Living World Year 7: Cells are a part of living things
Year 7 term 3
LW2: Cells are the basic units of living things and have specialised structures and functions.

What are all living things made up of?
1. Identify that living things are made out of cells
2. Distinguish between unicellular and multicellular organisms
- The wacky history of cell theory ( TED-ed lesson)Scientific discovery isn’t as simple as one good experiment. The weird and wonderful history of cell theory illuminates the twists and turns that came together to build the foundations of biology.
- History of cell biology and the cell theory.Including a quick timeline of discovery.
- Discovery of the cell and the cell theory. A click view video resource.
How do the parts of a cell help an organism function?
3. What are some structures in cells that how do they help cells function? Include the nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall and chloroplast
- Clickview video introducing cells
- Parts of a cell – what makes cell function?
Observing cells- skills
- Lab skills using a microscope a click view resource. Biology students need to be familiar with how to use a scalpel safely and a microscope correctly. This clip demonstrates how to move about while holding a scalpel, how to use a microscope and how to prepare a dry mount microscope slide.
- Drawing cell diagrams
- Observing cells using an interactive of a microscope
- Making a wet mount
- microscope summary and quiz
4. Identify that different types of cells make up the tissues, organs and organ systems of multicellular organisms.
- Cells specialise into different types of cells that have a specific function. Go to this link and look at the part 4 resource from the science by doing page to view some examples.
- Cells to system summary from Bytesize.
5.Outline the role of respiration in providing energy for the activities of cells
- Investigating yeast metabolism
- Cells and simple cell transport. A summary lesson from BBC Bitesize.
- An interactive to test yourself about the differences between animal and plant cells and organelle function.

How do cells make new cells?
6. Identify that new cells are made by cell division
- How do cells develop?
- Mitosis in an animal cell from the science by doing resource from the CSIRO
- Asexual and sexual cell division extension concepts
General Resources
- Cells the essence of life a click view video. Cells are the smallest unit of life. All living organisms are composed of one or millions of these tiny cells. In this video, students will explore the inside of a cell to discover what it´s made of and how it works. They will learn about the different cellular functions and how they bring life to all living things.
- Kids biology a site that covers many aspects of the living world course for stage 4. This link takes you to the cell page.
- From little things, big things grow– a link to the science by doing interactive lessons based on this whole topic. It is made by the CSIRO.
Revision
Living World Year 7: Classification of living things
Year 7 term 3
LW1: There are differences within and between groups of organisms; classification helps organise this diversity.

The circle of life part 3
An excellent resource from the CSIRO called science by doing that will help you understand many aspects of this topic. Part 3 is particularly relevant for this topic.
How do we classify life?
- Why do we need to classify living things?
- Classify a variety of living things based on similarities and differences in structural features
What are the general features used to classify living things into groups?
- Identify some examples of groups of micro-organisms
- What are the general structural features used to group living things, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria?
What methods help scientists classify living things?
- What are keys and how are they used in classification? You should be able to use simple keys to identify a range of plants and animals
Resources
- click view video on microorganisms
- Clickview video on useful microorganisms- yeast and algae
- TEDEd talk on the classification of living things. How are living things classified? Why do we classify? How do scientists classify organisms? In this lesson, we are going to learn that living things are different but they share similar structures
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge and understanding in Stage 4.
- design and construct simple keys to identify a range of living things
- classify, using a hierarchical system, a range of selected plants and animals to species level
- identify, using an example of an organism or group of organisms, where the classification has changed as a result of new evidence from technological developments, scientific discoveries and/or advances in scientific understanding
Living World Year 8: How do multicellular organisms survive?
Year 8 term 3
LW3: Multicellular organisms contain systems of organs that carry out specialised functions that enable them to survive and reproduce.

From little things big things grow
An excellent resource from the CSIRO called science by doing that will help you understand many aspects of this topic. Part 4 and part 5 are particularly relevant for this topic. The previous chapters relate to the cell topic above.
Plants as multicellular organisms
- How do the flowers, roots, stems, and leaves help to maintain flowering plant s as functioning organisms?
Resources
- the basic structure of a plant
- vascular system in plants- phloem and xylem
- Vegetative plant propagation methods and discussion on merits and drawbacks.
- pollination video by click view
- plant reproduction
Humans as multicellular organisms
- How does the digestive, circulatory, excretory, skeletal/muscular and respiratory system maintain a human as a functioning multicellular organism?
- What is the role of the reproductive system in humans?
Resources
- Cells specialise to form tissues, organs and organ systems. This resource will show you microscope images of various cells and tissues. This link will show you examples from animals and plants.
- Organs and systems activity. You will be learning about the digestive, circulatory and excretory systems. You will require access to scootle to use this.
- Video instructions to complete an investigation into the vital capacity of lungs
- video discussing the strength of bones and facts about bones
Click view videos- sign-in required.
- click view video in the digestive system. This video describes the process of digestion and absorption in the small intestine in humans and explains the role of the liver and pancreas in the digestion of food.
- click view video on the skeletal system to help you understand the different types of skeleton and parts of the human skeleton.
- Click View video about the muscular system. This video introduces students to the different types of muscles, including voluntary, involuntary, and cardiac muscles.
- click view video on the heart that will help students will learn about the different functions of the various blood vessels that make up the human heart. Another video ( more advanced) about the cardiac cycle that explores the different phases in a heartbeat.
- click view video regarding gaseous exchange covers how carbon dioxide gas and oxygen gas are exchanged in our lungs and tissues due to the process of diffusion.
How do multicellular organisms grow and reproduce?
1. What do multicellular organisms need for the processes of respiration and photosynthesis?
- Photosynthesis BBC bitesize summary
- Respiration– NBBC bitesize summary
2. How do systems in multicellular organisms work together to provide cell requirements? Include gases, nutrients, and water, and removal of cell wastes
3. What is the role of cell division in growth, repair, and reproduction in multicellular organisms?
Resources
- Why is cell division important? 3 reasons why cells need to divide.
- Ask a biologist: Why do cells need to divide?
- ASAP science Mom v dad. What did you inherit?
How has scientific enquiry and technologies supported research and development in terms of human health?
LW4: Scientific knowledge changes as new evidence become available, and some scientific discoveries have significantly changed people’s understanding of the world

How have new discoveries lead to improved health outcomes for living things?
1. How changes in scientific knowledge have contributed to finding a solution to a human health issue? Research a human health issue.
The work of Louis Pasteur
He is often quoted as being the father of microbiology. Few people have saved more lives than Louis Pasteur. The vaccines he developed have protected millions. His insight that germs cause disease revolutionised healthcare. He found new ways to make our food safe to eat. From Louis Pasteur: The man who led the fight against germs
More links below;
- Who was Louis Pasteur?
- Great inspirations information on Pasteur from the ABC
- How a few scientists transformed the way we think about disease – Tien Nguyen a TED-Ed talk
2. How has evidence from a scientific discovery changed our understanding and contributed to solving a real-world problem? Some examples include;
- animal or plant disease,
- hygiene,
- food preservation,
- sewage treatment
- biotechnology
How have some technological innovations have improved the way we study human health and diseases?
Describe, using examples, how developments in technology have contributed to finding solutions to a contemporary issue, for example;
- organ transplantation,
- artificial joints/limbs,
- treatment for diabetes,
- asthma,
- kidney or heart disease
Some good general website links that have current information include
- Catalyst A science show produced by the ABC that discusses current science issues including health.
- ABC health news – a page from the ABC dedicated to technologies and health.
- BBC health news contains current issues relating to health and technologies to improve health.
What are some ethical considerations regarding health issues?
Give examples to show that groups of people in society may use or weight criteria differently in making decisions about the application of a solution to a contemporary issue, For example;
- organ transplantation,
- control and prevention of diseases
- dietary deficiencies
Living World Year 8: Managing our environment requires an ecological understanding.
Year 8 term 4
LW5: Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to conserving and managing sustainable ecosystems.
The circle of life parts 1,2,4 and 5.Part 3 refers to classification topic above.
An excellent resource from the CSIRO called science by doing that will help you understand many aspects of this topic.
What food chains and food webs?
Construct and interpret food chains and food webs, including examples from Australian ecosystems.
Alpine
Marine and freshwater
Desert
Rainforest
Woodlands
What factors contribute to the survival or organisms in the environment?
What are some interactions between organisms in food chains and food webs? For example
- producers
- consumers
- decomposers
What are some beneficial and harmful effects that micro-organisms can have on living things and the environment?
Beneficial of microbes
Harmful microbes
How do the features of some Australian plants and animals allow them to adapt so they can survive and reproduce in their environment?
Australian animal adaptations
Australian plant adaptations
Predict how human activities can affect interactions in food chains and food webs, including examples from Australian land or marine ecosystems.
Human impact on marine ecosystems
Human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge and understanding in Stage 4.
- research the contributions of Australian scientists to the study of human impact on environments and to local environmental management projects
- discuss how the observations and understanding of the structure, function and life cycles of native plants are used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
How does scientific enquiry and technologies help us better understand and manage our environment?
Explain, using examples, how scientific evidence and/or technological developments contribute to developing solutions to manage the impact of natural events on Australian ecosystems
Describe how scientific knowledge has influenced the development of practices in agriculture, eg animal husbandry or crop cultivation to improve yields and sustainability, or the effect of plant-cloning techniques in horticulture
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge and understanding in Stage 4.
- describe how people in occupations that involve the biological sciences use understanding and skills from across the disciplines of Science
- debate why society should support biological research