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 mechanisms involved in the selective reabsorption of solutes in the proximal convoluted tubule. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of specification point 9.9 (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and builds on the knowledge gained in the previous lessons on the structure of the nephron and ultrafiltration.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall the substances that are found in the glomerular filtrate so that each of them can be considered over the course of the rest of the lesson. Moving forwards, the first of the numerous discussion points which are included in the lesson is used to get students to predict the component of the filtrate which won’t be found in the urine when they are presented with pie charts from each of these situations. Upon learning that glucose is 100% reabsorbed, along with most of the ions and some of the water, the rest of the lesson focuses on describing the relationship between the structure of the PCT and the function of selective reabsorption. Again, this section begins by encouraging the students to discuss and to predict which structures they would expect to find in a section of the kidney if the function is to reabsorb. They are given the chance to see the structure (as shown in the cover image) before each feature is broken down to explain its importance. Time is taken to look at the role of the cotransporter proteins to explain how this allows glucose, along with sodium ions, to be reabsorbed from the lumen of the PCT into the epithelial cells. The final part of the lesson focuses on urea and how the concentration of this substance increases along the tubule as a result of the reabsorption of some of the water.
This detailed lesson describes how urea is formed in the liver by deamination and then removed from the bloodstream by ultrafiltration at the kidney. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 9.9 (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
The first part of the lesson describes how deamination and the ornithine cycle forms urea. Although the students are not required to know the details of the cycle, it is important that they are aware of how the product of deamination, ammonia, is converted into urea (and why). Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson has been written to allow the students to discover ultrafiltration as a particular function and to be able to explain how the mechanisms found in the glomerulus and the Bowman’s capsule control the movement of small molecules out of the blood plasma. Key terminology is used throughout and students will learn how the combination of the capillary endothelium and the podocytes creates filtration slits that allow glucose, water, urea and ions through into the Bowman’s capsule but ensure that blood cells and plasma proteins remain in the bloodstream. A number of quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way whilst understanding and prior knowledge checks allow the students to assess their understanding of the current topic and to challenge themselves to make links to earlier topics. The final task of the lesson challenges the students to apply their knowledge by recognising substances found in a urine sample that shouldn’t be present and to explain why this would cause a problem
This detailed lesson describes the gross and microscopic structure of the mammalian kidney. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 9.9 (i) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification. The lesson was designed to tie in with the other lessons in topic 9.9 on ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and the control of mammalian plasma concentration and a common theme runs throughout to allow students to build their knowledge gradually and develop a deep understanding of this organ.
Students will come to recognise the renal cortex and renal medulla as the two regions of the kidney and learn the parts of the nephron which are found in each of these regions. Time is taken to look at the vascular supply of this organ and specifically to explain how the renal artery divides into the afferent arterioles which carry blood towards the glomerulus and the efferent arterioles which carry the blood away. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to relate structure to function. Having been introduced to the names of each of the parts of the nephron, they have to use the details of the structures found at these parts to match the function. For example, they have to make the connection between the microvilli in the PCT as a sign that this part is involved in selective reabsorption.
This detailed lesson describes how an endotherm regulates its temperature through behaviour and also physiologically. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 9.9 (vii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes descriptions of the roles of the autonomic nervous system, thermoreceptors, hypothalamus and skin.
A wide range of activities have been written into this lesson so that students remain motivated throughout and take a genuine interest in the content. Understanding checks allow the students to assess their progress whilst the prior knowledge checks on topics such as enzymes and denaturation demonstrate the importance of being able to make connections and links between topics from across the specification. In addition to these checks, quiz competitions like HAVE an EFFECT which is shown in the cover image are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way.
The lesson begins by introducing the key term, endotherm, and challenging students to use their prior knowledge and understanding of terminology to suggest what this reveals about an organism. Moving forwards, students will learn how the heat generated by metabolic reactions is used as a source of internal heat. The main part of the lesson focuses on thermoregulation in humans (mammals) and time is taken to focus on the key components, namely the sensory receptors, the thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus and the responses brought about by the skin. The important details of why the transfer of heat energy between the body and the environment actually leads to a decrease in temperature are explored and discussed at length to ensure understanding is complete. Students are challenged to write a detailed description of how the body detects and responds to a fall in body temperature and this task is differentiated for those students who need some extra assistance. The peripheral thermoreceptors are introduced and this leads into the final section of the lesson that considers behavioural responses in humans and other animals.
This lesson introduces the differences between ectotherms and endotherms and then describes the behavioural responses of an ecotherm. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover specification point 9.9 (vi) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification which states that students should understand how ectotherms rely on the external environment for their temperature control. The main aim when designing the lesson was to support students in making sensible and accurate decisions when challenged to explain why these types of organisms have chosen to carry out a particular response. A wide range of animals are used so students are engaged in the content matter and are prepared for the unfamiliar situations that they will encounter in the terminal exam. Time is also taken to compare ectotherms against endotherms so that students can recognise the advantages and disadvantages of ectothermy when covered in the following lesson.
This detailed lesson describes the the structure and function of the motor neurones that form the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for automatic responses. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 9.4 (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and describes the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions and how they act antagonistically.
The lesson begins with a focus on the types of effectors that will be connected to the CNS by autonomic motor neurones. Students will learn that effectors which are not under voluntary control such as cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands will be innervated by these neurones. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduced ganglia as a structure which connects the two or more neurones involved in the cell signalling between the CNS and the effector. This leads into the discovery of the two divisions and students will begin to recognise the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems based on function but also structure. The remainder of the lesson looks at the differing effects of these two systems.
This lesson has been written to tie in with the lesson on the organisation of the mammalian nervous system which was covered earlier in this topic
This detailed lesson describes the formation and effects of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials . The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 9.5 (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
This is a topic which is generally poorly understood by students or brushed over so considerable time has been taken to design the activities to motivate the students so that the content is memorable whilst still being covered in detail. Links are continually made to earlier topics in this topic such as synapses and generator potentials but also to topics covered in the previous year.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise a description of generator potential and they will then discover that this is also known as an EPSP. Students will recall that a small depolarisation may not lead to the opening of the voltage gated channels and therefore the full depolarisation which is needed for the initiation of an action potential and will discuss how this problem could be overcome. Lots of discussion points like this are included in the lesson to encourage the students to challenge and debate why a particular process of mechanism occurs. Students will therefore learn that EPSPs can be combined and this is known as summation. A quiz round is used to introduce temporal and spatial summation. Moving forwards, students are presented with a number of examples where they have to decide why type of summation is involved. Again, the lesson has been written to include real-life examples such as chronic pain conditions so the chances of the content sticking is increased. The final part of the lesson introduces IPSPs and the effect of these on summation and action potentials is discussed.
This lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of a synapse, focusing on acetylcholine as the neurotransmitter. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of point 9.5 (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
The lesson begins by using a version of the WALL (as shown in the cover image) which asks the students to group 12 words into three groups of 4. Not only will this challenge their prior knowledge from topics earlier in this topic but it will also lead to the discovery of four of the structures that are found in a synapse. Moving forwards, students are introduced to acetylcholine as the neurotransmitter involved at cholinergic synapses and they will start to add labels to the structures found in the pre-synaptic bulb. Time is taken to focus on certain structures such as the voltage gated channels as these types of channel were met previously when looking at the depolarisation of a neurone. There is plenty of challenge and discovery as students are pushed to explain why organelles like mitochondria would be found in large numbers in the bulb. With this process being a cascade of events, a bullet point format is used to ensure that the key content is taken in by the students and again key points like exocytosis and the action of acetylcholinesterase are discussed further.
Understanding checks and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can not only assess their progress against the current topic but also be challenged to make links to earlier topics.
This fully-resourced lesson explains why the speed of transmission along myelinated axons is greater than along non-myelinated axons. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 9.5 (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification which states that students should understand the role of saltatory conduction in the transmission of action potentials.
A wide range of activities have been written into this resource to maintain the motivation of the students whilst ensuring that the detail is covered in real depth. Interspersed with the activities are understanding checks and prior knowledge checks to allow the students to not only assess their understanding of the current topic but also challenge themselves to make links to earlier topics such as the movement of ions across membranes and biological molecules. Time at the end of the lesson is also given to future knowledge such as the involvement of autonomic motor neurones in the stimulation of involuntary muscles.
Over the course of the lesson, students will learn and discover the myelin sheath wrapped around the axons of sensory and motor neurones allows these neurones to conduct impulses quickly between receptors and the CNS and between the CNS and effectors. There is a focus on this myelin sheath and specifically how the insulation is not complete all the way along which leaves gaps known as the nodes of Ranvier which allow the entry and exit of ions. Saltatory conduction is poorly understood (and explained) by a lot of students so time is taken to look at the way that the action potential jumps between the nodes and this is explained further by reference to local currents. The rest of the lesson focuses on the other two factors which are axon diameter and temperature and students are challenged to discover these two by focusing on the vampire squid.
This detailed lesson describes the transport of sodium and potassium ions in the maintenance of resting potential and how an action potential is formed. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the detail included in points 9.5 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
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. 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 fully-resourced lesson describes how enzyme and substrate concentration affect the rate of enzyme activity. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are the last in a series of 3 lessons which cover the detail of point 1.5 (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
The first part of the lesson describes how an increase in substrate concentration will affect the rate of reaction when a fixed concentration of enzyme is used. Time is taken to introduce limiting factors and students will be challenged to identify substrate concentration as the limiting factor before the maximum rate is achieved and then they are given discussion time to identify the possible factors after this point. A series of exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson and the mark schemes are displayed to allow the students to assess their understanding and for any misconceptions to be immediately addressed. Moving forwards, the students have to use their knowledge of substrate concentration to construct a graph to represent the relationship between enzyme concentration and rate of reaction and they have to explain the different sections of the graph and identify the limiting factors.
The final section of the lesson describes how the availability of enzymes is controlled in living organisms. Students will come to recognise that this availability is the result of enzyme synthesis and enzyme degradation and their recall of transcription and translation is tested through a SPOT the ERRORs task.
Please note that this lesson explains the Biology behind the effect of concentration on enzyme-controlled reactions and not the methodology involved in carrying out such an investigation as this is covered in a core practical lesson.
Each of the five lessons included in this lesson bundle are fully-resourced and have been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following points that are detailed in topic 1.4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification:
Each enzyme lowers the activation energy of the reaction it catalyses
The induced-fit model of enzyme action
The specificity of enzymes
The effects of temperature, pH, enzyme concentration, substrate concentration and concentration of competitive and non-competitive inhibitors on the rate of enzyme-controlled reactions
The lessons have been planned to come as a bundle and references are continually made to previous lessons in the topic to support the students in making the important links between structure, properties and actions of these globular proteins.
This fully-resourced lesson describes how enzyme and substrate concentration can affect the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are the 4th in a series of 5 lessons which cover the detail of point 1.4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. Transcription and translation are also introduced and therefore this lesson could be used in preparation for the detailed lessons in topic 4.2.
The first part of the lesson describes how an increase in substrate concentration will affect the rate of reaction when a fixed concentration of enzyme is used. Time is taken to introduce limiting factors and students will be challenged to identify substrate concentration as the limiting factor before the maximum rate is achieved and then they are given discussion time to identify the possible factors after this point. A series of exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson and the mark schemes are displayed to allow the students to assess their understanding and for any misconceptions to be immediately addressed. Moving forwards, the students have to use their knowledge of substrate concentration to construct a graph to represent the relationship between enzyme concentration and rate of reaction and they have to explain the different sections of the graph and identify the limiting factors.
The final section of the lesson describes how the availability of enzymes is controlled in living organisms. Students will recognise that this availability is the result of enzyme synthesis and enzyme degradation and a number of prior knowledge checks challenge students on their knowledge of proteins as covered in topic 1.4.1
Please note that this lesson explains the Biology behind the effect of concentration on enzyme-controlled reactions and not the methodology involved in carrying out such an investigation as this is covered in a core practical lesson.
Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins are the key biological molecules and the specification points covering the relationship between their structures and functions are found in the very first three topics of Edexcel A-level Biology B course. With this in mind, hours of intricate planning has gone into each of the 9 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that students are continually engaged whilst the detailed content is covered by the variety of tasks. These tasks include exam-style questions with accompanying mark schemes so that students can assess their understanding, guided discussion periods and quiz competitions to introduce key values and terminology in a memorable way
This lesson describes and explains how temperature affects enzyme activity. The PowerPoint and the accompanying resource are part of the 1st lesson in a series of 3 which cover the content detailed in point 1.5 (iv) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and this lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with the previous lesson covering 1.5 (i, ii & iii) where the structure, properties and mechanism of action of enzymes were introduced.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise optimum as a key term from its 6 synonyms that are shown on the board. Time is taken to ensure that the students understand that the optimum temperature is the temperature at which the most enzyme-product complexes are produced per second and therefore the temperature at which the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction works at its maximum. The optimum temperatures of DNA polymerase in humans and in a thermophilic bacteria and RUBISCO in a tomato plant are used to demonstrate how different enzymes have different optimum temperatures and the roles of the latter two in the PCR and photosynthesis are briefly described to prepare students for these lessons in topics 7 and 5.
Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson focuses on enzyme activity at temperatures below the optimum and at temperatures above the optimum. Students will understand that increasing the temperature increases the kinetic energy of the enzyme and substrate molecules, and this increases the likelihood of successful collisions and the production of enzyme-substrate and enzyme-product complexes. When considering the effect of increasing the temperature above the optimum, continual references are made to the previous lesson and the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure. Students will be able to describe how the hydrogen and ionic bonds in the tertiary structure are broken by the vibrations associated with higher temperatures and are challenged to complete the graph to show how the rate of reaction decreases to 0 when the enzyme has denatured.
Please note that this lesson has been designed specifically to explain the relationship between the change in temperature and the rate of enzyme activity in a reaction and not the practical skills that would be covered in a core practical lesson
This lesson describes the structure of enzymes and explains how their specificity enables them to act as catalysts intracellularly and extracellularly. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 1.5 (i), (ii), (iii) & (vii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and describes Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis and Koshland’s induced-fit model to deepen student understanding of the mechanism of enzyme action
The lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with topic 1.3 where protein structure and globular proteins were covered. This prior knowledge is tested through a series of exam-style questions along with current understanding and mark schemes are included in the PowerPoint so that students can assess their answers.
Students will learn that enzymes are large globular proteins which contain an active site that consists of a small number of amino acids. Emil Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis is introduced to enable students to recognise that their specificity is the result of an active site that is complementary in shape to a single type of substrate. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure of the protein. The induced-fit model is described so students can understand how the enzyme-susbtrate complex is stabilised and then students are challenged to order the sequence of events in an enzyme-controlled reaction.
The lesson finishes with a focus on ATP synthase, DNA helicase and DNA polymerase and students are challenged on their recall of DNA replication with an exam question before they are challenged on their knowledge of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from topics 1.1 - 1.3 as they have to recognise some extracellular digestive enzymes from descriptions of their substrates.
This bundle contains 11 fully-resourced lessons which will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points in topics 7 and 8 of the CIE A-level Biology specification:
TOPIC 7
The structure of xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells
The relationship between the structure and function of xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells
Explain how hydrogen bonding of water molecules is involved with the movement in the xylem by cohesion-tension in transpiration pull and adhesion to cell walls
The pathways and mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported from the soil to the xylem and from roots to leaves
Assimilates move between sources and sinks between phloem sieve tubes
The mechanism by which sucrose is loaded into the phloem
The mass flow of phloem sap down a hydrostatic pressure gradient
TOPIC 8
The double, closed circulatory system of a mammal
The relationship between the structure and function of arteries, veins and capillaries
The role of haemoglobin in carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide
The significance of the oxygen dissociation curve of adult haemoglobin at different carbon dioxide concentrations
The external and internal structure of the heart
The cardiac cycle
The role of the SAN, AVN and Purkyne tissue in the initiation and conduction of the heart action
The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which include exam-style questions with mark schemes, discussion points and quiz competitions that will check on current understanding as well as making links to previously covered topics.
Respiration and photosynthesis are two of the most commonly-assessed topics in the terminal A-level exams but are often poorly understood by students. These 14 lessons have been intricately planned to contain a wide range of activities that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the key detail to try to deepen their understanding and includes exam-style questions so they are fully prepared for these assessments.
The following specification points in topics 12 and 13 of the CIE A-level Biology course are covered by these lessons:
The need for energy in living organisms
The features of ATP
The synthesis of ATP by substrate-level phosphorylation in glycolysis and the Krebs cycle
The roles of the coenzymes in respiration
The synthesis of ATP through the electron transport chain in the mitochondria and chloroplasts
The relative energy values of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins as respiratory substrates
Determining the respiratory quotient from equations for respiration
The four stages of aerobic respiration
An outline of glycolysis
When oxygen is available, pyruvate is converted into acetyl CoA in the link reaction
The steps of the Krebs cycle
Oxidative phosphorylation
The relationship between the structure and function of the mitochondrion
Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration in mammalian tissue and in yeast cells
Anaerobic respiration generates a small yield of ATP and builds up an oxygen debt
The products of the light-dependent stage are used in the Calvin cycle
The structure of a chloroplast and the sites of the light-dependent and light-independent stages of photosynthesis
The light-dependent stage of photosynthesis
The three stages of the Calvin cycle
The conversion of Calvin cycle intermediates to carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids
Explain the term limiting factor in relation to photosynthesis
Explain the effects of changes in light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature on the rate of photosynthesis
Explain how an understanding of limiting factors is used to increase crop yields in protected environments
Due to the detail of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take up to 2 months of allocated A-level teaching time to cover the detail included in the slides of these lessons
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the roles of the coenzymes, the Krebs cycle and the products of the Calvin cycle lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle contains 5 fully-resourced lessons which are highly detailed and will engage and motivate the students whilst the following content that is set out in topic 13 of the CIE A-level Biology specification is covered:
Topic 13.1
Energy transferred as ATP and reduced NADP from the light dependent stage is used during the Calvin cycle to produce complex organic molecules
The sites of the light-dependent and light-independent stages of photosynthesis
The light-dependent stage as the photoactivation of chlorophyll, the photolysis of water and the transfer of energy to ATP and reduced NADP
Cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation
The three main stages of the Calvin cycle
The conversion of Calvin cycle intermediates to carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids
Topic 13.2
Explain the term limiting factor in relation to photosynthesis
Explain the effects of changes in light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature on the rate of photosynthesis
Explain how an understanding of limiting factors is used to increase crop yields in protected environments
The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which include exam-style questions, whole class discussion periods and quiz competitions which are designed to introduce key terms and values in a memorable way.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the conversion of Calvin cycle intermediates to carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover point 13.1 (h) of the CIE A-level Biology specification concerning the uses of GP and TP but as the lesson makes continual references to biological molecules, it can act as a revision tool for a lot of the content of topic 2.
The previous lesson described the three stages of the Calvin cycle and this lesson builds on that understanding to demonstrate how the intermediates of the cycle, GP and TP, are used. The start of the lesson challenges the students to identify two errors in a diagram of the cycle so that they can recall that most of the TP molecules are used in the regeneration of ribulose bisphosphate. A quiz version of Pointless runs throughout the lesson and this is used to challenge the students to recall a biological molecule from its description. Once each molecule has been revealed, time is taken to go through the details of the formation and synthesis of this molecule from TP or from GP in the case of fatty and amino acids. The following molecules are considered in detail during this lesson:
glucose (and fructose and galactose)
sucrose
starch and cellulose
glycerol and fatty acids
amino acids
nucleic acids
A range of activities are used to challenge their prior knowledge of these molecules and mark schemes are always displayed for the exam-style questions to allow the students to assess their understanding.
As detailed above, this lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the earlier lessons in this topic on the structure of the chloroplast, the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis and the Calvin cycle.