Resources for BIS IB Biology & Science

Click to Begin

Click to Begin

This resource is primarily for the IB Biology students of Bandung International School, though all are free to use it. The resources, videos and links here have been chosen to help you go beyond the lessons and get a deeper understanding of Science and Biology.

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To get started, use the links below:

IB Bio Class 2010IB Bio Class 2011Grade 9 & 10 Science

Class Quia pages: Class of 2010—–Class of 2011—– G10 Sci—– G9 Sci

Class Presentations Click4Biology BIS IBDP WikispaceToK and Biology

New pages: Internal Assessment in IB Biology —– Lyrical Science ECA

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Rubrics (Word 2007): Essential Biology Rubric —– Lab Book Rubric —– IA

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Biology4Good - Make A Difference! Click here to find out more.

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Virgin Galactic Goes Live – with cool soundtrack

Start saving those pennies for a trip to space, courtesy of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two – whichwas rolled out on a chilly unveiling in the Mojave desert this week. Here’s a short video showing a simulation of what one of the trips would be like, with what looks like some footage of SpaceShipOne’s journey to the edge of the atmosphere in 2004, as well as some dodgy camera-phone footage of this unveiling, apparently from Arnie’s phone.

Watch out for The Fuse in 2010 – the band whose music is featured on the video – they rock!

One might question the tactfulness of the unveiling of the spaceship so close to the Copenhagen Climate Summit. Is it really appropriate to encourage the super-wealthy to burn up fuel and money (US$200,000 a ticket!) on a joyride to space? There is a section on their official website that deals with the environmental issues, claiming that the carbon footprint per passenger is less than a London-New York flight.

On the other hand, given the chance would you turn it down? This project represents the cutting-edge of engineering and design, and there will be a lot to learn from their industrial experiences. It is also good to see some human ingenuity and adventure make the headlines, too.

Here’s a tour of SpaceShipTwo with Richard Branson, from Associated Press:

And an old (2008) video from Wired.com talking about the project:

So what do you think? Do you think it’s a good idea? Would go if you were given the chance? How do you feel about this kind of high-profile project? Would it inspire you to take on science or engineering as a career?

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For more information on the The Fuse and their music, check out their website: http://www.thefusemusic.com/

Lyrical Science: Good Riddance (to excess end products)

Here’s the first attempt of a sing-along Biology song, for end-product inhibition of metabolic pathways, based on Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)“. I cannot sing, so there are no vocals!

This is how it was made:

1. Find the lyrics and put them on an excel spreadsheet, line-by-line

2. Write out all the key terms and ideas for the topic for the song

3. Write the new version of the song (this is difficult). Try to keep as many rhymes or words from the original as possible, but don’t force the scientific language too much.

4. Use powerpoint to make a slideshow of the lyrics.

5. Add an mp3 of the backing track.

6. Rehearse the timings and keep and save them once it works. This needs a decent computer, or the lag between sound and slides changing will be too great.

7. Convert the pptx file to mp4 using the free powerpoint to youtube converter.

8. Check and upload!

Here are the slides only, via Slideshare:

Cell Division (mitosis) and Tumours

The presentation has been updated to include a lot more information on tumours – though it is not all essential for the exams, it is a good health class and an introduction to some degree-level cellular biology concepts. There are loads of links to videos and animations if you click on the shadowed images.

Essential Biology 2.5: Cell Division (mitosis)

Here’s a lovely mitosis video:

The Biology Song & Lyrical Science

I love this song. “There are seven things it needs to survive”:

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Inspired by the Stanford biologists, I’m looking for popular songs to butcher into biological themes. The process of taking one of your favourite songs and twisting it into a factually-sound academic re-write can be a great way to consolidate key concepts, especially for the musically intelligent. It takes more than just recall of the facts – you have to force yourself to understand the topic in order to write a decent song. To make the song make sense, you need a good grasp of the content and you must use the key terms correctly.

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Ideas so far -

  • An IB Biology version of “Apoptize” (One Republic’s ‘Apologize‘) (completed – click here)
  • One Gene, One Protein“, after “No Woman, No Cry
  • Don’t Divide Even“, after The Script’s “Break Even” (completed – click here)
  • I Will Divide,” after Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (have a go – click here)
  • ACE, ACE Inhibitors“, based on Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby
  • Endangered Species song for  “Numb/Encore” by LP and Jay-Z
  • Hormones“, after Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours
  • Good Riddance (to excess end products)“, based on Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your life)” (completed – click here)

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For some more reading on how making use of  Musical Intelligence can aid in learning across the curriculum:

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My big question: Has there been any research on the effectiveness of different styles of music in relation to age group, cultural background or musical preference?

Many of the bought-resources seem to based on country songs or old songs – how well does that translate to a modern teen audience in an international or urban setting?

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If you’ve got any cool ideas (the more complex, the better), or any comments on the use of music as a learning tool,  please post them below!

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Headphones image from: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/date/2008/page/5/

Defense Against Infectious Disease (Core & AHL)

Standard Level: Essential Biology 6.3 Defense Against Infectious Disease

Higher Level: Essential Biology 6.3 & 11.1  Defense Against Infectious Disease

Core content:

Additional Higher Level:

The Click4Biology pages are here: Core – - AHL

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A separate post on HIV/AIDS will follow.

Cockermouth Floods 2009

Cumbria Floods Donations

This is not a science post, but if you’ve heard about the big floods that ran through Cockermouth, Cumbria (in the UK), over the last week then here is a chance to help out. There are some class project ideas at the end of the post.

Cockermouth is my home town in the UK and is the point where two rivers (the Cocker and the Derwent) meet. In the recent huge ranfall, both rivers bust their banks and flooded the whole Main Street and Market Places, as well as many residential areas. Some major bridges were destroyed, effectively turning the town into an island. Many people have been evacuated from their homes and the clean-up operation will take a long time. More damage was sustained by towns across Cumbria, including Workington and Keswick, and a policeman lost his life, trying to save others. The emergency services responded fantastically, saving many people – and their pets!

Here’s a video explaining why Cockermouth was hit so hard:

Cockermouth Aftermath

Cockermouth Aftermath

See some photo sets of the damage here:

BBC NewsEscape to Cumbria -

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Being on the other side of the world (Indonesia – which has more than its fair share of disasters recently), all I can think of to help is to encourage people give donations if they can. If you want to help out, please visit the Charities Aid Foundation website for the Cumbrian Community Foundation. I’d encouarage local IB schools to get involved in the clean-up operation, too.

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Science/ Engineering links

Recent flooding and natural disasters give us a lot to think about as global citizens and scientists. Here are some ideas for projects and activities you could do in class related to the theme:

- How do flood defenses work?

- Design a flood-protection system

- How do we predict rainfall and rising water levels? How accurate are these predictions?

- How do emergency services respond to these events? How are they coordinated?

- Create a post-flood plan for a damaged town.

- What are the health risks of large-scale flooding? How can they be reduced?

Interdisciplinary Group 4 Project (IB) idea:

“How can science prevent, mitigate and aid recovery following natural disasters?”

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One more Science link: Did you know that Cockermouth and the surrounding area were home to John Dalton, the father of atomic theory?

Virtual Urchin – Tutorials from Stanford

Here are some flash tutorials from the team at Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford. They make good use of the properties of the sea urchin’s gametes for studies and learning experiences:

Fertilisation and Development Lab

Fertilisation and Development

“Gametes of sea urchins yield exceptional experiences in the classroom; teachers and students alike are riveted by being able to observe fertilization, cell division and embryonic development. The gametes are easy to use, the developmental stages are readily seen with the microscope and the rapidity of fertilization and early cell divisions allows the student to ask questions and obtain answers within the bounds of a normal classroom schedule. The utility of urchins for inquiry-based science is unrivaled.”

Head on over there to have a go at some of their labs, including a neat microscope tutorial, practice with microscope measurements, fertilisation and development and a ocean acidification investigation.


1/4 Million Views on ScienceVideoResources!

Wow – 250,000 views and counting.

Looking at the stats, most people come here for the post on Eaten Alive: Parasites and the Body (over 8,000 views), with protein synthesis, our IB Biology course and cell respiration following closely behind. Thanks to everyone who has visited and left a comment so far!

If you like what you see, you can make a difference with Biology4Good. Also, please leave a comment and let me know where you’re from and what you use the site for.

To celebrate, here’s Hans Rosling, my favourite TED presenter and GapMinder master, sharing new facts, data and visuals on HIV – just in time for AIDS Day on the 1st December:

neat clip of a National Geographic photographer’s greatest moments: