SBA skills – Drawing
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert
TAKE CAREFUL note of the above quotation and see what role you will need to play in your studies! You need to have the willingness to enhance the gift of learning! Blessings on your journey!
We started off this year’s series of lessons in much the same way that we have started the previous years, by looking at the SBA skills in which you need to become proficient and, hence, gain enough marks to be successful in Paper 03. This area of the syllabus is often approached in a lackadaisical manner, although its importance in the understanding of scientific concepts cannot be overemphasized. That is why attention must be drawn to it year after year.
This week, as we continue, we will look at another SBA skill: drawing. Most times when this skill is introduced at this level, the response from students is ‘I cannot draw’, because they think that making biological drawings is the same as creating drawings for visual arts. It is most definitely not! They may share some skill sets, but both are governed by different rules! There is one thing that is common to both, though; in order to master both skills, you need to practise, practise and then practise some more! Be reminded, also, that all the drawings that you are asked to produce in the theory examination must be done using the same specifications.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BEGIN?
You will need a pencil, preferably HB. Why am I stating the obvious? This is because you would be surprised to know how many students go to biology classes and exams without pencils.
Typing sheets (blank paper), a clean eraser and a ruler are also required. A calculator, if your multiplication and division skills are not up to scratch.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DRAW?
You will be drawing flowers, fruits, seeds, storage organs, human organs and bones, and guess what? You will be drawing these from actual specimens, not from your text!
RULES FOR DRAWING:
Your drawings must be accurate; that is, they must have the significant features of the specimen that you are drawing.
If you are drawing a flower, then you should not draw six petals if the flower has only five.
If you are drawing a leaf, then the arrangement of the veins in your drawing must be the same as in the specimen. If the edge of the leaf is serrated, then the edge of the leaf that you have drawn must be serrated.
If you are drawing a bone, then the lengthto-width ratio in your drawing must be the same as in the actual specimen.
If all of these criteria are not met, then you are going to lose marks for accuracy.
Your drawings must be properly labelled; labelling lines must be drawn with a ruler.
Labels should be written in pencil and annotated. A label is annotated when a brief explanatory note is given for each label. For example, stigma – receives the pollen grain in pollination.
The following sums up the characteristics that your finished drawing must have in order to gain full marks:
Everything must be done in pencil, the drawing, label lines, labels and annotations.
The drawing must occupy at least 70% of the page.
Ensure as much as is possible that your label lines, labels and annotations are to the right of your drawing.
All label lines must end at the same vertical plane.
Label lines must be parallel to the top or bottom of the page.
Labelling lines must not have arrow heads or dots where they touch the structure that is being labelled.
The written title of the drawing must begin with ‘Drawing showing’.
The title must be written in capital letters and placed underneath the drawing.
Cursive must never be used on your diagram. All labels and annotations must be in script.
The title must be precise/accurate. For example, if the drawing is of a flower, then the type of flower must be stated. If it is a bone, then the type of bone – femurtibia – which side of the body, which view, must also be given. For example, ‘Drawing showing the anterior view of the left femur of a mammal’. If it is the drawing of a vertebra, then it must state the type of vertebra. For example, ‘Drawing showing the posterior view of a lumbar vertebra’.
The magnification of the drawing must also be included. This is arrived at after a calculation is done, and gives an indication of the size of your diagram compared with the actual specimen. It is advisable to include the calculation on your paper. It can be written neatly to the left side of the paper. (The formula is: size of drawing divided by size of specimen)
The magnification is written beside the title with an ‘x’ placed before the number. NB: the magnification never carries a unit.
Only one place of decimal should be included. For example, ‘Drawing showing the interior of the mammalian kidney x 1.5’.
The title must be underlined. ‘Drawing showing the interior of the mammalian kidney x 1.5’.
Do not use shading on your drawing.
These are the criteria that your teacher will be using to mark your work, so now you can use them to assess your drawings before you present them. Happy practising!
See you next week!