This lesson describes and explains the changes in membrane potential of neurones, focusing on resting potential, depolarisation and repolarisation. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover the content of point (6) of topic 15.1 of the CIE A-level Biology specification. Hyperpolarisation and the refractory period are not covered in this lesson, but during a lesson titled “The refractory period” which covers specification point (8).
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 deep 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. There are also several quiz competitions which 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 understand repolarisation.
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Topic 15: Control and coordination (CIE A-level biology)
These 12 lessons cover points 15.1 (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 & 12) and 15.2 (1, 2 & 3) from topic 15 of CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27). This topic is titled control and coordination and concerns comparisons between the endocrine and nervous system in mammals, and then the key structure of the nervous system before looking at this control in plants. Each lesson has been extensively planned and contains a wide range of engaging activities and tasks, interspersed with current and prior knowledge checks. The sensory, motor & intermediate neurones and cholinergic synapses lessons have been shared for free, if you want to download first to get an idea for the quality of these lessons.
£23.00
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Topic 15.1: Control and coordination in mammals (CIE A-level Biology)
This bundle contains 9 fully-resourced and detailed lessons that have been designed to cover the content of topic 15.1 of the CIE A-level Biology specification (for assessment in 2025-27) which concerns the control and coordination in mammals. The wide range of activities included in each lesson will engage the students whilst the detailed content is covered and the understanding and prior knowledge checks allow them to assess their progress on the current topic as well as challenging them to make links to other related topics. Many of the tasks are differentiated to allow differing abilities to access the work and be challenged. Topic 15.1 specification points 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are covered by these lessons If you want to see the quality of the lessons before purchasing then download the lessons on sensory, morot and intermediate neurones and the structure and role of the cholinergic synapse as these have been shared for free.
£20.00
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