A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A concise lesson presentation (19 slides) and associated worksheet (newspaper articles) that introduces students to the process of homeostasis in the human body and the three main factors (water potential, blood glucose, temperature) that are controlled by this system. The lesson begins by getting the students to work out a code to give them an exemplary definition for homeostasis. A newspaper article is used to get the students to recognise the three factors that are controlled. A quick competition is used to show the students the main parts of any homeostatic control system.
This lesson is designed for GCSE students but could be used with both KS3 and A-level as a quick recap
This fully-resourced lesson explores the relationship between the structure of arteries, arterioles and veins and their respective functions. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 6th part of point 3.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe the structure of these blood vessels in relation to their function.
This lesson has been written to build on any prior knowledge from GCSE or earlier in this topic to enable students to fully understand why a particular type of blood vessel has particular features. Students will be able to make the connection between the narrow lumen and elastic tissue in the walls of arteries and the need to maintain the high pressure of the blood. A quick version of the GUESS WHO game is used to introduce smooth muscle and collagen in the tunica media and externa and again the reason for their presence is explored and explained. Moving forwards, the importance of the arterioles as a transition between the artery and capillary is discussed and students will see how the smooth muscle in the walls of this blood vessel allows for the redistribution of blood during exercise. The final part of the lesson considers the structure of the veins and students are challenged to explain how the differences to those observed in arteries is due to the lower blood pressure found in these vessels.
It is estimated that it will take about 2 hours of allocated A-level Biology teaching time to cover the detail included in this lesson
This is a highly detailed, engaging and fully-resourced lesson that covers the detail of the 2nd part of specification point 5.1.2 (b) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the functions of the mammalian liver. The liver performs a large number of metabolic functions and the majority of them are covered within this lesson. However, the lesson focuses on the following three roles:
The formation of urea by deamination and the ornithine cycle
The storage of glycogen
The detoxification of alcohol
As well as covering the detail of the current topic, numerous opportunities are taken to make links to other topics and to check on the students prior knowledge. Previous knowledge check questions on biological molecules, coenzymes and the structure of the liver are found dispersed within the understanding checks and quick quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and a memorable way.
This lesson has been designed for students on the OCR A-level Biology A course and ties in well with the other uploaded lessons on module 5.1.2 about the structure and function of the kidney
This lesson has been designed to cover the content as detailed in points 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 (Mitosis as part of the cell cycle) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. Consisting of a detailed and engaging PowerPoint (44 slides) and an accompanying worksheet, the range of activities will motivate the students whilst ensuring that the content is covered in detail. Students will learn how interphase, the 4 phases of mitosis and cytokinesis result in the production of genetically identical diploid daughter cells. Time is taken to go through each of the three stages of the cell cycle in detail so students can recognise how the key events of each stage allow this important form of “copying” cell division to occur. Progress checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding of the content and any misconceptions can be addressed whilst quiz competitions, like The Big REVEAL and YOU DO THE MATH, are used to introduce new terms and important values in a fun and memorable way.
This lesson has been written for GCSE-aged students who are studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology or Combined Science specifications but can be used with older students who need to know the key details of the cell cycle for their A level course before taking it to greater depths
This fully-resourced lesson explores how genetic and environmental factors cause phenotypic variation. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the first part of point 7.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe how mutations and meiosis both contribute to genetic variation
Students are challenged at the start of the lesson to recognise the terms phenotype and species from their definitions in order to begin a discussion on the causes of the phenotypic variation within a species. Moving forwards, students will recall that mutations are the primary source of genetic variation and time is taken to look at the effect of gene and chromosome mutations. Just like the majority of parts of this specification point, gene mutations were covered earlier in topic 4 so these tasks act as a prior knowledge check as students have to recognise the different types of gene mutations and explain their effects on the primary structure with reference to the genetic code. These prior knowledge checks are found throughout the lesson and challenge the knowledge of other topics that include photosynthesis, meiosis and inorganic ions. The karyotype of an individual who has Down syndrome is used to introduce chromosome mutations and students will be introduced to the different types, with a focus on non-disjunction. The key events of meiosis that produce variation (crossing over and independent assortment) are explored and students will be given a mathematical formula to use to calculate the number of chromosome combinations in gametes and in the resulting zygote. The final part of the lesson looks at chlorosis and how an environmental factor can prevent the express of a gene.
This lesson describes the roles of the hypothalamus, posterior pituitary, ADH and collecting ducts in osmoregulation. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover the content of point (8) of topic 14.1 of CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025-27).
Students covered the principles of homeostasis and negative feedback in the first lesson in this topic, so this lesson acts to build on that knowledge and challenges them to apply their knowledge. A wide range of activities have been included in the lesson to maintain motivation and engagement whilst the understanding and prior knowledge checks will allow the students to assess their progress as well as challenge themselves to make links to other Biology topics.
The lesson begins with a discussion about how the percentage of water in urine can and will change depending on the blood water potential. Students will quickly be introduced to osmoregulation and they will learn that the osmoreceptors and the osmoregulatory centre are found in the hypothalamus. A considerable amount of time is taken to study the cell signalling between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary gland by looking at the specialised neurones (neurosecretory cells). Links are made to the topics of neurones, nerve impulses and synapses and the students are challenged to recall the cell body, axon and vesicles. The main section of the lesson forms a detailed description of the body’s detection and response to a low blood water potential. The students are guided through this section as they are given 2 or 3 options for each stage and they have to use their knowledge to select the correct statement. The final task asks the students to write a detailed description for the opposite stimulus and this task is differentiated so those who need extra assistance can still access the work.
This lesson describes and explains how production is affected by a range of farming practices designed to increase the efficiency of energy transfer. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the third lesson in a series of 3 which have been designed to cover the detail included in specification point 5.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
Over the course of the lesson, a range of tasks which include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes, guided discussion periods and quick quiz competitions will introduce and consider the following farming practices:
raising herbivores to reduce the number of trophic levels in a food chain
intensely rearing animals to reduce respiratory losses in human food chains
the use of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides
the addition of artificial fertilisers
The ethical issues raised by these practices are also considered and alternative methods discussed such as the addition of natural predators and the use of organic fertilisers like manure
As this is the last lesson in topic 5.3, it has been specifically planned to challenge the students on their knowledge of the previous two lessons and this includes a series of questions linking farming practice to the formula to calculate net production
Every one of the lessons included in this bundle is detailed, engaging and fully-resourced, and has been written to cover the content as detailed in topic 4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The wide range of activities will maintain engagement whilst supporting the explanations of the content to allow the students to build a deep understanding of genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms.
The following 18 lessons covering the 7 sub-topics are included in this bundle:
4.1: DNA, genes and chromosomes
DNA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Genes
4.2: DNA and protein synthesis
Genome, proteome and the structure of RNA
Transcription and splicing
Translation
4.3: Genetic diversity can arise as a result of mutation or during meiosis
The genetic code
Gene mutations
Chromosome mutations
Meiosis
4.4: Genetic diversity and adaptation
Genetic diversity
Natural selection
Directional and stabilising selection
Adaptations
4.5: Species and taxonomy
Species and taxonomy
4.6: Biodiversity within a community
Biodiversity within a community
Calculating an index of diversity
The balance between conservation and farming
4.7: Investigating diversity
Investigating diversity
Interpreting mean values and the standard deviation
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the DNA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, structure of RNA, gene mutations, natural selection and standard deviation lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This bundle of 8 revision lessons have been designed to include a range of exam questions (with explained answers), differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification content.
The 8 topics that are covered in the specification are included in this bundle and are:
Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk
Topic 2: Genes and Health
Topic 3: Voice of the Genome
Topic 4: Biodiversity and natural resources
Topic 5: On the wild side
Topic 6: Infection, immunity and forensics
Topic 7: Run for your life
Topic 8: Grey matter
Students will enjoy the range of activities, which provide a much needed alternative to their other revision methods, and these lessons can be used throughout the duration of the course, as an end of topic revision lesson or in the lead up to mocks or the actual A-level terminal exams
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 6 (Immunity, infection and forensics) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification.
The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include:
Know how DNA profiling is used for identification and determining genetic relationships
Know how DNA can be amplified using the PCR
Know the structure of a virus
Understand how HIV infects human cells, causing a sequence of symptoms that may result in death
Understand the non-specific responses of the body to infection
Understand the roles of antigens and antibodies in the body’s immune response
Understand the differences between the roles of B cells and T cells
Understand how one gene can give rise to more than one protein through post-transcriptional changes
Understand the difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics
Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds such as “FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS” and “Make sure you are very SPECIFIC” 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 a detailed, engaging and fully-resourced REVISION LESSON which allows students of all abilities to assess their understanding of the content in topic 6 (Nucleic acids and protein synthesis) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. Considerable time has been taken to design the lesson to include a wide range of activities to motivate the students whilst they evaluate their knowledge of DNA, RNA and the roles of these nucleic acids in DNA replication and protein synthesis. Most of the tasks have been differentiated so that students of differing abilities can access the work and move forward as a result of the tasks at hand.
This lesson has been planned to cover as much of the specification as possible but the following sub-topics have received particular attention:
The structure of DNA
Phosphorylated nucleotides
DNA replication
Transcription and translation
Gene mutations and their affect on the primary structure of a polypeptide
The structure of RNA
In addition to a focus on the current topic, links are made throughout the lesson to other topics such as the journey of an extracellular protein following translation and the cell cycle.
If you like the quality of this revision lesson, please look at the other uploaded revision lessons for this specification
This lesson has been designed to cover the detail of specification point 4.5.3.2 of the AQA GCSE Combined Science FOUNDATION TIER which states that students should be able to describe how the body detects and responds to an increase in blood glucose concentration. A considerable amount of time has been taken in the planning to ensure that the wide range of activities engages and motivates the students but that the key details are covered and understanding is checked and checked again.
The start of the lesson uses a range of prior knowledge checks and quiz competitions to answer the questions of what actually is glucose and why is it so important that the levels in the blood are controlled. Students are then introduced to glycogen and the fact that this carbohydrate can be stored is reiterated so that they can recognise how glucose must be converted into this substance to lower the blood concentration. Again, a quiz round is used to get them to recall that the pancreas will be the receptor and the liver will act as the effector. The main task of the lesson involves the formation of a bullet point answer where students are challenged to use the information from earlier in the lesson to complete this description.
Normally the first topic to be taught in the second year of the AQA A-level Biology course, topic 5 contains some very important biological processes which include photosynthesis, respiration and energy transfer between organisms. All 17 lessons included in this bundle are highly detailed and have been planned at length to ensure that students remain motivated and engaged whilst being constantly challenged on their current understanding. Links to previously-covered topics are also made throughout the lessons.
The following specification points are covered in these lessons:
TOPIC 5.1
The light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis
The use of reduced NADP and ATP from the light-dependent reaction in the light-independent reaction
The light-independent reaction of photosynthesis
Environmental factors that limit the rate of photosynthesis
TOPIC 5.2
Respiration produces ATP
Glycolysis as the first stage of aerobic and anaerobic respiration
The conversion of pyruvate to lactate or ethanol in the anaerobic pathways
The link reaction and the Krebs cycle
Synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation
Other respiratory substrates
TOPIC 5.3
Gross primary production and net primary production
The net production of consumers
Farming practices designed to increase the efficiency of energy transfer
TOPIC 5.4
The role of microorganisms in the nitrogen cycle
The phosphorus cycle, including the role of saprobionts and mycorrrhizae
The use of artificial and natural fertilisers
The environmental issues arising from the use of fertilisers including leaching and eutrophication.
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the chloroplast structure, anaerobic respiration, oxidative phosphorylation, GPP and phosphorus cycle lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This bundle contains 20 fully-resourced and detailed lessons that have been designed to cover the content of topic 6 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which concerns the responses of organisms to stimuli. The wide range of activities included in each lesson will engage the students whilst the detailed content is covered and the understanding and prior knowledge checks allow them to assess their progress on the current topic as well as challenging them to make links to other related topics. Many of the tasks are differentiated to allow differing abilities to access the work and be challenged.
The following sub-topics are covered in this bundle of lessons:
Survival and response in flowering plants
The protective effect of a simple reflex
The role of sensory receptors as outlined by the Pacinian corpuscle
The human retina as a sensory receptor
The differences in rods and cones that enable different sensitivity to light, colour and visual acuity
The roles of the SAN, AVN, Bundle of His and Purkyne fibres in the conduction system of the heart
The control of heart rate
The structure of a myelinated motor neurone
The factors that affect the speed of conduction of an impulse
The generation and transmission of nerve impulses
The transmission at a cholinergic synapse and a neuromuscular junction
Summation
The contraction of skeletal muscles
The structure and properties of slow and fast skeletal muscle fibres
The principles of homeostasis including negative feedback systems
The control of blood glucose concentration by the controlled release of insulin and glucagon
The causes and control of diabetes type I and II
The gross structure of the kidney
The detailed structure of the nephron
The production of glomerular filtrate
The reabsorption of glucose and water in the PCT
Maintaining a gradient of sodium ions in the medulla by the loop of Henle
The role of the hypothalamus, posterior pituitary and ADH in osmoregulation
This is one of the 8 topics which have to be covered over the length of the 2 year course and therefore it is expected that the teaching time for this bundle will be in excess of 2 months
If you want to see the quality of the lessons before purchasing then the lessons on responses in flowering plants, saltatory conduction, the contraction of skeletal muscles and ultrafiltration are free resources to download
This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson that consists of an engaging PowerPoint (142 slides) and associated worksheets that challenge the students on their knowledge of topics B1 - B3 (Cell-level systems, Scaling up and Organism-level systems) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science 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 which could be assessed on paper 1, 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
Surface area to volume ratio
Arteries and veins
Reflexes
Hormones
IVF
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 lesson describes the importance of the cytoskeleton, and focuses on the role of these proteins in the transport within cells and cell movement. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 2.1.1 (j) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and has been specifically designed to tie in with
The previous lesson covered the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the function of the different cellular components and this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge to show how the cytoskeleton allows for the movement of these organelles from one part of the cell to another. In particular, the students will recognise how the dragging movement of the motor proteins along the microtubule track is important for the proteins produced at the RER to move to the Golgi before the vesicles are then moved to the membrane for exocytosis. In this way, this lesson also covers specification point 2.1.1 (i). Other examples such as the movement of the synaptic vesicles and the contraction of the spindle fibres during anaphase are used to consolidate understanding further. The cilia and the flagellum are also described and links are made to related topics such as the primary non-specific defences against pathogens.
In order to engage and motivate the students during the 7 lessons in this module, a running quiz competition has been written into each of the lessons and 3 rounds are incorporated into this lesson. A quiz scoresheet to keep track of the points is included in this resource.
This detailed lesson describes the structure of the mammalian kidney and the nephron. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover specification point [c] in topic 7 of A2 unit 3 of the WJEC A-level Biology specification. The lesson has been planned to tie in with the other lessons in topic 7 on reabsorption in the proximal tubule and the role of the ADH in the homeostatic balance of blood water potential 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.
Please note that there are no electron micrographs of the kidney in this lesson.
This lesson describes how to calculate the mean and standard deviation of collected data and describes how these values may be interpreted. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are part of the second lesson in a series of 2 lessons which have been designed to cover point 4.7 (Investigating diversity) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. It is important to note that the students will not be required to calculate the standard deviation in written papers but that they do need to understand how these values are obtained and what they could indicate.
The lesson begins with an introduction of the standard deviation as a measure of the spread around the mean. The students will learn that interpreting the data is a critical requirement of this A-level course and this initial portion of the lesson considers how the spread of the data around the mean can lead to differing suggestions about reliability. A step by step guide walks the students through each stage of the calculation of the standard deviation, which includes the calculation of the mean, and they will complete a worked example with the class. A quick quiz round introduces the values of 68 and 95 in a fun way to encourage the students to remember that if the focus of the data shows a normal distribution, 68% of the observations are within +/- one standard deviation and 95% are within 2 standard deviations. The final task challenges the students to apply their knowledge to data about the birth weights of humans at a UK hospital on one day in 2020.
This lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the polysaccharides, starch and cellulose. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 4.3 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes a focus on the role of the hydrogen bonds between the beta-glucose molecules in the formation of cellulose microfibrils.
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 fully-resourced lesson describes the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the role of the RER and Golgi apparatus in protein transport. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying exam-question worksheets (which are all differentiated) have been primarily designed to cover point 3.2 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification but also covers 3.1 which states that students should know that living organisms are made of cells, sharing some common features
As cells are the building blocks of living organisms, it makes sense that they would be heavily involved in all of the 8 topics in the Edexcel course and intricate planning has ensured that these links to previously covered topics as well as upcoming ones are made throughout the lesson. A wide range of activities, that include exam-style questions, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions, will maintain motivation and engagement whilst covering the finer details of the following structures:
nucleus
nucleolus
centrioles
ribosomes
rough endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi apparatus
lysosomes
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
mitochondria
cell surface membrane
As mentioned above, all of the worksheets have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities whilst maintaining challenge
Due to the detail that is included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to go through all of the tasks
