The AQA specification states that a minimum of 10% of the marks across the 3 assessment papers will require the use of mathematical skills. This revision lesson has been designed to include a wide range of activities that challenge the students on these exact skills because success in the maths in biology questions can prove the difference between one grade and the next! Step-by-step guides are used to walk students through the application of a number of the formulae and then exam-style questions with clear mark schemes (which are included in the PowerPoint) will allow them to assess their progress. Other activities include differentiated tasks, group discussions and quick quiz competitions such as “FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS” and “YOU DO THE MATH”. The lesson has been written to cover as much of the mathematical requirements section of the specification as possible but the following have been given particular attention: Hardy-Weinberg equation Chi-squared test Calculating size Converting between quantitative units Standard deviation Estimating populations of sessile and motile species Percentages and percentage change Cardiac output Geometry Due to the detail and extensiveness of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2/3 hours of A-level teaching time to work through the activities and it can be used throughout the duration of the course

This lesson describes the relationship between the size of an organism or structure and its surface to volume ratio. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover point 3.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also have been specifically planned to prepare the students for the upcoming lessons in topic 3 on gas exchange and absorption in the ileum. The students are likely to have been introduced to the ratio at GCSE, but understanding of its relevance tends to be mixed. Therefore, real life examples are included throughout the lesson that emphasise the importance of the surface area to volume ratio in order to increase this relevance. A lot of students worry about the maths calculations that are associated with this topic so a step by step guide is included at the start of the lesson that walks them through the calculation of the surface area, the volume and then the ratio. Through worked examples and understanding checks, SA/V ratios are calculated for cubes of increasing side length and living organisms of different size. These comparative values will enable the students to conclude that the larger the organism or structure, the lower the surface area to volume ratio. A differentiated task is then used to challenge the students to explain the relationship between the ratio and the metabolic demands of an organism and this leads into the next part of the lesson, where the adaptations of larger organisms to increase the ratio at their exchange surfaces is covered. The students will calculate the SA/V ratio of a human alveolus (using the surface area and volume formulae for a sphere) and will see the significant increase that results from the folding of the membranes. This is further demonstrated by the villi and the microvilli on the enterocytes that form the epithelial lining of these folds in the ileum. The final part of the lesson introduces Fick’s law of diffusion so that students are reminded that the steepness of a concentration gradient and the thickness of a membrane also affect the rate of diffusion.

The Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification states that a minimum of 10% of the marks across the assessment papers will require the use of mathematical skills. This revision lesson has been designed to include a wide range of activities that challenge the students on these exact skills because success in the maths in biology questions can prove the difference between one grade and the next! Step-by-step guides are used to walk students through the application of a number of the formulae and then exam-style questions with clear mark schemes (which are included in the PowerPoint) will allow them to assess their progress. Other activities include differentiated tasks, group discussions and quick quiz competitions such as “FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS” and “YOU DO THE MATH”. The lesson has been written to cover as much of the mathematical requirements section of the specification as possible but the following have been given particular attention: Hardy-Weinberg equation Chi-squared test Calculating size Converting between quantitative units Standard deviation Estimating populations of sessile and motile species Percentages and percentage change Cardiac output Geometry Due to the detail and extensiveness of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2/3 hours of A-level teaching time to work through the activities and it can be used throughout the duration of the course

This resource has been designed to motivate students whilst they evaluate their understanding of the content in modules 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which can be assessed in PAPER 1 (Biological processes). The resource includes a detailed and engaging Powerpoint (149 slides) and is fully-resourced with differentiated worksheets that challenge the students on a wide range of topics. The resource has been written to include different types of activities such as exam questions with explained answers, understanding checks and quiz competitions. The aim was to cover as much of the specification content as possible but the following topics have been given particular attention: Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides Glycogen and starch as stores and providers of energy The homeostatic control of blood glucose concentration Osmoregulation Lipids Ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption Diabetes mellitus Voluntary and involuntary muscle The autonomic control of heart rate The organisation of the nervous system The gross structure of the human heart Haemoglobin and the Bohr shift Bonding The ultrastructure of plant cells Cyclic vs non-cyclic photophosphorylation Oxidative phosphorylation Anaerobic respiration in eukaryotes Helpful hints and tips are given throughout the resource to help students to structure their answers. This resource can be used in the lead up to the actual Paper 1 exam or earlier in the course when a particular area of modules 1, 2, 3 or 5 is being studied. If you are happy with this resource, why not look at the one which has been designed for Paper 2 (Biological diversity)?

This detailed lesson has been planned to cover the 1st part of specification point 6.4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe the detailed structure of the nephron and understand its role in ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation. The lesson was designed at the same time as the other lessons in this topic on ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation so that a common theme runs throughout and students can build up their knowledge gradually in order to 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. This lesson has been designed for students studying on the AQA A-level Biology course

This is a fast-paced lesson which goes through the main steps of selective breeding and looks at the potential risks of this process. The lesson begins by looking at the characteristics of a number of organisms that would be selected. Time is taken to ensure that students understand that selective breeding is not a new thing and has been going on for a very long time and therefore some of the problems associated with this are now being experienced. The actual process is reduced down into 5 steps which can be recalled and applied to questions. The remainder of the lesson looks at the potential issues with selective breeding. The reduction in the nose size of pugs is explored as an example of the health problems which bred animals may face. This lesson has been written for GCSE students.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the coordination and control of heart rate by the cardiovascular centre in the medulla oblongata. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 6.1.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should know the roles and locations of the sensory receptors and the roles of the autonomic nervous system and effectors in the control of heart rate. This lesson begins with a prior knowledge check where students have to identify and correct any errors in a passage about the conduction system of the heart. This allows the SAN to be recalled as this structure play an important role as the effector in this control system. Moving forwards, the three key parts of a control system are recalled as the next part of the lesson will specifically look at the range of sensory receptors, the coordination centre and the effector. Students are introduced to chemoreceptors and baroreceptors and time is taken to ensure that the understanding of the stimuli detected by these receptors is complete and that they recognise the result is the conduction of an impulse along a neurone to the brain. A quick quiz is used to introduce the medulla oblongata as the location of the cardiovascular centre. The communication between this centre and the SAN through the autonomic nervous system can be poorly understood so detailed explanations are provided and the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions compared. The final task challenges the students to demonstrate and apply their understanding by writing a detailed description of the control and this task has been differentiated three ways to allow differing abilities to access the work This lesson has been written to tie in with the previous lesson on the conducting system of the heart which is also detailed in specification point 6.1.3

This lesson describes and explains how increasing the concentration of inhibitors affects the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource are the last in a series of 5 lessons which cover the content detailed in point 1.4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and describes the effect of both competitive and non-competitive inhibitors. The lesson begins with a made up round of the quiz show POINTLESS called “Biology opposites” and this will get the students to recognise that inhibition is the opposite of stimulation. This introduces inhibitors as substances that reduce the rate of a reaction and students are challenged to use their general knowledge of enzymes to identify that inhibitors prevent the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition generates the abbreviation EIC (representing enzyme-inhibitor complex) and this introduces competitive inhibitors as substances that occupy the active site. The students are asked to apply their knowledge to a new situation to work out that these inhibitors have a similar shape to the enzyme’s substrate molecule. A series of exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson and at this point, the students are challenged to work out that an increase in the substrate concentration would reduce the effect of a fixed concentration of a reversible competitive inhibitor. The rest of the lesson focuses on non-competitive inhibitors and time is taken to ensure that key details such as the disruption of the tertiary structure is understood and biological examples are used to increase the relevance. Again, students will learn that increasing the concentration of the inhibitor results in a greater inhibition and a reduced rate of reaction but that increasing the substrate concentration cannot reduce the effect as was observed with competitive inhibitors.

This engaging lesson describes the relationship between the structure, properties and functions of a phopholipid and cholesterol. The PowerPoint has been written as the second lesson in a series of two that cover specification points 2.1.2 (h), (i) & (j) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and there is a particular focus on their roles in membranes to link to module 2.1.5. In the previous lesson, the students met triglycerides and a quick quiz round called FAMILY AFFAIR is used at the start of the lesson to challenge the students on their knowledge of the structure of this macromolecule to identify the shared features in a phospholipid. This then allows the differences to be introduced, such as the presence of a phosphate group in place of the third fatty acid. Moving forwards, the students will learn that the two fatty acid tails are hydrophobic whilst the phosphate head is hydrophilic which leads into a key discussion point where the class has to consider how it is possible for the phospholipids to be arranged when both the inside and outside of a cell is an aqueous solution. The outcome of the discussion is the introduction of the bilayer which is critical for the lesson in module 2.1.5 on the fluid mosaic model. Students are briefly introduced to facilitated diffusion and reminded of active transport so they can recognise that proteins will be found in the membrane to allow for movement of large or polar molecules. The remainder of the lesson focuses on cholesterol, beginning with the structure. The hydrophobic nature of this molecule is then considered and discussed so that they can understand its role in the regulation of membrane fluidity. That just leaves one final quiz round which identifies vitamin D, testosterone and oestrogen as three substances that are formed from cholesterol

This fully-resourced lesson describes how antibodies are used in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the last lesson in a series of 7 which have been designed to cover the details within point 2.4 of the AQA A-level specification. As the last lesson in this sub-topic, prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson which challenge the students on their knowledge of antibodies, immunity and protein structure. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use the details of a poster to recognise that individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 could donate plasma and the antibodies be infused into newly infected individuals. They are then expected to answer a series of exam-style questions where they have to describe the structure of these specific antibodies, recognise this as artificial, passive immunity and describe the potential problems should the virus mutate and the shape of its antigens change. This leads into the introduction of the use of antibodies in other ways, namely the ELISA test. The methodology of this test has been divided into four key steps which students will consider one at a time and then answer further questions about key details such as the immobilisation of the antigen and the removal of proteins and antibodies that have not bound by the washing with the detergent after each step. The lesson focuses on the use of this test for medical diagnosis but other uses such as plant pathology and the detection of allergens is briefly introduced at the end of the lesson.

This lesson has been written to cover the part of specification point 6.4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe how water and glucose are reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule. It has specifically been designed to build on the knowledge gained in the previous lessons on the structure of the nephron and ultrafiltration. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall the substances that are found in the glomerular filtrate so that each of them can be considered over the course of the rest of the lesson. Moving forwards, the first of the numerous discussion points which are included in the lesson is used to get students to predict the component of the filtrate which won’t be found in the urine when they are presented with pie charts from each of these situations. Upon learning that glucose is 100% reabsorbed, along with most of the ions and some of the water, the rest of the lesson focuses on describing the relationship between the structure of the PCT and the function of selective reabsorption. Again, this section begins by encouraging the students to discuss and to predict which structures they would expect to find in a section of the kidney if the function is to reabsorb. They are given the chance to see the structure (as shown in the cover image) before each feature is broken down to explain its importance. Time is taken to look at the role of the cotransporter proteins to explain how this allows glucose, along with sodium ions, to be reabsorbed from the lumen of the PCT into the epithelial cells. The final part of the lesson focuses on urea and how the concentration of this substance increases along the tubule as a result of the reabsorption of some of the water. This lesson has been designed for students studying on the AQA-A level Biology course and ties in nicely with the other lessons from 6.4.3 as well as the other uploaded lessons from topic 6

This detailed and engaging lesson supports students with their revision in the build up to their UNIT 1 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge them on their knowledge of Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health (topics 1 and 2) of the Edexcel International A-level biology specification, allowing them to identify any areas which require further attention before the examinations. Included in the range of tasks are exam-style questions and understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. There are quiz rounds to maintain engagement and to encourage healthy competition, as well as guided discussion periods to provide opportunities for students to support each other. The following content is directly covered by this revision lesson: The nature of the genetic code Globular and fibrous proteins Protein structure Haemoglobin and the affinity for oxygen The role of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle The course of events that lead to atherosclerosis Passive and active transport DNA replication The structure and function of starch Genetic terminology Codominance Sex-linked diseases Many of the tasks have been differentiated to maintain challenge whilst providing access to all. This is an extensive lesson with many tasks so it is estimated that it will take over 3 hours of teaching time if covered in full, but teachers may choose to use sections to focus on a specific topic.

This lesson describes the uses and implications of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. The lesson PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been primarily designed to cover point 2.17 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification but there are regular checks of their knowledge of the content of topic 2, where topics including monohybrid inheritance and cystic fibrosis are tested. The lesson begins by challenging them to use this prior knowledge of topic 2 to identify the letters in the abbreviations PGD and CVS. The involvement of IVF to obtain the embryos (or oocytes) is then discussed and a series of exam-style questions are used to get them to understand how this method screens embryos prior to implantation, so that those identified as having genetic diseases or being carriers are not inserted into the female’s uterus. Mark schemes for all of the questions included in this lesson are embedded into the PowerPoint so students can constantly assess their progress. Moving forwards, Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is used as an example of a chromosomal abnormality that can be tested for using CVS or amniocentesis. Time is taken to describe the key details of both of these procedures so students have a clear understanding of the implications and the invasiveness to the female being tested. The link between amniocentesis and an increased risk of miscarriage is considered and the results of a 2006 study are used to challenge them on their data skills.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the meaning of the terms stem cell, pluripotency and totipotency. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover points 3.11 (i) and (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and therefore this lesson also contains discussion periods where the topic is the decisions that the scientific community have to make about the use of stem cells in medical therapies. The lesson begins with a knowledge recall of the structure of eukaryotic cells and the students have to use the first letters of each of the four answers to reveal the key term, stem cell. Time is then taken to consider the meaning of cellular differentiation, and this leads into the key idea that not all stem cells are equal when it comes to the number of cell types that they have the potential to differentiate into. A quick quiz round introduces the five degrees of potency, and then the students are challenged to use their understanding of terminology to place totipotency, pluripotency, multipotency, oligopotency and unipotency in the correct places on the potency continuum. Although the latter three do not have to be specifically known based on the content of specification point 3.11 (i), an understanding of their meaning was deemed helpful when planning the lesson as it should assist with the retention of knowledge about totipotency and pluripotency. These two highest degrees of potency are the main focus of the lesson, and key details are emphasised such as the ability of totipotent cells to differentiate into any extra-embroyonic cell, which the pluripotent cells are unable to do. The morula, and inner cell mass and trophoblast of the blastocyst are used to demonstrate these differences in potency. The final part of the lesson discusses the decisions that the scientific community have to make about the use of embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and also foetal stem cells which allows for a link to chorionic villus sampling from topic 2. There is also a Maths in a Biology context question included in the lesson (when introducing the morula) to ensure that students continue to be prepared for the numerous calculations that they will have to tackle in the terminal exams. This resource has been differentiated two ways to allow students of differing abilities to access the work

This fully-resourced revision lesson allows students to check on their understanding of Linnaeus’s and Woese’s classification systems. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to challenge the details of point B6.4 of the AQA GCSE biology and combined science specifications. The lesson contains a range of tasks including exam-questions and quizzes which provide opportunities for the students to assess their knowledge of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species as the classification taxa and to recognise the binomial naming system. The lesson also reminds students that the three domain-system divides the Prokaryote kingdom into Archaea and Bacteria and describes how this system was developed once new evidence was discovered. As well as testing the content of B6.4, this lesson uses a series of questions to challenge understanding of linked topics which include eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structures, microscopes, communicable diseases and ecological terms. This lesson has been planned for revision purposes in the lead up to the GCSE exams or before end of topic tests or mocks.

This lesson describes how the action of the radial and circular muscles of the iris causes the pupil to dilate or contract. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 8.6 (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes key details such as the innervation of the smooth muscles by divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Students will learn how: the contraction of the radial muscles pulls the iris radially and enlarges the pupil, allowing more light to enter when an individual is in a room with dim light and that this contraction is the result of the conduction of an electrical impulse along a sympathetic motor neurone. the contraction of the circular muscles constricts the pupil to reduce the light that enters the eye, in order to prevent damage to the photosensitive cells in the retina. This is the result of innervation by an impulse conducted along a parasympathetic neurone

This lesson describes how the structure of the mammalian lung is adapted for rapid gaseous exchange. The engaging PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 2.1 (iii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and focuses on the essential features of the alveolar epithelium as well as the mechanism of ventilation to maintain a steep concentration gradient for the simple diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Gas exchange at the alveoli is a topic that was covered at GCSE and considered during the previous lessons in topic 2.1 so this lesson has been written to challenge the recall of that knowledge and to build on it. The main focus of the first half of the lesson is the type of epithelium found lining the alveoli and students will discover that a single layer of flattened cells known as simple, squamous epithelium acts to reduce the diffusion distance. The following features of the alveolar epithelium are also covered: Surface area Moist lining Production of surfactant The maintenance of a steep concentration gradient is the role of the respiratory system and the next part of the lesson focuses on the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. As the mechanism of inhalation is a cascade of events, the details of this process are covered in a step by step format using bullet points. At each step, time is taken to discuss the key details which includes an introduction to Boyle’s law that reveals the inverse relationship between volume and pressure. It is crucial that students are able to describe how the actions of the diaphragm, external intercostal muscles and ribcage result in an increased volume of the thoracic cavity and a subsequent decrease in the pressure, which is below the pressure outside of the body. At this point, their recall of the structures of the mammalian gas exchange system is tested, to ensure that they can describe the pathway the air takes on moving into the lungs.

This detailed and engaging lesson focuses on the importance of the excretion of carbon dioxide and urea in humans. It also looks at how the urea is formed as a result of deamination in the liver and as such covers the Core and Supplement content of the early section of topic 13 of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification. The lesson begins with a “Crack the code” type task which will enable the students to learn the meaning of excretion and specifically how it relates to the products of metabolism. Excretion is often confused with egestion by students so this misconception is addressed immediately and as a result they will understand that carbon dioxide and urea have to be excreted whereas faeces is egested. Moving forwards, time is taken to explain why carbon dioxide needs to be excreted and links are made to the earlier topic of enzymes and how a fall in pH could affect their activity. The rest of the lesson focuses on the formation of urea in the liver. Whilst learning about deamination, students will also be introduced to the process of assimilation and the production of rge plasma protein fibrinogen is used to explain the importance of this function of the liver. In addition to understanding checks and prior knowledge checks, quiz competitions are included in the lesson to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way. This lesson has been designed for students studying the CIE IGCSE Biology course but is also suitable for older students who are starting the topic of excretion or the functions of the liver and want to recall the key facts.