'Human biology' is a unified theme in most elementary school curricula and it is a recurring strand at all levels of attainment. This is presented in Fig 2.

Fig 2 'Human biology', a recurring theme in the national curriculum

The syllabus takes humankind as its biological exemplar and as the pupil's understanding develops the attainment targets shift their emphasis from the 'here' and 'now' of the individual to the goals of society. Industrialism, as the major system consuming natural resources to meet the goals of society, encompasses the three areas of 'our uses of land, air and water', 'our dependence on other living things', and 'looking after ourselves and others'. From this point of view the conceptual map of human biology can be rearranged, as in Fig 3, to emphasise the cross curricular theme of 'resources to goals'. Natural resources meet goals via 'uses for evolution', 'uses within our bodies', and 'uses within society'.

Fig 3 'Resources to goals' as a cross curricular theme in human biology.