Advice for a year 9 studying Bio.

[mystic_dragon123]

Hey all,

As the title states, I'm currently in year 9 wanting to learn some VCE level Biology. I have both the units 1/2 and 3/4 'Nature Of Biology' textbooks, which I've heard are pretty good and reliable.

Could anyone here guide me a bit towards what I should try and be learning? The textbook has many chapters, and I don't know if I should learn each chapter one-by-one or not? How should I go about with it?

[tiredandstressed]

Hi there,
First of all a huge applause for your ambition in VCE biology that's great to see!
However I think you're preparing overly ahead it is important to enjoy the freedoms of year 9, while you can!
Also as your year 9, unfortunately, the textbook you have will not have the relevant study design (syllabus)
I have attached the 2022-2026 study design so you can see the topics that will be covered
If you're very keen I would recommend using khan academy or watch crash course videos (youtube) on the topics mentioned in the study design to expose you to the information that will be taught.
Also, I would encourage you if you can 'accelerate' and complete 1/2 biology in Year 10, to get you started with your interests, but like I said you don't really need to do much preparation but if this is for your free time this might be helpful.
Then to quiz yourself you can use free quizzes available that might be a good way to revise.
If you would like to PM me for a further discussion feel free to do, otherwise
Wishing you all the best,
-T&S

[PhoenixxFire]

Hey,
Rather than trying to learn the VCE syllabus in advance, I'd recommend just learning about topics in bio that you find interesting.
You'll end up learning background knowledge along the way and it won't be so boring.

You could try various public science websites although they can start to lose the actual science for the sake of communication or what I do (although I may be the only one who enjoys reading random studies lol) - use a research website like pubmed and read about whatever you find interesting. As you go look up any terminology you don't understand and just see where interest takes you. It'll be more valuable than just reading textbooks and teach you other skills like navigating databsases which you'll find very useful in uni.

[mystic_dragon123]

Hi there,
First of all a huge applause for your ambition in VCE biology that's great to see!
However I think you're preparing overly ahead it is important to enjoy the freedoms of year 9, while you can!
Also as your year 9, unfortunately, the textbook you have will not have the relevant study design (syllabus)
I have attached the 2022-2026 study design so you can see the topics that will be covered
If you're very keen I would recommend using khan academy or watch crash course videos (youtube) on the topics mentioned in the study design to expose you to the information that will be taught.
Also, I would encourage you if you can 'accelerate' and complete 1/2 biology in Year 10, to get you started with your interests, but like I said you don't really need to do much preparation but if this is for your free time this might be helpful.
Then to quiz yourself you can use free quizzes available that might be a good way to revise.
If you would like to PM me for a further discussion feel free to do, otherwise
Wishing you all the best,
-T&S

Thank you so much for the concise reply. Regarding the "accreditation periods" for the study designs, do they change up quite a lot every 4 years? For example, if I was to study a textbook specialised towards the current study design, would the information I've learnt be of no use for the "2022-2026" study design? And is this the same for other subjects also? Thank you so much for the rest of the info you've given!

[mystic_dragon123]

Hey,
Rather than trying to learn the VCE syllabus in advance, I'd recommend just learning about topics in bio that you find interesting.
You'll end up learning background knowledge along the way and it won't be so boring.

You could try various public science websites although they can start to lose the actual science for the sake of communication or what I do (although I may be the only one who enjoys reading random studies lol) - use a research website like pubmed and read about whatever you find interesting. As you go look up any terminology you don't understand and just see where interest takes you. It'll be more valuable than just reading textbooks and teach you other skills like navigating databsases which you'll find very useful in uni.

Thank you so much for your reply. To be fair, what you've said is probably the best way to go about it (I didn't really think about this prior to reading this) This is a great way to broaden my biology knowledge prior to starting VCE Bio. Thanks!