BIOLOGY 2011

senses working overtime

Has anyone got any tips for LC Biology 2011? Theres so much to cover. Any help appreciated.

partyatmygaff

There are no tips or tricks for Biology. You just need to learn the material and that's all there is to it. There's a lot to cover so you have to keep on top of things.

Exothermic

Well, I don't know your abilities in Biology or your work ethic but what I'd suggest is to really knuckle down now and hit the exam papers hard.

Things that I'm going to be focusing in on will be:
Respiration (didn't come up last year), Ecology - specifically making absolute sure my definitions are perfect, the study of an ecosystem and pollution/conservation/waste.
Brush up on your genetics crosses if you find them difficult and evolution would be worth a look. Protein synthesis came up last year but I still plan to have a skim through. It's not likely as a long question but don't forget it could come up as a short one.
The lymphatic system has only ever really come up once (2006), but this could be the year it returns. It kind of links in with the defence system. Also, human breathing and a disorder (asthma or your chosen one) and skeleton/muscles.
Human reproduction obviously, it always shows a face, and don't neglect photosynthesis even though respiration is the "more likely one"
In plants I think structure of flowering plants, transport/food storage/gas exchange and vegetative propagation.
I don't even know if this post will be of any use to you, but I'll continue :P

For the experiments I think it would be worthwhile to look over:
Measuring abiotic factors
Microscope
The enzyme experiments (including immobilisation)
Alcohol production by yeast
Germination factors (water, o2, temp)
Digestive action during germination (the one with the starch agar plates)

... So yeah. That's just my own kind of plan and then of course, any areas which you have trouble with you need to look over. Don't leave parts out, make sure you're comfortable with the course before you start with the more selective studying. I'm not saying that any of the above will be on the paper, they're just things which are "due" up because they haven't been on in a while.
If you're, for lack of a better word, screwed, I'd say get yourself familiar with Ecology, Respiration, Genetics, Reproduction and the Plants to boost your grade. They're pretty large parts of the course.
Really, my advice is to study. There's no way around it.
Good luck anyway

ApeLove

I can't be sure (no one can really) but in terms of tips if you're completely screwed...
* Food (basically always on, pretty simple)
* Ecology
* Female reproductive system
* Respiration

Then also likely are
* Genetic crosses
* The ear
* Muscles/skeleton (I think?)
* Photosynthesis

If you get time to go over all the experiments, they'll grab you some relatively easy points too.

OldSchool94

My tip is to make sure you know the defense system 100%

brownlad

tip in the senses there oh and bacteria

Patriciamc93

Unit 1 and unit 2 of biology = at least 80%

Gauranteed 4 shorts,
1 and more than likely two experiments and
respiration/photosynthesis, ecology, gentices long questions!

AbsentPonderer

i would say the production of alcohol by yeast is a good possibility!

niamhallen

The ear maybe?

teenagedream

Ecology
Respiration
Genetics (all of it)
Plant Science
Human Reproduction.

And of course you should know food and the cell.
Pick between 5 and ten experiments to know really well.

IrishKnight

partyatmygaff wrote: »

You just need to learn the material and that's all there is to it.

Wrong, oh so very wrong.

Guys, the biggest tip I can give is is that you need to understand the material. If you understand it, then you'll have no problems writing essays on it. Rote learning in biology can and will go very wrong. Take it from me as someone who have been doing biology for some time now.

Exothermic

Gotta agree with the above. If you take the time to understand a process then you're more likely to remember it. If you learn off a process without understanding it I can guarantee that you'll forget it! It's worth the extra time to get your mind around a concept than learn it off step by step.

partyatmygaff

IrishKnight wrote: »

Wrong, oh so very wrong.

What is wrong (And worrying) is that you interpreted the verb learn as rote learning :rolleyes:

To learn something is to gain knowledge or understanding of something.

If you interpret learning as simply memorising facts then you have a flawed understanding of learning.

Guys, the biggest tip I can give is is that you need to understand the material. If you understand it, then you'll have no problems writing essays on it.

There are no essays to write in LC Biology...

Bonavox

partyatmygaff wrote: »

There are no essays to write in LC Biology...

What is wrong (and worrying) is that he never said there are essays to write in LC Biology, just that they'll have no problems writing essays on what the course covers.

In fairness, learning and understanding are two different things.

partyatmygaff

Bonavox wrote: »

In fairness, learning and understanding are two different things.

No they are not. They should be synonymous. If you "learn" something without understanding it then you have learned nothing.

IrishKnight

People think that learning and understand are the same thing. They are not. Learning something, as you rightly pointed out is the gain of knowledge. But to understand something is to comprehend the nature of said knowledge. Often people confuse the two. Just because you know something, does not mean you understand it. A parrot is a prime example of this. Anyway, this is getting OT...

Bonavox

partyatmygaff wrote: »

No they are not. They should be synonymous. If you "learn" something without understanding it then you have learned nothing.

My six year old nephew learned that you could see through glass. He does not understand why, though. He just knows that when he looks through windows, he'll see people as he would if there was no window at all. If you're under the impression that you understand something by learning, good luck in your Leaving Certificate. You might need it.

partyatmygaff

IrishKnight wrote: »

People think that learning and understand are the same thing. They are not. Learning something, as you rightly pointed out is the gain of knowledge.

You haven't learned anything if you don't understand what you've "learned".

It's rather like someone "learning" quotes for Hamlet despite not understanding what the line actually means. All you'd have done is memorise a series of words.

Bonavox

partyatmygaff wrote: »

You haven't learned anything if you don't understand what you've "learned".

It's rather like someone "learning" quotes for Hamlet despite not understanding what the line actually means. All you'd have done is memorise a series of words.

Definition of learning from the Oxford dictionary:

the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.

In other words, knowing something. That's not the same as understanding something. Memorising is learning as well, and as you said, is not understanding,

partyatmygaff

Bonavox wrote: »

Definition of learning from the Oxford dictionary:



In other words, knowing something. That's not the same as understanding something. Memorising is learning as well, and as you said, is not understanding,

That's not the point. We aren't here to discuss semantics and pointless definitions.

It should be a given that to learn is synonymous with to understand.

Bonavox

partyatmygaff wrote: »

That's not the point. We aren't here to discuss semantics and pointless definitions.

It should be a given that to learn is synonymous with to understand.

Our education system bunches learning and understanding together and this has you under the impression that they're the same thing. They're not.

IrishKnight

partyatmygaff wrote: »

It should be a given that to learn is synonymous with to understand.

It should be, but it's not. Not in the LC. I remember when I asked my HL maths teacher something like "What's the use of the number i?" She replied, "You don't need to understand what you are doing, you just need to know how to do it." Or some such.

But again, this is going widely off topic...

szybki

My techer said that you can learn biology in 2 ways : 1) learn it by hard (which is useless) and 2) read it to understand it ... and this is a good method. if you understand something you will remember it. If you dont understand something : break it ito small parts and study it slowly step by step, watch animations and fill the pass papers.

He also said that major part on this years biology HL exam will be plants. so know the :

• all experiments with plants
• plant structure gas exchange etc.
• vegetative propagation
• Plant reproduction !!!!!!!!

Preferably it is going to be mixed with human sexual reproduction
The rest is :

• respiration
• photosynthesis
• breathing (astma and mechanism of breathing)
• enzymes + biotechnology + enzyme experiments
• mix of senses and nervous system and endocrine system
• mix of lymphatic system and defence system and niutrition

probable small bit on genetics and cell diversity (know the diffrence and names of nuclear and cell division).
nothing major on the cell and blood
bacteria and its reproduction or reproduction of fungus
and of course ecology - know the nitrogen cyce and chapter on polution

this is all he said

Ooooo.... and remember for long questions you will get :
1Q from Unit 1 - study of life
2Q from Unit 2 - The cell
3Q from unit 3 - The organism
So you know on which you should concentrate the most !

Short qustions are NOT PREDICTABLE, the are picked randomly, but usualy they invlolve food and food experiments !

Hope these are usefull. If you have anything to add , TELL US !!!!

senses working overtime

Thanks for your valuable suggestions Exothermic, ApeLove, OldSchool94, niamhallen, Absent Ponderer, teenage dream, brown lad, and szybki.:)

Sorry I don't know how to add thanks to individual posts.:o

I haven't time to think about the Learning/Understanding debate, but it should have a thread of it's own.

teenagedream

Do you do ag science? Because if you do there is a lot of overlap between the two.

brownlad

senses working overtime wrote: »

Thanks for your valuable suggestions Exothermic, ApeLove, OldSchool94, niamhallen, Absent Ponderer, teenage dream, brown lad, and szybki.:)

Sorry I don't know how to add thanks to individual posts.:o

I haven't time to think about the Learning/Understanding debate, but it should have a thread of it's own.

just click the thumbs up on the side of post

J_E

partyatmygaff wrote: »

It should be a given that to learn is synonymous with to understand.

I'm able to differentiate trigonometric functions. Doesn't mean I understand a jot about what differentiation actually does, or what trigonometric functions actually are. I still learn how and do them. I just don't quite understand anything about what I am doing.

partyatmygaff

Cydoniac wrote: »

I'm able to differentiate trigonometric functions. Doesn't mean I understand a jot about what differentiation actually does, or what trigonometric functions actually are. I still learn how and do them. I just don't quite understand anything about what I am doing.

Then you haven't learned how to differentiate anything. You've merely memorised an algorithm that you're putting values in to.


Just as an aside...

A function is simply a mathematical expression that converts an input in to an output. An example of a function is the "half your age plus seven" rule :pac:

Say x is your age

f(x) = (x/2) + 7
f(20) = 17

So that means the minimum acceptable age of a person that a twenty year old may go out with is 17.

Trigonometry is just the mathematical study of triangles

A trigonometric function acts the same as a regular function saving for the fact that it relates the angle of a corner with the lengths of a triangle's sides.

J_E

Well, I lied about not understanding trigonometry, I was just trying to make the point that you do not necessarily have to understand the concept of something to know how to do it.

partyatmygaff

Cydoniac wrote: »

Well, I lied about not understanding trigonometry, I was just trying to make the point that you do not necessarily have to understand the concept of something to know how to do it.

Yeah but even so if you just "know how to do it" all you've learned is an algorithm. You haven't actually learned differentiation.

Gordon Gecko

OP: I received a sheet in a grind school viz. topics likely to come up:

1) Respiration
2) Root and shoot structure
3) Lymphatic system, cardiac circle and arteries veins etc.
4) Excretion and homeostasis
5) Bacteria and defense system
6) Mitosis and evolution
7) Ear
8) Hormone vs. nerve system
9) Transpiration and Cohesion-Tension
10) Pollution, conservation and waste management

And for the posters who are squabbling about learning vs. understanding: cut the pretentious bullsh*t, move it to another forum or better yet get up off your petty arses and do some study!

brownlad

sorry for thread hijack...but what do you people think on leaving out ecology completely ...my bio teacher says he wont teach it unless theres alot of people who wana do it :eek: and i seen to b alone ...mind you i still got a high grade in the mocks even though i left out ecology:D

NotExactly

brownlad wrote: »

...mind you i still got a high grade in the mocks even though i left out ecology:D

On my mock Ecology was part of question 1 and 2 in section A. I didn't have it covered and lost some marks :cool: So think again about leaving it out!

Exothermic

brownlad wrote: »

sorry for thread hijack...but what do you people think on leaving out ecology completely ...my bio teacher says he wont teach it unless theres alot of people who wana do it :eek: and i seen to b alone ...mind you i still got a high grade in the mocks even though i left out ecology:D

I would seriously not recommend that! It's quite an easy topic, very little understanding of new concepts compared to the other chapters like respiration for example.
Personally, I think the long ecology question is the easiest question on the paper to pick up marks. I got full marks in it for the mocks and it's also a very quick question to do. Have a look over it at Easter, it's definitely worth the time.

NeuroCat

I stopped using the book just after the pre's. I got this little fold out 'map' of the biology L.C course which had major definitions and short bullet points on all the major topics. I didn't answer any questions on ecology or human reproduction in the actual exam and ended up with an A.

In short: Study the definitions, know a broad range of the topics in good enough detail and, if you can, learn off the prescribed diagrams for respiration and photosynthesis. They are very useful as you can just quickly throw them down in the exam and you'll get 85% of the marks (If you know them in detail).

surfergirl92

My Bio teacher advised:

• Genetics
• Ecology
• Food
• Viruses,bacteria,amoeba,fungi all thoose kingdoms
• All the plant stuff in Unit 3 (yuk)
• Human Reproduction
• The 22 Experiments
• Photosynthesis & Respiration

I think thats about it.The Biology paper is rather structured, you will notice after doing a few questions,especially if you do them topic by topic,how repetitive the questions are!

surfergirl92

Gordon Gecko wrote: »

7) Ear

NOOOO!We better not have to draw it,swirls going all over the shop!!Gets a little confusing!

NotExactly

surfergirl92 wrote: »

• The 22 Experiments
  

Thanks, but that's a fairly broad prediction.

surfergirl92

NotExactly wrote: »

Thanks, but that's a fairly broad prediction.

In all fairness the eperiments are always in Section B or parts of long questions in Section C or bits of short questions in Section A.I think our teacher said they are worth 17%. I don't think you could really eliminate any.But theres about 5 ecology ones...5 enzyme ones,the heart,the microscope and the 6 ''plant-y'' ones.You could easily learn them in 1-3 days!:)

Yedya

FML i hate bio its so hard to understand the hardest chapters whice are the ones coming up

IrishKnight

Yedya wrote: »

FML i hate bio its so hard to understand the hardest chapters whice are the ones coming up

If you don't understand them, ask your teacher about them! Or PM me, I am a scientist after all...

apkbarry

Yedya wrote: »

FML i hate bio its so hard to understand the hardest chapters whice are the ones coming up

I can help you also. I am quite good at genetics,resp/photosynthesis, ecology and the sexual reproduction which are nearly full Q's every year. Just give me a PM. I might be able to explain in simpler english than the scientist person above me

IrishKnight

apkbarry wrote: »

I might be able to explain in simpler english than the scientist person above me

When you make assumptions you make an ass out of you, and some guy called mptions...

apkbarry

IrishKnight wrote: »

When you make assumptions you make an ass out of you, and some guy called mptions...

Actually. All I meant was I am constantly helping all my friends and I have different ways of learning things that could help. I never said I could explain it better. I just said in simpler English.

apkbarry

IrishKnight wrote: »

When you make assumptions you make an ass out of you, and some guy called mptions...

I love the way I never got a reply to my reply