This detailed lesson describes the pathways and explains the mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported from the soil to the xylem. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of point 7.2 [c] in the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins by looking at the specialised features of the root hair cell so that students can understand how these epidermal cells absorb water and mineral ions from the soil. Moving forwards, students are introduced to key terminology such as epidermis and root cortex before time is taken to look at the different pathways that water and minerals use to transverse across the cortex. Discussion points are included throughout the lesson to encourage the students to think about each topic in depth and challenges them to think about important questions such as why the apoplastic pathway is needed for the water carrying the ions. The main part of the lesson focuses on the role of the endodermis in the transport of the water and ions into the xylem. Students will be introduced to the Casparian strip and will learn how this layer of cells blocks the apoplastic pathway. A step by step method using class questions and considered answers is used to guide them through the different steps and to support them when writing the detailed description. This lesson has been written to tie in with the next lesson on the pathways and mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported to the leaves.

This lesson describes the similarities and differences between the xylem and phloem vessels and the sclerenchyma fibres. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.11 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to compare these tissues in terms of structure, position in the stem and function. The lessons begins by challenging the students to identify the substances that a plant needs for the cellular reactions, where they are absorbed and where these reactions occur in a plant. The aim of this task is to get the students to recognise that water and mineral ions are absorbed in the roots and needed in the leaves whilst the products of photosynthesis are in the leaves and need to be used all over the plant. Students will be reminded that the xylem and phloem are part of the vascular system responsible for transporting these substances and then the rest of the lesson focuses on linking structure to function. A range of tasks which include discussion points, exam-style questions and quick quiz rounds are used to describe how lignification results in the xylem as a hollow tube of xylem cells to allow water to move as a complete column. They will also learn that the narrow diameter of this vessel allows capillary action to move water molecules up the sides of the vessel. The same process is used to enable students to understand how the structures of the companion cells allows assimilates to be loaded before being moved to the sieve tube elements through the plasmodesmata. The final part of the lesson introduces the sclerenchyma tissue as part of the vascular bundle and along with the structure and function, the students will observe where this tissue is found in the stem in comparison to the xylem and phloem. It is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail which has been written into this lesson

This lesson describes how the structures of the xylem vessels, sieve tube elements and companion cells relates to their functions. Both the engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.1.3 (b) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. The lessons begins by challenging the students to identify the substances that a plant needs for the cellular reactions, where they are absorbed and where these reactions occur in a plant. The aim of this task is to get the students to recognise that water and mineral ions are absorbed in the roots and needed in the leaves whilst the products of photosynthesis are in the leaves and need to be used all over the plant. Students will be reminded that the xylem and phloem are part of the vascular system responsible for transporting these substances and then the rest of the lesson focuses on linking structure to function. A range of tasks which include discussion points, exam-style questions and quick quiz rounds are used to describe how lignification results in the xylem as a hollow tube of xylem cells to allow water to move as a complete column. They will also learn that the narrow diameter of this vessel allows capillary action to move water molecules up the sides of the vessel. The same process is used to enable students to understand how the structures of the companion cells allows assimilates to be loaded before being moved to the sieve tube elements through the plasmodesmata. It is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail which has been written into this lesson

This lesson describes the mass flow hypothesis for the mechanism of translocation in plants and includes details of active loading at the source. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 4th part of point 3.4.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise the key term translocation when it is partially revealed and then the rest of the lesson focuses on getting them to understand how this mechanism involves the mass flow of assimilates down the hydrostatic pressure gradient from the source to the sink. It has been written to tie in with an earlier lesson in topic 3.4.2 where the structure of the phloem tissue was initially introduced and the students are continually challenged on this prior knowledge. A step-by-step guide is used to describe how sucrose is loaded into the phloem at the source by the companion cells. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the proton pumping to create the proton gradient and the subsequent movement back into the cells by facilitated diffusion using co-transporter proteins. Students will learn that the hydrostatic pressure at the source is high, due to the presence of the water and sucrose as cell sap, and that this difference when compared to the lower pressure at the sink leads to the movement along the phloem. A number of quick quiz rounds are included in the lesson to maintain engagement and to introduce key terms and the lesson concludes with a game of SOURCE or SINK as students have to identify whether a particular plant structure is one or the other (or both)

This lesson describes the active loading of sucrose at the source and movement by mass flow to the sink down the hydrostatic pressure gradient. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 7.2 (g, h & i) as detailed in the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise the key term translocation when it is partially revealed and then the rest of the lesson focuses on getting them to understand how this process involves the mass flow of assimilates down the hydrostatic pressure gradient from the source to the sink. It has been written to tie in with 7.1 (d) where the structure of the phloem tissue was initially introduced and the students are continually challenged on their prior knowledge. A step-by-step guide is used to describe how sucrose is loaded into the phloem at the source by the companion cells. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the proton pumping to create the proton gradient and the subsequent movement back into the cells by facilitated diffusion using co-transporter proteins. Students will learn that the hydrostatic pressure at the source is high, due to the presence of the water and sucrose as cell sap, and that this difference when compared to the lower pressure at the sink leads to the movement along the phloem. A number of quick quiz rounds are included in the lesson to maintain engagement and to introduce key terms and the lesson concludes with a game of SOURCE or SINK as students have to identify whether a plant structure is one or the other (or both)

This engaging lesson describes how the structure of the phloem enables this vascular tissue to transport organic substances in plants. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the 3rd part of point 3.4.2 (Mass transport in plants) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. Comparative questions between the xylem and phloem are very common so the lesson begins by challenging the students to use their prior knowledge to complete the xylem column of a table with details including the presence of lignin and bordered pits and specific substances which are transported in this tissue. This has been written into the lesson to encourage the students to start to think about how the structure and function of the phloem may compare. 3 quiz rounds have been included in the lesson to maintain motivation and to introduce key terms. The first of these rounds will challenge the students to be the first to recognise descriptions of sucrose and amino acids as they learn that these are the two most common assimilate, which are the substances transported by the phloem. The focus of this lesson is the relationship between structure and function and all descriptions have these two parts highlighted to support the students to recognise the link. Moving forwards, students will be introduced to the sieve tube elements and the companion cells and time is taken to consider why the structure of these cells are so different. Current understanding checks are interspersed throughout the lesson to ensure that any misconceptions can be quickly addressed. The plasmodesmata is described to allow students to understand how assimilates move from the companion cells to the sieve tube elements as this will be particularly important for the next lesson on translocation. The final task of the lesson challenges the students to write a detailed passage about the structure and function of the phloem, incorporating all of the information that they have absorbed throughout the course of the lesson.

This lesson describes how the structures of the xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells relates to their functions. Both the engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.1 (d) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lessons begins by challenging the students to identify the substances that a plant needs for the cellular reactions, where they are absorbed and where these reactions occur in a plant. The aim of this task is to get the students to recognise that water and mineral ions are absorbed in the roots and needed in the leaves whilst the products of photosynthesis are in the leaves and need to be used all over the plant. Students will be reminded that the xylem and phloem are the vascular tissues responsible for transporting these substances and then the rest of the lesson focuses on linking structure to function. A range of tasks which include discussion points, exam-style questions and quick quiz rounds are used to describe how lignification results in the xylem as a hollow tube of xylem cells to allow water to move as a complete column. They will also learn that the narrow diameter of this vessel allows capillary action to move water molecules up the sides of the vessel. The same process is used to enable students to understand how the structures of the companion cells allows assimilates to be loaded before being moved to the sieve tube elements through the plasmodesmata. It is estimated that it will take around 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail which has been written into this lesson.

This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that has been written to challenge students on their knowledge and understanding of the PAPER 2 topics. The range of tasks will prepare the students to answer the range of questions that they may encounter on topics B1 and B6 - B9 as detailed in the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The lesson has been designed to take place on the PAPER 2 HIGH STREET and the tasks include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes, engaging quiz competitions and discussion points to allow the following points to be covered: Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic cells Converting between units of size The structures of the animal and plant cells The structure of the human heart Calculating the surface area to volume ratio Adaptations of the gas exchange system The blood vessels associated with the human heart Calculating the cardiac output The features of the root hair cell to allow for absorption The nitrogen cycle The relationship between the rate of photosynthesis and light intensity and distance Using the inverse square law calculation Temperature and photosynthesis The regulation of blood glucose by the release of insulin and glucagon Diabetes type I and II Calculating the BMI The interaction of the reproductive hormones in the menstrual cycle IVF as assisted reproductive technology The hormonal and barrier methods of contraception Eutrophication as a negative human interaction in an ecosystem The carbon cycle In order to cater for the range of abilities that can be found in Combined Science classes, most of the tasks have been differentiated. There are also a number of step by step guides to demonstrate how to tackle some of the more difficult concepts including the mathemetical elements If you would like to see the quality of these revision lessons, download the PAPER 1 REVISION LESSON which has been shared for free

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson which prepares the students for the various types of questions that they can encounter on PAPER 1 of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science course. The lesson uses a wide range of activities to challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of topics B1 - B5 and has been specifically designed for students taking the HIGHER TIER exam. The lesson has been designed to take place within a hospital and the students will then visit a number of wards, the pharmacy, the hospital cafe and the museum to allow the following specification topics to be covered: Cancer and uncontrolled cell division Meiosis and the production of gametes Mitosis and the cell cycle Sex determination The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases The spread of communicable diseases by pathogens Diseases caused by the four different pathogens The use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections Evolution by natural selection in bacteria and animals Genetic terminology The structure of DNA Inheritance of disorders caused by dominant and recessive alleles The central nervous system and other structures involved in nervous reactions Reflex arcs Risk factors of non-communicable diseases Osmosis Fossils as evidence for human evolution In order to cater for the different abilities that can be found in Combined Science classes, most of the tasks have been differentiated 2 or 3 ways and there are also step by step guides to walk the students through the more difficult concepts like evolution by natural selection and genetic diagrams. To maintain engagement throughout the lesson, 8 quiz rounds have been written into the lesson which will challenge the students to work within their teams and compete for a range of team points. The size of this lesson means that it is likely to take in excess of 3/4 teaching hours to cover the detail as necessary and therefore this allows the resource to be used at numerous points throughout the duration of the course as well as just before the terminal exam.

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of topics B1 - B5, that will assessed on PAPER 1. It has been specifically designed for students on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the fundamentals are known and understood. The lesson has been written to take place at the local hospital where the students have to visit numerous wards and clinics and the on-site pharmacy so that the following sub-topics can be covered: Cancer as the result of uncontrolled cell division The production of gametes by meiosis Mitosis and the cell cycle Sex determination The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases The pathogens that spread communicable diseases Identification of communicable diseases Treating bacterial infections with antibiotics Evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria Vaccinations Genetic terminology Genetic diagrams Structures involved in a nervous reaction A Reflex arc Risk factors Chemical and physical defences Osmosis and percentage gain and loss Fossils as evidence for human evolution In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for assistance sheets when they are unable to begin a question. Step-by-step guides have also been written into the lesson to walk students through some of the more difficult concepts such as genetic diagrams and evolution by natural selection. Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 1 exam.

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, engaging quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of the content of topics B1 & B6 - B9, that will assessed on PAPER 2. It has been specifically designed for students on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points of each of the sub-topics are embedded. The lesson has been written to take place in numerous shops that could be found on the high street as well as at an urban park to allow the following sub-topics to be covered: Eukaryotes and prokaryotes The prefixes of size and converting between units The cell structures of animal and plant cells The structure of the heart and the circulatory system The features of the alveoli which enable efficient gas exchange Calculating cardiac output Temperature and photosynthesis The role of enzymes in reactions The functions of the components of blood The homeostatic control of blood glucose by insulin secretion Diabetes type I and II Calculating BMI and the link between obesity and diabetes type II The hormones involved in the menstrual cycle The different methods of contraception Estimating population size using sampling results The carbon cycle In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3/4 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 2 exam

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, quiz rounds, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of the content of topics B4 - B6, that will assessed on PAPER 2. It has been specifically designed for students on the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the fundamentals are known and understood. The lesson has been written to take place at the hospital and the students will visit the various wards and health clinics day to check on their knowledge of the following sub-topics : Cancer The production of gametes by meiosis The meaning of diploid and haploid Sex determination The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases Diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and protists Treatment of bacterial infections using antibiotics Evolution by natural selection in bacteria Vaccinations Genetic terminology Inheritance of disorders caused by dominant and recessive alleles Risk factors of non-communicable diseases Ecosystems The carbon cycle and the increase in carbon dioxide levels In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Step-by-step guides have also been written into the lesson to walk students through some of the more difficult concepts such as genetic diagrams and interpreting the results and evolution by natural selection. Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 2 exam.

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, engaging quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of the content of topics B1 - B3, that will assessed on PAPER 1. It has been specifically designed for students on the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points of each of the sub-topics are embedded. The lesson has been written to take place in numerous shops that could be found on the high street to allow the following sub-topics to be covered: Eukaryotes and prokaryotes The prefixes of size and converting between units The cell structures of animal and plant cells The principles of organisation The structure of the heart and the circulatory system The features of the alveoli which enable efficient gas exchange Temperature and photosynthesis The role of enzymes in reactions The functions of the components of blood The homeostatic control of blood glucose by insulin secretion Diabetes type I and II The hormones involved in the menstrual cycle Mitosis and the cell cycle The structures involved in a nervous reaction Reflex arcs In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 1 exam

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, engaging quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of the content of topics B1 - B4, that will assessed on PAPER 1. It has been specifically designed for students on the AQA GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points of each of the sub-topics are embedded. The lesson has been written to take place in numerous shops that could be found on the high street to allow the following sub-topics to be covered: Eukaryotes and prokaryotes The prefixes of size and converting between units The cell structures of animal and plant cells Mitosis and the cell cycle Benign and malignant tumours The principles of organisation The structure of the heart and the circulatory system The features of the alveoli which enable efficient gas exchange CHD The risk factors of non-communicable diseases Pathogens as microorganisms that cause infectious diseases Bacterial, viral, fungal and protist diseases Vaccinations Temperature and photosynthesis Enzymes The digestive system The role of bile The functions of the components of blood In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Step-by-step guides have also been written into the lesson to walk students through some of the more difficult concepts such as calculating percentage change Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the duration of the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 1 exam

This is a fully-resourced lesson which uses exam-style questions, quiz competitions, quick tasks and discussion points to challenge students on their understanding of topics B5 - B7, that will assessed on PAPER 2. It has been specifically designed for students on the AQA GCSE Combined Science course who will be taking the FOUNDATION TIER examinations but is also suitable for students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the fundamentals are known and understood. The lesson has been written to take place at a health clinics day at the local hospital so that the following sub-topics could be covered: Control of blood glucose concentration Diabetes type I and II The endocrine system The menstrual cycle Roles of the female and male reproductive hormones Sexual and asexual reproduction Meiosis and gametes Sex determination Contraception Evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria Genetic terminology Inheritance of genetic disorders The central nervous system A reflex arc Classification systems and the binomial naming system Structural adaptations Carbon cycle and climate change In order to maintain challenge whilst ensuring that all abilities can access the questions, the majority of the tasks have been differentiated and students can ask for extra support when they are unable to begin a question. Step-by-step guides have also been written into the lesson to walk students through some of the more difficult concepts such as genetic diagrams and interpreting the results and evolution by natural selection. Due to the extensiveness of this revision lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 teaching hours to complete the tasks and therefore this can be used at different points throughout the course as well as acting as a final revision before the PAPER 2 exam.

This fully-resourced lesson explores how projects to sequence the genomes of both simple and complex organisms can be used. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of point 8.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The start of the lesson describes each step of Sanger’s chain termination method and demonstrates how this method has paved the way for other projects. The use of the modified nucleotides are explained and links are made to the topic 4 and 2 where protein synthesis and DNA replication were first introduced. Students will learn how the radioactively-labelled nucleotide at the end of each fragment allows the next base to be determined. Key processes like gel electrophoresis are introduced and details provided to support the students when this is encountered in greater detail in 8.4.3. Moving forwards, the applications of sequencing in simple organisms like viruses and bacteria are explored and the students are challenged on their prior knowledge of bacterial pathogenesis and current understanding of sequencing through a series of exam-style questions. The final part of the lesson looks at the difficulties of translating genome knowledge into proteome knowledge and considers the development of automated methods. Due to the detail and extensiveness of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover all of the points which have been written into the various tasks