Revision! for End-Of-Year Examinations

My dear students,


The time for revision has begun! 


I have put up several quizzes for topics that will be tested in the End-of-Year examinations on AsknLearn, to help you in your revision. Try them, and please clarify any doubts with me before your examination.


How do you access these quizzes? =)


A: Login to AsknLearn > Click on Workspace > Click on Quiz > Click on the particular Quiz Chapter you want to revise (you can only access the topics that are tested for EOY)


Our Biology Paper will be held on 13th October 2011, Thursday, from 11am to 1pm. 


Topics tested for the EOY Exam:

• Cells (Cellular Organization & Structure)
• Movement of Substances (Diffusion, Osmosis & Active Transport
• Biological Molecules (Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats & Properties of water)
• Enzymes
• Digestion in Humans
• Transport in Humans
• Nutrition in Plants
• Transport in Plants
• Respiration

After the EOYs, we will continue on with the following topics, until the end of the year:

• Excretion
• Homeostasis
• The Nervous System
• The Human Eye
• Hormones

Also, we will have several practicals planned out for you. The detailed schedule will be printed out for you and given to you at the end of your EOYs. =)

See how exciting Biology is? :D Have a good revision, rest well, have enough sleep and most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP! Persevere and you will reap the fruits of your hard-work.

Yours,

Mrs Lehming

[The Cardiac Cycle]: New Video Links!

How does your heart work?






How does blood flow in your heart?








The Cardiac Cycle: What is it? - Explained







Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Heart Attack: How does it happen?

The link between the lymphatic system and the circulatory system

To make it simple for you, here is a picture that shows you the link between the lymphatic system and the circulatory system:

The Heart & The Cardiac Cycle

The heart is a pump

The Circulatory System comprises of 3 main parts:
1) Medium: Blood
2) Pump: Heart
3) Tubes: Blood Vessels


We have already learnt about blood (medium) and its various components (there are 4 if you remember) and we have learnt about blood vessels (tubes) and why each of the 3 different blood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries have different structures so that they can serve different functions. (*Remember this link between Structure & Function)


Now, let us focus on the ***HEART***.


We have learnt about the structure of the heart: the 4 chambers, which blood vessel goes into the heart at which specific location of the heart, the direction of blood flow in the heart, the septum: and why do we need the septum, the valves located in the heart and vessels leaving the heart (you have learnt about 4 valves in total: can you name them and place them at their exact positions in the heart?), what is the function of these valves, how to distinguish between the right side of the heart and the left side and the reason as to why it is so, you have seen the coronary arteries that bring oxygen and food to the heart  ...


Remember that Biology is a very logical science. There is a reason for everything under the sun, that one of the main principles underlying Biology is the link between STRUCTURE and FUNCTION. And after all our lessons so far, I hope that I have been able to show you that, that for *everything, there is a reason why it is structured as such. (*in Biology, there are always exceptions... thus, for almost everything!) So, always try to see this link when you learn. 


In our next lesson, we will study, in greater detail, the Cardiac Cycle. I will introduce you to the various diagrams that people draw to interpret the Cardiac Cycle and I will explain to you in greater detail how exactly our heart contracts and relaxes to pump blood around our body, very efficiently, from when we were in our mother's womb as a foetus, till the last day of our lives. Our heart, never stops pumping. 


That is why learning about the heart and how it works is no doubt interesting AND important. 

The Circulatory System Song

What is the circulatory system?




How does your heart pump? 

[Oxygen Transport]: New Video Link

How is Oxygen transported in your body?




You need to know about Oxygen Transport at these specific areas:
(1) Lungs
(2) Tissues


For these, you need to have learnt about:
(1) Haemoglobin & it's different forms: Oxyhaemoglobin, (normal) haemoglobin and (extra) Carboxyhaemoglobin
(2) Oxygen Dissociation Curve


Questions to ask yourself:
(1) What is partial pressure?
(2) Why is haemoglobin particularly suited to transport oxygen? Why not just use plasma to transport oxygen?
(3) Importance of the Oxygen Dissociation Curve

Love Biology! :D It's FUN!

Thank You for the Cards, Gifts & Well-Wishes!

 My dear classes,


I post this to thank all of you for the cards/letters of thanks and appreciation, your Teachers' Day gifts and well-wishes. All of you have touched my hearts and I am really grateful to be teaching you. I have learnt a lot from ALL of you and I hope that you have been learning, from me too.


Thank you for the encouragement and for the support. Please continue to work hard and persevere - as these are the keys to what you will build for yourself in future, as knowledge and passion are things that no one will ever take away from you. Love your subjects, so that you are always curious, always willing to dig deeper, to understand the fundamental concepts before delving into the more difficult aspects of the subject. 


Plan your time carefully too, and don't waste too much time on playing too many computer/iPhone/iPad games. They are fun, sometimes enriching and even though all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, all play and no work makes Jack a silly boy ... So please manage your time carefully, and remember again that although Biology is fun and of course interesting, you need to sit down and remember many things and concepts.


Yours in learning,
Mrs Lehming  :D