SACRED HEART COLLEGE
YEAR 13 BIOLOGY
Student booklet 2015
A copy of this booklet is available on:
- the student drive. subjects/Science/Biology.
- Mission Point
Year 13 BIOLOGY 2015
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
COURSE OBJECTIVE (Curriculum Achievement Objectives, Level 8)
In studying biology, you will investigate and develop your understanding of:
Living World students will:

Understand the relationship between organisms and their environment. (AS 3.1, AS 3.3, AS
3.4)

Explore the evolutionary processes that have resulted in the diversity of life on Earth and
appreciate the place and impact of humans within these processes. (AS 3.5, AS 3.6, AS 3.7)

Understand how humans manipulate the transfer of genetic information from one generation
to the next and make informed judgments about the social, ethical, and biological implications
relating to this manipulation. (AS 3.7)
TEXT BOOKS
Issued: each student will have a copy of either.

DESIGNS OF LIFE - Meg Bayley
or

Year 13 Biology – study guide. Martin Hanson. ESA.
Classroom use:

Excellence in Biology. NCEA Level 3 – Martin Hanson.
Optional Purchase:

BIOZONE - NCEA Level 3 student workbooks and model answer booklet.
There are two separate workbooks: one covers the internal standards the other the external
standards. The internal standards book contains answers. The external standards book has a
separate answer booklet. Both workbooks and the answer book are recommended.
These are excellent books to support lessons and for homework. They contain activities, NCEA
style questions and are supported by web links. Powerpoint presentations supporting book topics
are on student share drive.
ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS
In 2015 the course will offer 19 credits in Level 3 Biology. This comprises 6 credits internally assessed
and 13 credits by external examination.
Internally Assessed Standards
AS 91604
Version 1
AS 91607
Version 1
Demonstrate understanding of how an
AS 3.4 animal maintains a stable internal
environment
Demonstrate understanding of human
AS 3.7 manipulations of genetic transfer and its
biological implications.
3 credits
Term 1.
Week 6 (approx)
3 credits
Term 3.
Week 4 (approx)
These assessments are part of the formal assessment for NCEA. If you are absent for assessments the
protocols outlined in the school assessment document must be followed.
Externally Assessed Standards
AS 91603
Version 1
AS 91605
Version 1
AS 91606
Version 1
Demonstrate understanding of the responses of plants and
animals to their external environment
Demonstrate understanding of evolutionary processes leading to
AS 3.5
speciation.
Demonstrate understanding of trends in human evolution.
AS 3.6
AS 3.3
5 credits
4 credits
4 credits
At the end of each topic unit there will be a knowledge test based on NCEA style questions. These will
provide formative assessment and a guide to student progress.
The formal school exams in September will cover two of the externally assessed achievement standards
AS 3.3 and AS 3.5 a similar format to the official NCEA external. AS 3.6 will be assessed at the end of
the topic in Term 4.
In the event of a derived grade being required by NZQA, the results from the school exam will be used
for AS 3.3 and AS 3.5. The formal assessment of AS 3.6 in Term 4 will be used to provide a derived
grade for this standard.
The Plant and Animal behaviour standard (AS 91603, Biology AS 3.3) will be taught in two sections
during Terms 1 and 2. Dividing the topic should make it easier for students to learn the concepts and
provides an opportunity to better assess student understanding.
Moderation and Authentication of Student Work
Marking of Assessment Tasks
1. Formative assessment will be marked by each class teacher to a common assessment schedule.
Cross moderation will be done by teachers comparing student answers, particularly in borderline
cases.
2. All internally assessed achievement standards will be marked and moderated by a panel of teachers.
The same process will also be used for the school examinations where the grade may be used as a
derived grade for the external NCEA examinations.
3. Following each assessment event, students will be shown the assessment schedule and will receive
feedback on their own achievement. If there are any problems, the school guidelines must be
followed. A written application for a reconsideration can be made within one week of the return of the
assessment.
4. Following feedback on assessments and any reconsideration of grades awarded, students will verify
their grade by signing a copy. These verified grades will be stored in a designated folder in the
Science department office.
5. Each student will have a file kept by the teacher in which all assessments will be stored. Under no
circumstances will these be allowed home. They are available to students for revision at school.
Student work may be required by NZQA for moderation purposes.
Authentication of Student Work
1. Practice achievement standards / formative assessment will be done under exam conditions.
2. For both AS 3.4 and AS 3.7 students will submit their work at the school office by 0900 hrs on the
relevant due date. Along with the work submitted for assessment, students need to include a signed
student self-certification sheet, stating that the submitted work is the students own and a printed
report from an on-line plagiarism checker. For authenticity purposes you will also be required to
upload a digital version of your report onto the school network (details tba).
STUDENT FILES
A formal record of student grades is kept on the school network – KAMAR computer files. After
every internal assessment students will be asked to sign a copy of their grade for that particular
standard. This is a formal document and is kept in a designated folder in the Science department
office.
In addition the class teacher will keep a separate paper record of all of your assessment, assignment
and homework grades. All assessed work will be held in an individual student portfolio file, located in
each teaching lab. Students have access to this file at all times – but under no circumstances can
these documents be taken home or copied. They are available to students for use at school. Student
work may be required by NZQA for moderation purposes.
13 Biology Calendar 2015
TERM ONE
1
2
Homeostasis AS 3.4
Waitangi Day
3 9 Feb
TERM TWO
(total 380 half-days)
20 Apr
TERM THREE
Gene transfer AS 3.7
21 July
TERM FOUR
Human evolution AS 3.6
13 Oct
27 Apr Anzac Day
27 July
19 Oct
Plant behaviour AS 3.3
5 May
3 Aug
AS 3.6 formative assessment
26 Oct Labour Day
External revision
4 16 Feb
10 Aug
2 Nov Senior Prizegiving
Human evolution AS 3.6
18 Aug
10 Nov
11 May
Leadership Mass
NCEA begins
5 AS 3.4 Formative assessment 18 May
23 Feb
Sports Day
6 2 Mar
25 May
24 Aug
AS 3.3 formative assessment
17 Nov
AS 3.7 Internal assessment due
7 Animal behaviour AS 3.3
10 Mar
1 Jun Queens Birthday
Evolution AS 3.5
Mid Term Break
31 Aug
24 Nov
AS 3.4 Internal assessment due
8 16 Mar
8 Jun
7 Sep
1 Dec
9 23 Mar
Feast Day
15 Jun
14 Sep School Exams
7 Dec
Animal & Plant behaviour
AS 3.3
Evolution & speciation AS 3.5
10 30 Mar
22 Jun
21 Sep
Feedback on exams
Last Day of Term
Good Friday
11
Zoo Trip
29 Jun
AS 3.5 formative assessment
Last day of term
End of Year
Achievement Standard 91613
Title
Biology AS 3.3
version 1
Demonstrate understanding of the responses of plants and animals to their external environment
3
Level
Planned review date
Credits
31 December 2016
5
Assessment
Date version published
External
4 December 2012
This achievement standard involves demonstrating understanding of the responses of plants and animals to their
external environment.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate understanding of
the responses of plants and
animals to their external
environment.
 Demonstrate in-depth
understanding of the responses
of plants and animals to their
external environment.
 Demonstrate comprehensive
understanding of the responses of
plants and animals to their external
environment.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of
Education, 2007, Level 8 within the Science learning area. It is aligned with the following achievement
objective from the Living World strand:
 Life processes, ecology and evolution, ‘Understand the relationship between organisms and their
environment’.
It is also related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for Biology, Ministry of Education, 2010
at http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz.
2
Demonstrate understanding involves describing plant and animal responses to their external environment.
The description includes:
 the process(es) within each response and/or the adaptive advantage provided for the organism in relation to
its ecological niche.
Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves using biological ideas to explain:
 how the responses occur
 why the responses provide an adaptive advantage for the organism in relation to its ecological niche.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves:
 linking biological ideas to explain why the responses provide an adaptive advantage for the organism in
relation to its ecological niche. The linking of ideas may involve justifying, relating, evaluating,
comparing and contrasting, and analysing.
3
Responses are selected from those relating to:
 orientation in space (tropisms, nastic responses, taxes, kineses, homing, migration)
 orientation in time (annual, daily, lunar, tidal rhythms)
 interspecific relationships (competition for resources, mutualism, exploitation including herbivory,
predation, and parasitism)
 intraspecific relationships (competition for resources, territoriality, hierarchical behaviour, cooperative
interactions, reproductive behaviours).
4
External environment will include both biotic and abiotic factors.
5
Assessment Specifications for this achievement standard can be accessed through the Biology Resources
page found at www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/resources.
General information:
Papers may contain resource-based questions.
Candidates may use annotated diagrams to show evidence where appropriate.
Specific information - Special notes

Candidates should be familiar with graphical and tabulated data, which may include actograms.

Candidates should be familiar with the following terms, with regards to adaptive advantage(s) of a
plant or animal to its ecological niche:
Cooperative breeding, courtship, home range, kin selection, agonistic behavior, auxin,
exogenous,endogenous, entrainment, free running period, zeitgeber, photoperiodism, biological clock.
Achievement Standard 91604
Biology AS 3.4
version 1
Title Demonstrate understanding of how an animal maintains a stable internal environment
Level
3
Planned review date
Credits
31 December 2016
3
Assessment
Date version published
Internal
4 December 2012
This achievement standard involves demonstrating understanding of how an animal maintains a stable internal environment.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate understanding of
 Demonstrate in-depth
 Demonstrate comprehensive
how an animal maintains a stable
internal environment.
understanding of how an animal
maintains a stable internal
environment.
understanding of how an animal
maintains a stable internal
environment.
Explanatory Notes
1

This achievement standard is derived from The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of
Education, 2007, Level 8 within the Science learning area. It is aligned with the following achievement
objective from the Living World strand:
Life processes, ecology, and evolution, ‘Understand the relationship between organisms and their
environment’.
It is also related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for Biology, Ministry of Education, 2010,
at http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz.
2



Demonstrate understanding involves using biological ideas to describe a control system by which an animal
maintains a stable internal environment. Annotated diagrams or models may be used to support the
description.
Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves using biological ideas to explain how or why an animal
maintains a stable internal environment. This includes explaining how a specific disruption results in
responses within a control system to re-establish a stable internal environment.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves linking biological ideas about maintaining a stable
internal environment in an animal. This includes at least one of:
a discussion of the significance of the control system in terms of its adaptive advantage
an explanation of the biochemical and/or biophysical processes underpinning the mechanism (such as
equilibrium reactions, changes in membrane permeability, metabolic pathways)
an analysis of a specific example of how external and/or internal environmental influences result in a
breakdown of the control system.
3
A control system that maintains a stable internal environment (homeostatic system) refers to those that
regulate: body temperature, blood pressure, osmotic balance, level of blood glucose, levels and balance of
respiratory gases in tissues.
4
The biological ideas related to the control system includes the: purpose of the system, components of the
system, mechanism of the system (how it responds to the normal range of environmental fluctuations,
interaction and feedback mechanisms between parts of the system), potential effect of disruption to the system
by internal or external influences.
5
Environmental influences that result in a breakdown of the control system may be external influences such as
extreme environment conditions, disease or infection, drugs or toxins, or internal influences such as genetic
conditions or metabolic disorders.
6
Conditions of Assessment related to this achievement standard can be found at
http://www.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/conditions-assessment.php.
Achievement Standard 91605
Biology AS 3.5
version 1
Title Demonstrate understanding of evolutionary processes leading to speciation
3
Level
Planned review date
Credits
31 December 2016
4
Assessment
Date version published
External
4 December 2012
This achievement standard involves demonstrating understanding of evolutionary processes leading to speciation.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate understanding of
evolutionary processes leading
to speciation.
 Demonstrate in-depth
understanding of evolutionary
processes leading to
speciation.
 Demonstrate comprehensive
understanding of evolutionary
processes leading to speciation.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of
Education, 2007, Level 8 within the Science learning area. It is aligned with the achievement objectives in
the following two strands:
Living World strand:
 Life processes, ecology, and evolution, ‘Explore the evolutionary processes that have resulted in the
diversity of life on Earth and appreciate the place and impact of humans within these processes’
Nature of Science strand:
 Understanding about science, ‘Understand that scientists have an obligation to connect their new ideas to
current and historical scientific knowledge and to present their findings for peer review and debate’.
It is also related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for Biology, Ministry of Education,
2010, at http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz.
2
Demonstrate understanding involves using biological ideas and/or scientific evidence to describe
evolutionary processes leading to speciation.
Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves using biological ideas and/or scientific evidence to explain
how or why evolutionary processes lead to speciation.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves linking biological ideas and/or scientific evidence about
evolutionary processes leading to speciation. The linking of ideas may involve justifying, relating,
evaluating, comparing and contrasting, or analysing the evolutionary processes that lead to speciation.
3
Evolutionary processes involve the following biological ideas:
 role of mutation
 gene flow
 role of natural selection and genetic drift
 modes of speciation (sympatric, allopatric)
 reproductive isolating mechanisms that contribute to speciation (geographical, temporal, ecological,
behavioural, structural barriers, polyploidy)
 patterns such as divergence, convergence, adaptive radiation, co-evolution, punctuated equilibrium, and
gradualism.
4
Scientific evidence for evolution, which may include examples from New Zealand’s flora and fauna, will be
selected from: fossil evidence, comparative anatomy (homologous and analogous structures), molecular
biology (proteins and DNA analysis), biogeography.
6
Assessment Specifications for this achievement standard can be accessed through the Biology Resources
page found at www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/resources.
General information:
Papers may contain resource-based questions.
Candidates may use annotated diagrams to show evidence where appropriate.
Specific information - Special notes
 There will be an emphasis on groups that contain New Zealand examples. The examination may also
include contexts and examples from elsewhere in the world.
 Candidates may be required to show understanding of:
o
the concept of natural selection including directional, stabilising, and disruptive selection and
genetic diversity
o
evolutionary change at the population level which reflects underlying changes in allele frequencies
o
the application of molecular biology in terms of proteins and DNA analysis, which may include
mtDNA and nuclear DNA and genetic distances

phylogeny and cladistics.
Achievement Standard
Biology AS 3.7
Version 1
Title Demonstrate understanding of human manipulations of genetic transfer and its biological
Implications.
3
Level
Planned review date
Credits
3
31 December 2016
Internal
Assessment
Date version published
4 December 2012
This achievement standard involves demonstrating understanding of human manipulations of genetic transfer and its
biological implications.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate understanding of
human manipulations of
genetic transfer and its
biological implications.
 Demonstrate in-depth
understanding of human
manipulations of genetic
transfer and its biological
implications.
 Demonstrate comprehensive
understanding of human
manipulations of genetic transfer
and its biological implications.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of
Education, 2007, Level 8 within the Science learning area. It is aligned with the following achievement
objectives in the Living World strand Life processes, ecology, and evolution:
 Understand how humans manipulate the transfer of genetic information from one generation to the next
and make informed judgements about the social, ethical, and biological implications relating to this
manipulation
 Explore the evolutionary processes that have resulted in the diversity of life on Earth and appreciate the
place and impact of humans within these processes.
It is also related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for Biology, Ministry of Education,
2010, at http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz.
2
Demonstrate understanding involves using biological ideas to describe human manipulations of genetic
transfer and its biological implications.
Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves using biological ideas to explain how humans manipulate
genetic transfer and the biological implications of these manipulations.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves linking biological ideas about human manipulations of
genetic transfer and its biological implications. The linking of ideas may involve justifying, relating,
evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and analysing.
3
Human manipulations of genetic transfer may involve:
 selective breeding (could include embryo selection, animal breeding, plant breeding, development of new
crops)
 whole organism cloning
 transgenesis
 investigation and modification of the expression of existing genes.
4
Biological implications may involve the impact on:
- ecosystems
- genetic biodiversity
- survival of populations
- evolution of populations.
5
Conditions of Assessment related to this achievement standard can be found at
www.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/conditions-assessment.php.
Achievement Standard 91606
Title
Biology AS 3.6
version1
Demonstrate understanding of trends in human evolution
3
Level
Planned review date
Credits
4
31 December 2016
Assessment
Date version published
External
4 December 2012
This achievement standard involves demonstrating understanding of trends in human evolution.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate understanding of  Demonstrate in-depth
trends in human evolution.
understanding of trends in
human evolution.
 Demonstrate comprehensive
understanding of trends in human
evolution.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education,
2007, Level 8 within the Science learning area. It is aligned with the achievement objectives in the following two
strands:
Nature of Science strand: Understanding about science, ‘Understand that scientists have an obligation to connect their
new ideas to current and historical scientific knowledge and to present their findings for peer review and debate’
Investigating in science, ‘Develop and carry out investigations that extend their science knowledge, including developing
their understanding of the relationship between investigations and scientific theories and models’.
Living World strand:
Life processes, ecology, and evolution, ‘Explore the evolutionary processes that have resulted
in the diversity of life on Earth and appreciate the place and impact of humans within these processes’.
It is also related to the material in the Teaching and Learning Guide for Biology, Ministry of Education, 2010 at
http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz.
2
Demonstrate understanding involves using biological ideas to describe trends in human evolution.
Demonstrate in-depth understanding involves using biological ideas to explain how or why trends in human evolution
occur.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves linking biological ideas about trends in human evolution. The
linking of ideas may involve justifying, relating, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and analysing using scientific
evidence.
3
Trends in human evolution refers to change over a period of time in relation to:
 human biological evolution
 human cultural evolution
 patterns of dispersal of hominins. Hominins refers to living and fossil species belonging to the human lineage.
This is a subgroup of hominids, a group which includes both humans and the great apes.
4
Trends in human biological evolution begin with early bipedal hominins and may require comparison with living
hominids. These trends involve: skeletal changes linked to bipedalism, changes in skull and endocranial features,
changes in the manipulative ability of the hand.
5
Trends in human cultural evolution involve:
 use of tools (stone, wood, bone)
 use of fire
 clothing
 abstract thought (communication, language, art)
 food-gathering (hunter-gatherer, domestication of plants
and animals)
 shelter (caves, temporary settlement, permanent
settlement).
6
Interpretations of the trends in human evolution are based on current scientific evidence which is widely accepted and
presented in peer-reviewed scientific publications.
7
Assessment Specifications for this achievement standard can be accessed through the Biology Resources page found at
www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/resources.
General information:
Papers may contain resource-based questions.
Candidates may use annotated diagrams to show evidence where appropriate.
Specific information - Special notes

Resource material may use the names of currently recognised species. If candidates use named species
in their answer, then any information they produce must be consistent with those species named.

Trends are limited to those exhibited by early bipedal hominins onwards, and may involve comparison with
other living hominids (apes). These may include any skeletal features related to bipedalism, such as the
scapula, rib cage, leg and arm bones.

Any discussion of the causes of hominin evolution should consider the selection pressures that would lead
to evolutionary change.

Cultural evolution covers the following tool cultures and key species associated with them, through to
development of agriculture and early settlements:
o Oldowan
o Acheulean
o Mousterian
o Upper Palaeolithic
o Neolithic.

Dispersal of hominins covers the period up to 6000 years ago. Candidates should be able to demonstrate
understanding of the ecological / evolutionary changes that could drive such dispersal.

Scientific evidence relating to human evolution may include skeletal remains, nuclear and mitochondrial
DNA, tools, evidence from scientific and comparative dating.

Answers must be based on scientific evidence.
A guide to referencing.
If you use someone else’s work (from whatever source: book, picture, internet etc), YOU MUST credit
the person whose work and ideas you are using. This applies even if you are simply using their ideas to
formulate your own AND whether you use their words directly or change them. This is referencing –
it’s about being honest and is the same idea as copywrite.
A. If you change the original words, pictures etc, slightly by putting the ideas into your own
words (this is called paraphrasing).
THEN:
Write the source of the original information in a Reference List at the end of your assignment.
This is done slightly differently depending upon the source of the original information.
BOOKS
Author(s) name, Date of publication (in brackets), Title, and Publisher (place and company).
eg. Selinger, B. (1989). Chemistry in the Marketplace (4th ed.). Sydney: Heinemann
MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS and JOURNALS
Author(s) name, Date of publication (in brackets), Article title, Name of publication, Issue and
Page number(s).
eg. Becker, L.J. & Seligman,C.(1981). Welcome to the Energy Crisis. Journal of Social Issues. 37,1-7
INTERNET
The full URL / web address (underlined), Author(s)name/Organisation any Page numbers and the
date YOU accessed the site.
eg. www.usgs.com/catastrophism/asaro (United States Geological Society, 12.02.02)
As well as putting the reference in a list YOU SHOULD ALSO put a shortened version of the reference in
brackets at the end of the sentence in your assignment where you used those ideas/words. This is often referred
to as “in text referencing”.
Author’s surname, date of publication (in brackets).
eg. your words using Smith’s ideas (Smith, 1998). eg. marine reserves have larger fish (Smith, 1998).
For internet sources provide the full URL / web address.
B. If you use someone elses words unaltered (either written or spoken), then you are quoting
and must credit the original source of information. Use the same format used for books, magazines, and
internet sources as above.
1.
Use quotation marks to indicate the unaltered written or spoken words used in your assignment.
2.
Put a shortened version of the reference in brackets immediately following those words quoted in your
assignment (in text referencing).
Author’s surname, date of publication (in brackets).
eg. According to some scientists “many marine reserves show a dramatic increase in both the
number, size and variety of species within them” (Smith, 1998), although this is not true in all cases.
3.
AND finally, don’t forget to write the source of the original information in a Reference List at the end of
your assignment.