This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content found within Topic 3 (Voice of the Genome) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification. The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include: Know the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells Understand the role of the rER and the Golgi apparatus in protein transport within cells Know the ultrastructure of prokaryotic cells Be able to recognise the organelles of eukaryotic cells from EM images Know that a locus is the location of a gene on a chromosome Understand the linkage of genes on a chromosome and sex linkage Understand the role of meiosis in ensuring genetic variation Understand the role of mitosis and the cell cycle in producing identical daughter cells Understand how gene expression is controlled Understand how phenotype is the result of an interaction between genotype and the environment Know how some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles as well as the environment and how this shows continuous variation Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds such as “Is your knowledge of the Lac Operon LACKING” and “Can I have a P please Bob” 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 fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the higher tier content of specification points 7.13 & 7.14 (Control of blood glucose concentration) as found in topic 7 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. This resource contains an engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets, some of which have been differentiated so that students of different abilities can access the work. The resource is filled with a wide range of activities, each of which has been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst ensuring that the key Biological content is covered in detail. The students will learn how blood glucose concentration is controlled by insulin and glucagon secretion and some time is taken to look at diabetes type I and II to make the link. Understanding checks are included throughout so that the students can assess their grasp of the content. In addition, previous knowledge checks make links to content from earlier topics such as the endocrine system and literacy checks ensure that the students can spell and recognise the key words, which is extremely important considering how many terms begin with the letter g in this homeostatic control system. As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology or Combined Science courses, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the homeostatic control in more detail

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the series of small steps that form the Krebs cycle and focuses on the reactions which involve decarboxylation and dehydrogenation and the reduction of NAD and FAD. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have both been designed to cover points 12.2 (d) and (e) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins with a version of the Impossible game where students have to spot the connection between 8 of the 9 terms and will ultimately learn that this next stage is called the Krebs cycle. The main part of the lesson challenges the students to use descriptions of the main steps of the cycle to continue their diagram of the reactions. Students are continually exposed to key terminology such as decarboxylation and dehydrogenation and they will learn where carbon dioxide is lost and reduced NAD and FAD are generated. They will also recognise that ATP is synthesised by substrate level phosphorylation. The final task challenges them to apply their knowledge of the cycle to work out the numbers of the different products and to calculate the number of ATP that must be produced in the next stage This lesson has been designed to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis, the Link reaction and oxidative phosphorylation.

This lesson describes the mechanisms of ventilation and gas exchange in insects. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are the part of the second lesson in a series of 2 lessons which have been designed to cover the details that are set out in point 3.1.1 (f) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. The first lesson in this series describes ventilation and gas exchange in bony fish In the previous lesson, the students were introduced to the different circulatory systems of mammals and bony fish and this knowledge is checked upon at the start of this lesson. This is relevant because the open circulatory system of an insect explains how oxygen is not transported in the blood but instead is absorbed from the body fluid that bathes the tissues. The next part of the lesson describes the structure of the spiracles, tracheae and tracheoles in the tracheal system and explains how this system is responsible for the delivery of oxygen to the open end of the tracheole for gas exchange with this fluid. As the tracheae are supported by chitin, which is similar in structure and function to cellulose and keratin respectively, a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge the students on their knowledge of those polymers from module 2.1.2 (biological molecules). As always, the mark scheme is embedded in the powerpoint so students can assess their understanding and progress. The final part of the lesson describes how squeezing of the tracheoles by the flight muscles and the changes in the volume of the thorax as a result of the movement of the wings are similar to mechanisms observed in mammals.

This engaging lesson explains why viruses are described as acellular and non-living and describes the structures of virus particles. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the second part of specification point 2.1.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also includes details of HIV so that students are prepared for this lesson later in topic 2. 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 the lack of cell structures results in an acellular 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 uses a version of BBC 1’s POINTLESS to introduce a number of viral diseases in animals and the use of a glycoprotein by HIV to attach to helper T cells is briefly introduced.

This engaging lesson uses the example of resistant bacteria to describe the principles of natural selection in the evolution of populations. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of specification point 4.4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also introduces adaptations so that students are prepared for this topic in the upcoming lessons. President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description that explains how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin to enable them to see the principles of natural selection. This can then be used when describing how the anatomy of the modern-day giraffe has evolved over time. The final part of the lesson introduces adaptations and convergent evolution and also links to the need for modern classification techniques.

This lesson describes the nature of the genetic code as near universal, non-overlapping and degenerate and relates this to the triplet code. The engaging lesson PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 2.11 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and clear links are made to protein synthesis and gene mutations which students will meet in the next lot of lessons. At the start of the lesson, the students are challenged to use their knowledge of the bases in DNA and RNA to complete a definition which describes the genetic code as being near universal, non-overlapping and degenerate. Time is taken to explain how three bases on DNA (a triplet) and three bases on mRNA (a codon) encode for a single amino acid or a stop codon and this is the triplet code. 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 the lesson covering point 2.14

This detailed lesson looks at the structural organisation of the mammalian nervous system into the CNS and the PNS as detailed in point 5.1.5 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. Students will see how the PNS is divided into the sensory and motor systems and then further divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson to make links to earlier topics such as the structure of neurones and the function of the hypothalamus in thermoregulation and osmoregulation. This lesson has been designed to tie in with the uploaded lesson on the autonomic nervous system which is also covered in specification point 5.1.5 (g)

This fully-resourced lesson explains how a combination of hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure results in the formation of tissue fluid in animals. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the final part of point 3.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification The lesson begins with an introduction to the arteriole and venule end of a capillary as these will need to be considered as separate entities when describing the formation of tissue fluid. A quick quiz competition introduces a value for the hydrostatic pressure at the arteriole end and students are challenged to first predict some parts of the blood will move out of the capillary as a result of the push from the hydrostatic pressure and this allows oncotic pressure to be initially explored. The main part of the lesson uses a step by step guide to describe how the net movement is outwards at the arteriole end before students will use this guidance to describe what happens at the venule end. In the concluding part of the lesson, students will come to recognise oedema as a condition where tissue fluid accumulates and they again are challenged to explain how this occurs before they finally learn how the fluid is returned to the circulatory system as lymph.

This fully-resourced REVISION LESSON is detailed and engaging and covers the content of topic 18 (Biodiversity, classification and conservation) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. This topic is often viewed as less interesting than other topics by the students but is well represented in the exams in terms of questions and so a lot of time has gone into the design to include a wide range of activities which will allow them to assess their knowledge whilst remaining motivated. All of the exam questions have full answers so students can identify any missed marks and most of the tasks are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and remain challenged. The lesson was planned to cover as much of the specification as possible but the following sub-topics have received particular attention: The biological classification of a species Using Simpsons Index of diversity to calculate the biodiversity of the habitat The reasons to maintain biodiversity Methods of protecting endangered species The use of assisted reproduction in conservation Different methods of sampling The taxonomic hierarchy The characteristic features of the domains and kingdoms Links to the other topics of the specification are made throughout the lesson and there is also a mathematical focus to ensure that the students are comfortable when presented with the numerical challenges Due to the extensiveness of this resource, it is likely to take at least 2 lessons to cover all of the activities

This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at the myogenic nature of cardiac muscle and explores the roles of the SAN, AVN and Purkyne tissue (bundle of His) in the initiation and control of heart action. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.1.2 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. The lesson begins with the introduction of the SAN as the natural pacemaker and then time is given to study each step of the conduction of the impulse as it spreads away from the myogenic tissue in a wave of excitation. The lesson has been written to make clear links to the cardiac cycle and the structure of the heart and students are challenged on their knowledge of this system from topic 3.1.2. Moving forwards, students are encouraged to consider why a delay would occur at the AVN and then they will learn that the impulse is conducted along the Bundle of His to the apex so that the contraction of the ventricles can happen from the bottom upwards. The structure of the cardiac muscle cells is discussed and the final task of the lesson challenges the students to describe the conducting tissue, with an emphasis on the use of key terminology Due to the detailed nature of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take about 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail

This fully-resourced lesson describes the roles of enzymes in catalysing both intracellular and extracellular reactions and the mechanism of enzyme action. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.4 (a, b & c) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes descriptions of Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis and Koshland’s induced-fit model as well as a focus on catalase and the digestive enzymes as intracellular and extracellular enzymes respectively. The lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with module 2.1.2 where protein structure and globular proteins were covered. 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 final part of the lesson focuses on intracellular and extracellular enzymes. The students are challenged on their recall of the roles of DNA helicase and polymerase in DNA replication before they are challenged on their ability to apply their knowledge and understanding to an unfamiliar situation with questions about catalase and its role in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The lesson concludes with one further set of exam-style questions that challenge their knowledge of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from module 2.1.3 as they have to recognise some extracellular digestive enzymes from descriptions of their substrates.

This lesson covers the biological classification of a species, taxonomic hierarchy and the binomial system of naming species. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 4.2.2 (a) & (b) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of these three topics. The lesson begins by looking at the meaning of the term population in Biology so that the term species can be introduced. A hinny, which is the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, is used to explain how these two organisms must be members of different species because they are unable to produce fertile offspring. Moving forwards, students will learn that species is the lowest taxon in the modern-day classification hierarchy. The first of a number of rounds of a competition is used to engage the students whilst they learn the names of the 7 other taxa and the horse and the donkey from the earlier example are used to complete the hierarchy. Students will understand that the binomial naming system was introduced by Carl Linnaeus to provide a universal name for each species and they will be challenged to apply their knowledge by completing a hierarchy for a modern-day human, by spotting the correct name for an unfamiliar organism and finally by suggesting advantages of this system.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the differences between resolution and magnification, with reference to light and electron microscopy and the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of point 1.1 (d) of the CIE A-level Biology specification. To promote engagement and focus throughout these 3 lessons in topic 1.1 (The microscope in cell studies), the PowerPoint includes an ongoing quiz competition and a score sheet is found within the resources to keep track of the cumulative scores. The quiz rounds found in this lesson will introduce the objective lens powers, the names of the parts of a light microscope and emphasise some of the other key terms such as resolution. The final round checks on their understanding of the different numbers that were mentioned in the lesson, namely the differing maximum magnifications and resolutions. Time is taken to explain the meaning of both of these microscopic terms so that students will understand their importance when looking at the cell structures in topic 1.2. By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to explain how a light microscope uses light to form an image and will understand how electrons transmitted through a specimen or across the surface will form an image with a TEM or a SEM respectively. As detailed above, this lesson has been written to tie in with the previous lesson on measuring cells and units as well as the next lesson on calculating actual size.

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 describes the detailed structure of a skeletal muscle fibre and the structural and physiological differences between fast and slow twitch fibres. The engaging PowerPoint and acccompanying resources have been designed to cover points 7.10 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification. The start of the lesson uses an identification key to emphasise that skeletal muscle differs from cardiac and smooth muscle due to its voluntary nature. It is important that key terminology is recognised so once myology has been revealed as the study of muscles, key structural terms like myofibril, myofilament and myosin can be introduced. Moving forwards, students will be shown the striated appearance of this muscle so they can recognise that some areas appear dark where both myofilaments are found and others as light as they only contain actin or myosin. A quiz competition is used to introduce the A band, I band and H zone and students then have to use the information given to label a diagram of the myofibril. This part of the lesson has been specifically planned to prepare the students for the upcoming lesson which describes the contraction of skeletal muscles by the sliding filament mechanism The rest of the lesson focuses on the structural and physiological differences between fast and slow twitch fibres and the following characteristics are covered: Reliance on the aerobic or anaerobic pathways to generate ATP Resistance to fatigue mitochondrial density capillary density myoglobin content (and colour) fibre diameter phosphocreatine content glycogen content A wide variety of tasks are used to cover this content and include knowledge recall and application of knowledge exam-style questions with fully-displayed mark schemes as well as quick quiz competitions to maintain motivation and engagement.

This detailed lesson explains how the process of transcription results in the production of the single-stranded nucleic acid, mRNA. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to specifically cover the third part of point 2.1.3 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification but also provides important information that students can use when being introduced to splicing and gene expression in module 6. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise 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 template 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. So that they are prepared for module 6, students will learn that the RNA strand formed at the end of transcription in eukaryotes is a primary transcript called pre-mRNA and then the details of splicing are explained. 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 challenge all abilities whilst ensuring that the most important details are fully explained.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the stages of meiosis and specifically the events which contribute to genetic variation. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 2.3 (iv) & (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes description of crossing over, independent assortment and the production of haploid gametes In order to understand how the events of meiosis like crossing over and random 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 segregation of chromosomes and chromatids during anaphase I and II results in genetically different gametes. 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 questions which challenge the students to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations.

This fully-resourced lesson covers the content of specification points 15.1 (g and h) of the CIE international A-level Biology specification that states that students should be able to describe the structure of a cholinergic synapse and outline their roles in the nervous system. The majority of the lesson uses the cholinergic synapse as the example but other neurotransmitters are considered at the end of the lesson to provide the students with a wider view of this topic. The lesson begins by using a version of the WALL (as shown in the cover image) which asks the students to group 12 words into three groups of 4. Not only will this challenge their prior knowledge from topics earlier in this module but it will also lead to the discovery of four of the structures that are found in a synapse. Moving forwards, students are introduced to acetylcholine as the neurotransmitter involved at cholinergic synapses and they will start to add labels to the structures found in the pre-synaptic bulb. Time is taken to focus on certain structures such as the voltage gated channels as these types of channel were met previously when looking at the depolarisation of a neurone. There is plenty of challenge and discovery as students are pushed to explain why organelles like mitochondria would be found in large numbers in the bulb. With this process being a cascade of events, a bullet point format is used to ensure that the key content is taken in by the students and again key points like exocytosis and the action of acetylcholinesterase are discussed further. The final part of the lesson challenges the application aspect of the subject as students are introduced to unfamiliar situations in terms of synapses with new drugs like MDMA and are asked to work out and explain how these affect the nervous transmission. Understanding checks and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can not only assess their progress against the current topic but also see whether they can make links to earlier topics. This lesson has been designed for students studying the CIE International A-level Biology course and ties in with the other uploaded lessons on the topics of 15.1 (Control and coordination in mammals)

This fully-resourced lesson has been written to cover the content of point 3.18 (sex-linked genetic disorders) as detailed in the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. This resource consists of an engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet, which has been differentiated two ways so students who find the tasks difficult are given assistance to result in good outcomes. The lesson builds on the knowledge from earlier in the topic on monohybrid inheritance and sex determination to show students how to draw genetic diagrams to calculate offspring outcomes when the gene is carried on the sex chromosomes. Step by step guides are used to demonstrate how to write the genotypes and gametes in these disorders by including the sex chromosomes to show gender. The lesson focuses on red-green colour blindness and haemophilia and builds up to questions on a pedigree tree to challenge the students to apply their new knowledge. This lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology course but is suitable for A-level students who are looking at these types of genetic disorders.