Year 10 CORE Biology Learning Cycle 3 Overview
How do organisms interact with one another as well as the environment and what is their impact?
Learning Cycle Overview:
Line of enquiry 1:
Hypothesis 1
Hypothesis 2
Hypothesis 3
Hypothesis 4
Line of enquiry 2:
Hypothesis 5
Hypothesis 6
Hypothesis 7
Hypothesis 8
How do living things reproduce and what effect does that have
on other organisms?
All organisms need a male and a female to produce offspring
You can only clone humans
We need organisms to help make human insulin
Biomass is how much energy there is in an organism
How can animals impact on the amount of greenhouse gas in
the atmosphere?
Dead organisms decay on their own
Organic matter can decay at different rates
Breathing produces carbon dioxide
Deforestation is a bad thing for the carbon cycle
Week 1
Week 1/2
Year 10 CORE Biology | Learning Cycle 3 | Medium Term Plan | Science 2015/16
How do organisms interact with one another as well as the environment and what is their impact?
Line of enquiry one: How do living things reproduce and what effect does that have on other organisms?
Intentions for learning AQA schemes of work/specification:
REPRODUCTION

Explain why sexual reproduction results in variation, but asexual
reproduction does not produce variation.

Describe sexual reproduction as the joining of male and female
gametes.

Define the term ‘clone’.

Explain how plant cuttings can be grown into new plants.

Interpret information about cloning techniques.

Make informed judgements about the economic, social and
ethical issues concerning cloning.

Describe the process of tissue culture in plants.

Explain the importance of cloning to plant growers.

Describe the process of embryo transplants in animals.

Describe the process of adult cell cloning in animals.

Explain advantages and disadvantages of cloning techniques.

Be able to present arguments for and against human cloning.

Define the term ‘genetic engineering’.

Describe the process of genetic engineering to produce bacteria
that can produce insulin and crops that have desired
characteristics.



Interpret information about genetic engineering techniques.
Make informed judgements about the economic, social and
ethical issues concerning genetic engineering.
Explain advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineering.
ENERGY IN BIOMASS

Be able to construct and interpret pyramids of biomass.

Describe how energy and mass is transferred along a food chain.

Explain why energy and biomass is reduced at successive stages
in a food chain.
Home Learning
Week 1: Pupils to be given a short exam paper consisting of biology,
chemistry and physics questions from LC1 & 2. These are marked
weekly by the member of staff not on Y10 timetable and handed
back the following week.
Lesson 1: All organisms need a male and a female to produce
offspring
Key words: asexual, sexual, reproduction
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 There are different types of reproduction and each one
produces distinct types of offspring
Success Criteria:
 Define the difference between sexual and asexual
reproduction
 Describe the process of sexual reproduction
 Explain why sexual reproduction results in variation whereas
asexual does not.
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Self assessed activity in class
Lesson 2: You can only clone humans
Lesson 3: We need organisms to help make human insulin
Lesson 4: Biomass is how much energy there is in an organism
Key words: tissue culture, clone, genetically identical
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 It is possible to create genetically identical organisms for
various reasons
Key words: genetic engineering, pesticide, herbicide
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 It is possible to augment the genetic material of organisms so
that they can make products useful to humans
Key words: biomass, pyramid of biomass, consumer, producer, urea
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding of:
 What biomass is, how it is transferred between organisms and
how its levels change through a food chain.
Success Criteria:
 Define the term clone
 Describe how one could clone plant tissue as well as an adult
animal cell
 Explain why farmers would want to create tissue clones of
plants
 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of cloning
techniques
Success Criteria:
 Define the term genetic engineering
 Describe the process of genetic engineering
 Using specific examples explain the uses of genetic engineering
Success Criteria:
 Recall how to construct and Interpret pyramids of biomass
 Describe how energy and mass is transferred along a food
chain
 Explain why energy and biomass reduces at successive stages
in a food chain
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Extended writing exam question provided and will be tutor
marked
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Act on feedback given by tutor and improve work
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Peer marked exam question on slide with rubric provided
for pupil-given formative feedback
Year 10 CORE Biology | Learning Cycle 3 | Medium Term Plan | Science 2015/16
How do organisms interact with one another as well as the environment and what is their impact?
Line of enquiry two: How can animals impact on the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere?
Intentions for learning AQA schemes of work/specification:
DECAY PROCESS

Describe how plants and animals return materials to the
environment.

Describe the role of microorganisms in decay.

Be able to name the type of living organism which causes leaves
to decay?

Describe factors affecting the rate of decay.

Explain how decay is useful to plants.

Evaluate the necessity and effectiveness of recycling organic
kitchen or garden wastes.
Home Learning
Week 2: Pupils to be given a short exam paper consisting of biology,
chemistry and physics questions from LC1 & 2. These are marked
weekly by the member of staff not on Y10 timetable and handed
back the following week.
Lesson 5: Dead organisms decay on their own
Key words: decomposers, detritus feeders
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 Animals return organic matter to the environment and it is
used by other organisms (microorganisms)
Success Criteria:
 Recall the type of living organism that causes leaves to decay
 Describe the role of microorganisms in decay
 Describe how plants/animals return materials to the
environment
THE CARBON CYCLE

Explain the carbon cycle in terms of photosynthesis, respiration,
feeding, death and decay, combustion of wood and fossil fuels.

Explain the role of microorganisms and detritus feeders in decay.

Explain why deforestation increases the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere.
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Self assessed activity in class
Lesson 6: Organic matter can decay at different rates
Lesson 7: Breathing produces carbon dioxide
Lesson 8: Deforestation is a bad thing for the carbon cycle
Key words: sewage treatment, compost
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 The organic matter returned by animals and plants has a use
for other organisms
Key words: fossil fuels, combustion, respiration, decay
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 A variety of chemical reactions add carbon dioxide into the
environment
Key words: photosynthesis, algae
Learning Intentions:
Students should develop an understanding that:
 Some chemical reactions can remove carbon dioxide out of the
environment
Success Criteria:
 Recall and describe factors that affect rate of decay
 Explain how decay is useful to plants
 Evaluate the necessity/effectiveness of recycling organic
kitchen matter/garden waste
Success Criteria:
 Recall the equation for photosynthesis and respiration
 Describe which process add carbon dioxide to the environment
 Explain the role of microorganisms and detritus feeders in
decay
Success Criteria:
 Recall the equation for photosynthesis and respiration
 Describe which process removes carbon dioxide from the
environment
 Explain why deforestation increases the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Extended writing exam question provided and will be tutor
marked
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Act on feedback given by tutor and improve work
Feedback Focus
Knowledge input | Check | Development | REACH | Improvement
Details: Peer marked exam question on slide with rubric provided
for pupil-given formative feedback