A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the function and anatomy of the heart as well as the associated blood vessels. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover the 1st part of point B1 in UNIT 2 of the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science specification
The structure of the heart is a topic which was covered in part at GCSE so this lesson has been written to build on that prior knowledge. The main task of the lesson involves students labelling the different structures as they are recalled. Time is taken at different points of the lesson to look at some of the structures and concepts in further detail. For example, students will learn that humans have a double circulatory system and that the thicker muscular wall of the left ventricle allows the blood in the systemic circulation to be at a higher pressure than in the pulmonary circulation. Students are also challenged to explain why a hole in the septum would cause health issues for an affected individual and this links back to previous work in unit 1 on energy systems. They will also learn how the chordae tendineae are pulled taut by the papillary muscles to prevent the inversion of the valves
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to identify the following structures and describe their individual functions:
right and left atria
right and left ventricles
septum
tricuspid and bicuspid valve
semi-lunar valves
chordae tendineae
pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein
vena cava
aorta
A number of quiz rounds are used throughout the lesson to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way before the final round is used as a final check so they can assess whether they can recognise the structures and recall their functions.
This lesson describes how the structures of the xylem vessels, sieve tube elements and companion cells relates to their functions. Both the engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.1.3 (b) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
The lessons begins by challenging the students to identify the substances that a plant needs for the cellular reactions, where they are absorbed and where these reactions occur in a plant. The aim of this task is to get the students to recognise that water and mineral ions are absorbed in the roots and needed in the leaves whilst the products of photosynthesis are in the leaves and need to be used all over the plant. Students will be reminded that the xylem and phloem are part of the vascular system responsible for transporting these substances and then the rest of the lesson focuses on linking structure to function. A range of tasks which include discussion points, exam-style questions and quick quiz rounds are used to describe how lignification results in the xylem as a hollow tube of xylem cells to allow water to move as a complete column. They will also learn that the narrow diameter of this vessel allows capillary action to move water molecules up the sides of the vessel. The same process is used to enable students to understand how the structures of the companion cells allows assimilates to be loaded before being moved to the sieve tube elements through the plasmodesmata.
It is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail which has been written into this lesson
This fully-resourced lesson describes how the mechanisms by which water upwards in the xylem to the leaves and then into the air. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying, differentiated resources have primarily been designed to cover the second part of point 3.1.3 (d) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A 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 the interaction between cohesion, tension and adhesion in capillary action is 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. The final part of the lesson considers the journey of water through the leaf and ultimately out of the stomata in transpiration. A step by step guide using questions to discuss and answer as a class is used to support the students before the final task challenges them to summarise this movement out of the leaf.
This lesson describes the mass flow hypothesis for the mechanism of translocation in plants and includes details of active loading at the source. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 4th part of point 3.4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise the key term translocation when it is partially revealed and then the rest of the lesson focuses on getting them to understand how this mechanism involves the mass flow of assimilates down the hydrostatic pressure gradient from the source to the sink. It has been written to tie in with an earlier lesson in topic 3.4.2 where the structure of the phloem tissue was initially introduced and the students are continually challenged on this prior knowledge. A step-by-step guide is used to describe how sucrose is loaded into the phloem at the source by the companion cells. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the proton pumping to create the proton gradient and the subsequent movement back into the cells by facilitated diffusion using co-transporter proteins. Students will learn that the hydrostatic pressure at the source is high, due to the presence of the water and sucrose as cell sap, and that this difference when compared to the lower pressure at the sink leads to the movement along the phloem.
A number of quick quiz rounds are included in the lesson to maintain engagement and to introduce key terms and the lesson concludes with a game of SOURCE or SINK as students have to identify whether a particular plant structure is one or the other (or both)
This detailed lesson describes the pathways and explains the mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported from the soil to the xylem. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of point 7.2 [c] in the CIE International A-level Biology specification.
The lesson begins by looking at the specialised features of the root hair cell so that students can understand how these epidermal cells absorb water and mineral ions from the soil. Moving forwards, students are introduced to key terminology such as epidermis and root cortex before time is taken to look at the different pathways that water and minerals use to transverse across the cortex. Discussion points are included throughout the lesson to encourage the students to think about each topic in depth and challenges them to think about important questions such as why the apoplastic pathway is needed for the water carrying the ions. The main part of the lesson focuses on the role of the endodermis in the transport of the water and ions into the xylem. Students will be introduced to the Casparian strip and will learn how this layer of cells blocks the apoplastic pathway. A step by step method using class questions and considered answers is used to guide them through the different steps and to support them when writing the detailed description.
This lesson has been written to tie in with the next lesson on the pathways and mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported to the leaves.
This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the sub-topics found within Topic C4 (Extracting metals and equilibria) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification.
The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include:
Redox reactions
The extraction of metals
Extracting metals by heating with carbon and by electrolysis
Life cycle assessment
Reversible reactions
The formation of ammonia as a reversible reaction
The conditions for the Haber process
Predicting how the position of a dynamic equilibrium is affected by changes in pressure and temperature
Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require their further attention during general revision or during the lead up to the actual assessment
A fully resourced lesson presentation (93 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within unit C3 (Chemical reactions) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Formulae of elements and molecules
Formulae of ionic compounds
Conservation of mass
Chemical equations
Half equations
The mole
Exothermic and endothermic reactions
The pH scale
Hydrogen ions and pH
Electrolysis of molten salts
Electrolysis of solutions
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “E Numbers” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
This revision resource has been designed with the simple aim of motivating the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 8 (The control of gene expression) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. This topic is regularly regarded as the most difficult by the students and therefore time has been taken to explain the important concepts so that key points are recalled and retained. The resource includes a detailed and engaging Powerpoint (108 slides) and associated worksheets, some of which are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work.
The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention:
The genetic code
Substitution mutations and their impact on the primary structure
Addition and deletion mutations and the frameshift
Benign and malignant tumours
The role of oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes in cancer
DNA methylation
Genetic modification of bacteria to produce human insulin
PCR
Gel electrophoresis and its application in disease detection
Potency of cells
The range of activities include exam questions and understanding checks as well as quiz competitions to maintain student engagement. Revision resources are also available for the other 7 topics on the AQA A-level Biology specification
This detailed lesson describes the formation of dipeptides & polypeptides and the relationship between the structure and roles of proteins in living organisms. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 1.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
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 fully-resourced lesson describes the structure and properties of the two isomers of glucose and ribose as examples of monosaccharides. The detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 2.1.2 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and also looks at galactose, fructose and deoxyribose.
The lesson begins with a made-up round of the quiz show POINTLESS, where students have to try to identify four answers to do with carbohydrates. In doing so, they will learn or recall that these molecules are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that they are a source of energy which can sometimes be rightly or wrongly associated with obesity and that the names of the three main groups is derived from the Greek word sakkharon. Using the molecular formula of glucose as a guide, students will be given the general formula for the monosaccharides and will learn that deoxyribose is an exception to the rule that the number of carbon and oxygen atoms are equal. Moving forwards, students have to study the displayed formula of glucose for two minutes without being able to note anything down before they are challenged to recreate what they saw in a test of their observational skills. At this point of the lesson, the idea of numbering the carbons is introduced so that the different glycosidic bonds can be understood in an upcoming lesson as well as the recognition of the different isomers of glucose. The difference between alpha and beta-glucose is provided and students are again challenged to draw a molecule of glucose, this time for the beta form. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the roles of the 6 monosaccharides which includes a series of understanding and application questions where the students are challenged to describe the role of ribose in RNA and to suggest why ribose could be considered to be an important molecule for active transport and muscle contraction.
This lesson describes the ring structure of alpha and beta glucose and uses these two monomers as examples of monosaccharides when introducing disaccharides and polysaccharides as well as polymers and macromolecules. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover specification points 2.2 (a) & (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology course, and condensation and hydrolysis reactions are also introduced and their importance for biological molecules emphasised.
Monomers were previously met at GCSE and so the beginning of the lesson focuses on the recall of the meaning of this key term. A made-up version of the quiz show POINTLESS gives the students the opportunity to discuss and to identify four answers to do with carbohydrates. In doing so, they will learn or recall that these molecules are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that they are a source of energy which can sometimes be rightly or wrongly associated with obesity and that the names of the three main groups is derived from the Greek word sakkharon. This introduces the monosaccharides as the simplest sugars before the first in a series of quiz rounds is used to introduce fructose, ribose and importantly glucose as a few examples. Using the molecular formula of glucose as a guide, students will be given the general formula for the monosaccharides and will learn that deoxyribose is an exception to the rule that the number of carbon and oxygen atoms are equal. In the next task, students have to study the displayed formula of glucose for two minutes without being able to note anything down before they are challenged to recreate what they saw in a test of their observational skills. The difference between alpha and beta-glucose is provided and students are again challenged to draw a molecule of glucose, this time for the beta form. Moving forwards, students will learn that disaccharides are formed from two monosaccharides and this is used to initiate a discussion about how monomers need to be linked together even more times to make the larger chains known as polymers. The final section of the lesson looks at the roles of condensation and hydrolysis reactions in this formation of larger molecules as well as in the break down of larger molecules into smaller molecules.
This engaging lesson explains why viruses are described as acellular and non-living and describes the structures of virus particles. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the second part of specification point 2.1.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also includes details of HIV so that students are prepared for this lesson later in topic 2.
Details of the COVID-19 epidemic are included in the lesson to increase relevance and to help students to understand this biological topic in greater depth. They will understand that the lack of cell structures results in an acellular classification and the fact that it is unable to reproduce without a host is one of the additional reasons that renders it as non-living. The main focus of the lesson is the nucleic acid, the capsid and the attachment proteins that are present in these microorganisms and time is taken to explain how these structures are involved in the infection of a host cell. The lipid membrane is also introduced and links are made to the previous lessons on eukaryotic cells. The final section uses a version of BBC 1’s POINTLESS to introduce a number of viral diseases in animals and the use of a glycoprotein by HIV to attach to helper T cells is briefly introduced.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the roles of the T and B lymphocytes in the cellular and humoral responses and the development of immunological memory. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the third part of point 2.4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and the structure of antibodies and the roles of plasma cells and memory cells in the primary and secondary immune responses are also included.
Antigen presentation was introduced at the end of the previous lesson so the task at the start of this lesson challenges students to recognise the name of this process and then they have to spot the errors in the passage that describes the details of this event. This reminds them that contact between the APC and T lymphocytes is necessary to elicit a response which they will come to recognise as the cellular response. A series of quick quiz rounds reveals key terms in a memorable way and one that is introduced is helper T cells. Time is then taken to describe the importance of cell signalling for an effective response and students will learn how the release of chemicals by these cells activates other aspects of the response. The role of the killer T cells is also described before an exam-style question is used to check on their understanding at this point of the lesson. This leads into the section of the lesson that deals with the humoral response and students will understand how this involves the antibodies that are produced by the plasma cells that are the result of clonal selection and expansion. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the structure of the antibodies and then explains how the retention of memory B cells after the primary response enables a quicker and more effective secondary response to occur if necessary. Finally, students are challenged with a series of application questions where they have to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations.
An engaging lesson presentation (66 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within module B3 of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Nervous system
Reflexes
Hormones
Negative feedback
The menstrual cycle
Controlling reproduction
Using hormones to treat infertility
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like "From Numbers 2 LETTERS" and "Take the IVF Hotseat" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
This fully-resourced lesson describes the stages of meiosis and specifically the events which contribute to genetic variation. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 2.3 (iv) & (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes description of crossing over, independent assortment and the production of haploid gametes
In order to understand how the events of meiosis like crossing over and random assortment and independent segregation can lead to variation, students need to be clear in their understanding that DNA replication in interphase results in homologous chromosomes as pairs of sister chromatids. Therefore the beginning of the lesson focuses on the chromosomes in the parent cell and this first part of the cycle and students will be introduced to non-sister chromatids and the fact that they may contain different alleles which is important for the exchange that occurs during crossing over. Time is taken to go through this event in prophase I in a step by step guide so that the students can recognise that the result can be new combinations of alleles that were not present in the parent cell. Moving forwards, the lesson explores how the independent segregation of chromosomes and chromatids during anaphase I and II results in genetically different gametes. The final part of the lesson looks at the use of a mathematical expression to calculate the possible combinations of alleles in gametes as well as in a zygote following the random fertilisation of haploid gametes. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are interspersed throughout the lesson as well as a series of exam questions which challenge the students to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the eukaryotic cell structures. The detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying exam-question worksheets (which are all differentiated) have been designed to cover point 1.2 (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification
As cells are the building blocks of living organisms, it makes sense that they would be heavily involved in all of the 19 topics in the CIE International course and intricate planning has ensured that links to previously covered topics at GCSE are made and details linking to upcoming topics are made throughout the lesson. A wide range of activities, that include exam-style questions, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions, will maintain motivation and engagement whilst covering the finer details of the following structures:
nucleus
nucleolus
ribosomes
rough endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi apparatus
lysosomes
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
mitochondria
cell surface membrane
centrioles
vacuole
chloroplasts
cell wall
plasmodesmata
As mentioned above, all of the worksheets have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities whilst maintaining challenge
Due to the detail that is included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3/4 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover the work
This lesson describes how molecules move across the cell membrane by the passive methods of simple and facilitated diffusion. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of specification point 2.1.5 (d) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and the factors that increase the rate of diffusion are covered along with the limitations imposed by the phospholipid bilayer and the role of channel and carrier proteins.
The structure and properties of cell membranes were described in the lesson covering 2.1.5 (b), so this lesson has been written to include continual references to the content of that lesson. This enables links to be made between the movement across a cell membrane with the concentration gradient, the parts of the membrane that are involved and any features that may increase the rate at which the molecules move. A series of questions about the alveoli are used to demonstrate how a large surface area, a short diffusion distance and the maintenance of a steep concentration gradient will increase the rate of simple diffusion. One of two quick quiz rounds is then used to introduce temperature and size of molecule as two further factors that can affect simple diffusion. The remainder of the lesson focuses on facilitated diffusion and describes how transmembrane proteins are needed to move small, polar or large molecules from a high concentration to a lower concentration across a partially permeable membrane
This fully-resourced lesson describes the control of gene expression at a post-transcriptional level through the removal of introns during splicing. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 6.1.1 (b) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification and also explains how it’s possible for 1 gene to give rise to multiple products as a result of this post-transcriptional modification of mRNA.
The lesson begins with a knowledge recall as the students have to recognise the definition of a gene as a sequence of bases on a DNA molecule that codes for a sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain. This description was introduced in module 2.1.3 and the aim of the start of the lesson is to introduce the fact that despite this definition, most of the nuclear DNA in eukaryotes doesn’t actually code for proteins. A quick quiz competition is then used to introduce exons as the coding regions within a gene before students are challenged to predict the name of the non-coding regions and then to suggest a function for these introns. At this point, the students will complete a task that acts as a prior knowledge check where they have to identify the 6 errors in the descriptive passage about the lac operon and its role in the regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes. Moving forwards, pre-mRNA as a primary transcript is introduced and students will learn that this isn’t the mature strand that moves off to the ribosome for translation. Instead, a process called splicing takes place where the introns are removed and the remaining exons are joined together. Another quick quiz round leads to an answer of 20000 and students will learn that this is the number of protein-coding genes in the human genome. Importantly, the students are then told that the number of proteins that are synthesised is much higher than this value and a period of class discussion encourages them to come up with biological suggestions for this discrepancy between the two numbers. The lesson concludes with a series of understanding and application questions where students will learn that alternative splicing enables a gene to produce more than a single protein and that this natural phenomenon greatly increases biodiversity
This lesson describes the formation of dipeptides & polypeptides and the different levels of protein structure with reference to specific examples in living organisms. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 2.1.2 (l) & (m) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and make continual links to previous lessons such as amino acids as well as to upcoming lessons like antibodies.
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.