Saskatchewan · Grade 12
Biology 30
Saskatchewan’s Grade 12 science course, from Student-Directed Study to Genetics and Biotechnology.
- Units
- 4
- Lessons
- 11
- Skills
- 20
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Saskatchewan Ministry of Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 3 skills
Student-Directed Study
Designing the Inquiry
Designing a scientific investigation
I can design a testable Biology 30 investigation with a question, hypothesis, and procedure.
Skill 1.1
Carrying Out and Analysing
Carrying out and analysing the experiment
I can carry out my investigation using proper protocols and analyse the data.
Skill 1.2
Presenting the Study
Portfolio and presentation
I can assemble a portfolio and present my student-directed study.
Skill 1.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 1.1
- Create and carry out a plan to explore one or more topics of personal interest relevant to Biology 30 in depth.
- 1.2
- carry out a plan to explore one or more topics of personal interest relevant to Biology 30 in depth.
- 1.3
- explore one or more topics of personal interest relevant to Biology 30 in depth.
Key ideas
A testable question isolates one variable and can be answered with evidence.
Following a controlled protocol keeps results valid and repeatable.
A portfolio documents the process, evidence, and reflection of the inquiry.
A hypothesis predicts a relationship; the design controls variables to test it.
Data analysis looks for patterns and relates them back to the hypothesis.
Watch out for
- Choosing a question too broad or non-testable to investigate.
- Changing the procedure mid-experiment without recording it.
- Treating the portfolio as only a final report with no process record.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 4 skills
Life and Evolution
Defining Life
How definitions of life change
I can justify criteria for life and explain why the definition has changed.
Skill 2.1
Principles and Processes of Evolution
Principles and processes of evolution
I can outline the principles and processes of evolution and correct misconceptions.
Skill 2.2
Evidence for evolution
I can describe the lines of evidence for evolution and interpret a phylogenetic tree.
Skill 2.3
Speciation and human evolution
I can explain how speciation occurs and outline human evolution.
Skill 2.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 2.1
- Explore how scientific understandings of life and its characteristics change in light of new evidence.
- 2.2
- Examine the significance of evolution as a key unifying theme in biology through the principles, processes and patterns of biological evolution.
- 2.3
- the principles, processes and patterns of biological evolution.
- 2.4
- the principles, processes and patterns of biological evolution.
Key ideas
Characteristics used to define life (organization, metabolism, response, reproduction).
Natural selection acts on heritable variation; fitness is reproductive success.
Advances such as microscopy and cell theory reshaped the definition of life over time.
Genetic drift and selective breeding are additional processes changing allele frequencies.
Fossils, dating, embryology, and homologous structures independently support common descent.
Watch out for
- Assuming the definition of life is fixed and settled.
- Thinking individuals (not populations) evolve.
- Treating movement alone as proof of being alive.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 6 skills
Organization of Life
Cell Structure and Energy
Energy synthesis and cell molecules
I can compare how organisms synthesize ATP and describe key cell molecules.
Skill 3.1
Transport and homeostasis at the membrane
I can distinguish passive and active transport and explain osmotic homeostasis.
Skill 3.2
Anatomy, Physiology, and Behaviour
Comparing anatomy and reproductive strategies
I can compare anatomical structures and weigh reproductive strategy trade-offs.
Skill 3.3
Homeostasis, defence, and exchange
I can explain how organisms defend themselves, maintain homeostasis, and exchange materials.
Skill 3.4
The Dynamic Nature of Classification
Taxonomy and naming conventions
I can explain scientific naming conventions and the taxonomic hierarchy.
Skill 3.5
Keys, cladograms, and critiquing systems
I can build a dichotomous key and critique a classification system.
Skill 3.6
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 3.1
- Investigate cell structure and processes, including energy transfer and transport of materials, in unicellular and multicellular organisms which are representative of each kingdom.
- 3.2
- energy transfer and transport of materials, in unicellular and multicellular organisms
- 3.3
- Compare the anatomies, physiologies and behaviours of multicellular organisms including protists, fungi, plants and animals.
- 3.4
- the anatomies, physiologies and behaviours of multicellular organisms
- 3.5
- Explore how the dynamic nature of biological classification reflects advances in scientific understanding of relationships among organisms.
- 3.6
- the dynamic nature of biological classification reflects advances in scientific understanding
Key ideas
ATP is the cell's energy currency, made by chemosynthesis, photosynthesis, or respiration.
Anatomical structures can be compared across protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
Linnaeus established binomial nomenclature and the taxonomic hierarchy.
Molecules like DNA, membranes, and ribosomes assemble into complex cell structures.
Reproductive strategies (many offspring vs few, invested) carry evolutionary costs and benefits.
Watch out for
- Thinking only plants perform cellular respiration or make ATP.
- Assuming more complex organisms are always 'more evolved'.
- Treating the taxonomic hierarchy as unchanging.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 7 skills
Genetics and Biotechnology
Classical and Chromosomal Inheritance
Patterns of inheritance
I can distinguish patterns of inheritance and use pedigrees and probability.
Skill 4.1
Punnett squares and genotype to phenotype
I can solve a monohybrid cross with a Punnett square.
Skill 4.2
The chromosomal basis of inheritance
I can explain the chromosomal basis of inheritance and read a karyotype.
Skill 4.3
Molecular Genetics
DNA structure, replication, and protein synthesis
I can model DNA replication and protein synthesis.
Skill 4.4
Mutations, expression, and lab techniques
I can describe point mutations and model a molecular-genetics technique.
Skill 4.5
Impacts of Biotechnology
Biotechnology applications
I can describe biotechnology applications and what drives their development.
Skill 4.6
Ethics, society, and regulation
I can evaluate the societal and ethical impacts of a biotechnology.
Skill 4.7
The official wording · 7 outcomes
- 4.1
- Explore classical (i.e. Mendelian) and current (i.e. chromosomal) understandings of biological inheritance.
- 4.2
- classical (i.e. Mendelian) and current (i.e. chromosomal) understandings of biological inheritance.
- 4.3
- current (i.e. chromosomal) understandings of biological inheritance.
- 4.4
- Investigate how genetic information is stored, transmitted and expressed at the molecular level.
- 4.5
- how genetic information is stored, transmitted and expressed at the molecular level.
- 4.6
- Explore the impacts of historical, current and emerging biotechnologies on self, society and the environment.
- 4.7
- the impacts of historical, current and emerging biotechnologies on self, society and the environment.
Key ideas
Alleles interact as dominant/recessive, codominant, incompletely dominant, or polygenic.
DNA's double-helix structure enables storage and faithful copying.
Biotechnologies range from selective breeding and fermentation to genetic engineering and gene therapy.
Probability and pedigrees predict the likelihood of inheriting traits.
Transcription makes mRNA; translation uses tRNA and rRNA to build proteins.
Watch out for
- Assuming dominant traits are always the most common.
- Confusing transcription with translation.
- Thinking biotechnology is only modern genetic engineering.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
Which course?
Saskatchewan has 4 science courses for Grade 12. Here they are side by side.
- Biology 30This course4 units · 20 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversStudent-Directed Study · Life and Evolution · Organization of Life · Genetics and Biotechnology
- Chemistry 304 units · 26 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversStudent-Directed Study · Chemical Bonding and Materials Science · Chemical Equilibria · Electrochemistry
- Earth Science 305 units · 26 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversCareer Exploration · Student-Directed Study · Foundations of Earth Science · Lithosphere · Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
- Physics 305 units · 25 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversStudent-Directed Study · Modern Physics · Forces and Motion · Conservation Laws · Fields
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 Saskatchewan’s own curriculum for Biology 30.
Textbooks
The textbooks Saskatchewan Ministry of Education lists for Biology 30:
- Biology
- Glencoe Biology
- Holt McDougal Biology
From core resources, read October 27, 2026. curriculum.gov.sk.ca
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Biology 30 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.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Biology 30 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
- 29
- Fillable fields
- 1,265
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Biology 30
What is Biology 30?
Saskatchewan’s Grade 12 science course: 4 units and 20 skills, from Student-Directed Study to Genetics and Biotechnology.
What units are in Biology 30?
1. Student-Directed Study, 2. Life and Evolution, 3. Organization of Life and 4. Genetics and Biotechnology.
Is there a provincial exam for Biology 30?
No. Saskatchewan gives no provincial exam for Biology 30.
What textbook does Biology 30 use?
The textbooks Saskatchewan Ministry of Education lists for Biology 30: Biology, Glencoe Biology and Holt McDougal Biology.
Can MapleMind help with Biology 30?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Biology 30, 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.
Get ready for Biology 30
Practise every skill of Biology 30 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
