Biology as many students would define it if asked is a study of all biological things, that is, everything which constitutes life as we know it on Earth, falls under what students know as Biology. When students finally complete their class 10 of the CBSE Board and enter their class 11, they realize that what they know about Biology is quite different. Class 11 Biology is divided into the branches of Botany and Zoology, which constitutes the study of plants and animals respectively.
What students learn here are the concepts of origins, anatomy, morphology, physiology, behaviour, and distribution of everything biological. And since class 11 is a base for class 12, some chapters of class 11 Biology are more important than others because they form a link to chapters in class 12. The remaining chapters are not being degraded here. Each chapter has its own unique contributions and attributes to offer to the students so that their brain is rich with Biology related information. After all, bio students need to have an idea of what every biological concept is about.
With important chapters and subjects comes studying and exams. And for every exam, certain preparation tips are very essential for a thorough understanding of the subject and a perfect score as the result. So, the rest of the article will focus on the important chapters that students of class 11 need to stress on the subject of Biology and the various tips that they can utilize and apply for a good preparation strategy.
Important chapters for class 11 students to focus on Biology
Biology for class 11 students has a total of 22 chapters. Of these 22 chapters, some are more important than others because they have a direct link with many chapters in class 12, and these chapters serve as a base for the concepts to come later on. These chapters include ‘The Living World’, ‘Biological Classification’, ‘Morphology of Flowering Plants’, ‘Structural Organization in Plants and Animals’, ‘Cell: The Unit of Life’, ‘Biomolecules’, ‘Cell Cycle and Cell Division, and ‘Mineral Nutrition’, that is, chapters 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 respectively.
Students need not worry or stress about the preparation of these chapters. Class 11 Biology chapters are easy to prepare if done so by following the right tips and strategy. The following numbered points are specifically listed out such that they can meet the students’ needs on the different methods to prepare:
1. Understanding concepts
Biology is a subject that is filled with concepts which goes on and on. Each term that the students come across in this subject may be a new concept that they have to learn. The most important tip here is to understand these concepts without mugging the whole thing up. Since the concepts are endless, by-hearting the concepts is not the right approach to learn Biology. Each concept needs to be carefully read, times over, until the brain registers what it is and finally comprehends and wraps around it. In this way, every concept needs to be covered, especially from the important chapters so that students are equipped with the proper basics which are necessary for understanding higher concepts that come in their class 12 as well as for their class 11 Biology exam.
2. Making revision notes
Since Biology is filled with concepts, making notes can be very beneficial. As students go through each lesson, they have to write down the important terms in every chapter, highlight the points in the text as well as in the notes they prepare, attempt short descriptions to have an idea about the concept, and draw small diagrams or flowcharts to clearly and precisely learn the concepts. They can also employ other ways to do so that suit this purpose. Thus, the students have their own personalized revised exam notes that they can use anytime and anywhere because the purpose of the notes is an anytime read, even if it is just a minute before the exams.
3. Answering questions
Once the students cover the important concepts, they are advised to answer questions related to that particular concept. Answer as many questions as possible because this method is very useful in retaining the concepts in the memory in a point-wise manner that is very effective to understand the concepts and answer them perfectly in the exam. Answering questions is a self-assessment that can boost students’ confidence by helping them improve on the areas in which they need to take extra effort in learning.
4. Using references for important chapters
Reference books are a good source of information that helps students understand the different concepts in an easy and less complicated manner. Again, the concepts from the important chapters need to be given priority because referring to each concept in Biology is a very tedious and time-consuming task. Therefore, important concepts need to be focused on first before moving on to the least important ones. ‘ABC of Biology’ by Modern Publications is a good reference material that students can use to understand the different concepts in class 11.
5. Revise and re-learn
The final tip that students can take to heart is to revise all the concepts from these important chapters on a regular basis. Concepts tend to be forgotten easily and this flaw can only be overcome with regular revision. This revision is not to be limited to only the concepts. The concepts and the different questions related to it; both need to be revised regularly.
All the five tips given here if followed for the important chapters of class 11 Biology can help the student be well equipped with a proper preparation strategy for the exam as well as for their class 12 Biology. Thus, students need to give priority and put emphasis on these important chapters and follow these tips as well as their own methods to achieve their own way of acing the exams and be in possession of good basic knowledge for all the new and difficult concepts that are yet to come in the biology journey in class 12. Good luck!