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.
This lesson describes how the sensory receptors of the nervous system detect stimuli by transducing different forms of energy into electrical energy. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the content of the 1st part of specification point 8.5 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and acts as an introduction to the next lesson where the roles of the rod cells in the retina is described.
The lesson begins by using a quiz to get the students to recognise the range of stimuli which can be detected by receptors. This leads into a task where the students have to form 4 sentences to detail the stimuli which are detected by certain receptors and the energy conversion that happen as a result. Students will be introduced to the idea of a transducer and learn that receptors always convert to electrical energy which is the generator potential. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the Pacinian corpuscle and how this responds to pressure on the skin, resulting in the opening of the sodium channels and the flow of sodium ions into the neurone to cause depolarisation.
This bundle contains 13 detailed lesson PowerPoints, which together with their accompanying resources, have been planned to include a wide variety of tasks that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the content of topic 3 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification. The voice of the genome topic content includes key biological concepts such as eukaryotic cells, cell division and genetics and the following specification points are covered by these lessons:
All living organisms are made of cells, sharing common features
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the role of the organelles
The role of the rER and the Golgi body in protein transport
The relationship between the features of the mammalian gametes and their functions
The loci is the location of a gene on a chromosome
The linkage of genes on a chromosome and sex linkage
The role of meiosis in ensuring genetic variation
The role of mitosis and the cell cycle
The meaning of the terms stem cell, pluripotency and totipotency
The decisions about the use of stem cells in medical therapies
The specialisation of cells through differential gene expression
Understand how the cells of multicellular organisms are organised into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into systems
Phenotype is the interaction between genotype and the environment
Epigenetic changes can modify the activation of certain genes
Some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles for the same gene at many loci as well as the environment and this gives rise to continuous variation
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, mitosis and the cell cycle and gene expression lessons as these have been uploaded for free
These 4 lessons cover the content of topic 5.2 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification - The human nervous system. Each of the lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources have been designed to contain a wide range of tasks which will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the GCSE content. There are also lots of understanding checks so students can check on their current understanding as well as prior knowledge checks where they are challenged to make links to previously-covered topics.
This bundle contains 12 lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources, and all of them have been planned at length to cover the GCSE content of topic 5 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification, whilst engaging and motivating the students with a wide range of tasks. These tasks include exam-style questions with answers included in the PowerPoint, guided discussion points and quick quiz rounds which are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way whilst instilling some competition
The following Homeostasis and response specification points are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
Homeostasis*
Structure and function of the human nervous system
The brain
The eye
Control of body temperature
Human endocrine system
Control of blood glucose concentration
Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body*
Hormones in human reproduction
Contraception*
The use of hormones to treat infertility
Negative feedback
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the lessons indicated with an asterisk as they have been uploaded for free
This fully-resourced lesson describes the major routes that pathogens take when entering the body and the body’s barriers to this infection. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 6.7 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes descriptions of the following barriers:
skin
the blood clotting process
mucous membranes
stomach acid
vaginal acid and flora
skin and gut flora
wax in the ear canal
There are clear links to topics 1, 2 and 3 in each of these barriers, so these are considered and discussed during each of 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, key terminology and the epithelium that lines the different parts of the airways.
All of the exam-style questions have mark schemes that are embedded into the PowerPoint and a number of the tasks have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work.
This lesson describes the processes that take place during interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis and outlines how checkpoints regulate the cell cycle. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (a & b) of the OCR A-level Biology specification and prepares the students for the upcoming lessons on the main stages of mitosis and its significance in life cycles
The students were introduced to the cell cycle at GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to emphasise that the M phase which includes mitosis (nuclear division) only occupies a small part of the cycle. The students will learn that interphase is the main stage and that this is split into three phases, G1, S and G2. A range of tasks which include exam-style questions, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values and to describe the main processes that occur in a very specific order. There is also a focus on the checkpoints, such as the restriction point that occurs before the S phase to ensure that the cell is ready for DNA replication. Extra time is taken to ensure that key terminology is included and understood, such as sister chromatid and centromere, and this focus helps to show how it is possible for genetically identical daughter cells to be formed at the end of the cycle. Important details of mitosis are introduced so students are ready for the next lesson, before the differences in cytokinesis in animal and plant cells are described.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the main stages of mitosis and explains the significance of this type of nuclear division in life cycles. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (c & e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and make direct links to the previous lesson which covered the cell cycle
Depending upon the exam board taken at GCSE, 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.
The three lessons included in this bundle describe the key events of the mitotic and meiotic cell cycles and cover the following points as detailed in topics 5 and 16 of the CIE A-level Biology specification:
Topic 5: The mitotic cell cycle
Explain the importance of mitosis in the production of genetically identical cells, growth, cell replacement, repair of tissues and asexual reproduction
Outline the cell cycle, including interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis
The behaviour of chromosomes in plant and animal cells during the mitotic cell cycle
Topic 16: Inherited change
Explain what is meant by a pair of homologous chromosomes
The behaviour of chromosomes in plant and animal cells during meiosis
Explain how crossing over and random assortment of homologous chromosomes during meiosis and random fusion of gametes at fertilisation lead to genetic variation
Each lesson is fully-resourced and the wide range of tasks found in the PowerPoint and the accompanying resources will check on current understanding and prior knowledge and engage the students with guided discussion points and quiz competitions.
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis lesson as this has been uploaded for free
Meiosis, genetic inheritance and the control of gene expression are some of the harder topics on this A-level Biology course and all three are covered in topic 16 (Inherited change) of the CIE A-level Biology specification. The 10 lessons included in this bundle have been planned at length and contain a wide range of tasks that cover the detailed content whilst checking on understanding and key terms and values are introduced through engaging quiz competitions.
The following topic 16 specification points are covered by these lessons:
Topic 16.1
The meaning of a homologous pair of chromosomes
The behaviour of chromosomes in animal and plant cells during meiosis
Genetic variation is caused by crossing over, random assortment and the random fusion of gametes at fertilisation
Topic 16.2
The meaning of key genetic terms
Using genetic diagrams to solve problems involving mohohybrid and dihybrid crosses, including those involving autosomal linkage, sex linkage, codominance, multiple alleles and gene interactions
Use the chi-squared test to test the significance of differences between observed and expected results
Gene mutations occur by substitution, deletion and insertion and may affect the phenotype
Topic 16.3
The genetic control of protein production in a prokaryote as shown by the lac operon
The function of transcription factors in gene expression in eukaryotes
Gibberellins and DELLA protein repressors
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the autosomal linkage and chi-squared test lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This lesson bundle has been formed from the 13 detailed lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources that have been uploaded to cover a lot of the content in modules 2.1.4, 2.1.5 and 2.1.6 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
Each lesson contains a wide range of tasks, which include exam-style questions (with mark schemes), guided discussion points, and quick quiz competitions, that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points:
Module 2.1.4: Enzymes
The role of enzymes in catalysing reactions that affect metabolism at a cellular and whole organism level
The role of enzymes in catalysing both intracellular and extracellular reactions
The mechanism of enzyme action
The effect of pH on enzyme activity
The effect of temperature on enzyme activity
The calculation of the temperature coefficient
The effect of enzyme and substrate concentration on enzyme activity
The need for coenzymes, cofactors and prosthetic groups in some enzyme-controlled reactions
Module 2.1.5: Biological membranes
The fluid mosaic model of membrane structure and the roles of its components
Simple and facilitated diffusion as forms of passive transport
Active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis as processes requiring ATP as an immediate source of energy
The movement of water across membranes by osmosis and the effects that solutions of different water potential can have on plant and animal cells
Module 2.1.6: Cell division, cell diversity and cellular organisation
The cell cycle
How the cell cycle is regulated
The main stages of mitosis
The significance of mitosis in life cycles
The significance of meiosis in life cycles
The main stages of meiosis
How cells of multicellular organisms are specialised for particular functions
The organisation of cells into tissues, organs and organ systems
The production of erythrocytes and neutrophils from stem cells in bone marrow
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free:
The roles of enzymes and mechanism of action
Simple and facilitated diffusion
Cell specialisation and organisation
This lesson describes how the critical evaluation of new data by the scientific community leads to new taxonomic groupings, like the three domains of life. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.6 (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and focuses on the introduction of the three-domain system following Carl Woese’s detailed study of the ribosomal RNA gene.
The lesson begins with an introduction of Woese and goes on to describe how he is most famous for his definition of the Archaea as a new domain of life. Students were introduced to domains and the other classification taxa in a previous lesson, so their recall of this knowledge is continually tested and built upon as details are added. Students will discover the key differences between Archaea and Bacteria that led to the splitting of the prokaryotae kingdom and the addition of this higher classification rank. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson describes how molecular phylogeny uses other molecules and that these are compared between species for classification purposes. One of these is a protein called cytochrome which is involved in respiration and can be compared in terms of primary structure to determine relationships. At this point in the lesson, the students are also tested on their knowledge of the nature of the genetic code (as covered in topic 2) and have to explain how mutations to DNA can also be used for comparative purposes.
Classification and evolution is a topic that students can find difficult, which may be for a number of reasons that include a lack of engagement during lessons or because these topics are taught quickly as exams approach at the end of year 12. However, a clear understanding is critical, as assessment questions on the content of this module are common and are often worth a significant number of marks. In line with this, the planning of each of the 7 lessons in this bundle has focused on the inclusion of a wide range of tasks that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following points as detailed in module 4.2.2 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification:
The biological classification of species
The taxonomic hierarchy
The binomial system of naming species and the advantages of such a system
The features used to classify organisms into the five kingdoms
The evidence that has led to new classification systems, such as the three domains of life
The different types of variation
Using standard deviation to measure the spread of a set of data
Using the Student’s t-test to compare means of data values of two populations
Using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to consider the relationship of the data
The different types of adaptations of organisms to their environment
The mechanism by which natural selection can affect the characteristics of a population over time
How evolution in some species has implications for human populations
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons as these have been uploaded for free:
Taxonomic hierarchy and the binomial naming system
Adaptations & natural selection
This lesson describes the classification system, focusing on the biological classification of a species and the 7 taxa found above this lowest taxon. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 4.6 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and also describes the binomial naming system which uses the genus and species. The lesson also contains links to upcoming lessons where molecular phylogeny is described and the three-domain system is covered in greater detail with a focus on the results of Carl Woese’s rRNA study
The lesson begins by looking at the meaning of a 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 classification is a means of organising the variety of life based on relationships between organisms using differences and similarities in phenotypes and in genotypes and is built around the species concept and that in the modern-day classification hierarchy, species is the lowest taxon. A quiz runs throughout the lesson and this particular round will engage the students whilst they learn (or recall) the names of the other 7 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 lesson explains that biodiversity is considered at three levels and describes how the Simpson’s Index of Diversity is used to calculate the biodiversity within a habitat. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 18.1 (a, b & f) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also covers the meaning of ecosystems and niche as well as some other important ecological terms that are related such as abiotic factors and population.
A quiz competition called BIOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY SNAP runs throughout the lesson and has been included to engage the students whilst challenging them to recognise key terms from their definitions. This quiz will introduce species, ecosystems, biodiversity, endemic, heterozygote, distribution and natural selection and each of these terms is put into context once introduced. A series of exam-style questions to challenge the students to explain how the distribution of fish is affected by abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Once biodiversity is revealed through the quiz competition, the students will learn that they need to consider biodiversity within a habitat, within a species and within different habitats so that they can be compared. The rest of the lesson uses step by step guides, discussion points and selected tasks to demonstrate how to determine species richness and the Simpson’s index of diversity. The heterozygosity index is also introduced as a means to consider genetic variation. Students are challenged with a range of exam-style questions where they have to apply their knowledge and all mark schemes are displayed and clearly explained within the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their understanding and address any misconceptions if they arise
This is a detailed lesson with a lot of tasks (some of which are differentiated), so it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover all of the content
This lesson bundle contains 3 lessons which have been intricately planned to build on the knowledge acquired in the previous lesson and in earlier topics of the course to allow students to gain a deep understanding of classification. The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which will engage and motivate the students whilst all of the content of topic 18.2 of the CIE A-level Biology specification is covered as detailed below:
Describe the classification of species into the taxonomic hierarchy of domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
The characteristic features of the three domains
The characteristic features of the kingdoms
The classification of viruses, separate to the three-domain model of classification of cellular organisms
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the “features of the kingdoms” lesson as this has been shared for free
This lesson describes the characteristic features of the three domains and explains why viruses are not included in this classification. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover points 18.2 (b) & 18.2 (d) of the CIE A-level Biology specification but also contains tasks that challenge the students on their knowledge of taxonomic hierarchy from this topic and the features of virus from topic 1.
The lesson begins with an introduction of the microbiologist Carl Woese and goes on to describe how he is most famous for his definition of the Archaea as a new domain of life. Students were introduced to domains and the other classification taxa in the last lesson, so their recall of this knowledge is continually tested and built upon as details are added. Students will discover the key differences between Archaea and Bacteria that led to the splitting of the prokaryotae kingdom and the addition of this higher classification rank and will understand that it wasn’t until 13 years after the discovery that it was adopted. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson explains why viruses are not included in this classification and outlines how they are classified, according to the ICTV, through the type of nucleic acid they contain and whether this is single-stranded or double-stranded
This bundle contains 8 detailed and engaging lessons, and together they cover a lot of the key content of topic 17 in the CIE A-level Biology specification. Selection and evolution are key processes in Biology but are not always well understood or well explained by students. With this in mind, these lessons have been designed to support students in making links between the different concepts.
The following specification points are covered by these lessons:
The differences between continuous and discontinuous variation
Using the t-test to compare the variation of two different populations
The importance of genetic variation in selection
Natural selection
Environmental factors can act as stabilising, disruptive and directional forces in natural selection
Selection, the founder effect and genetic drift affect allele frequencies in populations
Using the Hardy-Weinberg principle
The molecular evidence that reveals similarities between closely related organisms
Allopatric and sympatric speciation
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle then download the following lessons as these have been shared for free
continuous and discontinuous variation
molecule evidence and evolution
The detailed content, exam-style questions, guided discussion points and quiz competitions that are found in each of the 16 paid lessons that are included in this bundle (as well as the 5 free lessons which are named at the bottom) cover the following specification points in module 4 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification:
Module 4.1.1
The different types of pathogen that can cause communicable diseases in plants and animals
The means of transmission of animal and plant communicable pathogens
The primary non-specific defences against pathogens in animals
The structure and mode of action of phagocytes
The structure, different roles and modes of action of B and T lymphocytes in the specific immune response
The primary and secondary immune responses
The structure and general functions of antibodies
An outline of the action of opsonins, agglutinins and anti-toxins
The differences between active and passive immunity, and between natural and artificial immunity
Autoimmune diseases
The principles of vaccination
Module 4.2.1
How biodiversity can be considered at different levels
The random and non-random sampling strategies that are carried out to measure the biodiversity of a habitat
How to measure species richness and species evenness
The use and interpretation of Simpson’s Index of Diversity
How genetic biodiversity may be assessed
The ecological, economic and aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity
In situ and ex situ methods of maintaining biodiversity
International and local conservation agreements made to protect species and habitats
4.2.2
The biological classification of species
The binomial system of naming species and the advantage of such a system
The features used to classify organisms into the five kingdoms
The evidence that has led to new classification systems
The different types of variation
Using the standard deviation to measure the spread of a set of data
Using the Student’s t-test to compare means of data values of two populations
Using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to consider the relationship of the data
The different types of adaptations to their environment
The mechanism by which natural selection can affect the characteristics of a population over time
How evolution in some species has an impact on human populations
If you would like to get an idea of the quality of the lessons that are included in this bundle, then download the following five OCR A lessons which have been uploaded for free:
Immunity & vaccinations
Reasons for maintaining biodiversity
Taxonomic hierarchy and the binomial naming system
Adaptations and natural selection
Transmission of animal and plant pathogens
The 3 lessons contained within this lesson bundle cover the content as detailed in topic 4.5 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification. The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets are filled with lots of different tasks that cover the specification points shown below whilst engaging and motivating the students with exam-style questions, guided discussion periods and quiz competitions.
TOPIC 4.5: Transport of gases in blood
The structure of haemoglobin in relation to its role in the transport of respiratory gases, including the Bohr effect
Understand the oxygen dissociation curve of haemoglobin
Understand the similarities and differences between the structures and functions of haemoglobin and myoglobin
Understand the significance of the oxygen affinity of foetal haemoglobin as compared to adult haemoglobin
This lesson describes how tissue fluid is formed and reabsorbed and also describes the role of the lymphatic system in the return of fluid to the blood. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 4.6 (i & ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and explains how a combination of the effects of hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure results in the formation of tissue fluid in animals.
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.
