A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
This lesson describes the extracellular action of peptide hormones and the role played by steroid hormones in binding to DNA transcription factors. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.22 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and focuses on the differing effects of these two types of hormones on their target cells
Students should have a base knowledge of the endocrine system from GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to add the detail needed at this level. The lesson begins by challenging this knowledge to check that they understand that endocrine glands secrete these hormones directly into the blood. Students will learn that most of the secreted hormones are peptide (or protein) hormones and a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge them on their recall of the structure of insulin as well as to apply their knowledge to questions about glucagon. Moving forwards, the students are reminded that hormones have target cells that have specific receptor sites on their membrane. The relationship between a peptide hormone as a first messenger and a second messenger on the inside of the cell is covered in detail in an upcoming lesson but students are briefly introduced to G proteins and cyclic AMP so they are prepared. The rest of the lesson focuses on steroid hormones and specifically their ability to pass through the membrane of a cell and to bind to transcription factors, as exemplified by oestrogen. Students covered transcription and the control of gene expression in topics 2 and 3 so the final tasks challenge their recall of these concepts
This lesson describes how the electron transport chain and the chemiosmosis are involved in the synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 7.4 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and also looks at the role of the enzyme, ATP synthase.
The lesson begins with a discussion about the starting point of the reaction. In the previous stages, the starting molecule was the final product of the last stage but in this stage, it is the reduced coenzymes which release their hydrogen atoms. Moving forwards, the process of oxidative phosphorylation is covered in 7 steps and at each point, key facts are discussed and explored in detail to enable a deep understanding to be developed. Students will see how the proton gradient is created and that the flow of protons down the channel associated with ATP synthase results in a conformational change and the addition of phosphate groups to ADP. Understanding checks are included throughout the lesson to enable the students to assess their progress.
This lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis, the link reaction and Krebs cycle.
This lesson reminds students of the meaning of homeostasis and describes the how thermoregulation maintains the body in dynamic equilibrium during exercise. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 7.17 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification.
Students were introduced to homeostasis at GCSE and this lesson has been written to build on that knowledge and to add the key detail needed at this level. Focusing on the three main parts of a homeostatic control system, the students will learn about the role of the internal and peripheral thermoreceptors, the thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus and the range of effectors which bring about the responses to restore optimum levels.
The following responses are covered in this lesson:
Vasodilation
Increased sweating
Body hairs
In each case, time is taken to challenge students on their ability to make links to related topics such as the arterioles involved in the redistribution of blood and the high specific latent heat of vaporisation of water.
This lesson describes how to calculate the cardiac output as the product of stroke volume and the heart rate. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 7.13 (i) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise that the left ventricle has the most muscular wall of all of the heart chambers. This allows the stroke volume to be introduced as the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle each heart beat and then a quiz competition is used to introduce normative values for the stroke volume and the heart rate. Moving forwards, students will learn that the cardiac output is the product of the stroke volume and the heart rate. A series of exam-style questions will challenge the students to use this formula and to manipulate it and to work out the percentage change. The final part of the lesson looks at the adaptation of the heart to aerobic training in the form of cardiac hypertrophy and then the students are challenged to work out how this would affect the stroke volume, the cardiac output and the resting heart rate.
This lesson bundle contains 9 lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources which have been intricately planned to deliver the detailed content of topic 6 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and to make links to the 5 previously covered topics. In addition to the detailed content, each lesson contains exam-style questions with mark schemes embedded into the PowerPoint, differentiated tasks, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way.
The following specification points are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
DNA can be amplified using the PCR
Comparing the structure of bacteria and viruses
Understand how Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus infact human cells
The non-specific responses of the body to infection
The roles of antigens and antibodies in the body’s immune response
The differences in the roles of the B and T cells in the body’s immune response
Understand how one gene can give rise to more than one protein
The development of immunity
The major routes that pathogens may take when entering the body
The role of barriers in protecting the body from infection
The difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the immune response and post-transcriptional changes lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This lesson describes how the sensory receptors of the nervous system detect stimuli by transducing different forms of energy into electrical energy. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the content of the 1st part of specification point 8.5 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and acts as an introduction to the next lesson where the roles of the rod cells in the retina is described.
The lesson begins by using a quiz to get the students to recognise the range of stimuli which can be detected by receptors. This leads into a task where the students have to form 4 sentences to detail the stimuli which are detected by certain receptors and the energy conversion that happen as a result. Students will be introduced to the idea of a transducer and learn that receptors always convert to electrical energy which is the generator potential. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the Pacinian corpuscle and how this responds to pressure on the skin, resulting in the opening of the sodium channels and the flow of sodium ions into the neurone to cause depolarisation.
This bundle contains 13 detailed lesson PowerPoints, which together with their accompanying resources, have been planned to include a wide variety of tasks that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the content of topic 3 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification. The voice of the genome topic content includes key biological concepts such as eukaryotic cells, cell division and genetics and the following specification points are covered by these lessons:
All living organisms are made of cells, sharing common features
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the role of the organelles
The role of the rER and the Golgi body in protein transport
The relationship between the features of the mammalian gametes and their functions
The loci is the location of a gene on a chromosome
The linkage of genes on a chromosome and sex linkage
The role of meiosis in ensuring genetic variation
The role of mitosis and the cell cycle
The meaning of the terms stem cell, pluripotency and totipotency
The decisions about the use of stem cells in medical therapies
The specialisation of cells through differential gene expression
Understand how the cells of multicellular organisms are organised into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into systems
Phenotype is the interaction between genotype and the environment
Epigenetic changes can modify the activation of certain genes
Some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles for the same gene at many loci as well as the environment and this gives rise to continuous variation
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, mitosis and the cell cycle and gene expression lessons as these have been uploaded for free
These 4 lessons cover the content of topic 5.2 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification - The human nervous system. Each of the lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources have been designed to contain a wide range of tasks which will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the GCSE content. There are also lots of understanding checks so students can check on their current understanding as well as prior knowledge checks where they are challenged to make links to previously-covered topics.
This bundle contains 12 lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources, and all of them have been planned at length to cover the GCSE content of topic 5 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification, whilst engaging and motivating the students with a wide range of tasks. These tasks include exam-style questions with answers included in the PowerPoint, guided discussion points and quick quiz rounds which are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way whilst instilling some competition
The following Homeostasis and response specification points are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
Homeostasis*
Structure and function of the human nervous system
The brain
The eye
Control of body temperature
Human endocrine system
Control of blood glucose concentration
Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body*
Hormones in human reproduction
Contraception*
The use of hormones to treat infertility
Negative feedback
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the lessons indicated with an asterisk as they have been uploaded for free
This fully-resourced lesson describes the major routes that pathogens take when entering the body and the body’s barriers to this infection. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 6.7 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and includes descriptions of the following barriers:
skin
the blood clotting process
mucous membranes
stomach acid
vaginal acid and flora
skin and gut flora
wax in the ear canal
There are clear links to topics 1, 2 and 3 in each of these barriers, so these are considered and discussed during each of the descriptions. For example, the presence of keratin in the cytoplasm of the skin cells allows the student knowledge of the properties of this fibrous protein to be checked. Other topics that are revisited during this lesson include protein structure, key terminology and the epithelium that lines the different parts of the airways.
All of the exam-style questions have mark schemes that are embedded into the PowerPoint and a number of the tasks have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work.
This lesson describes the processes that take place during interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis and outlines how checkpoints regulate the cell cycle. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (a & b) of the OCR A-level Biology specification and prepares the students for the upcoming lessons on the main stages of mitosis and its significance in life cycles
The students were introduced to the cell cycle at GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to emphasise that the M phase which includes mitosis (nuclear division) only occupies a small part of the cycle. The students will learn that interphase is the main stage and that this is split into three phases, G1, S and G2. A range of tasks which include exam-style questions, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values and to describe the main processes that occur in a very specific order. There is also a focus on the checkpoints, such as the restriction point that occurs before the S phase to ensure that the cell is ready for DNA replication. Extra time is taken to ensure that key terminology is included and understood, such as sister chromatid and centromere, and this focus helps to show how it is possible for genetically identical daughter cells to be formed at the end of the cycle. Important details of mitosis are introduced so students are ready for the next lesson, before the differences in cytokinesis in animal and plant cells are described.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the main stages of mitosis and explains the significance of this type of nuclear division in life cycles. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (c & e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and make direct links to the previous lesson which covered the cell cycle
Depending upon the exam board taken at GCSE, the knowledge and understanding of mitosis will differ considerably between students and there may be a number of misconceptions. This was considered at all points during the planning of the lesson so that existing errors are addressed and key points are emphasised throughout. Their understanding of interphase is challenged at the start of the lesson to ensure that they realise that it is identical pairs of sister chromatids that enter the M phase. The main part of the lesson focuses on prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase and describes how the chromosomes behave in these stages. There is a focus on the centrioles and the spindle fibres that they produce which contract to drag one chromatid from each pair in opposite directions to the poles of the cell. The remainder of the lesson is a series of understanding and application questions where students have to identify the various roles of mitosis in living organisms as well as tackling a Maths in a Biology context question. The lesson concludes with a final quiz round of MITOSIS SNAP where they only shout out this word when a match is seen between the name of a phase, an event and a picture.
The three lessons included in this bundle describe the key events of the mitotic and meiotic cell cycles and cover the following points as detailed in topics 5 and 16 of the CIE A-level Biology specification:
Topic 5: The mitotic cell cycle
Explain the importance of mitosis in the production of genetically identical cells, growth, cell replacement, repair of tissues and asexual reproduction
Outline the cell cycle, including interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis
The behaviour of chromosomes in plant and animal cells during the mitotic cell cycle
Topic 16: Inherited change
Explain what is meant by a pair of homologous chromosomes
The behaviour of chromosomes in plant and animal cells during meiosis
Explain how crossing over and random assortment of homologous chromosomes during meiosis and random fusion of gametes at fertilisation lead to genetic variation
Each lesson is fully-resourced and the wide range of tasks found in the PowerPoint and the accompanying resources will check on current understanding and prior knowledge and engage the students with guided discussion points and quiz competitions.
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis lesson as this has been uploaded for free
Meiosis, genetic inheritance and the control of gene expression are some of the harder topics on this A-level Biology course and all three are covered in topic 16 (Inherited change) of the CIE A-level Biology specification. The 10 lessons included in this bundle have been planned at length and contain a wide range of tasks that cover the detailed content whilst checking on understanding and key terms and values are introduced through engaging quiz competitions.
The following topic 16 specification points are covered by these lessons:
Topic 16.1
The meaning of a homologous pair of chromosomes
The behaviour of chromosomes in animal and plant cells during meiosis
Genetic variation is caused by crossing over, random assortment and the random fusion of gametes at fertilisation
Topic 16.2
The meaning of key genetic terms
Using genetic diagrams to solve problems involving mohohybrid and dihybrid crosses, including those involving autosomal linkage, sex linkage, codominance, multiple alleles and gene interactions
Use the chi-squared test to test the significance of differences between observed and expected results
Gene mutations occur by substitution, deletion and insertion and may affect the phenotype
Topic 16.3
The genetic control of protein production in a prokaryote as shown by the lac operon
The function of transcription factors in gene expression in eukaryotes
Gibberellins and DELLA protein repressors
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the autosomal linkage and chi-squared test lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This lesson bundle has been formed from the 13 detailed lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources that have been uploaded to cover a lot of the content in modules 2.1.4, 2.1.5 and 2.1.6 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
Each lesson contains a wide range of tasks, which include exam-style questions (with mark schemes), guided discussion points, and quick quiz competitions, that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points:
Module 2.1.4: Enzymes
The role of enzymes in catalysing reactions that affect metabolism at a cellular and whole organism level
The role of enzymes in catalysing both intracellular and extracellular reactions
The mechanism of enzyme action
The effect of pH on enzyme activity
The effect of temperature on enzyme activity
The calculation of the temperature coefficient
The effect of enzyme and substrate concentration on enzyme activity
The need for coenzymes, cofactors and prosthetic groups in some enzyme-controlled reactions
Module 2.1.5: Biological membranes
The fluid mosaic model of membrane structure and the roles of its components
Simple and facilitated diffusion as forms of passive transport
Active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis as processes requiring ATP as an immediate source of energy
The movement of water across membranes by osmosis and the effects that solutions of different water potential can have on plant and animal cells
Module 2.1.6: Cell division, cell diversity and cellular organisation
The cell cycle
How the cell cycle is regulated
The main stages of mitosis
The significance of mitosis in life cycles
The significance of meiosis in life cycles
The main stages of meiosis
How cells of multicellular organisms are specialised for particular functions
The organisation of cells into tissues, organs and organ systems
The production of erythrocytes and neutrophils from stem cells in bone marrow
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free:
The roles of enzymes and mechanism of action
Simple and facilitated diffusion
Cell specialisation and organisation
This lesson describes how the critical evaluation of new data by the scientific community leads to new taxonomic groupings, like the three domains of life. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.6 (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and focuses on the introduction of the three-domain system following Carl Woese’s detailed study of the ribosomal RNA gene.
The lesson begins with an introduction of Woese and goes on to describe how he is most famous for his definition of the Archaea as a new domain of life. Students were introduced to domains and the other classification taxa in a previous lesson, so their recall of this knowledge is continually tested and built upon as details are added. Students will discover the key differences between Archaea and Bacteria that led to the splitting of the prokaryotae kingdom and the addition of this higher classification rank. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson describes how molecular phylogeny uses other molecules and that these are compared between species for classification purposes. One of these is a protein called cytochrome which is involved in respiration and can be compared in terms of primary structure to determine relationships. At this point in the lesson, the students are also tested on their knowledge of the nature of the genetic code (as covered in topic 2) and have to explain how mutations to DNA can also be used for comparative purposes.
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
This lesson describes the classification system, focusing on the biological classification of a species and the 7 taxa found above this lowest taxon. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 4.6 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and also describes the binomial naming system which uses the genus and species. The lesson also contains links to upcoming lessons where molecular phylogeny is described and the three-domain system is covered in greater detail with a focus on the results of Carl Woese’s rRNA study
The lesson begins by looking at the meaning of a population in Biology so that the term species can be introduced. A hinny, which is the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, is used to explain how these two organisms must be members of different species because they are unable to produce fertile offspring. Moving forwards, students will learn that classification is a means of organising the variety of life based on relationships between organisms using differences and similarities in phenotypes and in genotypes and is built around the species concept and that in the modern-day classification hierarchy, species is the lowest taxon. A quiz runs throughout the lesson and this particular round will engage the students whilst they learn (or recall) the names of the other 7 taxa and the horse and the donkey from the earlier example are used to complete the hierarchy. Students will understand that the binomial naming system was introduced by Carl Linnaeus to provide a universal name for each species and they will be challenged to apply their knowledge by completing a hierarchy for a modern-day human, by spotting the correct name for an unfamiliar organism and finally by suggesting advantages of this system.
This lesson explains that biodiversity is considered at three levels and describes how the Simpson’s Index of Diversity is used to calculate the biodiversity within a habitat. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 18.1 (a, b & f) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also covers the meaning of ecosystems and niche as well as some other important ecological terms that are related such as abiotic factors and population.
A quiz competition called BIOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY SNAP runs throughout the lesson and has been included to engage the students whilst challenging them to recognise key terms from their definitions. This quiz will introduce species, ecosystems, biodiversity, endemic, heterozygote, distribution and natural selection and each of these terms is put into context once introduced. A series of exam-style questions to challenge the students to explain how the distribution of fish is affected by abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Once biodiversity is revealed through the quiz competition, the students will learn that they need to consider biodiversity within a habitat, within a species and within different habitats so that they can be compared. The rest of the lesson uses step by step guides, discussion points and selected tasks to demonstrate how to determine species richness and the Simpson’s index of diversity. The heterozygosity index is also introduced as a means to consider genetic variation. Students are challenged with a range of exam-style questions where they have to apply their knowledge and all mark schemes are displayed and clearly explained within the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their understanding and address any misconceptions if they arise
This is a detailed lesson with a lot of tasks (some of which are differentiated), so it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover all of the content
This lesson bundle contains 3 lessons which have been intricately planned to build on the knowledge acquired in the previous lesson and in earlier topics of the course to allow students to gain a deep understanding of classification. The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which will engage and motivate the students whilst all of the content of topic 18.2 of the CIE A-level Biology specification is covered as detailed below:
Describe the classification of species into the taxonomic hierarchy of domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
The characteristic features of the three domains
The characteristic features of the kingdoms
The classification of viruses, separate to the three-domain model of classification of cellular organisms
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the “features of the kingdoms” lesson as this has been shared for free
