INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL ACCRA

IGCSE BIOLOGY – YEAR 10

COURSE OUTLINE FOR TERM 2, 2023

WEEK TOPIC COMPETENCIES /OBJECTIVES

WEEK ONE (1) INTRODUCTION
AND REVISION Welcome and Submission of vacation
OF END OF assignments and target setting
TERM EXAMS Discussion of end of term exams (multiple
choice)
Discussion of end of term exams (theory)

WEEK TWO (2) GAPS Identification of learners’ gaps and addressing

IDENTIFICATION learners’ gaps
AND Revision lesson on topics learners had gaps
ADDRESSING OF
GAPS
WEEK THREE (3) PLANT Define photosynthesis as the process by which
NUTRITION plants manufacture carbohydrates from raw
materials using energy from light • State the word
equation for photosynthesis: carbon dioxide +
water → glucose + oxygen, in the presence of light
and chlorophyll
State the balanced chemical equation for
photosynthesis 6CO2 + 6H2O light chlorophyll
C6H12O6 + 6O2 • Explain that chlorophyll transfers
light energy into chemical energy in molecules, for
the synthesis of carbohydrates • Outline the
subsequent use and storage of the carbohydrates
made in photosynthesis
Investigate the necessity for chlorophyll, light and
carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, using
appropriate controls • Investigate and describe the
effects of varying light intensity, carbon dioxide
concentration and temperature on the rate of
photosynthesis, e.g. in submerged aquatic plants

WEEK FOUR (4) LIMITING Define the term limiting factor as something
FACTORS present in the environment in such short supply
that it restricts life processes • Identify and explain
the limiting factors of photosynthesis in different
environmental conditions • Describe the use of
carbon dioxide enrichment, optimum light and
optimum temperatures in glasshouses in
 temperate and tropical countries • Use
hydrogencarbonate indicator solution to
investigate the effect of gas exchange of an aquatic
plant kept in the light and in the dark
Identify chloroplasts, cuticle, guard cells and
stomata, upper and lower epidermis, palisade
mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, vascular bundles,
xylem and phloem in leaves of a dicotyledonous
plant
Explain how the internal structure of a leaf is
adapted for photosynthesis
Describe the importance of: – nitrate ions for
making amino acids – magnesium ions for making
chlorophyll
Explain the effects of nitrate ion and magnesium
ion deficiency on plant growth
WEEK FIVE (5) UNIT TEST AND State what is meant by the term balanced diet for
HUMAN humans • Explain how age, gender and activity
NUTRITION affect the dietary needs of humans including
(DIET) during pregnancy and whilst breast-feeding •
Describe the effects of malnutrition in relation to
starvation, constipation, coronary heart disease,
obesity and scurvy

UNIT TEST
WEEK SIX (6) DISCUSSION OF List the principal sources of, and describe the
UNIT TEST AND dietary importance of: – carbohydrates – fats –
IMPORTANCE proteins – vitamins, limited to C and D – mineral
OF DIETARY salts, limited to calcium and iron – fibre (roughage)
NUTRIENTS – water
• Explain the causes and effects of vitamin D and
iron deficiencies • Explain the causes and effects of
protein-energy malnutrition, e.g. kwashiorkor and
marasmus
Discussion of unit test
WEEK SEVEN (7) ALIMENTARY Define basic terminologies such as
CANAL AND Ingestion
DIGESTION Mechanical digestion
Chemical digestion
Absorption
Assimilation
Egestion
• Describe diarrhoea as the loss of watery faeces •
Outline the treatment of diarrhoea using oral
rehydration therapy
• Describe cholera as a disease caused by a
 bacterium
Identify the main regions of the alimentary canal
and associated organs, limited to mouth, salivary
glands, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine
(duodenum and ileum), pancreas, liver, gall
bladder and large intestine (colon, rectum, anus) •
Describe the functions of the regions of the
alimentary canal listed above, in relation to
ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and
egestion of food
WEEK EIGHT (8) MECHANICAL Explain that the cholera bacterium produces a
DIGESTION toxin that causes secretion of chloride ions into the
small intestine, causing osmotic movement of
water into the gut, causing diarrhoea, dehydration
and loss of salts from blood
Identify the types of human teeth (incisors,
canines, premolars and molars) • Describe the
structure of human teeth, limited to enamel,
dentine, pulp, nerves and cement, as well as the
gums • Describe the functions of the types of
human teeth in mechanical digestion of food •
State the causes of dental decay in terms of a
coating of bacteria and food on teeth, the bacteria
respiring sugars in the food, producing acid which
dissolves the enamel and dentine • Describe the
proper care of teeth in terms of diet and regular
brushing
WEEK NINE (9) State the significance of chemical digestion in the
alimentary canal in producing small, soluble
molecules that can be absorbed • State the
functions of enzymes as follows: – amylase breaks
down starch to simpler sugars – protease breaks
down protein to amino acids – lipase breaks down
fats to fatty acids and glycerol • State where, in the
alimentary canal, amylase, protease and lipase are
secreted • State the functions of the hydrochloric
acid in gastric juice, limited to killing bacteria in
food and giving an acid pH for enzymes
Describe the digestion of starch in the alimentary
canal: – amylase is secreted into the alimentary
canal and breaks down starch to maltose – maltose
is broken down by maltase to glucose on the
membranes of the epithelium lining the small
intestine • Describe pepsin and trypsin as two
protease enzymes that function in different parts
of the alimentary canal: – pepsin in the stomach –
trypsin in the small intestine • Explain the
functions of the hydrochloric acid in gastric juice,
 limited to the low pH: – denaturing enzymes in
harmful microorganisms in food – giving the
optimum pH for pepsin activity • Outline the role
of bile in neutralizing the acidic mixture of food
and gastric juices entering the duodenum from the
stomach, to provide a suitable pH for enzyme
action • Outline the role of bile in emulsifying fats
to increase the surface area for the chemical
digestion of fat to fatty acids and glycerol by lipase
WEEK TEN (10) UNIT TEST AND Identify the small intestine as the region for the
ABSORPTION absorption of digested food • State that water is
absorbed in both the small intestine and the colon,
but that most absorption of water happens in the
small intestine Supplement • Explain the
significance of villi and microvilli in increasing the
internal surface area of the small intestine •
Describe the structure of a villus
• Describe the roles of capillaries and lacteals in
villi
State the functions of xylem and phloem • Identify
the position of xylem and phloem as seen in
sections of roots, stems and leaves, limited to non-
woody dicotyledonous plants
WEEK ELEVEN (11) DISCUSSION OF Identify root hair cells, as seen under the light
UNIT TEST AND microscope, and state their functions • State the
WATER UPTAKE AND pathway taken by water through root, stem and
TRANSPIRATION leaf as root hair cell, root cortex cells, xylem and
mesophyll cells • Investigate, using a suitable stain,
the pathway of water through the above-ground
parts of a plant
Explain that the large surface area of root hairs
increases the rate of the absorption of water by
osmosis and ions by active transport
State that water is transported from the roots to
leaves through the xylem vessels • Define
transpiration as loss of water vapour from plant
leaves by evaporation of water at the surfaces of
the mesophyll cells followed by diffusion of water
vapour through the stomata
Explain how water vapour loss is related to the
large surface area of cell surfaces, interconnecting
air spaces and stomata • Explain the mechanism by
which water moves upwards in the xylem in terms
of a transpiration pull that draws up a column of
water molecules, held together by cohesion •
Explain how and why wilting occurs • Explain the
effects of variation of temperature and humidity
on transpiration rate
 Investigate and describe the effects of variation of
temperature and humidity on transpiration rate
WEEK TWELVE (12) TRANSLOCATION Define translocation in terms of the movement of
AND TRANSPORT IN sucrose and amino acids in phloem: – from regions
ANIMALS of production (source) – to regions of storage OR
to regions where they are used in respiration or
growth (sink) • Explain that some parts of a plant
may act as a source and a sink at different times
during the life of a plant
Core • Describe the circulatory system as a system
of blood vessels with a pump and valves to ensure
one-way flow of blood
• Describe the single circulation of a fish • Describe
the double circulation of a mammal • Explain the
advantages of a double circulation
WEEK THIRTEEN (13) END OF TERM
EXAMINATION
NB: THERE WILL BE A UNIT TEST EVERY THURSDAY AFTER THE SECOND
WEEK