A Level Biology at Samuel Whitbread Academy

1. 6th Form A Level Biologyat Samuel Whitbread Academy Induction Booklet

2. Contents • Expectations • Topic summaries • Assessment • Enrichment opportunities • Degree course options • Careers • Summer prep work • Summer shopping list • Suggested texts and resources • Rainy day fun

3. Expectations We look forward to welcoming you into the sixth form and hope you will step up to the challenge. The progression from GCSE to A Level is steep and requires you to have key skills in order to be successful. You will have to be organised, able to work independently as well as in a group and make connections between all the topics to enable you to apply your biological knowledge. Expectations of you: Your attendance will be exemplary, if it drops below 95%, you will have to have evidence to explain your absence and your work will be checked to ensure you are keeping up to date. It is your responsibility to get catch up work from your teacher. You will be organised. It is expected that you will have a folder for all your notes that will be organised into topic. This folder of the whole subject may be called into be checked by a teacher at random times (with notice given). A day file should be used at school and notes transferred and elaborated upon during independent study and added to your subject file. You will act on feedback given in order to allow you to progress. Feedback will be given for assessed pieces of work and mid topic and end of topic assessments. It is these assessments that will contribute to our picture of you that will dictate your predicted grades. Your ‘my response is ‘ (MRI) must be completed to high standard. You will complete work in class set by the teacher. The tasks have been specifically designed to help you to access and apply the content. Note writing is an independent activity to do outside of class Homework will be completed on time and submitted by the deadline. Being able to meet deadlines is a key skill essential for future roles and we will insist that you hone this skill during you 6th form experience. You will wear professional dress that will allow you to partake in practical work safely and to represent the schools professional sixth form dress code permission. Consumption of food and drink in a lab is prohibited this includes chewing gum. All footwear should be closed toe during practical work and hair and loose clothing secured Use of mobile phones within lesson is not allowed unless your teacher gives explicit permission. Expectations of your biology teachers: Your teacher will teach you content that is relevant to the specification and support your learning of the content with engaging and challenging work Your teachers will give you feedback that will allow you to progress your learning and fill any gaps in your understanding Your teachers will support you and be open to giving extra help when you need it Your teachers will be professional and courteous toward you and appreciative of your individual needs whilst still maintaining their high expectations of you Your teachers will mark assessed works and assessments in a timely manner so that you can progress your learning You will be given a lesson schedule which you will put at the beginning of your course file and RAG each lesson

4. Topic Summaries: Year 12 AQA AS AND A-LEVEL BIOLOGY AS (7401) A-level (7402)

5. Topic Summaries: Year 12 AQA AS AND A-LEVEL BIOLOGY AS (7401) A-level (7402)

6. Topic Summaries: Year 13 AQA AS AND A-LEVEL BIOLOGY AS (7401) A-level (7402)

7. Topic Summaries: Year 13 AQA AS AND A-LEVEL BIOLOGY AS (7401) A-level (7402)

8. Assessment • You will have 2 biology teachers each covering 2 topics each in year 12. Within each topic, you will have 1 mid point assessment and 1 end of topic assessment. • You will also have assessed pieces of work throughout the year • Toward the end of year 12, you will take internal progression examinations (IPEs) which will be on all the work you have done in year 12 • Within the 2 year course there are 12 required practicals. All must be written up and practical skills (CPACs) will be assessed. These will not be graded but must all be achieved to be awarded your final A Level Biology certification • All of these assessments will provide information that will be used to inform our predictions for of your final exams Do you have any questions about the course so far?

9. Enrichment opportunities • There are many enrichment opportunities within the course that will give you the opportunity to develop your key skills and add weight to your personal statements and subsequent applications and interviews to wherever your route form Biology A level takes you. • Opportunities include: • Summer enrichment project • Biology field trip • Presentations of work • Volunteering opportunities to help with: • science escape room competition • Eco schools • Science garden development • Lower school tutoring • AS Biology Residential Field Trip – Investigating Populations & Environments • During the summer term of Year 12 we will be running a residential fieldtrip to Flatford Mill in Suffolk. This trip offers an excellent opportunity for students that will enrich their knowledge and understanding of A level Biology. • At A level, the AQA specification places considerable emphasis on practical work. The course to Flatford Mill provided by the Field Studies Council gives comprehensive coverage of much of the populations and ecology content from the A level course and will use fieldwork to allow students to gain a strong understanding of “How Science Works”; through the development and practice of investigative skills and through the consideration of how scientific evidence may be used to assess people’s impact on the environment. In addition, we will carry out two of the six required core practicals in the field. • In addition, the course includes: • Expert tuition by fully trained staff • Rigorous and proven health and safety procedures including 24 hour emergency cover • Full board • Specialist equipment and exclusive access to specially developed resources. • Individual letters will be given to all A level Biology students in September giving all the relevant details of the trip. This will include cost and payment details (including deposit details).

10. A box for you to write any other degree course you are interested in and universities Degree courses; to name but a few! Careers; to name but a few! Health and Medical Sciences Biosciences / Applied Biology Biochemistry Sports Science / Physical Education Anthropology Biomedical sciences Chemical engineering Medicine Nursing and Midwifery Physiotherapy Psychology Teacher Training Ecology Botany Zoology Genetics Microbiology Molecular Biology Biophysics • Biotechnologist • Marine biologist • Microbiologist • Nanotechnologist • Nature conservation officer • Pharmacologist • Research scientist • Scientific laboratory technician • Soil scientist • Animal Physiotherapist • Dental hygienist • Dentist • GP / Surgeon • Health promotion specialist • Healthcare scientist • Science writer • Sustainability consultant • Veterinary nurse / Vet • Zoologist • Genetic counsellor • Pharmaceutical sales rep • Skincare and make up research developer • Scientific correspondent A box for you to write any other careers you are interested in or to state your aspirations….

11. Summer prep work • In order for us to assess suitability for the course, along with gaining a 6 or above in your science GCSEs, you must also pass the induction exam • Over the summer you should revise and prepare for this. The content of the test will be to higher tier biology GCSE content in the following areas: • Immune system • Transport across membranes • Heart • Structure of DNA • Enzymes • Magnification (A level) • The pass mark for this is 50% Summer shopping list • For September you will need: • Pens and pencils • Sharpener, rubber, ruler • Scientific calculator • Lined paper • 2 x Lever arch folder, 1 day folder, plastic wallets and dividers BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN GCSE & A LEVEL We have purchased a number of complimentary books that are designed to support students bridge the gap between GCSE Biology and A level Biology. These will be available for all Year 12 Biologists to take out on loan from the school library at the start of the autumn term. These books will need to be renewed every term and it is the responsibility of the students to ensure that they remain in good condition throughout the year. Each book will need to be returned to the library at the end of the AS course and students will be charged for loss or damage.

12. Reading around the subject: Starting a passion for biology and a lifelong journey of learning TEXT BOOKS We will be using the following text book for AS AQA Biology: CGP A-Level Year 1 & AS Biology ISBN 978 1 78294 319 8 MATHS SKILLS It is also recommended that students purchase one of the books available that cover the maths skills required in A level Biology. The new specification includes more maths than the previous one and around 10% of the marks require these maths skills. There are various books available but CGP have one entitled ‘Essential Maths Skills for A-level Biology'. Books: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin Bad Science, Ben Goldacre A Brief History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson Why Evolution is True, Jerry Coyne The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins Genome, Matt Ridley Periodicals: New scientist The Big Picture The Week Science and Nature BBC Science Focus Popular Science Podcasts: The naked scientists: www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts Crowd Science: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04d42rc/episodes/downloads Programs: Our Planet, David Attenborough Blue Planet, David Attenborough Human Planet, BBC The Private Life of Plants, BBC

13. Rainy day fun

14. DOWN • 1. Drugs that destroy bacteria. (11) • 3. A diet with the correct amount of each nutrient. (8) • 4. They can only be seen with a microscope. (13) • 5. These are produced by white blood cells. (10) • 6. The spread of a disease across a number of countries. (8) • 8. This is a chemical used by your body to manufacture hormones and cell membranes. (11) • 9. A method of spreading infectious disease. (7) • 11. Microorganisms that cause disease. (8) • 13. The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and do more ....?... (8) ACROSS 2. Eating a poorly balanced diet makes you this. (12) 4. The chemical reactions that go on in your cells. (10) 7. The introduction of small amounts of dead or weakened pathogens to prevent infection. (11) 10. If you eat much more food than you need you may suffer from this. (7) 12. The blood cells that ingest pathogens. (5) 14. Microorganisms that take over body cells. (5) 15. Single celled microorganisms found in the gut. (8) 16. A change in the genetic material of an organism. (8) 17. These are characteristics passed on from parents to their children through genes. (9) 18. To inject someone with a vaccine. (9)