This lesson focuses on the nature of the genetic code in terms of being near universal, non-overlapping and degenerate and specifically focuses on this latter term to explain how a mutation may not result in a change to the sequence of amino acids. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 2.1.3 (f) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and there are clear links to gene mutations which students will meet in module 6. The lesson begins by introducing the terms near universal and non-overlapping in addition to degenerate. A quick quiz competition is used to generate the number 20 so that the students can learn that there are 20 proteinogenic amino acids in the genetic code. This leads into a challenge, where they have to use their prior knowledge of DNA to calculate the number of different DNA triplets (64) and the mismatch in number is then discussed and related back to the lesson topic. Moving forwards, base substitutions and base deletions are briefly introduced so that they can see how although one substitution can change the primary structure, another will change the codon but not the encoded amino acid. The lesson concludes with a brief look at the non-overlapping nature of the code so that the impact of a base deletion (or insertion) can be understood when covered in greater detail in module 6.

This detailed lesson describes the role of the mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and amino acids during the second stage of protein synthesis - translation. Both the PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 2.1.3 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and continually links back to the previous lessons in this module on the structure of DNA and RNA and the genetic code Translation is a topic which is often poorly understood and so this lesson has been written to enable the students to understand how to answer the different types of questions by knowing and including the key details of the structures involved. 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, the genetic code 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 that consists of this considerable 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 through the lesson, their confidence to answer this type 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 focuses on the structure of RNA and specifically the similarities and differences between this nucleic acid and DNA so that students are prepared for the upcoming lessons on transcription and translation. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover part 1 of point 2.1.3 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to describe the structure of molecules of messenger RNA, transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA. Students were introduced to nucleotides and the detailed structure of DNA in previous lessons, so this lesson is written to tie in with those and continuously challenge prior knowledge as well as understanding of the current topic. The lesson begins by reminding students that RNA is a member of the family of nucleic acids and therefore has a number of structural features that are commonly shared with DNA. A quiz round called “A FAMILY AFFAIR” is used to challenge their knowledge of DNA to recognise those features that are also found on RNA such as the chain of linked nucleotides, pentose sugars, nitrogenous bases and phosphodiester bonds. The next task pushes them to consider features that have not been mentioned and therefore are differences as they answer a structured exam-style question on how RNA differs from DNA. Students will learn that RNA is shorter than DNA and this leads into the final part of the lesson where mRNA and tRNA are introduced and again they are challenged to use the new information explain the difference in size. Brief details of transcription and then translation are provided so that students are prepared for the upcoming lessons on protein synthesis.

This is a concise, fast-paced lesson that has been designed to enable students to discover the key structural features of a synapse and be able to write accurate descriptions of the sequence of events that occur at these structures. The neurotransmitter involved is acetyl choline and therefore this is specifically a lesson about cholinergic synapses. The lesson begins by going through the terminology associated with synapses which includes pre-synaptic terminal or knob, synaptic cleft and post-synaptic neurone. Then time is taken to look at each of the two neurones and the structures found inside the terminal or on the membranes. The main task of the lesson involves a step by step guide through the sequence of events at the synapse. This guide has been written in a bullet point format and students are challenged to use the features they have met and their own Biological knowledge to complete each point. The final part of the lesson looks at how the enzyme acetylcholinesterase is involved in the breakdown and then how the neurotransmitter is re-formed using the ATP generated in the mitochondria This lesson is written for A-level students

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content found within Topic 5 (Energy transfers in and between organisms) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include: The light dependent reaction including the production of ATP and reduced NADP and the photolysis of water The light-independent reaction to form triose phosphate and regenerate RuBP Identify environmental factors that limit the rate of photosynthesis Glycolysis as the first stage of both aerobic and anaerobic respiration The conversion of pyruvate to lactate The stages of aerobic respiration that occur in the mitochondria Losses of energy through food chains The roles of microorganisms in the nitrogen cycle The environmental issues of the use of fertilisers as seen with eutrophication Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds such as “Can you DEPEND on your knowledge” and “Are you on the right PATH” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require their further attention during general revision or during the lead up to the actual A-level terminal exams

This is an engaging and fully-resourced revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 8 (Exchange and transport in animals) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology 9-1 specification. The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include: Explain the need for exchange surfaces and a transport system in multicellular organisms including the calculation of surface area : volume ratio Explain how alveoli are adapted for gas exchange by diffusion between air in the lungs and blood in capillaries Describe the factors affecting the rate of diffusion, including surface area, concentration gradient and diffusion distance Explain how the structure of the blood is related to its function Explain how the structure of the blood vessels is related to their function Explain how the structure of the heart and circulatory system is related to its function, including the role of the major blood vessels, the valves Describe cellular respiration as an exothermic reaction which occurs continuously in living cells to release energy for metabolic processes, including aerobic and anaerobic respiration Compare the process of aerobic respiration with the process of anaerobic respiration Calculate heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output, using the equation cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as Where’s LENNY?” where they compete to recognise the blood vessel being described from the clues whilst crucially being able to recognise the areas of this topic which need their further attention. This lesson can be used as revision resource at the end of the topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams.

This engaging and detailed REVISION resource has been written to encourage students to evaluate their understanding of the content found in MODULE 4.1.1 (Communicable diseases, disease prevention and the immune system) of the OCR A-Level Biology specification. The resource contains a motivating PowerPoint (86 slides) and associated worksheets which have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities in their access of the work. The lesson includes a wide range of activities such as exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to motivate the students whilst they recognise those areas of the specification which require even more attention. The lesson has been designed to cover as much of the content in module 4.1.1 as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Communicable diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi Bacteria as pathogens Antigen-presenting cells The specific immune response Antibiotics and the existence of resistant strains Preventing the spread of pathogens Vaccinations Primary defences of the human body In addition to content from this module, links are made to earlier modules and challenges posed so that students can see how connections between the modules have to be made to be successful. This resource is suitable for use at the end of the module, in the lead up to AS or A2 mocks or in the lead up to the actual A-level exams.

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson which challenges the students on their knowledge of the content in TOPIC B5 (Health, disease and the development of medicines) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The lesson uses an engaging PowerPoint (79 slides) and accompanying worksheets to motivate students whilst they assess their understanding of this topic. The lesson has been designed in the way that the students have to work their way through a series of wards at the hospital which deals with communicable diseases caused by a range of pathogens and the non-communicable diseases ward such as the cardiac ward where CHD patients are assessed and treated. A range of exam questions, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions back up the engaging lesson and are used to test the following sub-topics: Bacterial, fungal and viral diseases in animals and plants Treatment of bacterial infections with antibiotics Preventing and reducing the spread of pathogens Vaccinations The physical and chemical defences of the human body The risk factors of CHD The range of surgical treatments for CHD Calculating the BMI Smoking and cardiovascular diseases The mathematical element of the course is also tested throughout the lesson and students are given helpful hints on exam techniques and how to structure answers. This resource is suitable for use at the end of topic B5 or in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams.

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson which challenges the students on their knowledge of the content in TOPIC B2 (Cells and control) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The lesson uses an engaging PowerPoint (70 slides) and accompanying worksheets to motivate students whilst they assess their understanding of this topic. A range of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions are used to test the following sub-topics: The structure of the CNS Reflex reactions and the neurones involved Synapses Mitosis and the cell cycle The use of percentile charts to monitor growth Cell differentiation and specialisation Stem cells and their potential for use in medicine There is a big emphasis on the mathematical elements of the course such as percentage change and standard form and students are given helpful hints on exam techniques and how to structure answers. This resource is suitable for use at the end of topic B2 or in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams.

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 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.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how the autonomic nervous system controls the heart rate. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 9.8 (i) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification which states that students should understand the roles of baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, the cardiac centre in the medulla oblongata and the sympathetic and parsympathetic nerves in the control. 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 fully-resourced lesson describes the effects of enzyme and substrate concentration on enzyme activity. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are the third in a series of 3 lessons which cover the details of point 2.1.4 (d) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and students are also challenged on their recall of the details of transcription and translation as covered in module 2.1.3. The first part of the lesson describes how an increase in substrate concentration will affect the rate of reaction when a fixed concentration of enzyme is used. Time is taken to introduce limiting factors and students will be challenged to identify substrate concentration as the limiting factor before the maximum rate is attained and then they are given discussion time to identify the possible factors after this point. A series of exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson and the mark schemes are displayed to allow the students to assess their understanding and for any misconceptions to be immediately addressed. Moving forwards, the students have to use their knowledge of substrate concentration to construct a graph to represent the relationship between enzyme concentration and rate of reaction and they have to explain the different sections of the graph and identify the limiting factors. The final section of the lesson describes how the availability of enzymes is controlled in living organisms. Students will come to recognise that this availability is the result of enzyme synthesis and enzyme degradation and a SPOT THE ERRORS task is used to challenge their recall of protein synthesis. Please note that this lesson explains the Biology behind the effect of concentration on enzyme activity and not the methodology involved in carrying out such an investigation as this is covered in the lessons designed in line with point 2.1.4 (d) [ii]

This lesson describes the key structural features of viruses and challenges the students to compare them against those of a bacteria as covered in topic 3. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have primarily been designed to cover point 6.5 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification but can be used a revision tool for point 3.4 as students need to recall the structures of a prokaryotic cell. 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 a virus’ lack of cell structures results in an non-cellular 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 of the lesson challenges the students to recognise the following prokaryotic cell structures from their descriptions: plasmid pili capsule cell wall flagellum circular DNA ribosomes mesosomes This lesson has been specifically planned to link to the next lesson which covers point 6.6 on the infection of human cells by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus

This fully-resourced lesson describes the differences between the roles of the B cells and T cells in the body’s immune response. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 6.9 & 6.10 in unit 4 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes descriptions of the role of the antigens and the production of antibodies by plasma (effector) cells In the previous lesson on the non-specific responses, the students were introduced to macrophages and dendritic cells as antigen-presenting cells and the start of this lesson challenges their recall and understanding of this process. Time is taken to discuss how the contact between these cells and lymphocytes is critical for the initiation of the body’s (specific) immune response. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the names of the different T cells that result from differentiation. Their specific roles are described including an emphasis on the importance of the release of cytokines in cell signalling to activate other immune system cells. T memory cells are also introduced so that students can understand their role in immunological memory and active immunity as described in an upcoming lesson. The next part of the lesson focuses on the B cells and describes how clonal selection and clonal expansion results in the formation of memory B cells and effector cells. A series of understanding and application questions are then used to introduce the structure of antibodies and to explain how the complementary shape of the variable region allows the antigen-antibody complex to be formed. The lesson concludes by emphasising that the pathogen will be overcome as a result of the combination of the actions of phagocytes, T killer cells and the antibodies released by the effector cells

This fully-resourced lesson describes the mechanism of action of enzymes and explains how their specificity is related to their 3D structure. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.7 (i), (ii) and (iii) in unit 1 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and introduces intracellular and extracellular enzymes where these proteins act to reduce the activation energy. The lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with related topics that were previously covered such as protein structure, globular proteins and intracellular enzymes. This prior knowledge is tested through a series of exam-style questions along with current understanding and mark schemes are included in the PowerPoint so that students can assess their answers. Students will learn that enzymes are large globular proteins which contain an active site that consists of a small number of amino acids. Emil Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis is introduced to enable students to recognise that their specificity is the result of an active site that is complementary in shape to a single type of substrate. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure of the protein. The induced-fit model is described so students can understand how the enzyme-susbtrate complex is stabilised and then students are challenged to order the sequence of events in an enzyme-controlled reaction. The lesson finishes with a focus on ATP synthase and DNA polymerase so that students are aware of these important intracellular enzymes when learning about the details of respiration and DNA replication

This fully-resourced lesson describes the structure of the human retina and explains how the rhodopsin in rod cells allows vision in low light intensity. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 9.7 (i), (ii) & (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification but also makes links to previously covered topics such as cell structure and nervous transmission. It is likely that students will be aware that the human retina contains rod and cone cells, so this lesson builds on that knowledge and adds the detail needed at this level. Students will discover that the optical pigment in rod cells is rhodopsin and that the bleaching of this into retinal and opsin results in a cascade of events that allows an action potential to be initiated along the optic nerve. Time is taken to go through the events that occur in the dark and then the students are challenged to use this as a guide when explaining how the events differ in the light. Key terms like depolarisation and hyperpolarisation, that were met in topic 9.5, are used to explain the changes in membrane potential and the resulting effect on the connection with the bipolar and ganglion cells is then described. Cone cells are also introduced, with the main focus being their distribution in the centre of the fovea which is used to explain colour vision in bright light.