OCR A: A-Level Biology 3, 4, & 5 Day Sample Course Options

Transcription

1 OCR A: A-Level Biology 3, 4, & 5 Day Sample Course Options Flatford Mill, located in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, was made famous by the artwork of John Constable. The Centre has a rich mosaic of lowland landscapes giving rise to a diverse range of habitats, including unspoiled wetlands, stunning deciduous woodlands, lentic & lotic freshwater environments on the Centre grounds and salt marsh, coppiced and coniferous woodlands just a stone s throw away. Only an hour from London and with excellent road and rail access, the beautiful, historically important Grade I listed 18 th century water mill is at the end of a lane which has no through traffic. It offers visitors of all ages a much sought-after sense of tranquility to complement a unique outdoor learning environment in combination with workrooms with modern equipment and technology opportunities. Our courses are designed to fit the criteria of the new specifications. As such they are designed to: Incorporate a number of core practicals, apparatus and technique skills as well as mathematical skills that students must complete before taking exams. These also go towards the practical endorsement that students must complete Cover a wide range of topics from the specification - in particular modules 1, 4 and 6 of the OCR A specification Help to deliver a rich practical experience for students that covers a wide range of the practical activity groups (PAGs) as recommended by OCR A residential field course could potentially cover a large amount of the content for modules 1, 4 and 6 as well as up to 4 of the 12 practical activity groups

2 Sample 3 Day AS / Year 1 course: Biodiversity and Practical Ecology Skills Please note this programme is a sample and can be adjusted to be meet any specific objectives and requirements Timings, locations and session structure may vary depending upon prevailing weather & tide conditions DAY ONE 1200 Arrival and welcome: Introduction to the Centre and health and safety procedures 1230 Shown into rooms and unpack and eat lunch (bought from home) Introduction to Practical Biodiversity and Ecosystems Student driven synoptic links session that starts with a big question about how Flatford has changed over time, through 1400 student led discussion and activities, observations of different habitats including wetland, woodland, lake and meadow will be made. Contemporary topics of discussion may include pollution and bioaccumulation, habitat conservation, acid rain monitoring, rare or unusual species, pollination, and climate change 1630 Break 1700 DAY TWO Vegetation analysis and quadrat use as well as potential activities such as ecological field sketching, pit fall trapping, use of collector app and phase 1 habitat surveys to determine communities and log finds will help students to understand the bigger picture of ecology and how real ecologists work. A hypothetical vegetation analysis will be conducted to set the scene for sampling skills later in the course. Tutor to facilitate student led observations and provide answers for student questions OCR Ecology and classification introduction. Sustainability at Flatford Mill: what is the FSC? What are our objectives as a charity? How can we be more sustainable? Why are you here: What is ecology / How to classify organisms, introduction to taxonomy / Personal objectives After immersion in environment do we - think ecology matters? Revisit classification from earlier in the day and look at how it helps us to study evolution Classification challenge (outdoor in dark so torches could be useful) Introduction to Woodland biodiversity and sampling Woodland ecosystems and how to sample in a woodland area 1500 Walk to Grove Woods: Fieldwork to include: biodiversity scavenger hunt Investigation into the ground cover plants in woodlands using random sampling PAG 3.1 Random sampling, Species diversity, scientific drawing. Data collected to include % cover, frequency and evidence of phenotypic plasticity in chosen species e.g. surface area or thickness etc. Students complete scientific drawings, calculate appropriate averages and sketch bar charts in the field. Calculate percentage error in measurements. Walk back to Centre Data collated into spreadsheets, data manipulated using Simpson s Diversity index Interpret trends and graphs of mean, median modes in data sets, highlight main differences between two areas. Calculate student s t-test of measured Surface area data Draw conclusions from and evaluate study include thinking about plant adaptations Students plan PAG 3.3 sampling investigation (and practical competency elements) and conduct research for PAG 12. Students must devise a title suitable for Investigating a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor in small groups and plan for an investigation to be carried out the following morning.

3 DAY THREE PAG 3.3 and 12 (investigation) 0900 Students carry out their investigation using appropriate equipment, having assessed risks, planned methods and controlled variables. Teachers will have the opportunity to assess the students for the practical endorsement Students return to process data with which to write up a report to hand in at school including data analysis and interpretation and any further research they may need to do 1200 Depart Centre Sample 3 Day A2 / Year 2 course: Biodiversity and Practical Ecology Skills Please note this programme is a sample and can be adjusted to be meet any specific objectives and requirements Timings, locations and session structure may vary depending upon prevailing weather & tide conditions DAY ONE 1200 Arrival and welcome: Introduction to the Centre and health and safety procedures 1230 Shown into rooms and unpack and eat lunch (bought from home) Biodiversity, Biomass and Trophic Levels: 1400 Intro to sampling in Freshwater habitats. Students collect freshwater invertebrates and classify into trophic levels, Also collect pre-set light/dark bottles in order to calculate primary productivity break 1700 Calculation of energy being fixed through photosynthesis. Drawing and interpretation of pyramids of biomass and energy. DAY TWO Analyse the trophic level data collected using Chi 2 test for association. Draw conclusions from data and evaluate method and findings. Introduction to Salt marsh Succession Succession day: Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time): PAG 3.2 distribution and abundance of vegetation Introduction to succession theory, identification and adaptations of key species, nutrient cycling, and salt marsh formation 1430 Travel to Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time): Fieldwork to include - Investigation in to the effect of haloseral succession on the distribution and abundance of vegetation using systematic sampling Data collected to include % Frequency and abiotic measurements. Conducting transects from pioneer community to climax community. Adaptations of plants including halophytic adaptations investigated Travel back to Centre Collate data and put equipment away Write up method 1515 Data presentation and analysis

4 Draw kite diagrams to show distribution and abundance of salt marsh vegetation Scattergraphs DAY THREE Worked example of statistics using Spearman s rank correlation coefficient Discussion of findings, draw conclusions annotate onto a printed marsh profile the conclusions of the investigation Evaluate findings Students plan PAG 3.3 sampling investigation (and practical competency elements) and conduct research for PAG 12. Students must devise a title suitable for Investigating a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor in small groups and plan for an investigation to be carried out the following morning. PAG 3.3 and 12 (investigation) 0900 Students carry out their investigation using appropriate equipment, having assessed risks, planned methods and controlled variables. Teachers will have the opportunity to assess the students for the practical endorsement Students return to process data with which to write up a report to hand in at school including data analysis and interpretation and any further research they may need to do 1200 Depart Centre Sample 4 Day Option: Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Practical Skills Please note this programme is a sample and can be adjusted to be meet any specific objectives and requirements Timings, locations and session structure may vary depending upon prevailing weather & tide conditions DAY ONE 1200 Arrival and welcome: Introduction to the Centre and health and safety procedures 1230 Shown into rooms and unpack and eat lunch (bought from home) Introduction to Practical Biodiversity and Ecosystems Student driven synoptic links session that starts with a big question about how Flatford has changed over time, through 1400 student led discussion and activities, observations of different habitats including wetland, woodland, lake and meadow will be made. Contemporary topics of discussion may include pollution and bioaccumulation, habitat conservation, acid rain monitoring, rare or unusual species, pollination, and climate change 1630 Break 1700 DAY TWO Vegetation analysis and quadrat use as well as potential activities such as ecological field sketching, pit fall trapping, use of collector app and phase 1 habitat surveys to determine communities and log finds will help students to understand the bigger picture of ecology and how real ecologists work. A hypothetical vegetation analysis will be conducted to set the scene for sampling skills later in the course. Tutor to facilitate student led observations and provide answers for student questions OCR Ecology and classification introduction. Sustainability at Flatford Mill: what is the FSC? What are our objectives as a charity? How can we be more sustainable? Why are you here: What is ecology / How to classify organisms, introduction to taxonomy / Personal objectives After immersion in environment do we - think ecology matters? Revisit classification from earlier in the day and look at how it helps us to study evolution Classification challenge (outdoor in dark so torches could be useful) Introduction to Salt marsh Succession Succession day: Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time):

5 Introduction to succession theory, identification and adaptations of key species, nutrient cycling, and salt marsh formation Travel to Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time): Fieldwork to include - Investigation in to the effect of haloseral succession on the distribution and abundance of vegetation using systematic sampling PAG 3.2 distribution and abundance of vegetation Data collected to include % Frequency and abiotic measurements. Conducting transects from pioneer community to climax community. Adaptations of plants including halophytic adaptations investigated Travel back to Centre Collate data and put equipment away Write up method Data presentation and analysis Draw kite diagrams to show distribution and abundance of salt marsh vegetation Scattergraphs DAY THREE Worked example of statistics using Spearman s rank correlation coefficient Discussion of findings, draw conclusions annotate onto a printed marsh profile the conclusions of the investigation Evaluate findings PAG 6. Students complete core practical to investigate Separation of biological compounds using paper chromatography using seaweed samples collected at the salt marsh Introduction to Woodland biodiversity and sampling Woodland ecosystems and how to sample in a woodland area 1500 Walk to Grove Woods: Fieldwork to include: biodiversity scavenger hunt Investigation into the ground cover plants in woodlands using random sampling PAG 3.1 random sampling, species diversity and scientific drawing Data collected to include % cover, frequency and evidence of phenotypic plasticity in chosen species e.g. surface area or thickness etc. Students complete scientific drawings, calculate appropriate averages and sketch bar charts in the field. Calculate percentage error in measurements. Walk back to Centre Data collated into spreadsheets, data manipulated using Simpson s Diversity index Interpret trends and graphs of mean, median modes in data sets, highlight main differences between two areas. Calculate student s t-test of measured Surface area data Draw conclusions from and evaluate study include thinking about plant adaptations Students plan PAG 3.3 sampling investigation (and practical competency elements) and conduct research for PAG 12. Students must devise a title suitable for Investigating a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor in small groups and plan for an investigation to be carried out the following morning. DAY FOUR 0900 PAG 3.3 and 12 (investigation)

6 Students carry out their investigation using appropriate equipment, having assessed risks, planned methods and controlled variables. Teachers will have the opportunity to assess the students for the practical endorsement Students return to process data with which to write up a report to hand in at school including data analysis and interpretation and any further research they may need to do 1200 Depart Centre Sample 5 Day Option: Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Energy and Practical skills Please note this programme is a sample and can be adjusted to be meet any specific objectives and requirements Timings, locations and session structure may vary depending upon prevailing weather & tide conditions DAY ONE 1200 Arrival and welcome: Introduction to the Centre and health and safety procedures 1230 Shown into rooms and unpack and eat lunch (bought from home) Introduction to Practical Biodiversity and Ecosystems (immersion in ecology session) Student driven synoptic links session that starts with a big question about how Flatford has changed over time, through 1400 student led discussion and activities, observations of different habitats including wetland, woodland, lake and meadow will be made. Contemporary topics of discussion may include pollution and bioaccumulation, habitat conservation, acid rain monitoring, rare or unusual species, pollination, and climate change 1630 Break 1700 DAY TWO Vegetation analysis and quadrat use as well as potential activities such as ecological field sketching, pit fall trapping, use of collector app and phase 1 habitat surveys to determine communities and log finds will help students to understand the bigger picture of ecology and how real ecologists work. A hypothetical vegetation analysis will be conducted to set the scene for sampling skills later in the course. Tutor to facilitate student led observations and provide answers for student questions OCR Ecology and classification introduction. Sustainability at Flatford Mill: what is the FSC? What are our objectives as a charity? How can we be more sustainable? Why are you here: What is ecology / How to classify organisms, introduction to taxonomy / Personal objectives After immersion in environment do we - think ecology matters? Revisit classification from earlier in the day and look at how it helps us to study evolution Classification challenge (outdoor in dark so torches could be useful) Introduction to Woodland biodiversity and sampling Woodland ecosystems and how to sample in a woodland area 1500 Walk to Grove Woods: Fieldwork to include: biodiversity scavenger hunt Investigation into the ground cover plants in woodlands using random sampling PAG 3.1 Random sampling, species diversity and scientific drawing Data collected to include % cover, frequency and evidence of phenotypic plasticity in chosen species e.g. surface area or thickness etc. Students complete scientific drawings, calculate appropriate averages and sketch bar charts in the field. Calculate percentage error in measurements. Walk back to Centre Data collated into spreadsheets, data manipulated using Simpson s Diversity index Interpret trends and graphs of mean, median modes in data sets, highlight main differences between two areas.

7 DAY THREE Calculate student s t-test of measured Surface area data Draw conclusions from and evaluate study include thinking about plant adaptations PAG 11. Students complete core practical to investigate animal responses to external stimuli Introduction to Salt marsh Succession Succession day: Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time): Introduction to succession theory, identification and adaptations of key species, nutrient cycling, and salt marsh formation 1030 break Travel to Holbrook salt marsh (15 minute travel time) or Shingle Ridge (45 minute travel time): Fieldwork to include - Investigation in to the effect of haloseral succession on the distribution and abundance of vegetation using systematic sampling PAG 3.2 distribution and abundance of vegetation Data collected to include % Frequency and abiotic measurements. Conducting transects from pioneer community to climax community. Adaptations of plants including halophytic adaptations investigated Travel back to Centre Collate data and put equipment away Write up method Data presentation and analysis Draw kite diagrams to show distribution and abundance of salt marsh vegetation Scattergraphs Worked example of statistics using Spearman s rank correlation coefficient Discussion of findings, draw conclusions annotate onto a printed marsh profile the conclusions of the investigation Evaluate findings PAG 6. Students complete core practical to investigate Separation of biological compounds using paper chromatography using seaweed samples collected at the salt marsh DAY FOUR Option 1: Introduction to Freshwater sampling, biomass and trophic levels (Gibbonsgate lake/riber Brook (on site)): Introduction to freshwater ecology and invertebrate sampling 1500 Investigation into transfer energy within a freshwater ecosystem Topics total energy fixed in an ecosystem. Transfer of biomass and energy Students will make light and dark algal bottles and calculate rate of photosynthesis and productivity Lunch on site Calculations, pyramids and Chi-squared test for analysis. Draw conclusions and evaluate data. Practice exam questions Start planning Sampling investigation for PAG 3.3 / 12 Finish planning PAG 3 sampling investigation (and practical competency elements) and conduct research for PAG 12 Students plan a mini investigation to complete PAG 3 and research to cover PAG 12. Students must devise a title suitable for Investigating a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor in small groups.

8 DAY FOUR Option 2: Introduction to Rocky shore sampling, biomass and trophic levels Introduction to littoral ecology and sampling Investigation into transfer energy within a coastal ecosystem at Harwich (40 minute travel time) Topics total energy fixed in an ecosystem. Transfer of biomass and energy Students will identify and sample abundance of rocky shore animals and algae and calculate productivity and biomass Lunch on site 1500 Calculations, pyramids and conclusions 1600 Data analysis using Chi 2 test 1700 Start planning Sampling investigation for PAG 3.3 / 12 DAY FIVE: Finish planning PAG 3 sampling investigation (and practical competency elements) and conduct research for PAG 12 Students plan a mini investigation to complete PAG 3 and research to cover PAG 12. Students must devise a title suitable for Investigating a correlation between a named species and a biotic and/or abiotic factor in small groups. PAG 3 and 12 (investigation) 0900 Students carry out their investigation using appropriate equipment, having assessed risks, planned methods and controlled variables. Teachers will have the opportunity to assess the students for the practical endorsement Students return to process data with which to write up a report to hand in at school including data analysis and interpretation and any further research they may need to do 1200 Depart Centre Learning Objectives: Provide an immersive experience of ecology and the environment Provide experience of recording biological environmental variables and to enable discussion of justifications & limitations of the techniques used Provide experience of planning a successful ecological investigation Apply a range of graphical presentation and statistical analysis techniques to ecological data Show the relationship between experimental design and methods of data analysis Learning Outcomes: Students will have developed a wider appreciation for ecology and its place in biology Students will gain the ability to plan an ecological investigation Students will gain the ability to undertake an ecological investigation, and to be able to justify choices of strategies and techniques, and assess their limitations Students will gain the ability to select appropriate graphs and statistical analysis for a given set of data

9 Specification links: Assessment Skills & Mathematics Links to Module 1 (1.1 and 1.2): Development of Practical Skills in Biology (FM 001, 002, 002) Module 4 (4.2.1 and 4.2.2): Biodiversity, evolution and disease (FM 001, 002, 003) Module 5 (5.1.5): Communication, homeostasis and energy (FM 001) Apparatus & Technique Skills 1.2.2(a): Use appropriate apparatus to record quantitative measurements (FM 001, 002, 003) 1.2.2(e): Produce scientific drawing from observation with annotations (FM 001) (g): Separation of biological compounds using thin layer/paper chromatography (FM 001) 1.2.2(h): Safely and ethically use organisms to measure plant or animal responses (FM 001) 1.2.2(k): Use sampling techniques in fieldwork (001, 002, 003) Maths Skills: M0.4: Estimate results (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.1: Use an appropriate number of significant figures (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.2: Find arithmetic means (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.3: Construct and interpret frequency tables and diagrams and bar charts (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.4: Understand simple probability (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.5: Understand the principles of sampling as applied to scientific data (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.6: Understand the terms mean, median and mode (FM 001) M1.7: Use a scatter diagram to identify a correlation between two variables (FM 001, 003) M1.9: Select and use a statistical test (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.10: Understand measures of dispersion (standard deviation) (FM 001, 002, 003) M1.11: Identify uncertainties in measurements (FM 001, 002) MS2.3: Substitute numerical values into algebraic equations using appropriate units for physical quantities (FM 001, 002, 003) MS3.2: Plot two variables from experimental or other data (FM 001, 002, 003) What is included in the fee? Up to 10 hours of tuition a day Expert tuition, from fully trained staff Full board accommodation. Catering includes cooked breakfast, packed lunch, homemade cakes and evening meal Use of facilities including workrooms, recreational space, ICT and Centre grounds Established health and safety procedures and 24 hour emergency cover Access to specialist equipment and resources Support before and following the course Tuition is delivered by talented tutors, with not only an expert knowledge of their subject and field work locations, but a passion for the subject being taught. Our education team are fully DBS checked, and undergo a regular and rigorous training process. All tutors have received training in first aid, risk assessment and water safety. Course options listed in this booklet can be selected to put together a programme designed to meet the requirements of your specification. However, if you need something that is not catered for in the field work investigations, please contact us to discuss possible alternatives. External Recognition of QualityFlatford Mill has been awarded the Quality Badge by The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. The badge is awarded to organisations that have demonstrated that they consistently deliver high quality teaching and learning experiences and manage risk effectively. This means that you will have to complete less paperwork when visiting our Centre