Bioscience Rocks is a shop that specialises in resources for A-Level Biology and Applied Science students. The resources include a range of activities, starters, worksheets and powerpoints, all of which have been used successfully with students of a wide range of abilities. The author is a National Expert Teacher of Science (awarded by National Science Learning Centre) and also a National Space Academy Lead Educator with a long track record of producing high quality educational resources.
Bioscience Rocks is a shop that specialises in resources for A-Level Biology and Applied Science students. The resources include a range of activities, starters, worksheets and powerpoints, all of which have been used successfully with students of a wide range of abilities. The author is a National Expert Teacher of Science (awarded by National Science Learning Centre) and also a National Space Academy Lead Educator with a long track record of producing high quality educational resources.
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides 27 questions on the topic of gas echange across insects, amoeba, fish and mammals. Each question requires a simple one or two word answer. This is a useful exercise to use as a starter recap on the basics once these topics have been taught.
Key words: gas exchange, fish, amoeba, insects, mammals
A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this worksheet provides an overview of the nervous system including how different parts are categorised, how nerve impulses are relayed around the body and the structure of different types of neurones. A useful exercise to give to students at the start of a topic on the nervous system.
Key words: nervous system, neurones, relay, sensory, motor, cns, pns, autonomic, reflex arc, sympathetic, parasympathetic
A worksheet aimed at 14-18 year old biologists which recaps the basics of stimulus and response in the nervous system, along with the details of the reflex arc.
Key words: stimulus, reflex, arc, neurone, sensory, motor, relay, receptor, response
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students which reviews transport of molecules and ions across a cell membrane. The questions include matching definitions of passive and active transport, predicting which molecules or ions can penetrate a plasma membrane and a review of Fick's law. The resource is useful as a starter or plenary activity at the end of a topic on cell membranes and transport.
A worksheet designed for advanced level biology students that provides a quick quiz of fifteen questions related to the function of different cell organelles. This would be useful as a starter of plenary activity at the end of a topic on cell organelles or could be used as a quick research task using textbooks at the start of the topic. Answers to each question are provided.
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students that reviews the key points about facilitated diffusion across a membrane. The worksheet includes reference to factors that determine whether a substance can pass freely across a membrane, the nature of carrier and channel proteins, the requirement of ATP and graphs comparing rate of uptake via simple diffusion versus facilitated diffusion (this is an oft-asked exam question, so useful for students to review this in lessons).
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students, this resource provides a two dimensional diagram showing the ultrastructure of a eukaryotic cell. Students are required to identify the organelles, state their function, list the sequence of organelles that would be involved in the production of proteins and finally complete an exercise on calculating magnification of a mitochondrion.
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource focuses on the five criteria (Koch's postulates) required for establishing whether a given factor is a causation of a lifestyle disease. The worksheet includes various graphs from different studies, with students required to comment on the evidence that they provide.
A comprehensive worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides an initial starter task that focuses on the nature of the genetic code. The worksheet then moves on to consider the nature of genetic disease with a particular focus on sickle cell anaemia and phenylketonuria.
Key words: DNA, triplet, code, codon, mutation, sickle cell, phenylketonuria
A resource aimed at post-16 biology students, this worksheet contains a list of written instructions for students to draw in order to recreate a diagram of the light independent reactions of photosynthesis. This task can be given to the whole class and then a printed diagram of the light independent reactions given out at the end of the activity for students to compare their drawing to; alternatively the class can be divided into two at the start of the lesson - half get a diagram of the light independent reactions and are asked to describe each stage while the other half get this worksheet and are asked to draw a diagram; the two halves of each class can then be asked to verbally feedback to each other.
This is a useful way of turning an otherwise dry topic into an involving and engaging activity.
Key words: photosynthesis, light independent, RuBP, G3P, TP, ATP, RNADP, NADP, Calvin cycle, photophosphorylation, RUBISCO
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students, this resource focuses on the mechanism of action of agonists and antagonists. The worksheet includes a diagram and explanation of how agonists and antagonists work, followed by some examples of common drugs and chemicals that can act as agonists or antagonists of the autonomic nervous system.
A diagram of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system is included and is required for the final page of the worksheet - a series of questions that asks students to predict the effect of various drugs and poisons (e.g. beta blockers, muscarine, atropine, etc).
This is a good activity for making the link between theory and practice; most students really enjoy being able to predict the action of a drug from a simple understanding of its mechanism.
A second, shorter worksheet is also included on the same topic which could be used as a revision activity once the key concepts have been taught.
Key words: agonist, anatgonist, sympathetic, parasympathetic, sympathetic, autonomic, muscarine, beta blockers, atropine, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, sarin
Aimed at advanced biology students, this resource leads students through the design and use of a respirometer. The first few questions deal with causes of pressure changes inside a respirometer tube and predicting the direction in which fluid within a manometer tube would flow. The worksheet then moves on to cover two different investigations - measuring the amount of oxygen consumed over time and measuring the amount of carbon dioxide produced over time. Tables for the recording of data and calculations (e.g. converting distance measurments to volumes) are provided along with questions that check understanding. The data gathered from both oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide can be plotted as graphs to calculate rate of respiration or used to calculate RQ values, indicating which respiratory substrate is being used by the organisms under test (blowfly larvae are suggested). The second worksheet in this resource deals specifically with a thermo-barometrically balanced respirometer and calculation/interpretation of RQ values.
Key words: respirometer, manometer, blowfly larvae, maggots, rate, RQ value, volume, distance, temperature, control, potassium hydroxide, thermo-barometrically balanced
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students that introduces the concept of disease. The worksheet covers categories of disease (e.g. infectious, lifestyle, inherited), examples of disease, mechanisms of infectious disease, interfaces for pathogens and interpretation of epidemiological patterns.
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students, this resource provides a twenty question quiz on key processes involved in gene technology. The resource is ideal to use as a starter or plenary exercise once this topic has been taught, as a way of reinforcing key vocabulary and terms.
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides a series of questions and diagrams that test student's understanding of transcription and translation. A useful exercise to use as consolidation/recap following the teaching of this topic.
Key words: DNA, transcription, translation
A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource requires students to use their knowledge of complementary base pairing to deduce the percentage of each base present within a piece of DNA for various organisms.
Key words: DNA, structure, base, percentage, helix, semi-conservative
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students, this resource serves as a simple starter or plenary activity to recap some of the main vocabulary and key terms met during a topic on photosynthesis. Answers to all the questions are provided on the second page of the worksheet.
A worksheet which gives very clear instructions for the construction of a good quality table of data, as required by most exam boards. The worksheet includes an example of a high quality table and an exercise which requires students to criticise a poorly constructed table.
A worksheet aimed at 14-18 year olds that provides a comprehension activity on the story of Typhoid Mary - a good example of how compelling evidence was used to identify and isolate the cause of an infectious disease over one hundred years ago.
A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students which serves to review the reasons for the hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of phospholipids. The worksheet also contains simple matching tasks for the name of a component in the fluid mosaic model and its function.
