a) Molecules of Life
I can label an animal cell and describe the job of each part (nucleus, cell membrane,
cytoplasm & mitochondria)
I can describe the structure of DNA and state that its found in chromosomes in the nucleus
I can describe how DNA copies itself before a cell divides (DNA replication)
I can describe how DNA controls the production of proteins (used for growth & repair)
I know that one gene codes for one particular protein
I know that proteins are built up from amino acids which we get from our food
I know that the liver can change some amino acids into others
I can describe the process of DNA fingerprinting
I know that enzymes are proteins which speed up a chemical reaction (biological catalyst)
I can explain why changing the temperature or pH effects enzymes
I can explain why enzymes only bind to one substrate (lock & key theory)
I know that enzymes speed up respiration, photosynthesis & protein synthesis
b) Diffusion
I can define diffusion
I can explain why the rate of diffusion is increased by shorter distance, greater
concentration gradient & greater surface area
I can describe diffusion in the small intestine, alveoli, placenta, leaf & synapse
I can explain how the small intestine, alveoli, placenta & leaf are adapted for fast diffusion
c) Divide & Rule
I can explain the advantages of being multicellular (made up of lots of cells)
I know cells divide by MITOSIS for growth& repair & MEIOSIS to make sex cells (gametes)
I can describe the processes of MITOSIS & MEIOSIS
I know that in mammals, body cells are DIPLOID – have 2 copies of each chromosome
and sex cells are HAPLOID – have 1 copy of each chromosome
I know that at fertilisation, 2 gametes fuse together to form a zygote (cells that will become
a baby)
I can explain how meiosis introduces variation
I can describe how the sperm & egg are adapted to do their jobs
f) New Genes for Old
I know that mutations are changes to the base sequence of a gene – causing a change in
the protein produced
I know that mutations can be caused by radiation (UV), chemicals (tar) or occur naturally
I know that mutations are usually harmful but can be helpful
I can describe the process of selective breeding using an example
I can explain how selective breeding affects the gene pool
I can describe the process of genetic engineering (when a gene is transferred from one
species to another)
I can describe some uses of genetic engineering (golden rice, human insulin & frostresistant crops)
I can explain the advantages & risks of genetic engineering
g) More of the Same
I know that cloning is an eg. of asexual reproduction (produces genetically identical copies)
I know that identical twins are naturally occurring clones
I know that organs for transplant could be produced by cloning animals
I can describe the process of embryo transplantation in cows
I can describe the process used to clone Dolly the sheep (first mammal cloned)
I can give advantages & disadvantages of using cloning technology
I can describe the ethical issues surrounding the idea of human cloning
I can describe plant cloning by tissue culture
I can explain the advantages & disadvantages of using cloned plants commercially
I can explain why plants are easier to clone than animals
a) Who planted that there?
I can label a plant cell and describe the job of each part
I know that photosynthesis occurs in the leaf
I know that palisade cells have lots of chloroplasts to absorb light for photosynthesis
I know that water enters the plant through the roots & CO2 enters through stomata
I know that oxygen leaves the plant through the stomata
I know that this gas exchange occurs by diffusion
I can describe how leaves are adapted for photosynthesis
b) Water, water everywhere
I know that water moves in & out of cells through the cell membrane
I can define the term ‘osmosis’ & know that it is a type of diffusion
I can explain the term ‘partially permeable’
I know that the plant cell wall provides support & that water is also needed to push out on
the cell wall to support the plant
I know that plants have root hairs to increase the surface area of roots for maximum
absorption of water by osmosis
I can describe how taking too much water in or losing too much water effects animal cells
c) Plants need minerals too
I know that fertilisers contain nitrates, phosphates, potassium & magnesium to help
plants grow
I can describe how each of the minerals stated above, help plant growth
I can describe what a plant would look like if was lacking any of the minerals stated above
I know that minerals are dissolved in water and are absorbed from the soil by the roots
I know that minerals are usually present in soil in low concentrations
d) Energy Flow
I can explain the terms producer & consumer
I know that energy enters a food chain when plants absorb sunlight to carry out
photosynthesis
I can interpret data in food chains & webs & know that the arrows show the flow of energy
I know that energy is lost at each level of a food chain through heat and egestion of waste
I can draw a pyramid of numbers from given information & explain what it shows
I can draw a pyramid of biomass from given information & explain what it shows
I know that plants produce biomass when they photosynthesise
I know that biomass can be used as a fuel (eg. Wood, alcohol, biogas)
I can describe how to release energy from trees or bacteria/yeast
e) Farming
I can describe the term ‘intensive farming’
I know that pesticides kill pests (eg. Fungicides kill fungi, insecticides kill insects)
I know that herbicides kill plants (weeds)
I can describe how the following intensive farming methods can increase profits – fish
farming, glasshouses, hydroponics, battery farming
I can describe the advantages & disadvantages of intensive farming
I know that organic farmers don’t use artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides
I can describe how organic farmers use manure, crop rotation, weeding, nitrogen-fixing
crops & varied seed planting times to improve crops
I can describe the term ‘biological control’ & explain its advantages & disadvantages
f) Decay
I can identify materials that decay
I can describe how temperature, amount of oxygen & amount of water effect the rate of
decay
I can describe an experiment to investigate the effect of temperature on decay
I can describe an experiment that shows that bacteria or fungi cause decay
I know that detritivores (earthworms, maggots, woodlice) feed on dead or decaying
material, increasing the rate of decay by increasing the surface area
I know that micro-organisms are used to break down human waste (sewage) & plant waste
(compost)
I know that the following food preservation techniques reduce the rate of decay, canning,
cooling, freezing, drying, adding salt/sugar, pickling
I can explain how each food preservation technique named above reduces the rate of
decay
g) Recycling
I know that as plants & animals grow they take in chemicals and when they die & decay
these elements are recycled
I know that the main 2 elements that are recycled are carbon & nitrogen
I can explain how carbon is recycled in nature (carbon cycle)
I can explain how nitrogen is recycled in nature (nitrogen cycle)
I know that air contains 78% nitrogen
I can explain why nitrogen gas cannot be used directly by plants & animals
f) Staying in Balance
I can define homeostasis & give some examples of it
I can state the value of body temperature & describe how to measure it
I can describe ways that your body controls your temperature
I can explain how sweating cools you down
I can explain why extreme hot or cold temperatures are dangerous
I can name & locate the major endocrine glands & name the hormones they produce
I can describe the effects of male & female sex hormones
I can describe the uses of artificial sex hormones
I can explain how hormones travel around the body
I can describe the cause & treatment of diabetes