Juniper Hall course programme
School / College: / Course Dates: / 2016FSC course tutor: / Course title: / AS OCR A Biology with PAGs EXAMPLE PROG
Course outline
Pre-course: Students research secondary succession using Padlet webpage (Common Practical Assessment Criteria Competency 5)
http://padlet.com/marisa_jh/JuniperHallSuccession
And/or
Pre-course: Students research the importance of conservation with reference to Box Hill using Padlet webpage (Common Practical Assessment Criteria Competency 5)
http://padlet.com/michelle_lr/JuniperWoodlandsPrecourse
Day 1 (1300 start, 2000 finish) - Ecology and chalk grassland secondary succession (or chalk grassland trampling)
· Check in at reception to start at 1300
· Borrow wellies and waterproofs and welcome tour
· Intro to Ecology, abiotic and biotic factors and intro to secondary succession on chalk grassland. To include species adaptations, nutrient cycling and management and conflicts
PAG 3.3: Use of sampling techniques in fieldwork to investigate a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor. Complete succession fieldwork: Investigating the process of secondary succession on Mickleham Downs
· Return to Juniper Hall
Break and cake
· Population study on Ramshorn snail – mark snails
· Data collation, methods and limitations
· Set small mammal traps
Dinner about 1800
Statistics Workshop
· Data presentation
· Introduction to statistics – which to use?
· Use succession data to complete a worked example of Spearman’s Rank
Finish by 2000
Day 2 (0915 start and finish by 2000) – Freshwater ecology
· Open small mammal traps and reset – link to classification e.g. genus and species and create a dichotomous key for identification
· Introduction to freshwater ecology investigations
Morning break
· Travel to the River Tillingbourne (transport required at a current cost of £8.80 per student if booked with the FSC)
PAG 3: Use of sampling techniques in fieldwork. Complete freshwater fieldwork: investigating the abundance of freshwater invertebrates in the River Tillingbourne
Lunch in the field
· Complete fieldwork and return to Juniper Hall with some selected samples of freshwater invertebrates
PAG 3: Produce a scientific drawing from observation with annotations. Use microscopes to observe adaptations of freshwater invertebrates and complete an annotated scientific drawing of an invertebrate
Break and cake
· Collate data and discuss limitations of methodology
· Data presentation
· Check and reset small mammal traps
Dinner about 1800
· Freshwater statistical analysis (either chi squared or student t-test)
· Or
PAG 10: Use of data logger to collect data or software to process data. Trophic structure using freshwater data with Excel spreadsheets to create both box plots and ecological pyramids graphs
Day 3 (0915 start and finish by 2000) - woodland and sampling techniques
· Check small mammal traps – not to be reset
· Intro to woodland study including pre course task quiz on woodlands, conservation and biodiversity
· Morning break
PAG 3.2: Use of sampling techniques in fieldwork to measure the distribution and abundance of plants in a habitat. Students plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of woodland on the abundance and distribution of woodland plants. They can use various sampling techniques to measure biotic and abiotic variables
· Lunch
· Return to Juniper Hall with some samples of plants from sun and shade
PAG 3: Produce a scientific drawing from observation with annotations. Complete an annotated scientific drawing of a woodland plant showing adaptations
· Soil analysis
· Collate data, data presentation and analysis
· Break and cake
PAG 6: Separation of biological compounds using paper chromatography – using plants from sun and shade collected in the woodland
· Dinner about 1800
· Woodland statistical analysis (either chi squared or student t-test)
PAG 3.1: Calculation of species diversity. Using student woodland data to calculate diversity using Simpson’s Diversity Index
Day 4 (0915 start finish by 1200) – population study and animal responses
· Pond dipping on centre grounds, including recapture of Ramshorn snails and calculate Lincoln Index
· Collection of an invertebrate such as freshwater shrimp for PAG 11
· Morning break
PAG 11: Safe and ethical use of organisms to measure animal responses. Investigation into the effect of an environmental variable on the movement of an animal using a choice chamber or maze
· Tidy classroom and return waterproofs and wellies
· Course finishes by 1200 / Safety: Link to FSC risk assessments
Clothing: Waterproofs and Wellies. Scarves, hats, gloves & warm clothing.
Transport: Transport is required on day 2 to travel to and from the River Tillingbourne. This is to guarantee that we have safe access to a river site. The River Mole has been used in the past but this is no longer a reliable river site. We now use the River Tillingbourne, which is a short drive from the centre. The biodiversity in the Tillingbourne is higher and access is always guaranteed.
Behaviour: Teachers to support with behaviour & group management during fieldwork activates and classroom sessions and to lead group management during breaks times.
Resources: All resources are provided.
Learning Objectives
OCR A/AS level Biology
Throughout the course students will have the opportunity to achieve the following objectives:
· Design experiments and solve problems set in a practical context.
· Evaluate experimental methods.
· Use a wide range of practical apparatus and techniques correctly.
· Present observations and data in an appropriate format.
· Process, analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative experimental results.
· Plot and interpret suitable graphs from experimental results.
· Evaluate results and draw conclusions.
· Describe limitations in experimental procedure and suggest improvements to the procedure and apparatus. / Assessment: Progress assessed by open ended questioning, peer discussions and use of knowledge and skills in different situations.
Prior learning: Students should ideally have some understanding of ecological investigation, abiotic and biotic factors, and adaptations of organisms to the environment
Bringing Environmental Understanding to All