This detailed lesson describes the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure and also describes the roles of its components. The detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover specification point 2.1.5 (b) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and clear links are made to related topics such as the binding of peptide hormones The fluid mosaic model is introduced at the start of the lesson so that it can be referenced at appropriate points throughout the lesson. Students were introduced to phospholipids in module 2.1.2 and an initial task challenges them to spot the errors in a passage describing the structure and properties of this molecule. This reminds them of the bilayer arrangement, with the hydrophilic phosphate heads protruding outwards into the aqueous solutions on the inside and the outside of the cell. In a link to some upcoming lessons on the transport mechanisms, the students will learn that only small, non-polar molecules can move by simple diffusion and that this is through the tails of the bilayer. This introduces the need for transmembrane proteins to allow large or polar molecules to move into the cell by facilitated diffusion and active transport. Proteins that act as receptors as also introduced and an opportunity is taken to make a link to an upcoming topic so that students can understand how hormones or drugs will bind to target cells in this way. Moving forwards, the structure of cholesterol is covered and students will learn that this hydrophobic molecule sits in the middle of the tails and therefore acts to regulate membrane fluidity. The final part of the lesson challenges the students to apply their newly-acquired knowledge to a series of questions where they have to explain why proteins may have moved when two cells are used and to suggest why there is a larger proportion of these proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane than the outer membrane.

This detailed lesson describes the sequence of events that occur during the first stage of protein synthesis, which is known as transcription. The detailed lesson PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet are the first in a series of two lesson resources that have been designed to cover the details of point 2.13 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and include details of the DNA template strand, RNA polymerase and messenger RNA. The lesson begins by challenging the students to work out that most of the nuclear DNA in eukaryotes does not code for polypeptides. This allows the promoter region and terminator region to be introduced, along with the structural gene. Through the use of an engaging quiz competition, students will learn that the strand of DNA involved in transcription is known as the DNA template (or antisense) strand and the other strand is the coding strand. Links to previous lessons on DNA and RNA structure are made throughout and students are continuously challenged on their prior knowledge as well as they current understanding of the lesson topic. Moving forwards, the actual process of transcription is covered in a 7 step bullet point description where the students are asked to complete each passage using the information previously provided. An exam-style question is used to check on their understanding before the final task of the lesson looks at the journey of mRNA to the ribosome for the next stage of translation. This lesson has been written to directly lead into the following lesson on translation

This fully-resourced lesson describes the process of DNA replication and includes key details of the role of DNA polymerase. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.10 (i) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and also includes descriptions of the roles of DNA helicase and DNA ligase and an introduction of this type of replication as semi-conservative. As the main focus of this lesson is the roles of the enzymes, students will understand how DNA helicase breaks the hydrogen bonds between nucleotide bases, DNA polymerase forms the growing nucleotide strands and DNA ligase joins the nucleic acid fragments. The specification specifically mentions DNA polymerase and in line with this, extra time is taken to explain key details, such as the assembly of strands in the 5’-to-3’ direction by this enzyme, so that the continuous manner in which the leading strand is synthesised can be compared against that of the lagging strand. The students are constantly challenged to make links to previous topics such as DNA structure and hydrolysis reactions through a range of exam questions and answers are displayed so that any misconceptions are quickly addressed. The main task of the lesson asks the students to use the information provided in the lesson to order the sequence of events in DNA replication before discussing how the presence of a conserved strand and a newly built strand in each new DNA molecule shows that it is semi-conservative.

This lesson describes how the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer are used in the measurement of cells. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 1.1 [c] of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also includes a number of tasks that have been written to ensure that students are able to recognise the millimetre, micrometre and nanometre as units of size and that they are able to convert between them. As this content is part of topic 1.1, it is likely that this lesson on the measurement of cells and the units of size will be one of the first that students will encounter in this A-level course. With this in mind, this lesson and the next two on microscopes and calculating actual size have been specifically written to contain a wide variety of tasks, including an ongoing quiz competition. This will act to maintain engagement in a topic that can sometimes discourage students at this early stage of the course whilst ensuring that the key content is covered and understanding is constantly checked. A step by step guide walks them through the use of the scale on the stage micrometer to identify the size of the divisions of the eyepiece graticule and then they are challenged to apply this method to a series of questions. Useful hints are provided throughout the lesson and students will be able to confidently convert between metres, millimetres, micrometres and nanometres by the end of the lesson A quiz scoresheet is included with the lesson so that teachers can keep track of the points won in the different rounds and add them to those won in the upcoming lessons in topic 1.1

This lesson describes the t-test can be used to compare the variation of two different populations. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 17.1 [c] of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also explains how to calculate the standard deviation to measure the spread of a set of data as this value is needed in the t-test formula A step by step guide walks the students through each stage of the calculation of the standard deviation and gets them to complete a worked example with the class before applying their knowledge to another set of data in an exam-style question. This data looks at the birth weights of humans on one day in the UK and this is used again later in the lesson to compare against the birth weights of babies in South Asia when using the t-test. The null hypothesis is introduced and students will learn to accept or reject this based upon a comparison of their value against one taken from the table based on the degrees of freedom.

A resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction that is aerobic respiration and ensures that students can apply their knowledge to application questions which challenge them to make links to related topics. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (27 slides) and an associated worksheet containing questions. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise a definition for breathing and a definition for respiration. This is aimed at helping them to understand that these are different processes as this is a common misconception made by students. Moving forwards, key details about aerobic respiration are introduced to the students through a range of tasks which include competitions to maintain engagement. Time is taken to ensure that students become familiar with ATP and understand that this is the energy store which will be broken down to release energy for the activities that occur in a living organism. The remainder of the lesson challenges the students to take their new found knowledge of aerobic respiration and apply it to range of unfamiliar situations such as explaining why a root hair cell would have such a large number of mitochondria. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge

A fully- resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction that is anaerobic respiration and ensures that students can understand why this form of respiration can only be used for short periods of time. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (39 slides), a newspaper article and application questions. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall information about aerobic respiration to recognise that the sole reactant of anaerobic respiration is glucose. A newspaper article about two atheletes from the 10000m race has been written to challenge the students to recognise why one of the athletes wouldnt be able to compete again in the near future whilst the other could. As a result, students will be introduced to lactic acid and will learn how this poisonous substance prevents muscle contraction and causes cramps. Time is taken to ensure that students are familiar with ATP and specifically that they recognise that a much lower yield is produced in this type of respiration. A perfect opportunity is taken to get the students to carry out a mathematical calculation to compare the yields. Oxygen debt is discussed and related back to the original newspaper article. Finally, anaerobic respiration in plants and yeast is considered in terms of fermentation and the word and symbol equation is written so that it can be compared to those from animals. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. The lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students or A-level students who want a recap before covering the topic in greater detail on their course.

An engaging lesson which focuses on the key terms which are involved in the ecology topic of food chains and food webs. Although this lesson is primarily designed for GCSE students, the content is suitable with KS3 students who are looking at the ecological relationships between organisms. The lesson begins by ensuring that students are confident in the construction of a food chain and that any common mistakes such as the arrows pointing in the wrong direction are eliminated. As with the other ecology lessons that I have designed, “ecology bingo” runs throughout the lesson to engage the students but also to challenge their recognition of key terms from definitions. Key terms such as producers and consumers are revisited in this lesson. The students will recall the names for the three types of consumers, based on their diets, and will make the link between the positions of producers, herbivores and carnivores in food chains. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the construction of a food web and describing changes in the numbers of organisms when there is a change to one of the other populations. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so students can constantly assess their understanding.

This fully-resources lesson looks at the phenomenon known as the Bohr effect and describes and explains how an increased carbon dioxide concentration affects the dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the second part of point 3.1.2 (j) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and continually ties in with the previous lesson on the role of haemoglobin. The lesson begins with a terminology check to ensure that the students can use the terms affinity, oxyhaemoglobin and dissociation. In line with this, they are challenged to draw the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and are reminded that this shows how oxygen associates with haemoglobin but how it dissociates at low partial pressures. Moving forwards, a quick quiz is used to introduce Christian Bohr and the students are given some initial details of his described effect. This leads into a series of discussions where the outcome is the understanding that an increased concentration of carbon dioxide decreases the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen. The students will learn that this reduction in affinity is a result of a decrease in the pH of the cell cytoplasm which alters the tertiary structure of the haemoglobin. Opportunities are taken at this point to challenge students on their prior knowledge of protein structures as well as the bonds in the tertiary structure. The lesson finishes with a series of questions where the understanding and application skills are tested as students have to explain the benefit of the Bohr effect for an exercising individual. These questions are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and to be challenged

This lesson explains the effects of temperature on the rate of enzyme activity and describes how to calculate the temperature coefficient. The PowerPoint and the accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 5.21 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and this lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with a lesson in topic 2 where the roles and mechanism of action of enzymes were introduced. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise optimum as a key term from its 6 synonyms that are shown on the board. Time is taken to ensure that the students understand that the optimum temperature is the temperature at which the most enzyme-product complexes are produced per second and therefore the temperature at which the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction works at its maximum. The optimum temperatures of DNA polymerase in humans and in a thermophilic bacteria and RUBISCO in a tomato plant are used to demonstrate how different enzymes have different optimum temperatures and the roles of the latter two in the PCR and photosynthesis are briefly described to prepare students for these lessons in modules 6 and 5. Moving forwards, the next part of the lesson focuses on enzyme activity at temperatures below the optimum and at temperatures above the optimum. Students will understand that increasing the temperature increases the kinetic energy of the enzyme and substrate molecules, and this increases the likelihood of successful collisions and the production of enzyme-substrate and enzyme-product complexes. When considering the effect of increasing the temperature above the optimum, continual references are made to the previous lesson and the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure. Students will be able to describe how the hydrogen and ionic bonds in the tertiary structure are broken by the vibrations associated with higher temperatures and are challenged to complete the graph to show how the rate of reaction decreases to 0 when the enzyme has denatured. The final part of the lesson introduces the Q10 temperature coefficient and students are challenged to apply this formula to calculate the value for a chemical reaction and a metabolic reaction to determine that enzyme-catalysed reactions have higher rates of reaction

This lesson describes how random and non-random sampling strategies can be carried out to measure the biodiversity of a habitat. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are part of the first lesson in a series of 2 which have been designed to cover the content of point 4.2.1 (b) (i) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and this lesson specifically focuses on sampling plant species. The second lesson covers the sampling of animal species using apparatus such as pooters and sweeping nets. The lesson begins with a challenge, where the students have to recognise the terms random and stratified from descriptions that were met in modules 2.1.6 and 3.1.1. This introduces the concept of sampling and emphasises its importance in the measurement of biodiversity and the students will learn that there is random sampling as well as non-random sampling, and that one of these strategies is known as stratified. The next part of the lesson focuses on the random sampling of a habitat where the results found with a quadrat are used to estimate the population of sessile species like plants. Due to the heavy mathematical content in the A-level Biology exams, a step by step guide is used to walk the students through the key stages in these calculations and includes the extra steps needed when the quadrat does not have an area of 1 metre squared. A series of exam-style questions will then challenge them to apply their understanding and mark schemes are embedded in the PowerPoint to allow them to immediately assess their progress. The use of quadrats that have been divided into 100 squares and point frames to estimate percentage ground cover are also discussed and the overall advantages and disadvantages of random sampling are considered. Moving forwards, the stratified, opportunistic and systematic strategies of non-random sampling are discussed and again the advantages and disadvantages of all three are considered. Time is taken to focus on line and belt transects and students will learn that the latter can be particularly useful when an abiotic factor appears to change across a habitat.

This fully-resourced lesson explores the inheritance of genetic characteristics that involve multiple alleles and codominant alleles. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets have been designed to cover the part of point 16.2 (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to use genetic diagrams to solve problems which involve codominance and multiple alleles. The main part of the lesson uses the inheritance of the ABO blood groups to demonstrate how the three alleles that are found at the locus on chromosome 9 and the codominance of the A and B alleles affects the phenotypes. Students are guided through the construction of the different genotypes and how to interpret the resulting phenotype. They are challenged to use a partially completed pedigree tree to determine the blood group for some of the family members and to explain how they came to their answer. To further challenge their ability to apply their knowledge, a series of questions about multiple alleles and codominance in animals that are not humans are used. All of the questions are followed by clear, visual mark schemes to allow the students to assess their progress and address any misconceptions

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, engaging quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of the content of topics B1 - B4, that will assessed on PAPER 1. It has been specifically designed for students on the AQA GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points of each of the sub-topics are embedded. The lesson has been written to take place in numerous shops that could be found on the high street to allow the following sub-topics to be covered: Eukaryotes and prokaryotes The prefixes of size and converting between units The cell structures of animal and plant cells Mitosis and the cell cycle Benign and malignant tumours The principles of organisation The structure of the heart and the circulatory system The features of the alveoli which enable efficient gas exchange CHD The risk factors of non-communicable diseases Pathogens as microorganisms that cause infectious diseases Bacterial, viral, fungal and protist diseases Vaccinations Temperature and photosynthesis Enzymes The digestive system The role of bile The functions of the components of blood In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Step-by-step guides have also been written into the lesson to walk students through some of the more difficult concepts such as calculating percentage change Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 1 exam

This detailed lesson describes the transport of water into the plant as well as the movement across the cortex to the endodermis and to the xylem. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of point 3.1.3 (d) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A 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 symplast, vacuolar and apoplast pathways that water and minerals use to transverse 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 apoplast 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 apoplast 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 specifically written to tie in with the next lesson on the pathways and mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported to the leaves and then out into the air surrounding the leaves.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the movement of molecules by active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis, which are all active process that require ATP. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the second part of point 2.1.5 (d) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. The first part of this specification point, concerning simple and facilitated diffusion, was covered in the previous lesson. The start of the lesson challenges the students to use their prior knowledge of biological molecules to come up with the abbreviation ATP. Students were introduced to this molecule in module 2.1.3, so a series of prior knowledge questions are used to check on their recall of the structure and properties of ATP. Students are also reminded that the hydrolysis of ATP can be coupled to energy-requiring reactions within the cell and the rest of the lesson focuses on the use of this energy input for active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis. Students are challenged to answer a series of questions which compare active transport against the forms of passive transport and to use data from a bar chart to support this form of transport. In answering these questions they will discover that carrier proteins are specific to certain molecules and time is taken to look at the exact mechanism of these transmembrane proteins. A quick quiz round introduces endocytosis and the students will see how vesicles are involved along with the energy source of ATP to move large substances in or out of the cell. The lesson concludes with a link to a future topic as the students are shown how exocytosis is involved in a synapse.

This lesson describes how molecules move across cell membranes by passive transport, as exemplified by simple and facilitated diffusion. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of specification point 2.5 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology 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 2.2, 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 quick quiz competition challenges students to recall Fick’s law of diffusion and a series of questions and tasks 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. Another quick quiz round 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 revision resource includes exam questions, understanding checks and quiz competitions, all of which have been written to motivate and engage the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 4 (Biological molecules) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. This revision resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (36 slides) and associated worksheets. The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the Core and Supplement content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: List the chemical elements that make up carbohydrates State how starch, glycogen, cellulose, proteins and fats and oils are made from their specific smaller molecules Describe the use of the iodine and Benedicts solution test Explain how the specific sequence of the amino acids in a protein controls the shape and the effect this has on an enzyme and antibodies Describe the structure of DNA Recognise that water is an important solvent which is involved in a large number of roles in the human body In addition, links have been made to other topics such as hormones and organelles so that students can see the importance of making links between Biological topics

This fully-resourced lesson uses step by step guides to walk students through the interpretation of genetic pedigree diagrams for monohybrid inheritance. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.15 (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes the inheritance when there are more than two alleles at a gene locus as well as those that demonstrate codominance. In order to minimise the likelihood of errors and misconceptions, the guides that are included within the lesson will support the students with the following: Writing parent genotypes Working out the different gametes that are made following meiosis Interpreting Punnett crosses to work out phenotypic ratios Students can often find pedigree trees the most difficult to interpret and to explain so exemplar answers are used and the worksheets are differentiated so students can seek assistance if necessary.

This detailed lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of starch and cellulose. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 4.9 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification and focuses on the importance of the glycosidic and hydrogen bonds for the structure of these polysaccharides. The structure of amylose and amylopectin was described during a lesson in topic 1, so the start of this lesson challenges the students on their recall of these details. They have to complete a comparison table for these two polysaccharides by identifying the monomer and type of glycosidic bonds that are found in each of the structures. Time is taken to explain how the greater resistance to digestion of amylose means that this carbohydrate is important for plant energy storage whereas the multiple chain ends in the branched amylopectin means that this polysaccharide can be hydrolysed quickly when energy is needed. The rest of the lesson describes the structure of cellulose and focuses on the link between the structure and the need for this polysaccharide to support the plant cell as well as the whole plant. Students will see how every other beta glucose monomer is rotated by 180 degrees and will learn that hydrogen bonds form between these molecules on the same chain as well as between adjacent chains in a cellulose microfibril. The lesson concludes with a quick quiz competition where the students have to compete to open a safe using a combination made up of key values associated with glycogen, starch and cellulose.

This engaging lesson presentation (55 slides) and associated worksheets uses exam questions with displayed mark schemes, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the topics found within module B1 of the OCR Gateway A Combined Science specification. The topics which are specifically tested within the lesson include: Plant and animal cells, Bacterial cells, Light microscopy, Electron microscopy, Enzymes, Aerobic respiration, Photosynthesis, Photosynthesis experiments and Limiting factors Students will enjoy the competitions such as "Shine a LIGHT on any errors" and "Eu vs Pro" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need their further attention