It gives students a solid foundation of cell biology, emphasizing a few key organelles and their functions. It includes the skills needed to use a microscope effectively and gives the basics of drawing correctly from a microscope. With the information covered in this book, students will be prepared for the demands of Level 1 NCEA and beyond.

The literacy tasks in this workbook encourage the students to read for meaning, scan material, select appropriate information and understand keywords. The inclusion of mini-research projects prepares students for what is required in the Senior Sciences.

The numeracy tasks involve number skills, rounding, graphing data and reading tables accurately. These are all vital skills in the Sciences and beyond.

Specific Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this topic, students should be able to:

• use dichotomous keys to identify unknown organisms or objects.
• make dichotomous keys that can aid others to identify unknowns.
• explain that animals and plants fit into groups based on their features and behavior's.
• define and give examples of the 8 signs of life (MRS C GREN).
• give detailed reasons as to why an organism is living based on MRS C GREN.
• draw and label animal and plant cells.
• compare and contrast the structures of animal and plant cells.
• describe the parts of a microscope and their functions.
• use a microscope to focus on a range of objects and specimens.
• draw correct diagrams from a microscope image.
• describe the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, osmosis and diffusion.
• explain where the reactants and products for photosynthesis and respiration come from and go to.
• describe the links from cells to organisms.
• read and interpret information from a text with a science focus.
• write mini-research projects using scientific text.