GCSE/iGCSE Biology - Week 1
- Sallyann Clark
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
WEEK 1: The Story of Biology - How Scientist Think
What Is Biology and How Do Scientists Actually Work?
The Big Question This Week
"How do we actually know what we know about living things, and how do scientists find out new things?"
Write this in your learning journal. Don't answer it yet. Come back to it at the end of the week.
Before You Begin — Predict!
Look at these two statements and write down in your journal whether you think they are true or false, and why:
"Biology is just memorising facts about animals and plants."
"Scientists follow a strict set of steps called the scientific method and never deviate from it."
Hold onto your predictions. We will return to them.
Story of the Week
Imagine you are sitting on the deck of a ship called the HMS Beagle in 1831. You are 22 years old. You have just been invited on what will become a five-year voyage around the world. Nobody knows yet that this journey will change how humanity understands all of life on Earth.
That young man was Charles Darwin.
But here is the thing most people do not realise: Darwin did not set sail as a famous scientist. He was a curious young naturalist with a notebook, an eye for detail, and a willingness to ask questions that made other people uncomfortable.
That is what biology actually is. Not a list of facts but a way of asking questions about the living world and then doing the hard work of trying to answer them honestly.
This week we are going to learn what biology really is, who biologists are and what they actually do all day, and how science as a method of knowing things actually works.
Video Session One
Worksheet - Introduction to Biology
Watch the full video
Read the free version of Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure by Jennifer Thermes
In this book you get a real taste of just how curious Darwin was and what a wonderful adventure he went on.
,
A good place to stop is once you have reading. If you want to continue that's fine.
Video Session Two — ~25 minutes
Worksheet - The Scientific Method?
Watch the full video - While you watch, look out for:
The difference between hypothesis, theory, and law in science
What a controlled experiment actually involves
Why peer review matters
Add the poster to your journal.
⚠️ Common Misconception Alert
Most people use the word theory to mean a guess. In science, a theory is the opposite; it is an explanation that has been tested repeatedly, supported by enormous amounts of evidence, and accepted by the scientific community. The Theory of Evolution and the Theory of Gravity are not guesses. They are among the most well-supported ideas in all of human knowledge.
Read the free version of Introduction of The History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
If you purchase your book buy the fully updated version.
Here is a good place to stop if you need to.
BioInteractive Resource This Week
Visit the Famous Scientists - Our most popular scientists page. Choose one scientist who interests you and in your learning journal, write:
Their name and field of biology
One discovery or contribution they made
One thing about their life or background that surprised you
Draw or print a portrait of your chosen scientist and add it to your journal. We will build up a collection of scientists over the course, so use a separate journal or create a specific section in your digital journal. Write one sentence about why their work matters.
If you want to watch a documentary, 50 mins long, about a famous scientist called Richard Feynman who won a Nobel prize, it's called The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. This is optional but he is a very intersting person.
Here is a good place to stop.
Hands-On Activity — The Observation Game
What you need: A patch of garden, a windowsill plant, or even a crack in the pavement where something is growing. Failing that, use a nature documentary clip.
What to do:
Spend 10 minutes doing nothing but observing. No phones. No music. Just watch.
Then write in your journal:
Three observations — things you actually saw, heard, or noticed. Facts only. "A beetle walked across a leaf" is an observation. "The beetle was looking for food" is an interpretation.
Three questions your observations raised. "Why does this plant lean toward the window?" is a great question.
One hypothesis — pick your favourite question and write a testable hypothesis. Use this format: "If [this is true], then [I would expect to see this]."
This is the foundation of everything in science. A curious observation, an honest question, a testable prediction.
The Brilliant Mistake — Stories Science Gets Wrong
This Week's Story: Spontaneous Generation
For over two thousand years, educated people believed that life could arise spontaneously from non-living matter. Mice came from dirty rags. Maggots came from rotting meat. This was not considered foolish; it was the mainstream scientific view, supported by the greatest minds of the ancient world, including Aristotle.
It took until 1668 for Francesco Redi to design a simple controlled experiment, covering some jars of meat and leaving others open, to begin dismantling this idea. And it took until Louis Pasteur's famous swan-neck flask experiment in 1859 to finally prove that life only comes from life.
Journal Prompt:
Why do you think the idea of spontaneous generation lasted so long?
What does this tell us about why peer review and repeated experiments matter?
Can you think of a modern belief that might one day be overturned by better evidence?
Return to Your Predictions
Go back to the two statements you wrote at the start of the week:
"Biology is just memorising facts about animals and plants."
"Scientists follow a strict set of steps called the scientific method and never deviate from it."
Rewrite each one now that you have watched the videos and done the reading. What would you say instead?
The Big Question — Final Answer
Return to this week's big question:
"How do we actually know what we know about living things — and how do scientists find out new things?"
Write a paragraph in your learning journal. There is no single right answer. A good answer will mention observation, hypothesis, experimentation, peer review, and the idea that science is a process, not a set of finished facts.
Here is a good place to stop.
Practice Questions — 10 Question Set
Answer these in your journal or on paper. Some are knowledge questions. Some ask you to think.
Give two characteristics that all living things share.
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a scientific theory?
In a controlled experiment, what is the purpose of a control group?
What is peer review and why is it important in science?
What is an independent variable? Give an example.
Explain why the statement "Evolution is just a theory" is misleading.
Darwin observed finches on the Galápagos Islands with different beak shapes. Write a hypothesis he might have formed about why this was.
Francesco Redi left some jars of meat open and covered others. What was he testing? What would the results need to show to support his hypothesis?
Give one example of how biology connects to another subject (chemistry, maths, physics, or history).
A student claims that because an experiment only ran once, the results prove their hypothesis is correct. What is wrong with this reasoning?
Week 1 Checklist
Before moving to Week 2, tick off each item:
Watched CrashCourse #1: Introduction to Biology
Watched CrashCourse #3: The Scientific Method
Added the Scientific Method poster to your journal
Defined all five vocabulary terms in your own words
Completed the Observation Game activity
Read from at least one of the three books (three sessions)
Chose a scientist to focus on
Answered the 10 practice questions
Written a final answer to the Big Question
