VCE Biology Unit 4

Connect

Use the activities in the Teaching Guide (below) to spark students’ curiosity before their zoo visit.

Connect and Understand 

Students record their observations of our Asian elephants and examine some artefacts and learn about EEHV in order to apply their understanding of the immune system to this case study.  They examine and interpret real PCR results obtained from onsite testing for EEHV.  Students consider and evaluate why Asian elephants are kept in captivity and ways that they can contribute to improving their welfare.

Your zoo visit includes: An introduction to the day (for arrivals between 9.45 - 10.00 am), Zoo Teacher workshop (30 minutes) and keeper talks. Check out your Teaching Guide for other ideas of what to do at the zoo.

Understand

Use activities in the Teaching Guide to deepen students’ learning back at school.

Act

Use the Teaching Guide to enable students to master their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts.

VCE Biology Unit 4 – How does life change and respond to challenges?

Area of Study 1: How do organisms respond to pathogens?

• Students examine some of the mechanisms that organisms have to prevent pathogenic infection
  • Students investigate the role of the innate immune response in fighting infection
  • Students explore the characteristics of the adaptive immune response against pathogens, including a consideration of the differences between passive and active strategies for acquiring immunity
  • Students discover some of the scientific and social strategies being employed to identify and control the spread of a particular pathogen

Area of Study 2: How are species related over time?

• Students consider how genetic changes in a population can occur over time, and the way that gene pools can be manipulated through selective breeding programs