Science · Years 7–8 · NZ Curriculum
Biological Science
What Science intermediate students in Aotearoa New Zealand learn under biological science, and where it shows up across Kōkiri Learn's inquiry worlds.
Science · 11 inquiry worlds cover this strand
New Zealand Curriculum, Phase 3
The teaching sequence
Year 7 sequence
- Plant and animal cells; specialised and single-celled organisms
- Respiration, photosynthesis and diffusion
- Food chains, energy transfer and human impact on ecosystems
Year 8 sequence
- Inheritance and sexual reproduction
- Adaptation and evolution
- Digestion, breathing and cellular respiration
Where this shows up
Kōkiri Learn inquiry worlds that cover this strand
The whole class works on one world at a time — these are where this strand's focus actually comes up.
5 weeksRecharge: Sleep, Screens and StressYear 8 sequence · How breathing and heart rate change as the body responds to challenge, linked to the body systems studied in science
4 weeksNgā Tohu o te Taiao: Signs in Our EnvironmentYear 7 sequence · Ecosystem interactions: biotic and abiotic factors; energy from the Sun flowing through producers, consumers and decomposers in food chains and webs; how people change ecosystems and act as kaitiaki
5 weeksTe Pūnaha Hauropi: Investigating Ecosystem ChangeYear 7 sequence · Food webs and human impact revisited: introduced predators, wasps and weeds as changes to NZ food webs, and restoration as kaitiakitanga
5 weeksThe Hidden World of CellsYear 7 sequence · Cells and organisation: organelles (membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, vacuole, cell wall, chloroplasts), plant and animal cells, specialised cells, unicellular and multicellular organisms, microorganisms, and cells to tissues to organs to systems
- 5 weeksThe Hidden World of Cells
Year 7 sequence · Diffusion, cellular respiration and photosynthesis, and how glucose and oxygen made in chloroplasts are used in mitochondria to release energy
- 5 weeksTe Pūnaha Hauropi: Investigating Ecosystem Change
Year 8 sequence · Adaptation and evolution: variation within a species, selection pressure (predation, competition), and inherited traits becoming more common over generations, with NZ cases such as horoeka and moa and global cases such as peppered moths
5 weeksFuel, Breath and Family TraitsYear 8 sequence · Digestive system: mechanical and chemical digestion, key organs, enzymes, villi and peristalsis, gut bacteria and a balanced diet; gas exchange in lungs and leaves and its link to cellular respiration
- 5 weeksFuel, Breath and Family Traits
Year 8 sequence · Genetic material and inheritance: gametes, chromosomes and DNA, Mendel's pea experiments, and variation within a species
- 5 weeksFuel, Breath and Family Traits
Year 8 sequence · Reproductive structures in flowering plants: anthers, stigma, style, ovary and pollen; pollination, fertilisation, seed and fruit formation, dispersal and germination
5 weeksKai Lab: Food TechnologyYear 7 sequence · Single-celled organisms (yeasts and bacteria) at work in fermentation and food spoilage
5 weeksGrow It: Aquaponics and Sustainable SystemsYear 7 sequence · Food chains, energy transfer and human impact on ecosystems; bacteria as decomposers
Go deeper in Kōkiri Lab: Evolution & Adaptation (adaptation and evolution), Regenerative Systems & Living (plant reproduction, pollination and soil life), Biodiversity & Discovery (classifying living things)
Ready to run it with your class?
Free trial for NZ schools. One combined Years 7–8 class, any term.