinmolecularbiology,cellbiology,genetics,stemcells,cancerandbiotechnology@molecular
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ScienceWebsites
Probablythebestwebsiteonbiology….‘LearnGenetics’fromUtahUniversityhassomuchthatispitchedatanappropriatelevelforyouandhaslotsofinteractiveresourcestoexplore,everythingfromwhysomepeoplecantastebitterberriestohowweclonemiceormakeglowinthedarkjellyfish.http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
‘DNAfromtheBeginning’isfullofinteractiveanimationsthattellthestoryofDNAfromitsdiscoverythroughtoadvancedyear13concepts.Onetobookmark!http://www.dnaftb.org/
Inthesummeryouwillmostlikelystarttolearnaboutbiodiversityandevolution.ManyZooshavegreatwebsites,especiallyLondonZoo.Readaboutsomeofthecasestudiesonconservation,suchastheGiantPangolin,theonlymammalwithscales.https://www.zsl.org/conservation
AtGCSEyoulearnthowgeneticdiseasesareinherited.Inthisvirtualflylabyougettobreedfruitfliestoinvestigatehowdifferentfeaturesarepassedon.http://sciencecourseware.org/vcise/drosophila/
Ok,sonotawebsite,butavideoyoudefinitelywanttowatch.Oneofthefirsttopicsyouwilllearnaboutistheamazingstructureofthecell.ThisBBCfilmshowsthefascinatingworkingsofacell…atouchmoredetailedthanthe“friedegg”modelyoumighthaveseen.http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzh0kb_the-hidden-life-of-the-cell_shortfilmsIfthislinkexpires–google“BBChiddenlifeofthecell”
Thesewebsitesallofferanamazingcollectionofresourcesthatyoushoulduseagainandagainthroughoutyourcourse.
Science:Thingstodo!
WanttostandabovetherestwhenitcomestoUCAS?Nowisthetimetoact.MOOCsareonlinecoursesrunbynearlyalluniversities.TheyareshortFREEcoursesthatyoutakepartin.Theyareusuallyquitespecialist,butaimedatthepublic,notthegenius!Therearelotsofwebsitesthathelpyoufindacourse,suchasedXandFuturelearn.Youcantakepartinanycourse,butthereareusuallystartandfinishdates.Theymostlyinvolvetakingpartinwebchats,watchingvideosandinteractives.
Day4oftheholidaysandboredomhassetin?Thereareloadsofcitizenscienceprojectsyoucantakepart in either from the comfort of your bedroom, outand about, or when on holiday. Wikipedia does acomprehensive list of all the current projects takingplace.Google‘citizenscienceproject’
CompletingaMOOCwilllookgreatonyourpersonalstatementandtheyaredeadeasytotakepartin!
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Thefollowing40minutetestisdesignedtotestyourrecall,analysisandevaluativeskillsandknowledge.Remembertouseyourexamtechnique:lookatthecommandwordsandthenumberofmarkseachquestionisworth.Asuggestedmarkschemeisprovidedforyoutocheckyouranswers.
1. a)WhatarethefourbasepairsfoundinDNA?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(2)
b) WhatdoesDNAcodefor?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1)
c) Whichorganelleinacellcarriesoutthisfunction?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(1)
2. a)WhattheorydidCharlesDarwinpropose?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1)
b) WhydidmanypeoplenotbelieveDarwinatthetime?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(1)
c) Describehowfossilsareformed.
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(3)
d) Thefossilrecordshowsusthattherehavebeensomespeciesthathaveformedandsomethathavebecomeextinct.i) Whatismeantbytheterm‘species’?
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(2)
ii) Describehowanewspeciesmayarise:
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)
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3. Ecologistsregularlystudyhabitatstomeasurethespeciespresentandtheeffectofanychanges.Oneteamofecologistsinvestigatedthehabitatshowninthepicturebelow:
Imagetakenfromhttp://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilquality/Dune%20Succession.pdf
a) Definethefollowingkeywords:i) Population
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
ii) Community
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(2)
b) Giveanexampleofonebioticfactorandoneabioticfactorthatwouldbepresentinthishabitat.
Biotic:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Abiotic:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(2)
c) Describehowtheecologistswouldgoaboutmeasuringthespeciespresentbetweenthecoastandtheinland.
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(6)
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4. Everylivingorganismismadeofcells.
Imagetakenfromhttp://prestigebux.com/worksheet/label-an-animal-cell-worksheet
a) Labelthefollowingpartsoftheanimalcell:
2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5……..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..(3)
b) Describehowthestructureofthecellmembraneisrelatedtoitsfunction?
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)
5. Amedicalresearchteaminvestigatedhowquicklythebodydealswithglucoseafterameal.Theystudiedthebloodglucoseconcentrationofpeoplewhoexercisedversusthosewhodidnot.Herearetheirresults:
Hoursaftereating
Imagetakenfromhttps://memoirsofanamnesic.wordpress.com/category/blood-glucose/
a) Whatorganinthebodyregulatesbloodglucoseconcentration?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(1)
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b) Explainthestagesthatwouldbringaboutareturntonormalbloodglucoseconcentrations.
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(4)
c) Nameonevariabletheresearcherswillhavecontrolled.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(1)
d) Theresearchersmadethefollowingconclusion:“Bloodglucosereturnstonormalvaluesforallpeopleafter4hours”
Towhatextentdoyouagreewiththisconclusion.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)
6. Scientistsneedtobeabletointerpretdataingraphstodecideiftherearetrendsintheresults.
Foreachgraphbelow,describethetrend.
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………(4)Imagestakenfrom:http://www.everythingmaths.co.za/science/lifesciences/grade-10/05-support-and-transport-systems-in-
plants/images/56aff2f9b6c5b041688f745ca928990c.pnghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/afa3f2b16b4d58d077943c96929c9a4020fea83a.gifhttp://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Projects00/temph/enzyme.html
http://www.myearthwatchexperience.com/Essential%20Ecology.htm
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SuggestedMarkScheme:
Question Answer Marks
1 a Adenine-ThymineCytosine-Guanine
11
b Protein/enzymes 1
c Ribosomes 1
2 a Evolution(bynaturalselection) 1
b Notenoughevidence 1
c (Plant/animaldies)andisquicklyburiedinsedimentNotallconditionsfordecayarepresentHardpartsofthebodyarereplacedbyminerals
111
d i Organismsthatcanreproducetoproduceviableoffspring/offspringthatcanalsoreproduce(fertile)
1
ii 3fromGeographicalisolation/namedexampleMutationofgenesNaturalSelection/selectiveadvantageSpeciescannolongerinterbreed(notproducefertileoffspring)
1111
3 a i Agroupoforganisms,allofthesamespecies,andallofwhomlivetogetherinaparticularhabitat.
1
ii Thetotalofallpopulationslivingtogetherinaparticularhabitat. 1
b Biotic–onefrom:Predators,prey,plant,microbesAbiotic–onefrom:Availabilityofwater,temperature,mineralconcentration,referencetoclimate/weather
1
1
c MeasureoutatransectUsingatapemeasureUseaquadratAtregular(named)intervalsIdentifyspeciespresentUsingakey/guide
111111
4 A 2Nucleolus5SmoothEndoplasmicReticulum8Golgibody
111
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Question Answer Marks
4 b Any3fromthefollowingstructureandfunctionmustbegiven.
Lipidbilayer-hasahydrophobicinsideandhydrophilicoutside, 1 allowingforselectivepermeability
Proteins-allowforspecificsubstancestocomeorsomemoleculesto 1 passthrough
Cholesterol-allowsforfluidityofthemembrane 1 Glycoproteins-forcellidentificationtheyserveasmarkers 1
5 a Pancreas 1
b 3from Pancreasdetectschange 1 Insulinsecreted 1 Byalphacells 1 Respirationincreased 1 Uptakeofglucoseincreased 1 Liverincreasesstorageofglucoseasglycogen 1
c Anyonefrom:Amountofchocolate,timetakentoeat,otherfood/drinkconsumed,age,gender,weight,fitnesslevel/metabolicrate,health/preexistingconditions,useofmedicines/drugs
1
d Anythreefrom
Datasuggeststhatbloodglucosereturnstonormal 1 Doesn’tshowhowmuchexercisehasbeendone 1 Doesn’tsayage/gender/othernamedvariable 1 Mayonlybetrueforchocolate/onlyonetypeoffoodinvestigated 1
6 Topleft:transpirationincreaseswhenwindspeedincreases/thereisa 1 positivecorrelation
Topright:rateincreaseswithpHuntiltheoptimumisreached,after 1 theoptimum,ratedecreases
Bottomleft:Increasinglightinitiallyincreasestherateof 1 photosynthesis,butafterawhileremainsconstant
Bottomright:Populationincreasesslowlyatfirstandthenincreasesat 1 agreaterrate/increasesexponentially
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