Form 4 Biology Laboratory Guide for Teachers 

Laboratory Guide for Teachers

Chapter • Make sure potato cores obtain are of same length and same
1 Introduction to Biology diameter.
• Make sure students use weighing machine correctly.
• Make sure potato cores are completely immersed in
1.1 Guided Experiment sucrose solution.

• Make sure students are able to detect the pulse rate on the Chapter

wrist. 4 Chemical Composition of the Cell

• Students can count pulse rate for 15 seconds and then
multiply it by 4 to get pulse rate per minute.
• Make sure the load of school bags do not strain their 4.1 Guided Experiment PEKA
backbone.
• Students must rinse their mouth before collecting saliva to
Chapter make sure there is no food residue in the saliva.
2 Cell Structure and Cell Organisation • Remind students to use a glass rod to stir and not a
thermometer.
• Make sure the temperature is maintained as stated.
2.1 Activity
4.2 Guided Experiment
• Make sure students are able to use the light microscope
correctly. • Do not use concentrated acids and alkalis as they are
• Remind students to focus using low power first before using corrosive.
high power when observing specimen under a microscope. • Make sure students know how to read pH value using pH
• Remind students to use cover slip before putting slide paper and pH chart.
under a microscope. • Remind students to put test tubes in a water bath of 37° C
• Be careful when using scalpel. as it is the optimum temperature for enzyme activity.
• Remind students to use the blunt end of the toothpick.
4.3 Unguided Experiment
Chapter Movement of Substances across the
3 Plasma Membrane • Make sure students rinse their mouths before collecting
saliva.
• Make sure students know how to use a stopwatch.
3.1 Guided Experiment
Chapter
• Tie one end of the Visking tubing tightly so that it does not
leak.
5 Cell Division
• Make sure students heat the contents in the test tube in a
water bath. 5.1 Activity
3.2 Activity • Remind students to be careful when using scalpel and razor
blade.
• Sodium citrate can be added to the blood to prevent it from • When squashing root tip, do it gently as not to break the
clotting. cover slip.
• Make sure students use the light microscope correctly and
remind them to use low power to focus before using high Chapter

power.
• Make sure students know how to use the irrigation
6 Nutrition
technique to draw the red blood cells in after covering the
slide with a cover slip. 6.1 Guided Experiment PEKA

3.3 Activity • Make sure students know how to use a weighing machine.
• Remind students to use a glass rod to stir and not a
• Make sure students use the light microscope correctly thermometer.
• Use the outer layer of the onion scale which is purple in • Make sure the water is stirred before taking the reading of
colour for easy identification. the temperature.
• The food sample must be put as near the boiling tube as
3.4 Guided Experiment PEKA possible so that as much heat as possible is used to heat the
water.
• Make sure potatoes used are fresh, no holes or spoilt and • Switch off the fans and carry out the experiment in
almost of the same diameters. a chamber, if possible, to prevent heat loss to the
• Remind students to be careful when using knives and cork surroundings.
borers.

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   Form 4 Biology Laboratory Guide for Teachers

6.2 Activity 7.3 Guided Experiment

• Make sure solid food sample is crushed before use.
• Remind students to be careful when using the mortar and
pestle.
• Be careful when handling Millon’s reagent.
• Use a water bath to heat the contents in the test tubes.
• Make sure students know how to detect and count pulse
rate.
• Make sure vigorous activity carried out by students are not
dangerous and do not affect their health.
Chapter

6.3 Guided Experiment 8 Dynamic Ecosystem

• Different types of fruit juices can be used.
• Prepare fresh fruit juices for the experiment. 8.1 Guided Experiment
• Remind students not to shake the specimen tubes
vigorously. • Apart from measuring the height of seedlings, average dry
• Remind students to dip the end of the needle of the syringe mass of the plants can be used.
into the DCPIP solution. • Make sure the plants received enough and equal sunlight.
• Make sure there are no pests to affect the growth of the
seedlings.
6.4 Guided Experiment
• Make sure students rinse their mouths before collecting 8.2 Activity
saliva.
• Make sure experiment is carried out at a constant • Remind students to be careful when capturing
temperature of 37°C. woodlice.
• Field study on population size of garden snails can also be
carried out.
6.5 Unguided Experiment • Make sure permanent ink is used.
• Remind students to make a small mark only.
• Make sure the experiment is carried out at a temperature
of 37°C.
8.3 Activity
6.6 Guided Experiment • Make sure students place quadrats at random.
• Other plants can be studied, for examples, clover, Axonopus
• Make sure the knots at the end of Visking tubing are tied compressus, “lalang” or Imperata cylindrica.
tightly. • Size of quadrats depend on the size of plants.
• Rinse the outer surface of the Visking tubings before putting
them in the beaker.
• Make sure students carried out the tests for starch and 8.4 Guided Experiment
reducing sugar correctly. • Apart from counting the number of plants, count the
number of leaves.
6.7 Unguided Experiment • Dry mass as a parameter for growth can also be used.

• Paddy seedlings or any suitable seedlings can be used.

• Make sure each culture solution is prepared correctly and
8.5 Guided Experiment
monitored closely, look out for alga, water level and pests. • Dry yeast or fresh yeast can be used.

6.8 Unguided Experiment PEKA Chapter

9 Endangered Ecosystem
• Carry out this experiment in groups.
• Make sure the end of the stem faces upwards.
9.1 Guided Experiment
Chapter

7 Respiration • Remind students to handle the apparatus using clean

7.1 Guided Experiment
• Dry yeast or fresh yeast can be used.
• Make sure the glucose solution is boiled and cooled before
it is used.
• Lime water can be used to replace bicarbonate indicator
solution.
7.2 Guided Experiment
• Do a demonstration on the correct way to use a J-tube.
• Remind students to turn the screw on the J-tube slowly.
• Remind students to be careful when handling potassium
hydroxide and potassium pyrogallate as they are corrosive.
hands.
• Make sure the slides are put in a proper and safe manner
in the different stations so that they are not removed or
broken by other students.
9.2 Guided Experiment
• Remind students to be careful when collecting water
samples.
• Remind students not to shake the contents in the bottle
vigorously.
• Make sure the end of the needle of the syringe is dipped into
the water sample when adding methylene blue solution.
• Remind students to keep the reagent bottles in a dark place
at all times.

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