If you are preparing for the SPM Biology examination, you need to have a basic in bio-life. Apart from learning for exams, the Biology subject is actually an interesting subject to discover.
Learning Biology provides you with an in-depth understanding of how the natural world works. From humans to animals to plants and microorganisms, you will have an idea of the role of each organism in the world.
Other than that, all your questions about life such as ‘where did life begin?’, ‘how a baby is born?’, ‘why the plant is at the start of the food chain?’ will be answered in a scientific way.
Biology is everywhere! You can also find a chunk of explanations about genes, generations and DNA in form 3 English textbook.
Let’s take a quick look at the SPM Biology syllabus to get you started.
SPM Biology Syllabus
The SPM Biology syllabus is carefully tailored to provide a deep understanding of the subject discussed. The Biology Form 4 topics are divided into two themes:
1. Fundamentals of Biology
In this theme, you will be introduced to the basics of bio-life. By having this fundamental of biology, you will understand the biology background through a scientific investigation with an inquiry approach.
The topics that are being covered under this theme are:
- Introduction to Biology and Laboratory Rules
- Cell Biology and Organisation
- Movement of Substances across a Plasma Membrane
- Chemical Compositions in a Cell
- Metabolism and Enzymes
- Cell Division
- Cellular Respiration
2. Physiology of Humans and Animals
The physiology of humans and animals focuses on providing an understanding of the physiological process in humans and animals. Eight topics are being covered under this theme:
- Respiratory System in Humans and Animals
- Nutrition and the Human Digestive System
- Transport in Humans and Animals
- Immunity in Humans
- Coordination and Response in Humans
- Homeostasis and the Human Urinary System
- Support and Movement in Humans and Animals
- Sexual Reproduction, Development and Growth in Humans and Animals
The Biology Form 5 topics also fall into three themes. The themes are:
1. Physiology of Flowering Plants
The first theme in the form 5 syllabus focuses on the plant physiological processes. There are 7 chapters under this theme:
- The Organisation of Plant Tissues and Growth
- Leaf Structure and Function
- Nutrition in Plants
- Transportation in Plants
- Response in Plants
- Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
- Adaptation of Plants in Different Habitats
2. Ecosystem and Environmental Sustainability
The ecosystem and environmental sustainability theme focuses on the concept of biodiversity, ecosystem and environmental sustainability. In this theme, you will be learning about population ecology, practices in preservation, conservation and restoration of ecosystems as well as green technology.
3. Inheritance and Genetic Technology
This theme emphasises the understanding of inheritance, variation and genetic technology in life. You will also be introduced to the application of knowledge in genetics in the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology fields.
Some of these topics have already been taught briefly in the Science form 2 textbook. You may want to refer to Science form 2 all chapters' notes to refresh your knowledge.
Reproduction, development and growth in humans
One of the most interesting topics to learn in Biology is the reproduction, development and growth in humans. Imagine learning about how humans are procreated and born, and how they grow and develop.
You may have learned about the male and female sexual reproduction system when you were in form 2. But in this chapter, you will go deep into the functions of each reproduction system as well as the hormones and gametes involved.
Nutrition and human digestive system
The digestive system is one of the most important systems of the human body. It is fascinating to know how food is digested through two types of digestion, namely physical digestion and chemical digestion.
Digestion starts once the food is in your mouth where salivary amylase is secreted to help food form bolus. After that, food goes down through the esophagus by peristalsis movement, pushed to the stomach.
The food mixed with gastric juices in the stomach is churned off by the peristaltic action of the stomach muscle. As a result, the content in the stomach changes into a semifluid called chyme and enters the small intestine.
Once all the nutrients have been absorbed into the ileum, the undigested food, dead cells, epithelial cells, fibre, and water move slowly to the large intestine. Water and minerals are absorbed and the remaining becomes feces.
The wall of the large intestine secretes mucus to make the movement of the remaining waste smooth and pushes it to the rectum. The feces are accumulated in the rectum until the pressure of the rectum increases and forces the expulsion of feces from the anus.
A simpler version of the flow of food in the digestive tract can be found in the textbook science form 2.
Biodiversity
The world is so big and, obviously, humans are not the only organisms that live in it. There are so many varieties of life that can be seen on Earth. So, how can we identify and differentiate each and every one of them?
Organisms in the world are categorized and named using a taxonomy. Taxonomy is a field in Biology that involves the classification, identification and naming of organisms in an organised manner.
Why is it important to classify and name each organism?
By having specific categories and names, scientists can easily discuss and study the organisms at the international level. Information and data that has been collected about the organisms are managed by a systematic approach to clarifying the scientific community.
Did you know that you have already learned about biodiversity while you were in form 2? It is the first chapter in the form 2 Science textbook.
Inheritance
If you look at your biological mother and father, you may notice some similarities between you and your parents. This is because you inherit genes and characteristics from them.
Dimple is one of the examples of dominant physical traits that can be inherited from parents to their offspring. The indentation on people’s cheek is actually a genetic defect of a facial muscle called zygomaticus major.
Thalassemia is an example of a disease that can be inherited from one generation to another. The disease takes place because of the gene mutation on the autosome which is on chromosomes 11 or 16.
Variation
Variation allows us to identify and differentiate organisms. There are no two organisms that are identical, even if they are identical twins.
Variation is usually referred to as the characteristics observed in phenotype differences. It is important to make sure that organisms are able to survive in a constant changing environment.
Evolution relies on variation to enable organisms to cross-breed among species to form new species. It also allows natural selection to select the best genes and remove the least beneficial genes for organisms survival.
Where to get SPM Biology resources?
If you study in a public school, you should probably have Biology form 4 and Biology form 5 for free. However, you can download Biology textbooks for each form from these links if you prefer the ebook version.
Since some of the topics in Biology are briefly touched in the Science form 2 and Science form 3 subjects, you may want to refer to these Science textbooks for extra reference:
You can also refer to form 5 and form 4 science textbooks for revision:
Learn SPM Biology with a tutor
You can type in ‘Biology tuition near me’ on the Google search engine to find Biology private teachers. Other than that, you can also opt for a home tutor online. In that case, you can check out Superprof.
Superprof is an online tutoring website that offers you a wide selection of more than 16 million tutors for over 1,000 subjects. You will definitely find your ideal teacher through the site.
How to search for a Biology tutor on Superprof?
It is easy! Go to the website. Use the site’s search engine to find your tutor. Type in the subject that you want to learn. Choose the class location either ‘around me’ or ‘online’. Once you are done, click the ‘Find a tutor’ button.
A list of the available Biology tutors will appear. You can choose your private teacher from the list or you can filter the list according to the rate, response time, distance, and level.
Check out the tutors' profiles. Read their profile carefully. Refer to the rating, reviews and recommendations from their previous students to give you an idea of their lessons and teaching style.
When you have decided to hire a tutor, click on the ‘Book a class’ button on the upper right side of the tutor’s profile page.
Contact your preferred tutor and let him/her know in detail about your needs, background and availability. This will make it easier for them to reply to your request promptly.
Now that you know how Superprof works, go on and look out for your Biology tutor from Superprof. Enjoy your lesson with Superprof’s experienced and excellent tutors. It isn’t that hard to find Biology tuition Malaysia, right?
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