F-2 Grouping Living Things Based on Observable Features

Plants and animals have observable features that can be used to group them in different ways.
VC2S2U01

  • Identifying Plant Parts in Fruits and Vegetables

  • Classifying Animals as Vertebrates or Invertebrates

  • Recognising Humans as Animals and Comparing Features

  • Observing External Features with Tools

  • Sorting and Grouping Model Animals

  • Exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Representations of Living Things

F-2 Meeting the Basic Needs of Living Things

Plants and animals have basic needs, including air, water, food and shelter; the places where they live meet those needs.
VC2S2U02

  • Identifying Habitats

  • Caring for Living Things at Home

  • Comparing Needs of Living Things

  • Creating Habitat Dioramas

  • Caring for Country and Place

  • Importance of Caring for Plants and Animals

F-2 External Features and Their Functions in Plant and Animal Survival

Plants and animals have external features that perform different functions to enable their survival; in plants these features include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, bulbs, trunks and branches while different features in animals enable them to move, breathe, eat and respond to their environment.
VC2S2U03

  • Comparing Plant Structures

  • Investigating Water Movement in Plants

  • Understanding Sensory Organs

  • Exploring Teeth and Diets

  • Cultural Representations of Animal Movement

  • Grouping Animals by External Features

3-4 Distinguishing Living, Once-Living and Non-Living Things

Living things have characteristics that distinguish them from non-living things and things that were once living, including fossils.
VC2S4U01

  • Classifying Living Status

  • Making Fossil Impressions

  • Exploring Differences

3-4 Understanding Life Cycles and Heredity

Plants and animals have different life cycles; offspring are similar, but not identical, to their parents.
VC2S4U02

  • Metamorphic vs. Non-Metamorphic Life Cycles

  • Life Stage Comparisons

  • Life Cycle Representations

  • Offspring Variation

  • Cultural Knowledge of Life Cycles

3-4 Roles and Relationships in Habitats

Consumers, producers and decomposers have different roles and interactions within a habitat; food chains can be used to represent feeding relationships.
VC2S4U03

  • Obtaining Food

  • Identifying Roles in Habitats

  • Understanding Decomposers

  • Food Chains

  • Impact of Introduced Predators

  • Effects of Food Source Removal

5-6 The Influence of Physical Conditions on Habitats and Organism Survival

Habitats can be described by their physical conditions; changing the physical conditions of a habitat, including by human activity, may affect the growth and survival of organisms.
VC2S6U01

  • Identifying Physical Conditions

  • Effects on Plant Growth

  • Effects on Animal Survival

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge

  • Human Impact on Habitats

  • Experimental Investigation

  • Environmental Conditions and Life Stages

5-6 Evolution and Adaptation in Living Organisms

Organisms have evolved over time, as seen in fossils and scientific records; the structural features and behaviours of living organisms enable them to thrive in their environments.
VC2S6U02

  • Adaptations for Survival

  • Surviving in Harsh Environments

  • Comparing Adaptations

  • The Role of Camouflage

  • Adaptation Simulations

  • Evolution Through Variation

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and Biomimicry

7-8 Understanding the Diversity of Life through Classification

There are similarities and differences within and between groups of organisms living on Earth; the development and use of classification tools, including dichotomous keys, help order and organise human understanding of the diversity of life.
VC2S8U01

  • Reasons for Classifying Organisms

  • Comparing Life Processes Across Organisms

  • Using Dichotomous Keys in the Field

  • Creating and Modifying Classification Tools

  • Scientific Naming with the Linnaean System

  • Indigenous Classification Systems

  • Evolving Biological Classification

7-8 Understanding Cells: The Building Blocks of Life

Cell theory describes cells as the basic units of life; organisms may be unicellular or multicellular and have specialised structures and organelles (including cell walls, cell membranes, cytoplasm, nuclei containing DNA, mitochondria, ribosomes, chloroplasts and vacuoles) that perform specific functions.
VC2S8U02

  • Exploring Cells in Virtual Environments

  • Microscopy in Cell Studies

  • Comparing Prepared and Student-Made Slides

  • Identifying Cellular Similarities and Differences

  • Creating and Evaluating Cell Models

  • Investigating Cell Functions and Processes

  • Technology and the Advancement of Cell Biology

7-8 Structure and Function of Plant and Animal Organ Systems

The structure of cells, tissues and organs in a plant and an animal organ system are related to their function; plant and animal organ systems enable survival of the organism.
VC2S8U03

  • Comparing Plant and Animal Systems

  • Specialised Cells and Tissues

  • Structure and Function of Organs

  • Disorders of Cells and Tissues

  • Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation

  • Artificial Organs

  • Loss of Non-Vital Organs

7-8 Matter and Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Matter and energy flow through ecosystems and can be represented using models, including food webs and food pyramids; populations will be affected by changing biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem including habitat loss, climate change, seasonal migration and introduction or removal of species.
VC2S8U04

  • Feeding Relationships and Microorganisms

  • Energy Transfer in Trophic Levels

  • Impact of Species Removal

  • Environmental Changes and Population Shifts

  • Indigenous Knowledge on Invasive Species Management

  • Cultural Burning and Ecosystem Transformation

9-10 Reproduction and Survival in Plants and Animals

The structures of reproductive cells and organs in plants and animals are related to their functions; processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of a species.
VC2S10U01

  • Male and Female Reproductive Systems

  • Structure and Function of Gametes

  • Reproductive Strategies in Plants

  • Variation Through Reproduction

  • Animal Reproduction and Environment

  • Offspring Numbers and Parental Care

9-10 Regulating and Coordinating Body Responses: The Nervous and Endocrine Systems

The nervous and endocrine systems work together to regulate and coordinate the body’s response to stimuli, ensuring homeostasis, including through negative feedback mechanisms.
VC2S10U02

  • Observable Responses to Stimuli

  • Systems Coordination Through Models and Simulations

  • Comparing Nervous and Hormonal Responses

  • Modelling the Regulatory Pathway

  • Negative Feedback and Applications

  • Disruptions to Feedback Systems

9-10 Causes, Impacts and Control of Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases

Infectious and non-infectious diseases are caused by different organisms and agents; measures to control the transmission of infectious diseases include personal hygiene, quarantine protocols, medical treatment and public education programs.
VC2S10U03

  • Distinguishing Disease Types

  • Investigating Hygiene Practices

  • Visualising Disease Mechanisms

  • Evaluating Disease Control Strategies

  • Identifying Causes of Non-Infectious Disease

  • Examining Historical Disease Impact

  • Promoting Disease Prevention

9-10 Genetic Inheritance and the Transmission of Traits

Genetic inheritance involves the function of DNA, chromosomes, genes and alleles, and the roles of mitosis and meiosis in passing on genetic information to the next generation; the principles of Mendelian inheritance can be used to predict ratios of genotypes and phenotypes in monohybrid crosses involving dominant and recessive traits.
VC2S10U04

  • Representing the Genetic Blueprint

  • Genetic Variation Through Meiosis and Fertilisation

  • Predicting Outcomes Using Mendelian Inheritance

  • Tracing Traits Through Generations

  • Genetic Mutations and Disorders

9-10 Evolution by Natural Selection and Biodiversity

The theory of evolution by natural selection includes the processes of variation, isolation and adaptation and is supported by evidence including the fossil record, biogeography and comparative embryology; the theory explains past and present biodiversity and demonstrates how all organisms have some degree of relatedness to each other.
VC2S10U05

  • Processes of Natural Selection

  • Biodiversity as an Outcome of Evolution

  • Evidence Supporting Evolution

  • Selection Pressures and Population Change

  • Genetics and Survival

  • Adaptations of First Nations Peoples

  • Causes of Megafaunal Extinction