This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the specification points about sex-linked characteristics as detailed in the supplement section of topic 17 (inheritance) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification This resource consists of an engaging and detailed PowerPoint and an 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 crosses 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 CIE IGCSE Biology course but is suitable for A-level students who are looking at these types of genetic disorders.

This resource has been designed to cover the higher tier content of specification point 5.3.6 as detailed in the AQA GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. The lesson takes the format of a day at a fertility clinic and students will see how three couples, who are at different stages of their currently unsuccessful journey to getting pregnant, are advised and the treatments that could be on offer to them. Discussion points are included throughout the lesson to encourage the students to talk about the Biology and to allow any misconceptions to be addressed if and when they arise. In addition, previous knowledge checks are regular so that the links between this topic and earlier ones such as the hormones in human reproduction and contraception can be made. Students will learn how a fertility drug may be made available and will be challenged to explain why FSH and LH would be the reproductive hormones contained in these substances. The main focus of the lesson is IVF treatment and this main task culminates with students gaining a number of key points in the for and against argument before being challenged to continue this as a set homework in the form of an evaluation. Quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way and the final task is a mathematical skills check where students will be able to compare the high number of multiple births that are associated with this treatment as compared to the number from natural births. This lesson has been designed for students studying the AQA GCSE Biology or Combined Science course but is suitable for older students who are looking at this topic.

This lesson resource contains a engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets, all of which have been designed to cover the content of specification point 2.5 (d) on the WJEC GCSE Biology specification. This specification point states that students should know the components of a reflex arc. This lesson builds on the knowledge from the previous lesson on the structure and function of the nervous system (2.5b). The lesson begins by challenging the students to come up with the word reflex having been presented with 5 other synonyms of the word automatic. This leads into a section of discovery and discussion where students are encouraged to consider how a reflex arc can be automatic and rapid despite the fact that the impulse is conducted into the CNS like any other reaction. Students will be introduced to the relay neurone and will learn how this provides a communication between the sensory neurone and the motor neurone and therefore means that these arcs do not involve processing by the brain. Moving forwards, the main task of the lesson challenges the students to write a detailed description of a reflex arc. Assistance is given on the critical section which involves the relay neurone in the spinal cord before they have to use their knowledge of nervous reactions to write a paragraph before and after to complete the description. As a final task, students will have to compare the structure and functions of sensory, motor and relay neurones. Although this lesson has been designed for students studying on WJEC GCSE Biology course, it is also suitable for older students who are studying reflex reactions at A-level and need to recall the main details.

This concise lesson presentation and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover the content of point 2.5 (h) of the WJEC GCSE Biology specification which states that students should understand the need to keep blood glucose levels within a constant range. Homeostasis is a running theme throughout the 2.5 topic so this lesson builds on knowledge from earlier topics to ensure that there is a deep understanding. The lesson begins by introducing glucose and a quiz competition will lead to the range 4 - 7, so that students can recognise that this is the set range within which this molecule’s concentration must be kept. Time is taken to look at some of the health problems that are associated with an increase in concentration above this upper limit and the general Biological knowledge of the students is tested with some questions. Moving forwards, the main task of the lesson involves a step by step guide through the stages in the response to a high blood glucose concentration and shows the students how the release of insulin leads to the uptake of glucose from the blood and a conversion to glycogen by the liver and muscle cells. The summary task at the end challenges the students to bring all of the information together to write a detailed description of this response and this activity is differentiated to aid those students who need extra assistance. This lesson has been designed for students studying the WJEC GCSE Biology course but could be used with A-level students who are beginning this topic and need to recall the key details.

This resource contains a concise, engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets which together cover the content of specification point 7.3 (Thyroxine and the control of metabolic rate as an example of negative feedback) as found on the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science higher tier specifications. Over the course of the lesson, students will learn about the effects of the release of thyroxine, how this release is regulated by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus and also will understand how this control is an example of negative feedback. Due to the obvious connection to the previously learned endocrine system topic, regular opportunities are taken to check on this prior knowledge and these work well with the understanding checks which allow the students to assess their progress. A quiz competition called FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS is used to introduce the key abbreviations in a fun and memorable way, whilst the key details of the content is always at the forefront of the design of the lesson. This lesson has been written for students studying the higher tier of the Edexcel GCSE Biology or Combined Science courses but it is also suitable for use with A-level students who need to recall the key details of these two hormones

This is a fully-resourced lesson consisting of an engaging PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets which have been designed to cover the content of point 2.5 (i) as detailed on the WJEC GCSE Biology specification. This point states that students should demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of how type I and II diabetes are caused and their respective treatments. There are links made throughout the lesson between this topic and the control of blood glucose concentration from specification point 2.5 (h). The lesson has been designed to take the format of a diabetic clinic where the students perform the duties of the attending doctor. They will move through the different stages of the role which includes identifying symptoms, diagnosis of type I or II and communication with the patients to reveal the findings. The wide range of activities will enable the students to learn how to spot that someone is suffering from diabetes and the similarities and differences between the different types so they can determine which one is being presented. The summary tasks challenge the students to construct a letter to a patient who is suffering from type II and to identify the correct type from another doctor’s letter. Understanding and previous knowledge checks are interspersed with quiz competitions, like the one shown in the cover image, which make the learning fun and memorable and enable the students to assess their progress. This lesson has been designed for students studying the WJEC GCSE Biology course but is suitable for both younger and older students who are focusing on this disease

This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the content found in specification point 2.5 (f) of the WJEC GCSE Biology specification which states that students should understand why animals need to regulate the conditions inside their bodies. This resource contains an engaging and detailed PowerPoint (45 slides) and accompanying worksheets The lesson begins by challenging the student’s literacy skills as they are asked to recognise the key term, optimum, from 6 of its’ synonyms. Moving forwards, a range of quiz competitions are used to introduce the term homeostasis and to provide a definition for this key process. Students are given a newspaper article about water and blood glucose so they can recognise 2 conditions which are controlled in the human body. The next part of the lesson looks at the importance of maintaining the levels of water and glucose by considering the medical problems that could arise if they move away from the optimum levels. Students will learn that body temperature is also controlled and links are made to earlier knowledge as they have to explain why an increase in temperature above the set point would be an issue because of the denaturation of enzymes. The rest of the lesson looks at the three parts that are included in all control systems before a final quiz round introduces the receptors, coordination centre and effectors in the control of body temperature. As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the WJEC GCSE Biology course, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the process in more detail

This is a fully-resourced lesson consisting of an engaging PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets which have been designed to cover the content of points 7.15 & 7.16 as detailed on the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. This point states that students should be able to describe the cause of diabetes type I and II and describe how they are both controlled. There are links made throughout the lesson between this topic and the control of blood glucose concentration from specification point 7,13 and 7.14 The lesson has been designed to take the format of a diabetic clinic where the students perform the duties of the attending doctor. They will move through the different expectations of the role which includes identifying symptoms, diagnosis of type I or II and communication with the patients to reveal the findings. The wide range of activities will enable the students to learn how to spot that someone is suffering from diabetes and the similarities and differences between the different types so they can determine which one is being presented. The summary tasks challenge the students to construct a letter to a patient who is suffering from type II and to identify the correct type from another doctor’s letter. Understanding and previous knowledge checks are interspersed with quiz competitions, like the one shown in the cover image, which make the learning fun and memorable and enable the students to assess their progress. This lesson has been designed for students studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology or Combined Science course but is suitable for both younger and older students who are focusing on this disease

This lesson focuses on the use and explanation of key genetic terms which will support students in their understanding of the topic 16 (inherited change) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. In this topic, students are expected to use genetic diagrams to solve problems and this is only possible with a clear understanding of the genetic terminology that will be used in related exam questions. As some of these terms were met at GCSE, this fully-resourced lesson has been designed to include a wide range of activities that build on this prior knowledge and provide clear explanations as to their meanings as well as numerous examples of their use in both questions and exemplary answers. The main task provides the students with an opportunity to apply their understanding by recognising a dominance hierarchy in a multiple alleles characteristic and then calculating a phenotypic ratio when given a completed genetic diagram. Other tasks include prior knowledge checks, discussion points to encourage students to consider the implementation of the genetic terms and quiz competitions to introduce new terms, maintain engagement and act as an understanding check. The 16 terms are genome, gene, chromosome, gene locus, homologous chromosomes, alleles, dominant, recessive, genotype, codominance, multiple alleles, autosomes, sex chromosomes, phenotype, homozygous and heterozygous

This fully-resourced lesson explores the contributions of the chromosome mutations that arise during meiosis to genetic variation. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed and written to cover the part of point 4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe how mutations in the numbers of chromosomes can arise spontaneously and significantly contribute to evolution. Over the course of the lesson, students will encounter a number of chromosome mutations but the main focus is chromosome non-disjunction and they will learn that this can result in Down, Turner’s and Klinefelter’s syndromes. Students are guided through a description of the formation of gametes and zygotes with abnormal numbers of chromosomes before being challenged to describe the formation of a zygote with Turner’s syndrome. The key aspects of meiosis, which are taught in a future lesson, are introduced and related to the lead up to the change in chromosome number. Inversion, translocation, duplication and deletion are also introduced and links are made to other topics such as regulatory sequences and gene expression.

This fully-resourced lesson guides students through the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equation to see whether a change in allele frequency is occurring in a population over time. The detailed PowerPoint and differentiated practice questions worksheets have been designed to cover point 4.5 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification which expects students to be able to use this mathematical equation The lesson begins by looking at the equation and ensuring that students understand the meaning of each of the terms. The recessive condition, cystic fibrosis, is used as an example so that students can start to apply their knowledge and assess whether they understand which genotypes go with which term. Moving forwards, a step-by-step guide is used to show students how to answer a question. Tips are given during the guide so that common misconceptions and mistakes are addressed immediately. The rest of the lesson gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a set of 3 questions, which have been differentiated so that all abilities are able to access the work and be challenged

This highly detailed and engaging lesson which explains how a nerve impulse (action potential) is conducted along an axon). The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 8.3 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification which states that students should be able to describe how the changes in the membrane permeability to sodium and potassium ions results in conduction. This topic is commonly assessed in the terminal exams so a lot of time has been taken to design this resource to include a wide range of activities that motivate the students whilst ensuring that the content is covered in the depth of detail that will allow them to have a real understanding. Interspersed within the activities are understanding checks and prior knowledge checks to enable the students to not only assess their progress against the current topic but also to challenge themselves on the links to earlier topics such as methods of movements across cell membranes and saltatory conduction. There are also a number of quiz competitions which are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way and discussion points to encourage the students to consider why a particular process or mechanism occurs. Over the course of the lesson, the students will learn and discover how the movement of ions across the membrane causes the membrane potential to change. They will see how the resting potential is maintained through the use of the sodium/potassium pump and potassium ion leakage. There is a real focus on depolarisation to allow students to understand how generator potentials can combine and if the resulting depolarisation then exceeds the threshold potential, a full depolarisation will occur. At this point in the lesson students will discover how the all or nothing response explains that action potentials have the same magnitude and that instead a stronger stimulus is linked to an increase in the frequency of the transmission. The rest of the lesson challenges the students to apply their knowledge to explain how repolarisation and hyperpolarisation result and to suggest advantages of the refractory period for nerve cells.

This engaging lesson looks at the myogenic nature of cardiac muscle and explores the roles of the SAN, AVN, Bundle of His and Purkyne fibres in the normal electrical activity of the heart. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the points 7.8 (i & ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) 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 1. 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 two specification points

This engaging lesson explores the roles of the SAN, AVN, Bundle of His and Purkyne fibres in the transmission of the wave of excitation through the heart. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of point 6.1.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe the myogenic stimulation of the heart and the subsequent wave of electrical activity. 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. 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

This fully-resourced lesson looks at how errors in DNA replication can give rise to gene mutations and then links to an earlier topic by exploring how these base changes can affect the primary structure of a polypeptide. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.12 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and constantly refers back to points 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9 which detail the genetic code, genes and the structure of proteins. In order to understand how a change in the base sequence can affect the order of the amino acids, students must be confident in their understanding and application of protein synthesis which was taught in 2.6. Therefore, the start of the lesson focuses on transcription and translation and students are guided through the use of the codon table to identify amino acids. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the names of three types of gene mutation whilst challenging the students to recognise terms which are associated with the genetic code and were met in the previous lesson. The main focus of the lesson is base substitutions and how these mutations may or may not cause a change to the amino acid sequence. The students are challenged to use their knowledge of the degenerate nature of the genetic code to explain how a silent mutation can result. The rest of the lesson looks at base deletions and base insertions and students are introduced to the idea of a frameshift mutation. One particular task challenges the students to evaluate the statement that base deletions have a bigger impact on primary structure than base substitutions. This is a differentiated task and they have to compare the fact that the reading frame is shifted by a deletion against the change in a single base by a substitution.

This clear and concise lesson looks at the calculation of cardiac output as the product of stroke volume and heart rate. This engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have both been designed to cover point 7.9 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification which states that students should be able to calculate cardiac output. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall that the left ventricle is the heart chamber with the thickest myocardial wall. This leads into the introduction of stroke volume as the volume of blood which is pumped out of the left ventricle each heart beat. A quick quiz game is used to introduce a normative value for the stroke volume and students are encouraged to discuss whether males or females would have higher values and to explain why. A second edition of this quiz reveals a normative value for resting heart rate and this results into the introduction of the equation to calculate cardiac output. A series of questions are used to challenge their ability to apply this equation and percentage change is involved as well. The final part of the lesson looks at the hypertrophy of cardiac muscle and students will look at how this increase in the size of cardiac muscle affects the three factors and will be challenged to explain why with reference to the cardiac cycle that was covered in an earlier topic.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the roles of glycolysis in aerobic and anaerobic respiration and explains how the sequence of reactions results in glucose being converted to pyruvate. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover point 7.4 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification. The lesson begins with the introduction of the name of the stage and then explains how the phosphorylation of the hexoses and the production of the ATP, coenzymes and pyruvate are the stages that need to be known for this specification. Time is taken to go through each of these stages and key points such as the use of ATP in phosphorylation are explained so that students can understand how this affects the net yield. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce NAD and the students will learn that the reduction of this coenzyme, which is followed by the transport of the protons and electrons to the cristae for the electron transport chain is critical for the overall production of ATP. Understanding checks, in a range of forms, are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their progress and any misconceptions are immediately addressed. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on the Link reaction, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and the production of lactate.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the series of oxidation-reduction reactions that form the Krebs cycle and focuses on the products in terms of reduced NAD, FAD and ATP. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have both been designed to cover the fifth part of point 5.2 of the AQA 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, anaerobic respiration, the Link reaction and oxidative phosphorylation.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the details of glycolysis as the first stage of aerobic and anaerobic respiration and explains how the sequence of reactions results in glucose being converted to pyruvate. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should know glycolysis as the phosphorylation of glucose and the production and subsequent oxidation of triose phosphate. The lesson begins with the introduction of the name of the stage and then explains how the phosphorylation of the hexoses and the production of the ATP, coenzymes and pyruvate are the stages that need to be known for this specification. Time is taken to go through each of these stages and key points such as the use of ATP in phosphorylation are explained so that students can understand how this affects the net yield. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce NAD and the students will learn that the reduction of this coenzyme, which is followed by the transport of the protons and electrons to the cristae for the electron transport chain is critical for the overall production of ATP. Understanding checks, in a range of forms, are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their progress and any misconceptions are immediately addressed. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on anaerobic respiration and the different stages of aerobic respiration (the Link reaction, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation)