This lesson introduces the key inorganic ions that are involved in biological processes and includes cations and anions. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.1.2 § of the OCR A-level Biology A specification but also makes links to topics in upcoming modules such as respiration, photosynthesis and neuronal communication. The roles of the following ions are covered in this lesson: phosphate nitrate chloride hydroxide hydrogencarbonate hydrogen ammonium sodium potassium calcium Extra time is taken during the lesson to describe how these ions are involved in the transport of carbon dioxide, the conduction of nervous impulses and blood clotting as well as other processes and a number of quiz competitions have been included to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way

This fully-resourced lesson describes the primary non-specific defences against pathogens in animals. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.1.1 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and describes the following defences: skin key steps of the blood clotting process release of histamine in the inflammatory response expulsive reflexes mucous membranes There are clear links to topics in modules 2 and 3 in each of these defences so time is taken to consider these during the descriptions. For example, the presence of keratin in the cytoplasm of the skin cells allows the student knowledge of the properties of this fibrous protein to be checked. Other topics that are revisited during this lesson include protein structure, formation of tissue fluid, key terminology and roles of inorganic ions in biological processes. There is also a section of the lesson which refers to the genetics behind haemophilia and students are challenged to apply knowledge to an unfamiliar situation. This will prepare them for this topic when covered in module 6.1.2 All of the exam-style questions and tasks have mark schemes that are embedded in the PowerPoint and a number of them have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the properties and functions of the fibrous proteins, collagen, keratin and elastin. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.1.2 (o) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification but also make links to upcoming topics such as blood vessel structure and the immune system as well as constantly challenging students on their knowledge of proteins from earlier in this module. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise 7 structures found in animals from their descriptions and once they’ve written feathers, cartilage, bones, arteries, tendons, callus and skin into the right places, they will reveal the term fibrous and learn that these types of protein are found in these structures. Using their knowledge of the properties of globular proteins, they will learn that the insolubility of fibrous proteins allows them to form fibres, which perform structural functions. The rest of the lesson focuses on the functions of collagen, keratin and elastin and time is taken to discuss the key details and to make links to future topics so that students can recognise the importance of cross-modular based answers. A series of exam-style questions are used to challenge their knowledge of protein structure as well as their ability to apply their knowledge to an unfamiliar situation when learning that elastin is found in the walls of the urinary bladder. All of the questions have mark schemes embedded into the PowerPoint to allow them to immediately assess their understanding. This lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with the previous lesson on globular proteins as well as the one preceding that on the structures of proteins

This fully-resourced revision lesson uses a range of activities to challenge the students on their knowledge of proteins from module 2.1.2. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to test the intricate details of specification points 2.1.2 (k), (l), (m), (n), (o) & (q) The range of activities include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes, understanding checks and quick quiz competitions that will engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of this topic. The following concepts are tested during this lesson: The general structure of an amino acid The formation of dipeptides and polypeptides through condensation reactions The primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of a protein Biological examples of proteins and their specific actions (e.g. antibodies, enzymes, peptide hormones) The biuret test for proteins Time has been taken in the planning to make links to topics in upcoming modules such as the genetic code (2.1.3) and intracellular enzymes (2.1.4)

This lesson describes how an interaction of muscles, tendons, the skeleton and ligaments is needed for movement of the human body. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.9 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and also includes descriptions of antagonistic muscle pairs, extensors and flexors. At the start of the lesson, the prep room skeleton is used as the example to show that bones without muscles are bones that are unable to move (unaided). Moving forwards, the students will learn that skeletal muscles are attached to bones by bundles of collagen fibres known as tendons and as they covered the relationship between the structure and function of collagen in topic 2, a task is used that challenges their recall of these details. This will allow them to recognise that the ability of this fibrous protein to withstand tension is important for the transmission of the force from the muscle to pull on the moveable bone. A series of quick quiz competitions introduce the key terms of flexion and antagonistic and then an exam-style question challenges them to recognise the structures involved in extension at the elbow. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the role of ligaments and one final example of extension at the knee joint will demonstrate how the interaction of all of the structures met over the course of the lesson is needed for movement

This is a highly engaging and detailed lesson which looks at the physiological and behavioural responses involved in temperature control in endotherms and therefore covers specification point 5.1.1 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. A wide range of activities have been written into the PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets 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 lesson has been designed for A-level students studying the OCR A-level Biology A course

This lesson describes how muscles, tendons, the skeleton and ligaments interact to enable movement. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.1 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and also includes descriptions of antagonistic muscle pairs, extensors and flexors. At the start of the lesson, the prep room skeleton is used as the example to show that bones without muscles are bones that are unable to move (unaided). Moving forwards, the students will learn that skeletal muscles are attached to bones by bundles of collagen fibres known as tendons and as they covered the relationship between the structure and function of collagen in topic 2, a task is used that challenges their recall of these details. This will allow them to recognise that the ability of this fibrous protein to withstand tension is important for the transmission of the force from the muscle to pull on the moveable bone. A series of quick quiz competitions introduce the key terms of flexion and antagonistic and then an exam-style question challenges them to recognise the structures involved in extension at the elbow. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the role of ligaments and one final example of extension at the knee joint will demonstrate how the interaction of all of the structures met over the course of the lesson is needed for movement

This lesson describes the structure and functions of the adrenal glands, and includes the hormones secreted by the cortex and the medulla. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 5.1.4 (b) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification This lesson has been planned to closely tie in with the previous lesson on endocrine communication, and specifically the modes of action of peptide and steroid hormones. At the start of the lesson, the students have to use the knowledge acquired in this last lesson to reveal the key term cortex and this leads into the description of the structure of the adrenal glands in terms of the outer region and the inner region known as the medulla. The main part of the lesson focuses on the range of physiological responses of the organs to the release of adrenaline. Beginning with glycogenolysis, the need for adrenaline to bind to adrenergic receptors is described including the activation of cyclic AMP. A quiz competition is used to introduce other responses including lipolysis, vasodilation, bronchodilation and an increase in stroke volume. Links to previous topics are made throughout the lesson and students are challenged on their knowledge of heart structure and polysaccharides. The final part of the lesson introduces the three zones of the adrenal cortex and the steroid hormones that they produce along with their functions. Once again, a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge their ability to apply their understanding to an unfamiliar situation and to make biological links and the mark schemes are embedded in the PowerPoint.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the role of barriers in protecting the body from infection by pathogens when entering the body by the major routes. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 6.11 (i) & (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and describe the following barriers: skin key steps of the blood clotting process mucous membranes stomach acid vaginal and skin flora There are clear links to topics 1, 2 and 3 in each of these barriers, so time is taken to consider these during the descriptions. For example, the presence of keratin in the cytoplasm of the skin cells allows the student knowledge of the properties of this fibrous protein to be checked. Other topics that are revisited during this lesson include blood clotting, protein structure, key terminology and the epithelium that lines the different parts of the airways. All of the exam-style questions and tasks have mark schemes that are embedded in the PowerPoint and a number of them have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work.

This lesson describes the main stages of meiosis, focusing on the events which contribute to genetic variation and explains its significance in life cycles. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (f) & (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes description of crossing over, independent assortment, independent segregation and the production of haploid gametes In order to understand how the events of meiosis like crossing over and independent 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 assortment and segregation of chromosomes and chromatids during metaphase I and II and anaphase I and II respectively results in genetically different gametes. The key events of all of the 8 phases are described and there is a focus on key terminology to ensure that students are able to describe genetic structures in the correct context. 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-style questions which challenge the students to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations. This lesson has been specifically planned to lead on from the previous two lessons on the cell cycle and the main stages of mitosis and constant references are made throughout to encourage students to make links and also to highlight the differences between the two types of nuclear division

This fully-resourced lesson describes the behaviour of chromosomes during the mitotic cell cycle and explains the importance of this type of nuclear division. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 5.1 (b) & 5.2 (a) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and make direct links to a previous lesson which covered the outline of cell cycle Depending upon the exam board taken at iGCSE, the knowledge and understanding of mitosis will differ considerably between students and there may be a number of misconceptions. This was considered at all points during the planning of the lesson so that existing errors are addressed and key points are emphasised throughout. Their understanding of interphase is challenged at the start of the lesson to ensure that they realise that it is identical pairs of sister chromatids that enter the M phase. The main part of the lesson focuses on prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase and describes how the chromosomes behave in these stages. There is a focus on the centrioles and the spindle fibres that they produce which contract to drag one chromatid from each pair in opposite directions to the poles of the cell. The remainder of the lesson is a series of understanding and application questions where students have to identify the various roles of mitosis in living organisms as well as tackling a Maths in a Biology context question. The lesson concludes with a final quiz round of MITOSIS SNAP where they only shout out this word when a match is seen between the name of a phase, an event and a picture.

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson that consists of an engaging PowerPoint (129 slides) and associated worksheets that challenge the students on their knowledge of topics 4 - 6 (Community-level systems, Interaction between systems and Global challenges) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification and can be assessed on PAPER 2. A wide range of activities have been written into the lesson to maintain motivation and these tasks include exam questions (with answers), understanding checks, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions. The lesson has been designed to include as much which of the content from topic 1, but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Identifying bacterial, fungal and viral diseases The steps in the process of genetic engineering Evolution by natural selection The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria The prevention and reduction of the spread of pathogens Vaccinations The risk factors of CHD Genetic terminology Predicting the results of single-gene crosses Sex determination Ecological terms The carbon cycle The mathematic elements of the Combined Science specification are challenged throughout the resource. Due to the size of this resource, it is likely that it’ll be used over the course of a number of lessons and it is suitable for use as an end of topic revision aid, in the lead up to the mocks or in the lead up to the actual GCSE exams.

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson that consists of an engaging PowerPoint (154 slides) and associated worksheets that challenge the students on their knowledge of topics B1 - B4 (Cell Biology, Organisation, Infection and response and Bioenergetics) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy specification and can be assessed on PAPER 1. A wide range of activities have been written into the lesson to maintain motivation and these tasks include exam questions (with answers), understanding checks, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions. The lesson has been designed to include as much which of the content that can be assessed in paper, but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells Structure of a bacterium The functions of the components of blood Specialised cells Active transport Osmosis Structure of DNA Mitosis and the cell cycle Functions of the organelles of animal and plant cells Electron microscopy Calculating size Arteries and veins The risk factors of CHD CHD treatments The structure of the heart Bacterial, fungal and viral diseases The mathematic elements of the Combined Science specification are challenged throughout the resource. Due to the size of this resource, it is likely that teachers will choose to use it over the course of a number of lessons and it is suitable for use in the lead up to the mocks or in the lead up to the actual GCSE exams.

This lesson describes how passive transport is brought about (simple) diffusion and facilitated diffusion. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of specification point 4.2 (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification but also covers 4.2 (iii) as the relationship between the properties of a molecule and the method by which they are transported is discussed. The structure of the cell surface membrane was described in the previous lesson, 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 detailed and engaging lesson describes how the passive transport of water molecules is brought about by osmosis. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of specification point 4.2 (ii) as detailed in the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and water potential is included throughout which will help students to prepare for core practical 6 It’s likely that students will have used the term concentration in their osmosis definitions at GCSE, so the aim of the starter task is to introduce water potential to allow students to begin to recognise osmosis as the movement of water molecules from a high water potential to a lower potential, with the water potential gradient. Time is taken to describe the finer details of water potential to enable students to understand that 0 is the highest value (pure water) and that this becomes negative once solutes are dissolved. Exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson to check on current understanding as well as prior knowledge checks which make links to previously covered topics such as the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the movement of water between cells and a solution when these animal and plant cells are suspended in hypotonic, hypertonic or isotonic solutions.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the action of enzymes as biological catalysts and explains how their specificity is related to their 3D structure. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.10 (i) and (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification but also introduces some examples of intracellular and extracellular enzymes to prepare students for the next lesson which covers 2.10 (iii). 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.