This fully-resourced lesson describes how enzymes function intracellularly and extracellularly and explains their mode of action. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 3.1 (a, b & c) and considers the details of Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis and Koshland’s induced-fit model and explains how an enzyme’s specificity is related to their 3D structure and enables them to act as biological catalysts. The lesson has been planned to tie in with topic 2.3, and to challenge the students on their knowledge of protein structure and globular proteins. 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 and DNA polymerase so that students are aware of these important intracellular enzymes when learning about the details of respiration and DNA replication before they are challenged on their knowledge of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from topics 1.2 - 1.4 as they have to recognise some extracellular digestive enzymes from descriptions of their biological molecule substrates.

This lesson outlines the need for energy in living organisms, and describes how ATP is formed by phosphorylation in respiration and photosynthesis. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover points 12.1 (a, b, c & e) of the CIE A-level Biology specification but can be used as a revision of topics 1, 4 and 6 as the students knowledge of cell structure, membrane transport and ATP is constantly challenged. As this is the first lesson in topic 12 (respiration), it has been specifically planned to act as an introduction to this cellular reaction and provides important details about glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation that will support the students to make significant progress when these stages are covered during individual lessons. Photophosphorylation is also introduced so students are prepared for the light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis in topic 13. The main focus of the start of the lesson is the demonstration of the need for energy in a variety of reactions that occur in living organisms. Students met ATP in topics 1 and 6, so a spot the errors task is used to check on their recall of the structure and function of this molecule. This will act to remind them that the release of energy from the hydrolysis of ATP can be coupled to energy-driven reactions in the cell such as active transport and a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge them on their knowledge of this form of membrane transport. They will also see how energy is needed for protein synthesis and DNA replication and the maintenance of resting potential, before more questions challenge them to apply their knowledge of cell structure and transport to explain how it is needed during the events at a synapse. The rest of the lesson focuses on the production of ATP by substrate-level, oxidative and photophosphorylation and the students will learn when ATP is formed by each of these reactions and will see how the electron transport chain in the membranes in the mitochondria and chloroplast is involved

This lesson describes the extracellular action of peptide hormones and the role played by steroid hormones in binding to DNA transcription factors. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.22 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and focuses on the differing effects of these two types of hormones on their target cells Students should have a base knowledge of the endocrine system from GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to add the detail needed at this level. The lesson begins by challenging this knowledge to check that they understand that endocrine glands secrete these hormones directly into the blood. Students will learn that most of the secreted hormones are peptide (or protein) hormones and a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge them on their recall of the structure of insulin as well as to apply their knowledge to questions about glucagon. Moving forwards, the students are reminded that hormones have target cells that have specific receptor sites on their membrane. The relationship between a peptide hormone as a first messenger and a second messenger on the inside of the cell is covered in detail in an upcoming lesson but students are briefly introduced to G proteins and cyclic AMP so they are prepared. The rest of the lesson focuses on steroid hormones and specifically their ability to pass through the membrane of a cell and to bind to transcription factors, as exemplified by oestrogen. Students covered transcription and the control of gene expression in topics 2 and 3 so the final tasks challenge their recall of these concepts

This fully-resourced lesson describes the different effects that gene mutations can have on the amino acid sequence of a protein. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 1.4 (viii) & (ix) as detailed in the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes substitutions, deletions and insertions and considers a real life example in sickle cell anaemia. 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 covered earlier in this topic. 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 task called known as THE WALL is used to introduce to the names of three types of gene mutation whilst challenging the students to recognise three terms which are associated with the genetic code. The main focus of the lesson is 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. Students will learn that a substitution is responsible for the new allele that causes sickle cell anaemia and they are tested on their understanding through an exam-style question. As with all of the questions, a mark scheme is included in the PowerPoint which can be displayed to allow the students to assess their understanding. 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 fully-resourced lesson describes how evolution can come through natural selection and acts on variation to bring about adaptations. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 3.2 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and considers a range of different behavioural, anatomical and physiological adaptations. President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description that explains how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin to enable them to see the principles of natural selection. This can then be used when describing how the anatomy of the modern-day giraffe has evolved over time. The concept of convergent evolution is introduced and links are made to the need for modern classification techniques. Moving forwards, students will understand how natural selection leads to adaptations and a quick quiz competition introduces the different types of adaptation and a series of tasks are used to ensure that the students can distinguish between anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations. The Marram grass is used to test their understanding further, before a step by step guide describes how the lignified cells prevent a loss of turgidity. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to explain how the other adaptations of this grass help it to survive in its environment. The final part of the lesson focuses on the adaptations of the anteater and links are made to the topic of classification hierarchy which was covered at the start of topic 3… Due to the extensiveness of this lesson and the detail contained within the resources, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to deliver this lesson.

This lesson describes the light-dependent stage, focusing on photoactivation of chlorophyll, photolysis of water and the production of ATP and reduced NADP. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the details of point 13.1 (f) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also describes cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation The light-dependent stage of photosynthesis is a process which students can find difficult to understand in the necessary detail so this lesson has been planned to walk them through all of the key details. Time is taken to describe the roles of the major protein complexes that are embedded in the thylakoid membrane and this includes the two photosystems, the cytochrome proton pump and ATP synthase. A series of exam-style questions have been written that link to other biological topics in this course such as eukaryotic cell structures and membrane transport as well as application questions to challenge them to apply their understanding. Some of these resources have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and to be pushed at the same time. Students will learn that there are two pathways that the electron can take from PSI and at the completion of the two tasks which describe each of these pathways, they will understand how ATP is generated in non-cyclic and cyclic photophosphorylation. The final task of the lesson asks them to compare these two forms of photophosphorylation to check that they understand when photolysis is involved and reduced NADP is formed. Due to the detail included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take up to 3 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to complete.

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 lesson describes how the nervous system detects stimuli, focusing on the detection of light by the rods in the the retina of mammals. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the content of specification point 8.8 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes descriptions of the roles of rhodopsin, opsin, retinal, sodium ions, cation channels and hyperpolarisation in the formation of action potentials in the optic neurones. The lesson begins by using a quiz to get the students to recognise the range of stimuli which can be detected by receptors. This leads into a task where the students have to form 4 sentences to detail the stimuli which are detected by certain receptors and the energy conversion that happen as a result. Students will be introduced to the idea of a transducer and learn that receptors always convert to electrical energy which is the generator potential. It is likely that students will be aware that the human retina contains rod and cone cells, so the next part of the lesson builds on that knowledge and adds the detail needed at this level. Students will discover that the optical pigment in rod cells is rhodopsin and that the bleaching of this into retinal and opsin results in a cascade of events that allows an action potential to be initiated along the optic nerve. Time is taken to go through the events that occur in the dark and then the students are challenged to use this as a guide when explaining how the events differ in the light. Key terms like depolarisation and hyperpolarisation, that were met earlier in topic 8, are used to explain the changes in membrane potential and the resulting effect on the connection with the bipolar and ganglion cells is then described. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the Pacinian corpuscle and describes how this responds to pressure on the skin, resulting in the opening of the sodium channels and the flow of sodium ions into the neurone to cause depolarisation

This lesson describes the biuret and emulsion tests for proteins and lipids respectively and then acts as a revision lesson for topics 2.2 and 2.3. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to be taught at the end of topic 2 and uses a range of activities to challenge the students on their knowledge of that topic, but also covers the second part of point 2.1 (a) of the CIE A-level Biology specification when the qualitative tests are described. The first section of the lesson describes the steps in the biuret test and challenges the students on their recall of the reducing sugars and starch tests from topic 2.1 to recognise that this is a qualitative test that begins with the sample being in solution. The students will learn that the addition of sodium hydroxide and then copper sulphate will result in a colour change from light blue to lilac if a protein is present. The next part of the lesson uses exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes, understanding checks and quick quiz competitions to engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of this topic. The following concepts are tested during this lesson: The general structure of an amino acid The formation of dipeptides and polypeptides through condensation reactions The primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of a protein Biological examples of proteins and their specific actions (e.g. antibodies, enzymes, peptide hormones) Moving forwards, the lesson describes the key steps in the emulsion test for lipids, and states the positive result for this test. There is a focus on the need to mix the sample with ethanol, which is a distinctive difference to the tests for reducing sugars and starch and proteins. The remainder of the lesson uses exam-style questions with mark schemes embedded in the PowerPoint, understanding checks, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions to challenge the following specification points: The structure of a triglyceride The relationship between triglyceride property and function The hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature of the phospholipid The phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane Cholesterol is also introduced so that the students are prepared for this molecule when it is met in topic 4 (cell membranes) This is an extensive lesson and it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated teaching time to cover the detail and the different tasks

This lesson describes how biodiversity is generated through natural selection and leads to behavioural, anatomical and physiological adaptations. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points (m) & (n) in AS unit 2, topic 1 of the WJEC A-level Biology specification President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description that explains how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin to enable them to see the principles of natural selection. This can then be used when describing how the anatomy of the modern-day giraffe has evolved over time. The concept of convergent evolution is introduced and links are made to the need for modern classification techniques as covered earlier in topic 1. Moving forwards, students will understand how natural selection leads to adaptations and a quick quiz competition introduces the different types of adaptation and a series of tasks are used to ensure that the students can distinguish between anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations. The Marram grass is used to test their understanding further, before a step by step guide describes how the lignified cells prevent a loss of turgidity. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to explain how the other adaptations of this grass help it to survive in its environment. A series of exam-style questions on the Mangrove family will challenge them to make links to other topics such as osmosis and the mark schemes are displayed to allow them to assess their understanding. The final part of the lesson focuses on the adaptations of the anteater but this time links back to the topic of taxonomy and students have to answer questions about species and classification hierarchy. Due to the extensiveness of this lesson and the detail contained within the resources, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to deliver this lesson.

This lesson describes the structure and functions of the organelles that are found in eukaryotic cells. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point (a) in AS Unit 1, topic 2 of the WJEC A-level Biology specification As cells are the building blocks of living organisms, it makes sense that they would be heavily involved in all 6 modules in the OCR course and intricate planning has ensured that links to the lessons earlier in AS unit 1 are made as well as to the upcoming topics in the other units. The lesson uses a wide range of activities, that include exam-style questions, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions, to maintain motivation and engagement whilst describing the relationship between the structure and function of the following organelles: nucleus nucleolus centrioles ribosomes rough endoplasmic reticulum Golgi body lysosomes smooth endoplasmic reticulum mitochondria cell surface membrane vacuole chloroplasts plasmodesmata All of the worksheets have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities whilst maintaining challenge Due to the detail that is included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to go through all of the tasks

This detailed lesson describes how recombinant DNA is produced using restriction endonucleases and DNA ligase and is inserted into other cells. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 8.18 & 8.19 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins with a definition of genetic engineering and recombinant DNA to allow students to begin to understand how this process involves the transfer of DNA fragments from one species to another. Links are made to the genetic code and transcription and translation mechanisms, which were met in topic 2, in order to explain how the transferred gene can be translated in the transgenic organism. Moving forwards, the method involving reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase is introduced and their knowledge of the structure of the polynucleotides and the roles of enzymes is challenged through questions and discussion points. Restriction endonucleases are then introduced and time is taken to look at the structure of a restriction site as well as the production of sticky ends due to the staggered cut on the DNA. A series of exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes are used to allow the students to assess their current understanding. The second half of the lesson looks at the culture of transformed host cells as an in vivo method to amplify DNA fragments. Students will learn that bacterial cells are the most commonly transformed cells so the next task challenges their recall of the structures of these cells so that plasmid DNA can be examined from that point onwards. Time is taken to explore the finer details of each step such as the addition of the promoter and terminator regions, use of the same restriction enzyme to cut the plasmid as was used to cut the gene and the different types of marker genes. As well as understanding and prior knowledge checks, quick quiz competitions are used throughout the lesson to introduce key terms such as cDNA and EcoR1 in a fun and hopefully memorable way

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 revision lesson has been designed to challenge the students on their use of a range of mathematical skills that could be assessed on the six OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science papers. The mathematical element of the GCSE Combined Science course has increased significantly since the specification change and therefore success in those questions which involve the use of maths can prove to be the difference between one grade and another or possibly even more. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities that include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes and explanations so that students can assess their progress. Other activities include differentiated tasks, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions such as “It doesn’t HURT to CONVERT”, “YOU DO THE MATH” and “FILL THE VOID”. The following mathematical skills (in a scientific context) are covered in this lesson: The use of Avogadro’s constant Rearranging the formula of an equation Calculating the amount in moles using mass and relative formula mass Calculating the relative formula mass for formulae with brackets Using the Periodic Table to calculate the number of sub-atomic particles in atoms Changes to electrons in ions Balancing chemical symbol equations Empirical formula Converting between units Calculating concentration in grams per dm cubed and volumes of solutions Calculating size using the magnification equation Using the mean to estimate the population of a sessile species Calculating percentages to prove the importance of biodiversity Calculating percentage change The BMI equation Calculating the acceleration from a velocity-time graph Recalling and applying the Physics equations Understanding prefixes that determine size Leaving answers to significant figures and using standard form Helpful hints and step-by-step guides are used throughout the lesson to support the students and some of the worksheets are differentiated two ways to provide extra assistance. Due to the detail of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of GCSE teaching time to cover the tasks and for this reason it can be used over a number of lessons as well as during different times of the year for revision

This extensive revision lesson challenges students on their knowledge and understanding of the content of topics 5 - 8 of the AQA A-level specification. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain a selection of tasks which challenge the following points: Directional, stabilising and disruptive selection Saltatory conduction and other factors affecting conductance speed The structure of a motor neurone Sensory receptors, depolarisation and initiation of an action potential Hardy-Weinberg principle Genetic terminology Codominance and sex-linkage Autosomal linkage Chi-squared test Phosphorylation The stages of aerobic respiration Explaining lower ATP yields in anaerobic respiration Skeletal muscle contraction Structure and function of slow and fast twitch muscle fibres The control of heart rate Electrophoresis and genetic fingerprinting The secondary messenger model The students are tested through a variety of tasks including exam questions, understanding checks, and quiz rounds to maintain engagement. Due to the mathematical content in all A-level exams, there is also a focus on these skills. The answers to all questions are embedded into the PowerPoint so students can use this resource outside of the classroom. The delivery of the whole lesson will likely need at least 2 or 3 hours of contact time so this resource could be used with students in the final weeks building up to their paper 2 exam, or alternatively with students before their mocks on these topics.