1
Fourth Level
Science
Biodiversity and Interdependence
SCN 4-01a
EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES
SCN 4-01a I understand how animal and
plant species depend on each other and how
living things are adapted for survival. I can
predict the impact of population growth and
natural hazards on biodiversity.
LIT 4-41a Using what I know about the
features of different types of texts, I can find,
select, sort, summarise, link and use the
information from different sources.
SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF LEARNING
Knowledge and understanding of
scientific ideas, principles and
concepts related to Biodiversity and
Interdependence.
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LEARNING STATEMENTS
 The interdependence of living things;
how they adapt and survive. The impact
of population growth and natural hazards
on biodiversity.
 Select appropriate ways of presenting
qualitative and quantitative findings.
PRIOR LEARNING
 Learners have previously completed
work on the relationships between living
organisms and food webs.
 Pupils have previously completed
experiments on heat loss and insulation.
LEARNER VOICE 4-01a
HOW I COULD TAKE MY LEARNING FURTHER:
WHAT I THINK I DID WELL:
I could do more research. I can contribute to
I enjoyed working in a team and also making a poster
listen in class and work in groups well. I could
about kangaroos. Through this I learned a lot of new
learn more about commercial uses of plants
information.
grown this way.
I think I did well with my research in ICT in creating
my powerpoint presentation.
TEACHER COMMENT(S):
The learner created a fantastic poster detailing the adaptions of
WHAT I THINK I COULD IMPROVE:
Next time I can improve on presenting in front
of the class. I could improve on my research
skills to ensure I have more concise information
and not huge paragraphs.
animals to suit their environment. The learner worked well in group
scenarios, sharing ideas and working collaboratively to complete the
task. The learner worked very well in ICT to gather their research.
There was a good understanding showing of then topics when
presenting and the learner was able to answer questions from peers
and myself very well.
The learner has demonstrated sufficient progress in all the related
learning statements for Biodiversity and interdependence and is now
recognised as secure at Fourth Level.
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Pupils spent a period in ICT researching how organisms are
adapted to survive and were able to use this knowledge in this
task. Learners designed a penguin Figure 2 and could explain
the advantages of the various coverings which have allowed the
penguin to adapt and survive in harsh temperatures.
I really enjoyed making the penguin after carrying
out the research, I used to wonder when I saw
them on TV why they were huddled together, but
Figure 1
now I know it is to keep them and their eggs
Learners used their knowledge and understanding of the
relationships between living organisms and food webs to carry
out a series of research investigations. Figure 1 shows the pupils
working collaboratively to design an experiment to investigate
the effect of different body coverings on heat loss.
warm. They have really thick skin and blubber to
keep them warm too.
I wanted to research Kangaroos as we
had been looking at penguin in class so
I wanted research an animal from a
hot country and see how that keeps
cool. I found out that the lick their
Figure 3
bodies as their blood runs close to the
surface and the moisture keeps the
temp down. They also dig up dirt and
then rest under the surface. It’s like
their way of taking shade from the
sun.
Learners also had a creative homework task to design a
poster/information booklet detailing the various adaptations of
animals and plants to suit their environment. (Figure 3 & 4)
Learners had also investigated the effect of environment factors
on biodiversity and from watching a short documentary in class
and could produce spider diagrams detailing the factor and its
effect.
Learners used ICT over 2 periods to research on
propagation. Learners were given little guidance in how to
research and structure their findings with most opting for
PowerPoint. Learners worked very effectively in ICT,
initially working individually with their research but also
collaboratively by sharing websites that they had found
clear, informative information with their peers (Figure 1)
When we did the experiment in class we had to make sure it was fair so we made sure each petri
dish had the same amount of seeds and made sure each one had the same volume of water. I
predicted that the one that one in the dark wouldn’t grow and the one in the windowsill would grow
as I know plants need light, water and carbon dioxide to grow so seeds would need that too.
Learners created PowerPoint presentations with slides detailing the types of natural
propagation, methods of artificial propagation, comparing methods and also the
commercial use of propagation. Pupils prepared their presentations and delivered
them in the classroom each receiving feedback from their peers in the form of 2 stars
and a wish.
I actually enjoyed doing the presentation
as I got feedback from the rest of the
class about what I what was good about
my presentation for 2 stars and a wish
feedback. I know that for the next one I
need to make sure I look at my notes
less. I was nervous at first bit now I
think I will more confident for
presenting to the class next time.
Pupils also investigated the various condition and
requirements for plants to grow using mung bean seeds
(Figure 2). Pupils set up their investigations in hot, cold, dark
and light conditions controlling seed number and volume of
water in each variable. The pupils monitored the growth of
their seeds over a 7 day period recording their results daily as
a member from each group came up at break to record
measurements.
Learners were able to describe the requirements for plant
growth for their experiment and were able to use their results
to write up a formal science report with detailed graphs
showing the growth over 7 days in each of the 4 conditions.