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AQA (KS4)

KS3 & KS4 science curriculum

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Science
Year 9

Adaptations, competition, natural selection and evolution

8 lessons

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  • BQ04 Biology: Why are there similarities and differences between living things?

Description

This unit explores variation within and between species, competition, and natural selection. It focuses on asking questions, making predictions, planning scientific enquiries, and testing hypotheses. It also covers analysing results, explaining findings, and identifying new questions that arise.

This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from of carbonVariation (differences within species), where they explored how genetic differences contribute to diversity within a species. It deepens their understanding by examining adaptations, competition, and natural selection, highlighting how these processes drive evolution. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Fossil evidence, selective breeding and explaining evolution, where they will apply their knowledge to study evidence for evolution, the impact of human intervention through selective breeding, and evolutionary changes.

  1. Fossils show that species change over time
  2. Understanding time scales
  3. Adaptations
  4. Competition
  5. Heritable variation
  6. Natural selection
  7. A model of natural selection
  8. Evolution

  • All species have features which make them suited to their environment.
  • Changes to the environment may make it harder for organisms to survive in a particular habitat.
  • There are differences in the features of individuals of the same species, and this is called variation.
  • Variation can be caused by environmental and genetic factors.
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