Monthly Archives: September 2014

VCE Biology Revision

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Darwins_first_tree

With about five weeks until the final end-of-year examination for VCE Biology on Friday 31st October (9.00am to 11.45am), you still have time to prepare an effective study timetable that will assist you to achieve your best result. It is important to balance your commitments at this time of year and avoid getting stressed and anxious, because that won’t help your revision process. You may like to consider some of the following ways to support your exam revision:

Much of your success in this subject will depend on your knowledge of scientific terms, definitions and concepts and how to apply these concepts in new situations. Spend some time identifying key knowledge in each Area of Study, perhaps using the Exam Revision Audit I sent around recently. I have sent a link to a collaborative Google Document for you to complete a specific section, so that the whole class will have a set of online study notes. Please add some information about the concept, an example and a link to more information for each term.

Quizlet is an online tool where I have created sets of terms and definitions for each area of study. You can use these Quiz sets in different modes (Learn, Flashcards, Scatter, Quiz etc) and edit them to add your own terms.

Mindmaps are great to connect different terms and concepts. Create your own using lots of colour to group ideas. Try completing this mindmap about the evidence for evolution. The benefit for learning is in creating your own – the colour and movement stimulate your brain to remember the text. You can also create them online using Bubbl.us and other free software.

Slideshare is an enormous resource with many of my teaching resources uploaded. You can find slideshows on almost any topic and there are several specifically for VCE Biology revision.

Past Exams are available on the VCAA website, but be aware that there is only one example (2013) of the current format – (120 minutes) with 30 multiple choice questions (worth 1 mark each) and 90 marks worth of short answer questions. Keep working hard and contact me by email, Twitter (@brittgow) or phone if you need assistance.

Human intervention in evolution

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elephants

Humans have had an influence on evolutionary processes for much longer than you may have thought – we have tamed wolves and wild cats to become the many breeds of domestic dogs and cats that share our homes today and we have selected cattle, sheep, goats and pigs over many generations for food characteristics. Our main food crops such as rice, corn, wheat, as well as many fruit and vegetables, are very different to their wild ancestors.

Artificial selection, or selective breeding, is the process by which humans breed other animals and plants for particular traits; for example, increased size, fast muscle growth or sweeter taste. This can be a deliberate process, like when farmers choose to breed animals or plants with particular characteristics or it can be accidental. In Asia and Africa, over many centuries, bull elephants with particularly large tusks have been targeted as trophies and for their valuable ivory. As a consequence, individuals with large tusks produce fewer offspring and become less frequent in the population. (Read more about elephant evolution here and here).

In more recent times, due to greater understanding of genetic inheritance and modern gene technology, we have been able to identify specific genes that code for particular characteristics and create new breeds of organisms with beneficial traits – drought tolerance, increased productivity or improved storage life, for example.

Play the videos from ABC Splash “Genetic Engineering of Crops”

Some sites that may be useful for your research project:

Geological time, Fossils and Radiometric dating

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ammonite

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Geological Time Periods

Fossils

Radiometric Dating