Module 4.2.2: Classification and evolution (OCR A-level Biology A)

Classification and evolution is a topic that students can find difficult, which may be for a number of reasons that include a lack of engagement during lessons or because these topics are taught quickly as exams approach at the end of year 12. However, a clear understanding is critical, as assessment questions on the content of this module are common and are often worth a significant number of marks. In line with this, the planning of each of the 7 lessons in this bundle has focused on the inclusion of a wide range of tasks that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following points as detailed in module 4.2.2 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification:

• The biological classification of species
• The taxonomic hierarchy
• The binomial system of naming species and the advantages of such a system
• The features used to classify organisms into the five kingdoms
• The evidence that has led to new classification systems, such as the three domains of life
• The different types of variation
• Using standard deviation to measure the spread of a set of data
• Using the Student’s t-test to compare means of data values of two populations
• Using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to consider the relationship of the data
• The different types of adaptations of organisms to their environment
• The mechanism by which natural selection can affect the characteristics of a population over time
• How evolution in some species has implications for human populations

If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons as these have been uploaded for free:

• Taxonomic hierarchy and the binomial naming system
• Adaptations & natural selection