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.
The biological molecules sub-module is incredibly important, not just because it is found near to the start of the course, but also because of its detailed content which must be well understood to promote success with most of the other OCR A-level Biology A modules. Many hours of intricate planning have gone into the design of all of the 13 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the content is covered in detail, understanding is constantly checked and misconceptions addressed and that engagement is high. This is achieved through the wide variety of tasks in the PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets which include exam-style questions with clear answers, discussion points, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered by the lessons within this bundle:
The relationship between the properties of water and its roles for living organisms
The concept of monomers and polymers and the importance of condensation and hydrolysis reactions
The chemical elements that make up biological molecules
The ring structure and properties of glucose and structure of ribose
The synthesis and breakdown of a disaccharide and a polysaccharide
The relationship between the structures, properties and functions of starch, glycogen and cellulose
The structure of a triglyceride and a phospholipid as macromolecules
The synthesis and breakdown of triglycerides
The relationship between the properties and functions of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol
The general structure of an amino acid
The synthesis and breakdown of dipeptides and polypeptides
The levels of protein structure
The structure and function of globular proteins
The properties and functions of fibrous proteins
The key inorganic ions that are involved in biological processes
How to carry out and interpret the results of the chemical tests for proteins, reducing and non-reducing sugars, starch and lipids
Due to the detail of each of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 6 weeks of allocated teaching time to cover the content.
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the properties of water, glucose & ribose, amino acids and dipeptides and polypeptides lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle of 11 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic P4 (Waves and radioactivity) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Waves and their properties
Wave velocity
Reflection and Refraction
EM waves
Uses of EM waves
Isotopes
Radiation properties
Decay equations
Half-life
Background radiation
Dangers of radioactivity
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 11 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic P2 (Electricity) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Circuit diagram symbols
Electric charge and current
Current, resistance and potential difference
Resistors
Diodes
Series and parallel circuits
Electricity in the home
Power
The National Grid
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 9 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B9 (Ecosystems and material cycles) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Levels of organisation in an ecosystem
Biotic and abiotic factors
Interdependence
Types of ecological relationships
Sampling techniques
Efficiency of biomass transfer
Human impacts on ecosystems
Maintaining and increasing biodiversity
The carbon cycle
The nitrogen cycle
Decomposition
The rate of decay
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 10 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B3 (Genetics) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Advantages and disadvantages of asexual reproduction
Advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction
The role of meiosis
The structure of DNA
Transcription and translation
Understanding and using genetic terminology
Monohybrid inheritance
Sex determination
Sex linkage
The causes of variation
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This lesson bundle contains 16 lessons which have been designed to cover the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification points which focus on the structure of DNA and RNA, their roles in replication and protein synthesis, and genetics and inheritance. The lesson PowerPoints are highly detailed, and along with their accompanying worksheets, they have been planned at length to contain a wide range of engaging tasks which cover the following A-level Biology content found in topics 2, 3 and 6 of the course:
2.9 (i): Know the basic structure of mononucleotides (deoxyribose or ribose linked to a phosphate and a base, including thymine, uracil, adenine, cytosine or guanine) and the structures of DNA and RNA (polynucleotides composed of mononucleotides linked by condensation reactions to form phosphodiester bonds)
2.9 (ii): Know how complementary base pairing and the hydrogen bonding between two complementary strands are involved in the formation of the DNA double helix
2.10 (i): Understand the process of DNA replication, including the role of DNA polymerase
2.11: Understand the nature of the genetic code
2.12: Know that a gene is a sequence of bases on a DNA molecule that codes for a sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain
2.13 (i): understand the process of protein synthesis (transcription and translation), including the role of RNA polymerase, translation, messenger RNA, transfer RNA, ribosomes and the role of start and stop codons
2.13 (ii): Understand the roles of the DNA template (antisense) strand in transcription, codons on messenger RNA and anticodons on transfer RNA
2.14 (i): Understand how errors in DNA replication can give rise to mutations (substitution, insertion and deletion of bases)
2.14 (ii): Know that some mutations will give rise to cancer or genetic disorders, but that many mutations will have no observable effect
2.15 (i): Know the meaning of the terms: gene, allele, genotype, phenotype, recessive, dominant, codominance, homozygote and heterozygote
2.15 (ii): Understand patterns of inheritance, including the interpretation of genetic pedigree diagrams, in the context of monohybrid inheritance
2.15 (iii): Understand sex linkage on the X chromosome, including red-green colour blindness in humans
2.16: Understand how the expression of a gene mutation in people with cystic fibrosis impairs the functioning of the gaseous exchange, digestive and reproductive systems
2.17 (i): Understand the uses of genetic screening, including the identification of carriers, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and prenatal testing, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling
2.17 (ii): Understand the implications of prenatal genetic screening
3.9 (i): Know that a locus is the location of genes on a chromosome
3.9 (ii): Understand the linkage of genes on a chromosome
3.18: Understand how cells become specialised through differential gene expression, producing active mRNA, leading to the synthesis of proteins which, in turn, control cell processes or determine cell structure in animals and plants
3.19: Understand how one gene can give rise to more than one protein through posttranscriptional changes to messenger RNA (mRNA).
3.20 (i): Phenotype is an interaction between genotype and the environment
3.21: Understand how some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles for the same gene at many loci (polygenic inheritance) as well as the environment and how this can give rise to phenotypes that show continuous variation
6.17: Know how DNA can be amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
This bundle of 10 lessons covers all of the content in Topic C4 (Stoichiometry) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specific points covered within these lessons include:
Use the symbols of the elements and write the formulae of simple compounds
Determine the formula of an ionic compounds from the charges on the ions present
Construct and use word equations
Construct and use symbol equations, with state symbols, including ionic equations
Deduce the balanced equation
Relative formula mass
Define the mole in terms of Avogadro’s constant
Use the molar gas volume
Calculate stoichiometric reacting masses and volumes of gases
Calculate the concentration of solution
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding
This lesson bundle contains 16 lessons which have been designed to cover the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification points which focus on the structure of DNA and RNA, their roles in replication and protein synthesis, and genetics and inheritance. The lesson PowerPoints are highly detailed, and along with their accompanying worksheets, they have been planned at length to contain a wide range of engaging tasks which cover the following A-level Biology content found in topics 2, 3 and 6 of the course:
2.5 (i): Know the basic structure of mononucleotides (deoxyribose or ribose linked to a phosphate and a base, including thymine, uracil, cytosine, adenine or guanine) and the structures of DNA and RNA (polynucleotides composed of mononucleotides linked through condensation reactions)
2.5 (ii): Know how complementary base pairing and the hydrogen bonding between two complementary strands are involved in the formation of the DNA double helix
2.6 (i): Understand the process of protein synthesis (transcription) including the role of RNA polymerase, translation, messenger RNA, transfer RNA, ribosomes and the role of start and stop codons
2.6 (ii): Understand the roles of the DNA template (antisense) strand in transcription, codons on messenger RNA and anticodons on transfer RNA
2.7: Understand the nature of the genetic code
2.8: Know that a gene is a sequence of bases on a DNA molecule that codes for a sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain
2.11 (i): Understand the process of DNA replication, including the role of DNA polymerase
2.12 (i): Understand how errors in DNA replication can give rise to mutations
2.12 (ii): Understand how cystic fibrosis results from one of a number of possible gene mutations
2.13 (i): Know the meaning of the terms: gene, allele, genotype, phenotype, recessive, dominant, incomplete dominance, homozygote and heterozygote
2.13 (ii): Understand patterns of inheritance, including the interpretation of genetic pedigree diagrams, in the context of monohybrid inheritance
2.14: Understand how the expression of a gene mutation in people with cystic fibrosis impairs the functioning of the gaseous exchange, digestive and reproductive systems
2.15 (i): Understand the uses of genetic screening, including the identification of carriers, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and prenatal testing, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling
2.15 (ii): Understand the implications of prenatal genetic screening
3.8 (i): The loci is a location of genes on a chromosome
3.8 (ii): The linkage of genes on a chromosome and sex linkage
3.12: Understand how cells become specialised through differential gene expression, producing active mRNA leading to synthesis of proteins, which in turn control cell processes or determine cell structure in animals and plants, including the lac operon
3.14 (i): Phenotype is an interaction between genotype and the environment
3.15: Understand how some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles for the same gene at many loci (polygenic inheritance) as well as the environment and how this can give rise to phenotypes that show continuous variation
6.4: Know how DNA can be amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
6.10: Understand how one gene can give rise to more than one protein through posttranscriptional changes to messenger RNA (mRNA).
This bundle of 9 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic P1 (Motion) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Define speed and calculate average speed
Distinguish between speed and velocity
Define and calculate acceleration
Plot distance-time graphs and speed-time graphs
Calculate acceleration and distance travelled from a speed-time graph
Distinguish between mass and weight
Recall and use the equation W = mg
Describe how forces can affect a body
Plot and interpret extension-load graphs
Understand Hooke’s Law
Friction and air resistance
Resultant forces
Calculating moments
The principle of moments
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding
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 15 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
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the chloroplast structure, anaerobic respiration, oxidative phosphorylation and GPP lessons as these have been uploaded for free
It’s fair to say that cell structure and biological molecules are two of the most important topics in the OCR A-level Biology A course and all 19 lessons that are included in this bundle have been planned at length to cover the module 2.1.1 & 2.1.2 specification points in the detail required at this level.
The lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks as well as regular checks to allow students to assess their understanding of the current content as well as prior knowledge checks to emphasise the importance of making links to topics in other modules.
The following specification points in modules 2.1.1 (cell structure) and 2.1.2 (biological molecules) are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
2.1.1
The use of microscopy to observe and investigate different types of cell and cell structure in a range of eukaryotic organisms
The use of the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer
The use of staining in light microscopy
The use and manipulation of the magnification formula
The difference between magnification and resolution
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the functions of the different cellular components
The interrelationship between the organelles involved in the production and secretion of proteins
The importance of the cytoskeleton
The similarities and differences between the ultrastructure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
2.1.2
The properties and roles of water in living organisms
The concept of monomers and polymers and the importance of condensation and hydrolysis reactions
The chemical elements that make up biological molecules
The structure and properties of glucose and ribose
The synthesis and breakdown of a disaccharide and a polysaccharide by the formation and breakage of glycosidic bonds
The structure of starch, glycogen and cellulose molecules
The relationship between the structure, function and roles of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol in living organisms
The general structure of an amino acid
The synthesis and breakdown of dipeptides and polypeptides
The levels of protein structure
The structure and function of globular proteins
The properties and functions of fibrous proteins
The key inorganic ions involved in biological processes
The chemical tests for proteins, reducing and non-reducing sugars, starch and lipids
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free:
The use of microscopy
The importance of the cytoskeleton
Properties and roles of water
Glucose & ribose
General structure of an amino acid
Dipeptides, polypeptides and protein structure
This bundle of 15 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B3 (Organism level systems) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The nervous system
The eye
Hormones and the endocrine system
Adrenaline
Negative feedback loops
Thyroid gland and thyroxine
The menstrual cycle
Contraception
Using hormones to treat infertility
Plant hormones
Homeostasis
Controlling body temperature
Controlling blood glucose
Diabetes
Inside the kidney
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
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
Each of the 20 revision lessons included in this bundle has been designed to motivate and engage the students whilst they are challenged on their knowledge of the content of the OCR A-Level Biology A specification. The detailed PowerPoints contain a wide range of activities which include exam questions with explained answers, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions that are supported by the accompanying worksheets.
The modules covered in this bundle are:
Module 2.1.1: Cell structure
Module 2.1.2: Biological molecules
Module 2.1.3: Nucleotides and nucleic acids
Module 2.1.4: Enzymes
Module 2.1.5: Biological membranes
Module 2.1.6: Cell division, cell diversity and cellular organisation
Module 3.1.2: Transport in animals
Module 3.1.3: Transport in plants
Module 4.1.1: Communicable diseases, disease prevention and the immune system
Module 4.2.1: Biodiversity
Module 4.2.2: Classification and evolution
Module 5.1.2: Excretion as an example of homeostatic control
Module 5.1.3: Neuronal communication
Module 5.1.4: Hormonal communication
Module 5.1.5: Plant and Animal responses
Module 5.2.1: Photosynthesis
Module 5.2.2: Respiration
Module 6.1.1: Cellular control
Module 6.1.2: Pattens of inheritance
Module 6.1.3: Manipulating genomes
Helpful hints are provided throughout the lessons to help the students with exam technique and in structuring their answers. These lessons are suitable for use throughout the course and can be used for revision purposes at the end of a module or in the lead up to mocks or the actual A LEVEL exams
This bundle of 16 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C5 (Monitoring and controlling chemical reactions) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Chemistry specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Theoretical yield
Percentage yield
Atom economy
Concentration of solution
Titrations
Titration calculations
Gas calculations
Rates of reaction
The Collision theory
Temperature and the rate of reaction
Concentration and the rate of reaction
Particle size and the rate of reaction
Catalysts and the rate of reaction
Reversible reactions
Temperature and pressure and equilibrium
Choosing reaction conditions
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
The biological molecules topic is incredibly important, not just because it is found at the start of the course, but also because of its detailed content which must be well understood to promote success with the other 9 Edexcel A-level Biology B topics. Many hours of intricate planning has gone into the design of all of the 18 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the content is covered in detail, understanding is constantly checked and misconceptions addressed and that engagement is high. This is achieved through the wide variety of tasks in the PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets which include exam-style questions with clear answers, discussion points, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered by the lessons within this bundle:
The differences between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
The structure of glucose and ribose
The formation of disaccharides and polysaccharides from monosaccharides
The structure of starch, glycogen and cellulose
The synthesis of a triglyceride
The differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids
The relationship between the structure of lipids and their roles
The structure and properties of phospholipids
The structure of an amino acid
The formation of polypeptides and proteins
The role of ionic, hydrogen and disulphide bonding in proteins
The levels of protein structure
The structure of collagen and haemoglobin
The structure of DNA
The semi-conservative replication of DNA
A gene is a sequence of bases on DNA that codes for an amino acid sequence
The structure of mRNA
The structure of tRNA
The process of transcription
The process of translation
Base deletions, insertions and substitutions as gene mutations
The effect of point mutations on amino acid sequences
The structure of enzymes as globular proteins
The concept of specificity and the induced-fit hypothesis
Enzymes are catalysts that reduce activation energy
Understand how temperature affects enzyme activity
Enzymes catalyse a wide range of intracellular reactions as well as extracellular ones
The importance of water for living organisms
Due to the detail included in these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 months of allocated A-level teaching time to complete.
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons then download the monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, glucose and ribose, triglycerides, structure of DNA and transcription lessons as these have been uploaded for free.
This bundle of 10 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B5 (Health, disease and development of medicines) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Health
The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases
Pathogens
Common infections
The spread of diseases and the prevention
The spread of STIs
Plant defences
Identification of plant diseases
The physical and chemical defences of the human body
The use of antibiotics
Developing new medicines
Monoclonal antibodies
Non-communicable diseases
Treating cardiovascular disease
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
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 bundle of 9 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B1 of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Animal and plant cells
Prokaryotic cells
Light and electron microscopy
DNA
Enzymes
Enzyme activity
Aerobic respiration
Anaerobic respiration
Photosynthesis
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding. It is estimated that this bundle would cover about 6 week’s worth of lessons.
This bundle of 12 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic C5 (Separate Chemistry 1) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The transition metals
Alloys
Concentration of solutions
Acid-alkali titration
Titration calculations
Calculating the percentage yield
Calculating the atom economy
Molar volume
The Haber Process
Factors and the position of equilibrium
Choosing reaction conditions
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.