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Christ’s College
Canterbury
26
Biology
YEARS 9 & 10
Status
Compulsory
Prerequisites
None
Periods per week
Five (Year 9), four (Year 10),
for one module of 11 weeks
Description
All students attend a Biology course in Year 9
and 10 as part of their core science education.
The course for each year group is based on the
new curriculum document. Each course covers
interesting aspects of the biological world as well
as further developing practical and investigative
skills.
Year 9 topics
• Living things
• Cellular life
• Diversity of life
• Healthy or harmful? The world of mircobes
• Feeding the planet
• Evolution
• Biotechnology
Year 10 topics
• Ecology: niche, adaptations, energy flow and
nutrient cycling, heat distribution
• Respiration and circulation
• Food and nutrition
• Reproduction, growth and development, basic
genetics
• Environmental impact on a freshwater stream
and field trip to Cooper’s Creek
• Sensitivity and coordination
• Excretion and movement
Assessment
As part of each course, the students will be given
tasks and/or NCEA-style assessment tests, which
provide feedback on current progress and skill
level.
Biology reports at Year 9 and Year 10 level grade
the boys against each of the following curriculum
objectives:
Knowledge and Understanding (including field
and practical work)