Courses

Prince Edward Island · Grade 12

Human Biology 801A

  • BIO801A

Prince Edward Island’s Grade 12 science course, from Homeostasis to Genetics.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
11
Lessons
11
Skills
51
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
princeedwardisland.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 3 skills

Homeostasis

Organization and interdependence of the human body

The official wording · 3 outcomes
1.1
identify the eight characteristics of living things
1.2
explain the relationship among cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms
1.3
describe examples of the interdependence of various systems of the human body

Key ideas

  1. Living things share features such as organization, metabolism, growth, response to stimuli, reproduction, homeostasis, and the use of energy.

  2. These characteristics let us tell living things apart from non-living matter.

  3. The human body shows every one of these characteristics at once.

  4. Maintaining a stable internal state (homeostasis) is one of the defining features studied all course.

  5. Cells are the basic unit of life; similar cells form tissues.

Watch out for

  • Thinking movement alone proves something is alive.
  • Believing non-living things that grow (like crystals) are alive.
  • Forgetting that responding to the environment is a characteristic of life.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 4 skills

Nutrition

Nutrients, deficiency disease, and homeostasis

The official wording · 4 outcomes
2.1
identify diseases/disorders that may result from insufficient essential nutrients
2.2
explain the importance of nutrition to the maintenance of homeostasis
2.3
select and use apparatus and materials safely
2.4
compile and organize data using appropriate formats and data treatments to facilitate interpretation

Key ideas

  1. Essential nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

  2. A shortage of a specific nutrient causes a specific deficiency disease.

  3. Examples: scurvy (vitamin C), rickets (vitamin D), anaemia (iron), goitre (iodine).

  4. Deficiency diseases show that nutrition directly supports body function.

  5. Nutrients supply the energy and building blocks every cell needs.

Watch out for

  • Thinking all diseases come from germs, not diet.
  • Believing vitamins provide energy like carbohydrates do.
  • Confusing a deficiency disease with an infection.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 3 skills

Digestive System

The digestive system and homeostasis

The official wording · 3 outcomes
3.1
explain how the human digestive system helps maintain homeostasis
3.2
evaluate the impact of viral, bacterial, genetic, and environmental diseases on an organism
3.3
identify and describe science- and technology-based careers related to nutrition/digestion

Key ideas

  1. Digestion mechanically and chemically breaks food into absorbable nutrients.

  2. The mouth, stomach, small intestine, and accessory organs each play a role.

  3. Absorbed nutrients keep blood glucose and nutrient levels stable.

  4. By supplying nutrients steadily, digestion supports the body's internal balance.

  5. Diseases can be viral, bacterial, genetic, or environmental in origin.

Watch out for

  • Thinking digestion happens only in the stomach.
  • Believing all nutrients are absorbed in the stomach.
  • Confusing mechanical and chemical digestion.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 6 skills

Circulatory System

The circulatory system and homeostasis

The official wording · 6 outcomes
4.1
explain how the human circulatory system helps maintain homeostasis
4.2
describe how the use of prescription and nonprescription drugs and environmental factors can disrupt or help maintain homeostasis
4.3
design an experiment and identify specific variables
4.4
select and use appropriate numeric, symbolic, graphical, and linguistic modes of representation to communicate ideas, plans, and results
4.5
analyse why and how a particular technology related to the treatment of circulatory disorders was developed and improved over time
4.6
propose alternative solutions to a given practical problem (disease/ disorder) that may result from lifestyle choices, and select one as a basis for a plan

Key ideas

  1. The heart pumps blood through arteries, capillaries, and veins.

  2. Blood delivers oxygen and nutrients and removes carbon dioxide and wastes.

  3. Circulation distributes heat and hormones to maintain internal balance.

  4. Steady delivery and removal keep every cell's environment stable.

  5. Prescription and non-prescription drugs can support or disrupt the body's balance.

Watch out for

  • Thinking arteries always carry oxygen-rich blood.
  • Believing the heart is a single pump, not a double pump.
  • Ignoring the role of capillaries in exchange.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 5 · 6 skills

Blood and Immunity

Blood, immunity, and homeostasis

The official wording · 6 outcomes
5.1
analyse from a variety of perspectives the risks and benefits of blood storage, disposal, and transfusions
5.2
explain how blood in the human circulatory system helps maintain homeostasis
5.3
identify and describe science- and technology-based careers related to blood and circulation
5.4
predict the impact of environmental factors such as allergens on the homeostasis within an organism
5.5
explain how the human immune system helps maintain homeostasis
5.6
analyse from a variety of perspectives the benefits to society and the environment of applying scientific knowledge or introducing a particular technology

Key ideas

  1. Blood banking allows transfusions that save lives.

  2. Storage, disposal, and transfusion each carry risks (infection, compatibility, contamination).

  3. Different perspectives - medical, ethical, economic - weigh risk and benefit differently.

  4. Blood-typing and screening manage transfusion risk.

  5. Blood is made of plasma, red cells, white cells, and platelets.

Watch out for

  • Thinking any blood type can be given to anyone.
  • Believing transfusions carry no risk.
  • Ignoring ethical perspectives on blood use.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 6 · 5 skills

Respiratory System

The respiratory system and homeostasis

The official wording · 5 outcomes
6.1
explain how the human respiratory system helps maintain homeostasis
6.2
identify and describe science- and technology-based careers related to respiration
6.3
predict the impact of environmental factors such as allergens on homeostasis within an organism
6.4
construct arguments to support a decision or judgment, using examples and evidence and recognizing various perspectives
6.5
distinguish between questions that can be answered by science and those that cannot, and between problems that can be solved by technology and those that cannot

Key ideas

  1. The lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood at the alveoli.

  2. Breathing rate adjusts to keep blood gas and pH levels steady.

  3. Oxygen supports cellular respiration; carbon dioxide removal controls blood pH.

  4. This gas exchange keeps the internal environment stable.

  5. Careers include respiratory therapist, pulmonologist, and anaesthesia technologist.

Watch out for

  • Thinking we breathe in only oxygen and out only carbon dioxide.
  • Believing gas exchange happens in the trachea.
  • Ignoring the link between respiration and blood pH.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 7 · 6 skills

Excretory System

The excretory and skeletal systems and homeostasis

The official wording · 6 outcomes
7.1
explain how the human excretory system helps maintain homeostasis
7.2
analyse why and how a particular technology related to the treatment of excretory disorders was developed and improved over time
7.3
describe how the use of prescription and nonprescription drugs can disrupt or help maintain homeostasis
7.4
identify multiple perspectives that influence a science-related decision or issue
7.5
explain how the human skeletal system helps maintain homeostasis
7.6
analyse why and how a particular technology related to the treatment of skeletal disorders was developed and improved over time

Key ideas

  1. The kidneys filter blood, removing wastes such as urea while keeping useful substances.

  2. The excretory system regulates water and salt balance.

  3. It helps control blood pressure and pH.

  4. By removing wastes and balancing fluids, it keeps the internal environment stable.

  5. Dialysis and kidney transplants treat excretory disorders.

Watch out for

  • Thinking the excretory system only makes urine.
  • Believing the kidney removes everything from the blood.
  • Ignoring the role in water and salt balance.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 8 · 8 skills

Muscular and Nervous Systems

The muscular and nervous systems and homeostasis

The official wording · 8 outcomes
8.1
explain how the human muscular system helps maintain homeostasis
8.2
evaluate the impact of viral, bacterial, genetic, and environmental diseases on an organisms homeostasis (muscular system)
8.3
debate the merits of a drug related technological endeavour and how it impacts muscular performance
8.4
develop, present, and defend a position or course of action, based on findings
8.5
identify and describe science- and technology-based careers related to movement
8.6
explain how the human nervous system helps maintain homeostasis
8.7
describe how the use of prescription and non- prescription drugs can disrupt or help maintain homeostasis
8.8
analyse why and how technologies related to the treatment of nervous system disorders were developed and improved over time

Key ideas

  1. Muscles produce movement, maintain posture, and move materials inside the body.

  2. Muscle activity generates heat that helps regulate body temperature.

  3. Smooth muscle moves food, blood, and other fluids.

  4. These functions support the body's internal balance.

  5. Muscular disorders can be viral, bacterial, genetic, or environmental in origin.

Watch out for

  • Thinking muscles only move bones.
  • Believing muscle produces no heat.
  • Ignoring smooth and cardiac muscle.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 9 · 2 skills

Endocrine System

The endocrine system and homeostasis

The official wording · 2 outcomes
9.1
explain how human endocrine systems help maintain homeostasis
9.2
analyse examples of Canadian contributions to science and technology

Key ideas

  1. Endocrine glands release hormones into the bloodstream.

  2. Hormones act as slow, long-lasting chemical messengers.

  3. Insulin and glucagon regulate blood glucose through feedback.

  4. The endocrine system fine-tunes many systems to keep balance.

  5. Canadians have made major contributions to biology and medicine.

Watch out for

  • Thinking hormones act as fast as nerves.
  • Believing hormones travel along nerves.
  • Ignoring negative feedback in hormone control.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 10 · 6 skills

Reproductive Systems and Embryonic Development

Reproduction and embryonic development

The official wording · 6 outcomes
10.1
analyse and describe the structure and function of female and male reproductive systems
10.2
identify and describe science- and technology-based careers related to reproduction
10.3
explain the human reproductive cycle
10.4
evaluate the use of reproductive technologies for humans
10.5
research and evaluate the potential health risks associated with exposure to sexually transmitted infections
10.6
research and evaluate conditions that could arise during pregnancy and delivery

Key ideas

  1. The male system produces and delivers sperm; the female system produces eggs and supports pregnancy.

  2. Key structures include the testes, ovaries, uterus, and associated ducts and glands.

  3. Each structure has a specific role in reproduction.

  4. Structure and function are closely matched in both systems.

  5. Careers include obstetrician, midwife, embryologist, and fertility technologist.

Watch out for

  • Confusing the roles of male and female structures.
  • Thinking the uterus produces eggs.
  • Ignoring the role of hormones in reproduction.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 11 · 2 skills

Genetics

Chromosomes, inheritance, and genetic disease

The official wording · 2 outcomes
11.1
describe and illustrate the role of chromosomes in the transmission of hereditary information from one cell to another
11.2
explain circumstances that lead to genetic diseases

Key ideas

  1. Chromosomes carry genes made of DNA.

  2. Cell division copies and distributes chromosomes to new cells.

  3. Humans inherit chromosomes from both parents.

  4. Chromosomes are how hereditary information passes between cells and generations.

  5. Genetic diseases result from changes (mutations) in genes or chromosomes.

Watch out for

  • Confusing chromosomes, genes, and DNA.
  • Thinking traits pass without chromosomes.
  • Believing offspring inherit from only one parent.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Which course?

Prince Edward Island has 5 science courses for Grade 12. Here they are side by side.

What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.

The official curriculum

This page follows Prince Edward Island’s own curriculum for Human Biology 801A.

Prince Edward Island Department of Education - Human Biology 801A Curriculum Guideprinceedwardisland.ca · Read August 7, 2026

Textbooks

The textbooks PEI Department of Education and Early Years lists for Human Biology 801A:

  • Biology: An Everyday ExperienceMcGraw-Hill Ryerson

From Senior High Program of Studies and Authorized Materials, 2026-2027, read October 27, 2026. princeedwardisland.ca

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Human Biology 801A one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.

Biology 11 (BIO521A) in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsBiology 11 (BIO521A) in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Biology 11 (BIO521A), another Prince Edward Island course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep Human Biology 801A organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.

Pages
50
Fillable fields
2,059
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Human Biology 801A

What is Human Biology 801A?

Prince Edward Island’s Grade 12 science course: 11 units and 51 skills, from Homeostasis to Genetics.

What units are in Human Biology 801A?

1. Homeostasis, 2. Nutrition, 3. Digestive System, 4. Circulatory System, 5. Blood and Immunity, 6. Respiratory System, 7. Excretory System, 8. Muscular and Nervous Systems, 9. Endocrine System, 10. Reproductive Systems and Embryonic Development and 11. Genetics.

Is there a provincial exam for Human Biology 801A?

No. Prince Edward Island gives no provincial exam for Human Biology 801A.

What textbook does Human Biology 801A use?

The textbooks PEI Department of Education and Early Years lists for Human Biology 801A: Biology: An Everyday Experience, McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Can MapleMind help with Human Biology 801A?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Human Biology 801A, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.

Before this course

Get ready for Human Biology 801A

Practise every skill of Human Biology 801A in MapleMind, free with daily limits.