NEW (2016) AS-Level Biology – Factors Affecting Enzyme Action

This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA AS-level Biology course, particularly the ‘Biological Molecules’ module.

For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA A-level Biology course please visit my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience

A-Level lesson format: I teach in more of a lecture style compared to GCSE. In the majority of my A-level lessons the beginning portion of the lesson is mainly teacher-led, where students are expected to take notes onto a handout/in their books. This is then mixed in with student-led activities, as well as questions and exam prep.

You will find some of my slides have blank spaces for you to add more detail/descriptions/explanations. If you look at the ‘Notes’ section underneath each of these slides, you will find additional content which you can add in as you teach!

This lesson begins with a starter to encourage discussion about the differences between the induced fit and lock and key models of enzyme action. Students are also asked to explain how temperature and pH balance affect enzyme action.
The following slide briefly reviews enzyme-controlled reactions then asks students to use their mini whiteboards to write down four factors that might affect successful collision. Students can self-assess with the answers on the slide.

Students are then taught to measure enzyme-catalysed reactions; in the notes I encourage you to ask students for examples and what the measurable changes are.

Students can then use the slide to work through the ‘fill in the blank style’ paragraph using a graph as a guide to understand enzyme-catalysed reaction. On the board where everyone can see you should write - substrate - product (H202 -> h2 + 02). The following slide includes answers so students may self-assess or check their answers with a partner.
The slides then work through a few more graphs to explain the effects of temperature and pH on enzyme action. The slides are lecture style, but you can see in my mores a few suggestions for discussion questions and further lecture material. Following these slides students are encouraged to graph on their own or perhaps as a large group.
Students are then given the opportunity to answer two graph style questions in their books and then self-assess.
Next the class will watch a video about measuring the rate of reaction at fixed points of time. After the video, students should answer four questions in their books and discuss the answers as a class. The next few slides build upon these questions and students are asked to practise calculating reaction rates on their own before self-assessing.
The plenary requires students to solve seven anagrams in their books, then write an original sentence with each word.
Each task or graph from the full lesson can be found on slides 22-27.
All resources are included. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)