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.
A fully-resourced lesson which guides students through using genetic trees to work out the genotypes of unknown individuals and also how to work out whether a condition is caused by a dominant or a recessive allele. This lesson includes a detailed lesson presentation (24 slides) and a series of differentiated questions to allow the students to try to apply their new-found knowledge.
The lesson begins by challenging students to recall the meaning of the key terms, genotype and phenotype. Time is taken initially to explain how genetic trees can be used in questions. Lots of useful hints are given throughout the lesson, such as filling in the genotypes for those that you already know like the affected in a recessive condition. Moving forwards, a worked example is used to talk the students through a question. Students are then given the opportunity to try a question and this has been differentiated so those who need extra assistance can still access the work. The remainder of the lesson shows the students how they can use the tree to work out whether the condition is caused by a dominant or recessive allele and again a progress check is used so students can assess their understanding.
This lesson has been designed for both GCSE and A-level students.
A resourced lesson which looks at the organisation of the human nervous system and explores how these structures are involved in nervous reactions. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (27 slides) and an associated worksheet with an understanding check.
The lesson begins by looking at different examples of stimuli and therefore introducing the key term, receptors, as structures which detect these changes in the environment. Moving forwards, a quiz competition is used to introduce the students to the abbreviations CNS and PNS and students will learn the structures that are found in these parts. At this stage of the lesson, a quick understanding check is written into the lesson to see whether students know the functions of each of the structures and check whether they can order them correctly from stimuli to effectors. Students will meet the term synapse and be taught that the conduction across these gaps is slow so that this knowledge can be applied in future lessons on reflexes. The remainder of the lesson challenges the students to apply their new-found knowledge in ordering an example of a nervous reaction.
An engaging lesson presentation (39 slides) which explores how cells differentiate in order to specialise to become more effective at carrying out a particular function. This lesson focuses on five cells - red blood cells, sperm cells, fat cells, ciliated cells and palisade cells.
The lesson begins by challenging the mathematical skills of the students as they have to convert the number 37 trillion into standard form. Students will learn that although all of the cells found in a human would be eukaryotic animal cells, they wouldn’t all be the same. They are introduced to the key term differentiation through a quiz competition and time is taken to ensure that students understand how this process leads to specialisation. The remainder of the lesson concentrates on looking at the function and features of the five cells. Quiz competitions are used throughout to maintain engagement whilst ample time is given to student discussion where they are challenged to consider why a cell would have specialised in such a way. Key terminology is consistently used so that students are not caught off guard in an exam question when this specialist language is used. Regular progress checks are written into the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students who are looking to extend their knowledge on the topic of cells.
An engaging lesson presentation (16 slides) which looks at the surface area to volume ratio and ensures that students can explain why this factor is so important to the organisation of living organisms. This is a topic which is generally poorly misunderstood by students and therefore time has been taken to design an engaging lesson which highlights the key points in order to encourage greater understanding.
The lesson begins by showing students the dimensions of a cube and two answers and challenges them to work out what the questions were that produced these answers. Students are shown how to calculate the surface area and the volume of an object before it is explained how this can then be turned into a ratio. Time is taken at this point to ensure that students can apply this new-found knowledge as they have to work out which of the three organisms in the “SA: V OLYMPICS” would stand aloft the podium. Students are given the opportunity to draw conclusions from this task so that they can recognise that the larger the organism, the lower the surface area to volume ratio. The lesson finishes by explaining how larger organisms, like humans, have adapted in order to increase the surface area at important exchange surfaces in their bodies.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but is perfectly suitable for A-level students who want to look at this topic from a basic level
A resourced lesson which looks at gas exchange at the alveoli and focuses on how these structures are adapted to carry out efficient gas exchange. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (21 slides) and an associated worksheet.
The lesson begins by revisiting the idea of the surface area to volume ratio of small organisms against larger organisms. This will remind students that due to the low surface area to volume ratio of a human, they need to have adaptations at the exchange surfaces to increase the surface area. Moving forwards, a range of competitions are used to introduce students to the numbers and key terms associated with the alveoli. Students will learn how the large number (700 million) of alveoli leads to a large surface area and how a permeable membrane is also essential. Time is written into the lesson to allow students to think about key features, such as the one cell thick lining, and relate this to the rate of diffusion. The lesson concludes with students completing a passage about how the respiratory and circulatory systems work together to maintain a steep concentration gradient between the alveoli and the capillaries.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge
A resourced lesson which looks at three of the main components of blood and ensures that students can relate their features to their function. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (31 slides) and an associated worksheet
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise blood from a description of some of its contents. This will enable students to identify some of the substances like hormones and urea that are carried in the plasma. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson takes a format where the students have to act as recruitment consultants. They have been given 3 job roles to fill and once they have decided on the right candidates for the job, they need to be able to explain why these have been chosen. Students will go study the red and white blood cells and platelets, focusing on how their different specialised features enable them to effectively carry out their respective functions. Students will be able to compare the cells in terms of size, number of nuclei and ultimately explain why they have their features.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but is perfectly suitable to be used with KS3 students who are studying the circulatory system
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structures of arteries, veins and capillaries and ensures that students can relate these features to their respective functions. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (41 slides) and a differentiated worksheet
The lesson begins by getting the students to come up with a really simple rule to remind themselves that arteries carry blood away from the heart. They are then challenged to extend this definition by considering the pressure of the blood found in arteries. Students will learn that most arteries carry oxygenated blood but will consider and recall the artery which is the exception to the rule. Students are shown a diagram of the basic structure of the artery and the reasons for the narrow lumen and thick muscular wall are explained. Moving forwards, students are challenged to use the work on arteries to sketch a diagram of a vein and to explain why they have given this vessel certain features. A quick competition is then used to check their understand of the work so far whilst introducing valves and again they are given a chance to work out which blood vessel would need these structures in their lumen. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the capillary and time is taken to relate the features to an actual example involving the alveoli of the lungs.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structure of the human heart and its associated vessels and ensures that students know the journey which blood takes through this organ. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (25 slides), a diagram to label and a worksheet to summarise the journey.
The lesson begins with a bit of fun as students see the script to part of an episode from Friends. Students will recognise the alternative definition of the heart and ultimately recall that the function of this organ is to pump blood around the body. Moving forwards, the main task of the lesson involves labelling the four chambers and the blood vessels which bring blood towards and away from the heart. Students are given useful hints along the way to enable them to discover the answers rather than simply being given a finished diagram. Time is taken to look at the valves and discuss their function so that students can understand this role when they encounter them in veins. The lesson concludes with one final task that challenges the students to detail the journey of blood through the heart.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at how the sex chromosomes which determine gender are inherited in humans. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (24 slides) and an associated worksheet containing knowledge recall and application questions.
The lesson begins with a range of different quiz competitions which enable the students to get the answers of X, Y, zygote and 23. With a little bit of assistance, students are challenged to bring these terms together to complete a passage about how the inheritance of either an XX genotype will lead to a female or a XY genotype will lead to a male. Moving forwards, students are told how they will be expected to be able to construct a genetic diagram to show the inheritance of gender and so are given a quick recap before being challenged to do just that. The last part of the lesson gets students to discuss and consider whether females or males are responsible for determining sex in terms of their gametes.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. The lesson has been written for GCSE students primarily but the content is suitable for both KS3 and even A-level students
A fully- resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction that is anaerobic respiration and ensures that students can understand why this form of respiration can only be used for short periods of time. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (39 slides), a newspaper article and application questions.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall information about aerobic respiration to recognise that the sole reactant of anaerobic respiration is glucose. A newspaper article about two atheletes from the 10000m race has been written to challenge the students to recognise why one of the athletes wouldnt be able to compete again in the near future whilst the other could. As a result, students will be introduced to lactic acid and will learn how this poisonous substance prevents muscle contraction and causes cramps. Time is taken to ensure that students are familiar with ATP and specifically that they recognise that a much lower yield is produced in this type of respiration. A perfect opportunity is taken to get the students to carry out a mathematical calculation to compare the yields. Oxygen debt is discussed and related back to the original newspaper article. Finally, anaerobic respiration in plants and yeast is considered in terms of fermentation and the word and symbol equation is written so that it can be compared to those from animals.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. The lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students or A-level students who want a recap before covering the topic in greater detail on their course.
A resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction that is aerobic respiration and ensures that students can apply their knowledge to application questions which challenge them to make links to related topics. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (27 slides) and an associated worksheet containing questions.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise a definition for breathing and a definition for respiration. This is aimed at helping them to understand that these are different processes as this is a common misconception made by students. Moving forwards, key details about aerobic respiration are introduced to the students through a range of tasks which include competitions to maintain engagement. Time is taken to ensure that students become familiar with ATP and understand that this is the energy store which will be broken down to release energy for the activities that occur in a living organism. The remainder of the lesson challenges the students to take their new found knowledge of aerobic respiration and apply it to range of unfamiliar situations such as explaining why a root hair cell would have such a large number of mitochondria.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge
An engaging lesson presentation and associated worksheet that looks at the use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections and the raises the issue of the potential over-use of these substances. The lesson begins by getting the students to recognise the difference between three key terms that begin with anti (antibiotics, antivirals, antiseptics). Students will be introduced to the idea that antibiotics are specific to a small range of bacteria and therefore the correct one has to be selected before being prescribed. Moving forwards, students will meet the idea of the zone of inhibition and will understand how the size of this zone can be used as an indicator to the effectiveness of the treatment. Students are shown how to calculate the size of the zone and then are tested on their ability to apply this mathemetical knowledge. Finally, time is taken to look at the links to the topic of natural selection to explain how some bacteria are resistant to certain antibiotics. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but could be used as an introduction with A-level Biology students who are about to begin the topic of immunity.
This fully-resourced lesson guides students through the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equations to determine the frequency of alleles and genotypes in a population. Both the detailed PowerPoint and differentiated practice questions on a worksheet have been designed to cover point 6.1.2 (f) of the OCR A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of the use of the principle to calculate allele frequencies in populations.
The lesson begins by looking at the two equations and ensuring that students understand the meaning of each of the terms. The recessive condition, cystic fibrosis, is used as an example so that students can start to apply their knowledge and assess whether they understand which genotypes go with which term. Moving forwards, a step-by-step guide is used to show students how to answer a question. Tips are given during the guide so that common misconceptions and mistakes are addressed immediately. The rest of the lesson gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a set of 3 questions, which have been differentiated so that all abilities are able to access the work and be challenged.
This fully-resourced lesson explores the inheritance of sex-linked diseases in humans and then challenges the students to apply their knowledge to examples in other animals. The detailed PowerPoint and associated differentiated resources have been designed to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (b[i]) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of genetic diagrams which include sex-linkage.
Key genetic terminology is used throughout and the lesson begins with a check on their ability to identify the definition of homologous chromosomes. Students will recall that the sex chromosomes are not fully homologous and that the smaller Y chromosome lacks some of the genes that are found on the X. This leads into one of the numerous discussion points, where students are encouraged to consider whether females or males are more likely to suffer from sex-linked diseases. In terms of humans, the lesson focuses on haemophilia and red-green colour blindness and a step-by-step guide is used to demonstrate how these specific genetic diagrams should be constructed and how the phenotypes should then be interpreted. The final tasks of the lesson challenge the students to carry out a dihybrid cross that involves a sex-linked disease and an autosomal disease before applying their knowledge to a question about chickens and how the rate of feather production in chicks can be used to determine gender.
All of the tasks are differentiated so that students of differing abilities can access the work and all exam questions have fully-explained, visual markschemes to allow them to assess their progress and address any misconceptions.
A fully-resourced lesson that looks at the topic of osmosis and how the movement of water between a cell and the solution can affect the appearance of an animal and a plant cell. This lesson includes a detailed and engaging lesson presentation (42 slides) and differentiated worksheets that include exam questions that can be set as homework. There is a lot of key terminology associated with this topic and time is taken to ensure that students understand the meaning of each of these terms before moving forwards. Students are introduced to the different types of solutions and then a step-by-step guide is used to show them how to compare the water potential of the solution and the cell and then how this will determine which was water moves. The main task is differentiated so that students are challenged and can access the work.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is also suitable for A-level students
A whole lesson on the topic of active transport which includes a concise lesson presentation (20 slides) and a set of questions that are used to check on the students’ understanding. This lesson is designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but could be used with A-level students who are covering the topic of movement across cell membranes. The main focus of the lesson is to get students to understand that this is an active process which moves substances against the concentration gradient and therefore needs energy for this process. The final part of the lesson looks at the different types of questions that can accompany this topic and a step-by-step guide is used to answer a difficult longer answer question as a class.
A fully-resourced lesson that looks at the different sampling methods that can be used to estimate the populations of animals and plants in a habitat and to analyse how their distribution is affected, The lesson includes a detailed and engaging lesson presentation (56 slides) and differentiated worksheets so that students of different abilities are challenged and can access the work.
The lesson begins by looking at the use of a quadrat to estimate the population of plants in a habitat. There is a focus on the mathematical calculations associated with the method and students are given hints and worked examples so that any common misconceptions are addressed. Moving forwards, students are introduced to the capture-mark-recapture technique to sample animals. The rest of the lesson looks at alternative pieces of apparatus, such as the sweep net, and discusses situations when these would be used.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is appropriate for both younger students who are learning about ecology and also for A-level students who need a recap on this topic.
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structure of DNA in the detail which is required at GCSE level (14 - 16 year olds in the UK). The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (35 slides) and associated worksheets. The main aim of the lesson is to ensure that students recognise key terminology that comes with this topic such as nucleotide and (nitrogenous) bases. Engaging tasks have been written into the lesson, in order to maintain the motivation, such as when students are introduced to complimentary base pairing through a version of the gameshow “Take me Out”. Additional knowledge is provided at appropriate times in the lesson to stretch and challenge the more able. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding of the structure.
As stated above, this lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with younger students and also with A-level students as a means of a recap before they learn about this in greater detail.
A resourced lesson which uses a concise lesson presentation (18 slides) and a differentiated diagram to guide students through the method of blood clotting. This lesson has been designed for students studying GCSE (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) and this is reflected in the appropriate detail where only the involvement of fibrin needs to be known. Students are shown how blood clotting is a cascade effect where one event leads on to the next.
