This is a fully-resourced lesson that covers the details of specification point 5.1.2 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the effects of kidney failure and its potential treatments. This lesson consists of an engaging PowerPoint (55 slides) and associated differentiated worksheets that look at the diagnosis of a number of different kidney-related conditions and the potential treatments for kidney failure. This lesson is designed to get the students to take on the numerous roles of a doctor who works in the renal ward which include testing, diagnosis and treatment. Having obtained measurements by GFR and results by taking urine samples, hey are challenged to use their knowledge of the function of the kidney to study urine samples (and the accompanying GP’s notes) to diagnose one of four conditions. They then have to write a letter to the patient to explain how they made this diagnosis, again focusing on their knowledge of the structure and functions of the Bowman’s capsule and PCT. The rest of the lesson focuses on haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplant. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding and there are a number of homework activities included in the lesson. This lesson is designed for A-level students who are studying the OCR A-level Biology specification and ties in nicely with the other uploaded lessons on this organ which include the structure and function of the nephron, ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation.

This lesson describes how tissue fluid is formed and reabsorbed and also describes the role of the lymphatic system in the return of fluid to the blood. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 4.6 (i & ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and explains how a combination of the effects of hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure results in the formation of tissue fluid in animals. The lesson begins with an introduction to the arteriole and venule end of a capillary as these will need to be considered as separate entities when describing the formation of tissue fluid. A quick quiz competition introduces a value for the hydrostatic pressure at the arteriole end and students are challenged to first predict some parts of the blood will move out of the capillary as a result of the push from the hydrostatic pressure and this allows oncotic pressure to be initially explored. The main part of the lesson uses a step by step guide to describe how the net movement is outwards at the arteriole end before students will use this guidance to describe what happens at the venule end. In the concluding part of the lesson, students will come to recognise oedema as a condition where tissue fluid accumulates and they again are challenged to explain how this occurs before they finally learn how the fluid is returned to the circulatory system as lymph.

This detailed lesson explains how the process of transcription results in the production of mRNA, either directly from DNA in prokaryotes or following splicing in eukaryotes. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to specifically cover the second part of point 4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification but also provides important information that students can use when being introduced to gene expression in topic 8. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall that most of the nuclear DNA in eukaryotes does not code for polypeptides. This allows the promoter region and terminator region to be introduced, along with the structural gene. Through the use of an engaging quiz competition, students will learn that the strand of DNA involved in transcription is known as the template strand and the other strand is the coding strand. Links to previous lessons on DNA and RNA structure are made throughout and students are continuously challenged on their prior knowledge as well as they current understanding of the lesson topic. Moving forwards, the actual process of transcription is covered in a 7 step bullet point description where the students are asked to complete each passage using the information previously provided. They will learn that the RNA strand formed at the end of transcription in eukaryotes is a primary transcript called pre-mRNA and then the details of splicing are explained. An exam-style question is used to check on their understanding before the final task of the lesson looks at the journey of mRNA to the ribosome for the next stage of translation. This lesson has been written to challenge all abilities whilst ensuring that the most important details are fully explained.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how selection pressures act on a gene pool and cause stabilising, directional and disruptive selection. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 8.3 (i) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification which states that students should be able to identify each type of selection by its effect on different phenotypes. The lesson begins with an introduction to the mark, release, recapture method to calculate numbers of rabbits with different coloured fur in a particular habitat. This shows changes in numbers of the organisms and sketch graphs are then constructed to show these changes in the population size. A quick quiz competition is used to engage the students whilst introducing the names of the three main types of selection before a class discussion point encourages the students to recognise which specific type of selection is represented by the rabbits. Key terminology including intermediate and extreme phenotypes and selection pressure are used to emphasise their importance during explanations. A change in the environment of the habitat and a change in the numbers of the rabbits introduces directional selection before students will be given time to discuss and to predict the shape of the sketch graph for disruptive selection. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge in the final task of the lesson by choosing the correct type of selection when presented with details of a population and answer related questions.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how DNA is replicated semi-conservatively, including the roles of DNA helicase, polymerase and ligase. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 1.4 (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification The main focus of this lesson is the roles of DNA helicase in the breaking of the hydrogen bonds between nucleotide bases, DNA polymerase in forming the growing nucleotide strands and DNA ligase in the joining of the nucleic acid fragments. Time is taken to explain key details, such as the assembly of strands in the 5’-to-3’ direction, so that the continuous manner in which the leading strand is synthesised can be compared against that of the lagging strand. The students are constantly challenged to make links to previous topics such as DNA structure and hydrolysis reactions through a range of exam questions and answers are displayed so that any misconceptions are quickly addressed. The main task of the lesson asks the students to use the information provided in the lesson to order the sequence of events in DNA replication before discussing how the presence of a conserved strand and a newly built strand in each new DNA molecule shows that it is semi-conservative.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how the cohesion-tension model explains the transport of water from the roots to the shoots. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.7 (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification This lesson has been written to follow on from the end of the previous lesson, which finished with the description of the transport of the water and mineral ions from the endodermis to the xylem. Students are immediately challenged to use this knowledge to understand root pressure and the movement by mass flow down the pressure gradient. Moving forwards, time is taken to study the details of transpiration pull and then the main focus is the interaction between cohesion and tension. The role of adhesive forces in capillary action is also explained. Understanding is constantly checked through a range of tasks and prior knowledge checks are also written into the lesson to challenge the students to make links to previously covered topics such as the structure of the transport tissues.

This is a fully-resourced lesson which covers the detail of point 5.1.3 (b) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to apply their understanding of the structures and functions of sensory, relay and motor neurones as well as the differences between myelinated and unmyelinated neurones. The PowerPoint has been designed to contain a wide range of activities that are interspersed between understanding and prior knowledge checks that allow the students to assess their progress on the current topics as well as challenge their ability to make links to topics from earlier in the modules. Quiz competitions like SAY WHAT YOU SEE are used to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way. The students will be able to compare these neurones based on their function but also distinguish between them based on their structural features. Time is taken to look at the importance of the myelin sheath for the sensory and motor neurones. Students will be introduced to the need for the entry of ions to cause depolarisation and will learn that this is only possible at the nodes of Ranvier when there is a myelin sheath. Key terminology such as saltatory conduction is introduced and explained. The final task involves a comparison between the three neurones to check that the students have understood the structures and functions of the neurones. Throughout the lesson, links are made to the upcoming topic of the organisation of the nervous system (5.1.5) and students will be given additional knowledge such as the differences between somatic and autonomic motor neurones. This lesson has been designed for students studying on the OCR A-level Biology A course.

This fully-resourced lesson covers the content of the first part of specification point 5.1.3 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification that states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the structures and roles of synapses in nervous transmission. The majority of the lesson uses the cholinergic synapse as the example but other neurotransmitters are considered to provide the students with a wider view of this topic. The lesson begins by using a version of the WALL (as shown in the cover image) which asks the students to group 12 words into three groups of 4. Not only will this challenge their prior knowledge from topics earlier in this module but it will also lead to the discovery of four of the structures that are found in a synapse. Moving forwards, students are introduced to aectylcholine as the neurotransmitter involved at cholinergic synapses and they will start to add labels to the structures found in the pre-synaptic bulb. Time is taken to focus on certain structures such as the voltage gated channels as these types of channel were met previously when looking at the depolarisation of a neurone. There is plenty of challenge and discovery as students are pushed to explain why organelles like mitochondria would be found in large numbers in the bulb. With this process being a cascade of events, a bullet point format is used to ensure that the key content is taken in by the students and again key points like exocytosis and the action of acetylcholinesterase are discussed further. The final part of the lesson challenges the application aspect of the specification as students are introduced to unfamiliar situations in terms of synapses with new drugs like MDMA and are asked to work out and explain how these affect the nervous transmission. Understanding checks and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can not only assess their progress against the current topic but also see whether they can make links to earlier topics. This lesson has been designed for students studying the OCR A-level Biology A course but could be used with very able GCSE students who are keen to develop their understanding of synapses over and above the small detail that is provided at that level. This lesson also ties in nicely with the other uploaded lessons from module 5.1.3 (neuronal communication) which are sensory receptors, neurones, nerve impulses and summation.

This lesson describes how homeostasis in mammals involves control systems that maintain the internal environment within narrow limits. The detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of point 6.4.1 of the AQA A-level biology specification, which is the titled “Pripnciples of homeostasis and negative feedback”. As homeostasis is a topic met at GCSE, this lesson has been written to build on this knowledge as well as to check on their prior knowledge of earlier A-level topics such as osmosis when considering blood water potential and the use of glucose as a respiratory substrate. Discussion points are written into the lesson at regular intervals to encourage the students to consider why a particular process or method takes place and understanding checks allow them to assess their progress. Students will recall how body temperature, blood water potential and blood glucose concentration are maintained within restricted limits and the importance of these systems are looked into in detail. Time is taken to consider the importance of maintaining these aspects, specifically with relation to the activity of enzymes. As such, students will also discuss how the pH of the blood is maintained. The key components of the control system are recalled and then time is taken to focus on the cell signalling that occurs between the coordination centre and the effectors. Students will learn to associate the response with either the use of the neuronal or hormonal system. The final part of the lesson looks at the importance of negative feedback in reversing the change in order to bring the aspect back to the optimum and the added degree of control which this provides. Positive feedback is also briefly mentioned at the end.

This lesson describes the actions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 8th lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. The students were introduced to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the 1st lesson in this topic, so this lesson has been designed to deepen and further their understanding of the actions of this system. Students will come to understand that the sympathetic division is most active during times of stress whilst the parasympathetic division is most active during times of sleep and relaxation. Through a series of tasks including a fun quiz round, they will discover the actions of the two divisions and then be challenged to apply their understanding. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The autonomic nervous system #9 The fight or flight response #10 The somatic nervous system #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This detailed lesson describes the the structure and function of the motor neurones that form the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for automatic responses. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 9.4 (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and describes the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions and how they act antagonistically. The lesson begins with a focus on the types of effectors that will be connected to the CNS by autonomic motor neurones. Students will learn that effectors which are not under voluntary control such as cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands will be innervated by these neurones. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduced ganglia as a structure which connects the two or more neurones involved in the cell signalling between the CNS and the effector. This leads into the discovery of the two divisions and students will begin to recognise the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems based on function but also structure. The remainder of the lesson looks at the differing effects of these two systems. This lesson has been written to tie in with the lesson on the organisation of the mammalian nervous system which was covered earlier in this topic

This lesson describes how large molecules are hydrolysed to smaller molecules by the enzymes produced by the digestive system in mammals. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are part of the 1st lesson in a series of 2 which have been designed to cover the content of point 3.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and this lesson includes descriptions of the action of amylase, disaccharidases, lipase, endopeptidases, exopeptidases and dipeptidases. The lesson has been designed to walk the students through the functions of the digestive system at each point of the digestive tract up until the duodenum and focuses on the action of the enzymes produced in the mouth, stomach and small intestine and by the accessory organs of the system. Time is taken to describe and explain key details, such as the fact that endopeptidases cleave peptide bonds within the molecules, meaning that they cannot break down proteins into monomers. The lesson is filled with exam-style questions which will develop their understanding of the current topic as well as checking on their knowledge of related topics which have been previously-covered such as the structure of the biological molecules and qualitative tests. In addition to the detailed content and regular questioning, the lesson PowerPoint contains guided discussion periods and two quick quiz competitions which introduce a key term and a key value in a fun and memorable way This lesson has been specifically planned to prepare the students for the very next lesson where the mechanisms for the absorption of the products of digestion are described.

This lesson explains that autosomal linkage results from the presence of alleles on the same chromosome and uses biological examples to demonstrate this concept. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover point 8.2 (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and supports students in the formation of their descriptions of how these results of these crosses can be explained by the events of meiosis (crossing over) This is a difficult topic which can be poorly understood by students so extra time was taken during the planning to split the concept into small chunks. There is a clear focus on using the number of parent phenotypes and recombinants in the offspring as a way to determine linkage and suggest how the loci of the two genes compare. Important links to other topics such as crossing over in meiosis are made to enable students to understand how the random formation of the point of contact (chiasma) determines whether new phenotypes will be seen in the offspring or not. Linkage is an important cause of variation and the difference between observed and expected results and this is emphasised on a number of occasions and a link to the chi squared test which is covered in an upcoming lesson is also made. The main task of the lesson act as understanding check where students are challenged to analyse the results of genetic crosses involving the inheritance of the ABO blood group gene and the nail-patella syndrome gene n humans and also the inheritance of body colour and wing length in Drosophila.

This detailed lesson describes how an endotherm regulates its temperature through behaviour and also physiologically. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 9.9 (vii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes descriptions of the roles of the autonomic nervous system, thermoreceptors, hypothalamus and skin. A wide range of activities have been written into this lesson so that students remain motivated throughout and take a genuine interest in the content. Understanding checks allow the students to assess their progress whilst the prior knowledge checks on topics such as enzymes and denaturation demonstrate the importance of being able to make connections and links between topics from across the specification. In addition to these checks, quiz competitions like HAVE an EFFECT which is shown in the cover image are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way. The lesson begins by introducing the key term, endotherm, and challenging students to use their prior knowledge and understanding of terminology to suggest what this reveals about an organism. Moving forwards, students will learn how the heat generated by metabolic reactions is used as a source of internal heat. The main part of the lesson focuses on thermoregulation in humans (mammals) and time is taken to focus on the key components, namely the sensory receptors, the thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus and the responses brought about by the skin. The important details of why the transfer of heat energy between the body and the environment actually leads to a decrease in temperature are explored and discussed at length to ensure understanding is complete. Students are challenged to write a detailed description of how the body detects and responds to a fall in body temperature and this task is differentiated for those students who need some extra assistance. The peripheral thermoreceptors are introduced and this leads into the final section of the lesson that considers behavioural responses in humans and other animals.

This fully-resourced lesson guides students through the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equation to monitor changes in allele frequencies in a population. The detailed PowerPoint and differentiated practice questions worksheets have been designed to cover point 8.3 (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification The lesson begins with a focus on the equation to ensure that the students understand the meaning of each of the terms. The recessive condition, cystic fibrosis, is used as an example so that students can start to apply their knowledge and assess whether they understand which genotypes go with which term. Moving forwards, a step-by-step guide is used to show students how to answer a question. Tips are given during the guide so that common misconceptions and mistakes are addressed immediately. The rest of the lesson gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a set of 3 questions, which have been differentiated so that all abilities are able to access the work and be challenged

This detailed lesson describes the process of translation at the ribosome and includes detailed descriptions of the roles of the mRNA, tRNA and rRNA. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 1.4 (vi) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and this lesson also includes continual links to the previous lessons in this topic on transcription and the structure of DNA and RNA. Translation is a topic which is often poorly understood and so this lesson has been written with the aim of supporting the students to answer the different types of questions that can arise. The lesson begins by challenging the students to consider why it is so important that the amino acids are assembled in the correct order during the formation of the chain. Moving forwards, a quick quiz round called “LOST IN TRANSLATION” is used to check on their prior knowledge of the mRNA strand, the tRNA molecules and the ribosomes. The next task involves a very detailed description of translation that has been divided into 14 statements which the students have to put into the correct order. By giving them a passage of this detail, they can pick out the important parts to use in the next task where they have to answer shorter questions worth between 3 and 4 marks. These types of questions are common in the assessments and by building up their knowledge across the lesson, their confidence to tackle this type of question should increase. The final two tasks of the lesson involve another quiz, where the teams compete to transcribe and translate in the quickest time before using all that they have absorbed to answer some questions which involve the genetic code and the mRNA codon table

This lesson describes the formation of dipeptides & polypeptides and the different levels of protein structure. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 1.3 (ii), (iii) & (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and also makes continual links to previous lessons such as amino acids as well as to upcoming lessons like antibodies and enzymes so students can understand where proteins are involved. The start of the lesson focuses on the formation of a peptide bond during a condensation reaction so that students can understand how a dipeptide is formed and therefore how a polypeptide forms when multiple reactions occur. The main part of the lesson describes the different levels of protein structure. A step by step guide is used to demonstrate how the sequences of bases in a gene acts as a template to form a sequence of codons on a mRNA strand and how this is translated into a particular sequence of amino acids known as the primary structure. The students are then challenged to apply their understanding of this process by using three more gene sequences to work out three primary structures and recognise how different genes lead to different sequences. Moving forwards, students will learn how the order of amino acids in the primary structure determines the shape of the protein molecule, through its secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure and time is taken to consider the details of each of these. There is a particular focus on the different bonds that hold the 3D shape firmly in place and a quick quiz round then introduces the importance of this shape as exemplified by enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Students will see the differences between globular and fibrous protein and again biological examples are used to increase relevance. The lesson concludes with one final quiz round called STRUC by NUMBERS where the students have to use their understanding of the protein structures to calculate a numerical answer.

This lesson describes the structure and localised function of the frontal, occipital, temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebrum. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 2nd lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. In the previous lesson, the students were introduced to the cerebrum as two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum. This lesson builds on this by introducing the cerebral cortex as the outer layer which is divided into four lobes in each hemisphere. A series of quizzes are used throughout the lesson to introduce key terms in an engaging and (hopefully) memorable way, and through one quiz, the students will discover the names of the 4 lobes and recognise where they are located. Moving forward, students will learn about the function of each lobe, including the localised function of the motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory, Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The somatic nervous system #9 The autonomic nervous system #10 The fight or flight response #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This detailed lesson describes the formation and effects of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials . The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 9.5 (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification. This is a topic which is generally poorly understood by students or brushed over so considerable time has been taken to design the activities to motivate the students so that the content is memorable whilst still being covered in detail. Links are continually made to earlier topics in this topic such as synapses and generator potentials but also to topics covered in the previous year. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise a description of generator potential and they will then discover that this is also known as an EPSP. Students will recall that a small depolarisation may not lead to the opening of the voltage gated channels and therefore the full depolarisation which is needed for the initiation of an action potential and will discuss how this problem could be overcome. Lots of discussion points like this are included in the lesson to encourage the students to challenge and debate why a particular process of mechanism occurs. Students will therefore learn that EPSPs can be combined and this is known as summation. A quiz round is used to introduce temporal and spatial summation. Moving forwards, students are presented with a number of examples where they have to decide why type of summation is involved. Again, the lesson has been written to include real-life examples such as chronic pain conditions so the chances of the content sticking is increased. The final part of the lesson introduces IPSPs and the effect of these on summation and action potentials is discussed.

This detailed lesson describes the gross and microscopic structure of the mammalian kidney. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 9.9 (i) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification. The lesson was designed to tie in with the other lessons in topic 9.9 on ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and the control of mammalian plasma concentration and a common theme runs throughout to allow students to build their knowledge gradually and develop a deep understanding of this organ. Students will come to recognise the renal cortex and renal medulla as the two regions of the kidney and learn the parts of the nephron which are found in each of these regions. Time is taken to look at the vascular supply of this organ and specifically to explain how the renal artery divides into the afferent arterioles which carry blood towards the glomerulus and the efferent arterioles which carry the blood away. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to relate structure to function. Having been introduced to the names of each of the parts of the nephron, they have to use the details of the structures found at these parts to match the function. For example, they have to make the connection between the microvilli in the PCT as a sign that this part is involved in selective reabsorption.