This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson that consists of a detailed and engaging PowerPoint (86 slides) and associated worksheets that challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of Topic 5 (Health, disease and the development of medicines) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. A wide range of activities have been written into the lesson to maintain motivation and these tasks include exam questions (with answers), understanding checks, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions. The lesson has been designed to include as much which of the content from topic 5, but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Identification of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases in animals and plants The treatment of bacterial infections The reduction and prevention of the spread of pathogens The body’s response to immunisation The physical defences of humans and plants The risk factors of CHD and possible treatments BMI The production and use of monoclonal antibodies This lesson can be used at numerous points over the duration of the course, as an end of topic revision aid, in the lead up to the mocks or in the lead up to the actual GCSE exams.

This is a fully-resourced REVISION resource that consists of an engaging PowerPoint (127 slides) and associated worksheets that challenge the students on their knowledge of topic 7 (Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. A wide range of activities have been written into this resource to maintain motivation and these tasks include exam questions (with answers), understanding checks, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions. The lesson has been designed to cover as much of the content as possible, but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Genetic terminology Using genetic diagrams to calculate phenotypic ratios and percentages for the inheritance of a single gene Applying the Hardy-Weinberg principle Sex-linkage Codominance, multiple alleles and interpreting genetic trees Types of variation Ecological terminology Dihybrid inheritance Using the chi-squared test to determine significance Epistasis Succession Sampling to estimate populations and consider distribution The mathematic elements of this topic and specification are challenged throughout the resource and useful hints given to enable the students to pick up vital marks from questions on this topic. Due to the size of this resource, teachers may choose to use it over the course of a number of lessons and it is suitable for use at the end of topic 7, in the lead up to the mocks or in the lead up to the actual A-level exams.

This detailed and engaging lesson supports students with their revision in the build up to their UNIT 1 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge them on their knowledge of Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health (topics 1 and 2) of the Edexcel International A-level biology specification, allowing them to identify any areas which require further attention before the examinations. Included in the range of tasks are exam-style questions and understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. There are quiz rounds to maintain engagement and to encourage healthy competition, as well as guided discussion periods to provide opportunities for students to support each other. The following content is directly covered by this revision lesson: The nature of the genetic code Globular and fibrous proteins Protein structure Haemoglobin and the affinity for oxygen The role of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle The course of events that lead to atherosclerosis Passive and active transport DNA replication The structure and function of starch Genetic terminology Codominance Sex-linked diseases Many of the tasks have been differentiated to maintain challenge whilst providing access to all. This is an extensive lesson with many tasks so it is estimated that it will take over 3 hours of teaching time if covered in full, but teachers may choose to use sections to focus on a specific topic.

A concise lesson presentation (20 slides) that looks at how the collision theory is related to the rate of reaction. This is a short lesson that would be taught at the beginning of the topic that looks at the rate of reaction and the factors that affect the rate. Students are challenged with a quick competition that gets them to recognise keywords which are involved in the collision theory. Some time is then taken to focus on "activation energy" and how this is shown on a reaction profile. Finally, students will use their keywords to form a clear definition for the collision theory which includes its link to the rate of reaction so this can be used in the upcoming lessons This lesson has ultimately been designed for GCSE students but can be used with all age groups as an introduction to the topic

A series of 5 exam questions that challenge students to work out the actual size of a section as seen under a microscope or the magnification. These questions will test their ability to convert between measurements and give answers in micrometers. These questions are suitable for GCSE and A-level students

This is a fully-resourced lesson that looks at the functional and structural differences between the transport tissues in a plant, the xylem and phloem. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (41 slides), which includes numerous student-led tasks, progress checks and quick competitions and two question worksheets, one of which is a differentiated version to enable those students who are finding this topic difficult to still be able to access the learning. The lesson begins with the introduction of the two tissues as well as a brief introduction to the substances which they each carry. The next part of the lesson focuses on the xylem cells and the resulting xylem vessel, and key terms such as lignin are brought into the lesson so that students can understand how these cells are waterproofed, which causes them to decay and form hollow tubes. Having met a lot of information, students are challenged to act like an examiner to form a table based question to compare the xylem against the phloem where they have to come up with features which could be compared against. This table will form the backbone of the lesson and students will use it later in the lesson when they have to write summary passages about each of the tissues. Moving forwards, a quick competition is used to enable the students to meet the names of the cells that form the phloem tissue, the sieve tube elements and the companion cells. Students will see how they are involved in the functioning of the phloem and questions are posed which relate to other topics such as the involvement of mitochondria wherever active transport occurs. Progress checks like this are found at regular intervals throughout the lesson so that students can constantly assess their understanding. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students. If you are looking to teach about these tissues but to a higher standard, you could use my uploaded alternative called Xylem and Phloem (A-level)

This lesson looks at the structure of the DNA that is found in the nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cells and in prokaryotic cells. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.1.3 (d)(i) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. As students will already have some knowledge of this nucleic acid from GCSE and from the earlier A-level topics, the lesson has been written to build on this prior knowledge and then to add key detail. As well as focusing on the differences between the DNA found in these two types of cells which includes the length, shape and association with histones, the various tasks will ensure that students are confident to describe how this double-stranded polynucleotide is held together by hydrogen and phosphodiester bonds. This knowledge of phosphodiester bonds means that specification point 2.1.3 © is also covered during this lesson. These tasks include exam-style questions which challenge the application of knowledge as well as a few quiz competitions to maintain engagement.

This lesson has been written for GCSE students, with the main focus being to introduce reversible reactions, show them how to represent them in both word and symbol equations, and to look at some well-known examples. Related topics such as the position of the equilibrium and endothermic and exothermic reactions are briefly mentioned so that students can recognise the potential crossover between topics. Some time is taken during the lesson to challenge the students to write a balanced symbol equation having been given a description of a reversible reaction. This task is differentiated with an assistance sheet so that all are able to access the learning. There are a number of these progress checks in this short lesson so that students can assess their understanding on a regular basis. Students will learn that the reaction in one direction will be exothermic and why this matters in terms of temperature and the equilibrium position. Increasing pressure and the number of moles is also discussed and an answer explained.

This is a fast-paced lesson which goes through the main steps of selective breeding and looks at the potential risks of this process. The lesson begins by looking at the characteristics of a number of organisms that would be selected. Time is taken to ensure that students understand that selective breeding is not a new thing and has been going on for a very long time and therefore some of the problems associated with this are now being experienced. The actual process is reduced down into 5 steps which can be recalled and applied to questions. The remainder of the lesson looks at the potential issues with selective breeding. The reduction in the nose size of pugs is explored as an example of the health problems which bred animals may face. This lesson has been written for GCSE students.

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.

This lesson guides students through the use of the chi-squared test to determine the significance of the difference between observed and expected results. It is fully-resourced with a detailed PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets that have been designed to cover point 6.1.2 © of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of the test to compare the observed and expected results of a genetic cross The lesson has been written to include a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to carry out the test in small sections. At each step, time is taken to explain any parts which could cause confusion and helpful hints are provided to increase the likelihood of success in exam questions on this topic. Students will understand how to use the phenotypic ratio to calculate the expected numbers and then how to find the critical value in order to compare it against the chi-squared value. A worked example is used to show the working which will be required to access the marks and then the main task challenges the students to apply their knowledge to a series of questions of increasing difficulty.

An engaging and informative lesson presentation (43 slides) that shows students how to write accurate chemical formulae for ionic compounds. In order to write accurate chemical formulae, students need to know the charges of the ions involved. For this reason, the lesson begins by reminding students how they can use the Periodic Table to work out the charge of the charged atoms. Students are shown how they can use these ion charges to write the formula and then are given the opportunity to apply this to a number of examples. Moving forwards, students are shown how some formulae need to contain brackets. The lesson finishes with a competition called “Ye Olde Chemical Formula Shop” where students get points if they are the first to work out the formula of a given substance. This lesson has been written for GCSE students.

This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at how genetic drift can arise after a genetic bottleneck or as a result of the Founder effect. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the fourth part of point 7.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to explain the importance of genetic drift in causing changes in allele frequency in small populations A wide range of examples are used to show the students how a population that descends from a small number of parents will have a reduction in genetic variation and a change in the frequency of existing alleles. Students are encouraged to discuss new information to consider key points and understanding checks in a range of forms are used to enable them to check their progress and address any misconceptions. Students are provided with three articles on Huntington’s disease in South Africa, the Caribbean lizards and the plains bison to understand how either a sharp reduction in numbers of a new population beginning from a handful of individuals results in a small gene pool. Links to related topics are made throughout the lesson to ensure that a deep understanding is gained.

This fully-resourced lesson explores how new species arise when changes in the gene pool of two populations prevents members from interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the fifth part of point 7.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe allopatric and sympatric speciation. The lesson begins by using the example of a hinny, which is the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, to challenge students to recall the biological classification of a species. Moving forwards, students are introduced to the idea of speciation and the key components of this process, such as isolation and selection pressures, are covered and discussed in detail. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson to allow the students to not only assess their progress against the current topic but also to make links to earlier topics in the specification. Time is taken to look at the details of allopatric speciation and how the different mutations that arise in the isolated populations and genetic drift will lead to genetic changes. The example of allopatric speciation in wrasse fish because of the isthmus of Panama is used to allow the students to visualise this process. The final part of the lesson considers sympatric speciation and again a wide variety of tasks are used to enable a deep understanding to be developed.