Teaching the ‘big ideas’ of biology through an Earth context

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Plan for the day Coffee/tea Welcome Biology through the window Sampling the KS3 and KS4 ‘Biology in an Earth context’ workshop activities and feeding back on them What are the ‘big ideas’ of biology that all children should know/understand? Lunch ‘Big ideas’ plenary - recording all suggestions Planning, testing, writing materials for a KS3 or KS4 activity for teaching the ‘big idea’ in an Earth/environment context Feedback on the activities Feedback on the day and ‘What next’ - sorting out the follow up Departure © The Earth Science Education Unit Copyright is waived for use of this PowerPoint within the laboratory or classroom. Copyright material contained herein from other publishers rests with them.

The ‘big ideas’ of biology An Evaluative Study of Creative Science By Manchester Metropolitan University, Institute of Education Science in an Earth context: teaching the big ideas of science through an Earth perspective The impact on the participants was overwhelmingly positive. There are many reasons why this session buzzed, but it appears that the key reason was that they had to think and work things out for themselves, and in the process of thinking and talking to others and then seeing if their ideas worked in practice, they became more creative than they had imagined was possible. They were automatically being critical of their own ideas and the ideas of others. There was very little didactic input, yet expert information was transferred in indirect but more effective ways: 'I could never have believed it possible that we could have generated so many "new" ideas in so short a space of time.'

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Biology through the window: life and its characteristics - KS3 Biology through the window: the environment and us in it - KS4

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Sampling the KS3 and KS4 ‘Biology in an Earth Context’ workshop activities Dead and buried?: teaching KS4 biology through an Earth context What is a fossil? Making a fossil Evolution in action Extinction mystery The washing line of time Nature’s prototypes The ‘Dead and buried?’ plenary Life on Earth: teaching KS3 biology through an Earth context Life’s cycle How am I of use to plants? Cell spectacular Jurassic menu Cretaceous crime scene Minerals into me The ‘Life in the future’ plenary

The ‘big ideas’ of biology What are the big ideas of Biology that all children should know/understand?

The ‘big ideas’ of biology ‘Big ideas’ plenary – recording all suggestions Planning, testing, writing materials for a KS3 or KS4 activity – for teaching the ‘big idea’ in an Earth/environment context Feedback on the activities Feedback on the day and ‘What next’ – sorting out the follow up.

The ‘big ideas’ of physics Suggested ‘quintessential’ stories that merit a place in the curriculum from Beyond 2000: science education for the future – a report with ten recommendations. Osborne, J and Millar, M (1998). London: King’s College. Available on:  the human body as a set of inter-related organ systems;  cells as basic building blocks;  adaptation of organisms;  life processes in plants;  mechanisms for passing characteristics from one generation to the next;  evolution by natural selection;  all matter being made of tiny particles;  chemical reactions as particle rearrangements;  different kinds of bonding;  the Earth’s movement relative to the Sun;  the structure of the Solar System;  the formation and evolution of the Earth;  the structure and evolution of the universe;  forces acting over long distances;  the causes of motion and its control;  the causes and direction of change, and  radiation, light and their interaction with matter.

The ‘big ideas’ of biology ‘Big ideas’ of biology that all children should know/understand include (from Sue Griffiths, Science adviser, Stoke-on-Trent):  Characteristics of life, general understanding of processes: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, nutrition  Structure of living things re. organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cell ( then relate to function)  Coordination of organ systems/organs etc in major processes in humans e.g. respiration requiring respiratory, digestive, circulatory and nervous systems working together  Coordination of organ systems /organs in plants for nutrition (photosynthesis) and transport  Specific examples of homeostasis re. skin temp, water content, removal of waste  Health and disease  Nervous and hormonal coordination  DNA, variation and inheritance  Genetic engineering  Evolution  Interrelationships re. energy transfer, man's effect on environment, competition, adaptation, predation  Nutrient cycles

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Planning, testing, writing materials for a KS3 or KS4 activity – for teaching the ‘big idea’ in an Earth/environment context

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Science in an Earth/environmental context activity Participant Card Title: Introduction: Activity: Teachers’ Support Key Stage: National Curriculum Refs: Time: Pupil learning outcomes: Context: Common misconceptions: Resource list: Follow-up: Name…………………School…………………Contact details ………………………………………. Use extra paper for diagrams, tables of results, risk assessments etc. as necessary and attach Please tick: □ We would be happy for ESEU to pilot this activity in schools □ We would be happy for ESEU to use this activity as part of its future ‘Science in an Earth context’ work

The ‘big ideas’ of biology Feedback on the activities Feedback on the day and ‘What next’ – sorting out the follow up