MĀTAI KOIORA / Biology

Course aims / learning outcomes 

Biology is an important subject. It connects us to the world we live in and reminds us of our interconnectedness with all other life forms. To understand the world, we must understand the relationships between ourselves and the environment in which we live and our role as guardians of the land, kaitiakitanga.

Not studying Science in Level 6 is not necessarily a barrier to taking this course. However, if you come and have a chat with me I can give you some material to catch you up with the important concepts.

Course content

• Questions that we will answer throughout the year: How do some basic life processes work to keep organisms alive? i.e. How do we get energy from food? How does photosynthesis work? Why do the simple Punnett squares that we learned about in Level 6 not work for all alleles? How have organisms adapted to their environment and way of life? How and why are different organisms distributed in an environment and how do they interact with each other?
• The first internal will require a day field trip to Taylor's Mistake.

Assessment statement

A total of 19 Achievement Standard credits are offered within this course at Level 2. This includes 8 credits in external assessments and 11 credits through internal assessments. 

• Assessments in this course will include external assessments as well as reports written during class time.

Authenticity

• To ensure authenticity most internal assessments will be completed under supervision using exam.net.
• Class tests will take place under supervised test conditions within class.
• Students may be required to sign an authenticity statement, perform certain parts of assessment tasks under close supervision, or show through interview and the existence of notes and supporting material that the work submitted by the student is genuinely their own work.

Appeal Procedures

• Students have the right to appeal the mark they have been awarded. If a student wishes to appeal a grade, they should initially talk to the subject learning advisor about the marking process immediately after the marked assessment task is shown to them. If still dissatisfied the student should make an appointment and discuss grades with the Principal’s Nominee (Brent) who will check that the correct procedures have been followed as outlined in the school and subject policies taking into account any special circumstances.

Table of Assessments