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 is a fully-resourced lesson bundle, where the detailed and engaging PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the details of topic 6 of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which concerns the nucleic acids and protein synthesis. All 7 of the lessons include differentiated tasks to cater for all abilities of students whilst containing the detail to push them to the next level.
The following specification points are covered within these lessons:
The structure of nucleotides
ATP as a phosphorylated nucleotide
The structure of DNA
The structure of mRNA, tRNA and rRNA
DNA replication
Genes and polypeptides
Gene mutations
Sickle cell anaemia
Transcription and translation
Links are continually made throughout the lessons to previously-covered topics as well as to those which will be covered later in the AS course or during the second year
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the semi-conservative replication and gene mutation lessons as these have been shared for free
This lesson bundle contains 10 lessons which have been designed to cover the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification points which focus on the structure and function of the biological molecules, including water, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The lesson PowerPoints are highly detailed, and along with their accompanying worksheets, they have been planned at length to contain a wide range of engaging tasks which cover the following A-level Biology content that’s found in topics 1, 2 and 4 of the course:
1.2: Understand the importance of water as a solvent in transport, including its dipole nature
1.12 (i): Know the difference between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, including glycogen and starch (amylose and amylopectin)
1.12 (ii): Be able to relate the structures of monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides to their roles in providing and storing energy
1.13: Know how monosaccharides join to form disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose) and polysaccharides (glycogen and amylose) through condensation reactions forming glycosidic bonds, and how these can be split through hydrolysis reactions
1.14 (i): Know how a triglyceride is synthesised by the formation of ester bonds
during condensation reactions between glycerol and three fatty acids.
1.14 (ii): Know the differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids
2.9 (i): Know the basic structure of an amino acid
2.9 (ii): Understand the formation of polypeptides and proteins (amino acid
monomers linked by peptide bonds in condensation reactions)
2.9 (iii): Understand the significance of a protein’s primary structure in determining
its three-dimensional structure and properties (globular and fibrous proteins
and the types of bonds involved in its three-dimensional structure)
2.10 (iv): Know the molecular structure of a globular protein and a fibrous protein and
understand how their structures relate to their functions (including
haemoglobin and collagen)
4.9: Understand the structure and function of the polysaccharides starch and
cellulose, including the role of hydrogen bonds between β-glucose molecules in
the formation of cellulose microfibrils
This lesson bundle contains 6 lessons which have been designed to cover the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification points which focus on the structure of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and the functions of their components. The lesson PowerPoints are highly detailed, and along with the accompanying worksheets, they have been planned at length to contain a wide range of engaging tasks which cover the following A-level Biology content found in topics 2, 3 and 4 of the course:
2.2 (i): Know the structure and function of cell membranes
3.1: Know that all living organisms are made of cells, sharing some common features
3.2: Understand how the cells of multicellular organisms are organised into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into systems
3.3: Know the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, including nucleus, nucleolus, ribosomes, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, centrioles, lysosomes, and Golgi apparatus
3.4: Understand the role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and the Golgi apparatus in protein transport within cells, including their role in the formation of extracellular enzymes
3.5: Know the ultrastructure of prokaryotic cells, including cell wall, capsule, plasmid, flagellum, pili, ribosomes, mesosomes and circular DNA
3.11: Understand how mammalian gametes are specialised for their functions (including the acrosome in sperm and the zona pellucida in the egg)
4.1 (i): Know the ultrastructure of plant cells (cell walls, chloroplasts, amyloplasts, vacuole, tonoplast, plasmodesmata, pits and middle lamella) and be able to compare it with animal cells
4.1 (ii): understand the function of the structures listed in (i)
Each of the 10 lessons in this bundle have been written to include a wide range of activities that will engage and motivate the students whilst giving them regular oppotunities to assess their understanding of the current topic as well as checking on their knowledge of any previously linked topics.
Each lesson has been written for students studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology course and the following specification points in topic 7 are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
7.1: Endocrine glands and the hormones they secrete
7.3: The control of metabolic rate by thyroxine as an example of negative feedback
7.4 & 7.5: The stages and the interactions of the hormones in the menstrual cycle
7.6 & 7.7: Barrier and hormonal contraception, the menstrual cycle and preventing pregnancy
7.8: The use of hormones in Assisted Reproductive Technology
7.9 & 7.10: The importance of homeostasis, including thermoregulation and osmoregulation
7.11 & 7.12: Thermoregulation
7.13 & 7.14: The control of blood glucose concentration by the release of insulin and glucagon
7.15 & 7.16: The causes and control of diabetes type I and II
7.19, 7.20, 7.21 & 7.22: The function of the kidney, the treatments for kidney failure and the formation of urea
Each lesson contains a detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets, most of which are differentiated to enable students of different abilities to access the work.
This detailed bundle contains 6 lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources that cover the following specification points found within topic 9.9 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification:
The gross and microscopic structure of the mammalian kidney
The formation of urea in the liver from excess amino acids
The removal of urea from the bloodstream by ultrafiltration
The selective reabsorption of solutes in the proximal tubule
The differences between endotherms and ectotherms
The regulation of temperature by endotherms by a range of behavioural and physiological responses
The wide range of tasks, which include exam-style questions with detailed markschemes, focused discussion points and quiz competitions which introduce key terms and values, will engage and motivate the students whilst the content is covered in the detail required at A-level
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the formation of urea and ultrafiltration lesson as this has been shared for free
The mathematical element of the OCR A-level Biology A specification is substantial and every year, there are a large number of exam questions that require the application of a range of mathematical skills. Therefore, a clear understanding of how and when to apply these skills is closely related to success on this course and the following calculations are covered by the 9 lessons that are included in this bundle:
Using the chi-squared test to determine significance between the observed and expected results of a genetic cross
Using the Hardy Weinberg principle to calculate the frequency of an allele or a genotype in a population
Calculating the standard deviation to measure the spread of data
Using the Student’s t-test to compare the means of two sets of data
Calculating the temperature coefficient
Calculating the proportion of polymorphic gene loci
Using and interpreting Simpson’s index of diversity to calculate the biodiversity of a habitat
Using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to consider the relationship of the data
The use and manipulation of the magnification formula
A revision lesson is also included in this bundle which acts as a fun and engaging revision of the range of calculations
“Overall, at least 10% of the marks in assessments for biology will require the use of mathematical skills”
This sentence is taken directly from the AQA A-level Biology specification and clearly shows that being able to apply these skills in the context of biology will have a significant impact on a student’s chances of success.
This bundle has been created to cover as much of those mathematical skills as possible and the following specification points are covered by these 6 lessons:
Represent phenotypic ratios (monohybird and dihybrid crosses)
Use and manipulate the magnification formula
Use the chi-squared test to test the significance of the difference between observed and expected results
Use the Hardy-Weinberg principle to calculate changes in allele frequency
Calculate an index of diversity for a habitat
A revision lesson is also included in this bundle which acts as a fun and engaging revision of the range of calculations
This bundle contains 8 fully-resourced lessons which have been designed to cover the following content in topic 8 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification:
8.1: Know the structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neurones
8.2: Understand how the nervous system of organisms can cause effectors to respond to a stimulus
8.4: Understand how a nerve impulse is conducted along an axon
8.5: Understand the role of myelination in saltatory conduction
8.6 (i): Know the structure and function of synapses in nerve impulse transmission
8.6 (ii): Understand how the pupil dilates and contracts
8.8: Understand how the nervous system of organisms can detect stimuli with reference to rods in the retina of mammals
8.10: Know that the mammalian nervous system consists of the central and peripheral nervous systems
8.13: Understand how coordination in animals is brought about through nervous and hormonal control
8.18: Understand how recombinant DNA can be produced
8.19: Understand how recombinant DNA can be inserted into other cells
Each of the lessons contains a wide range of activities, which include exam-style questions, guided discussion periods and quick quiz competitions, and these will motivate the students whilst the difficult A-level content is covered
If you would like to see the quality of lessons included in this bundle then download the pupil reflex, saltatory conduction and nervous and hormonal control lessons as these have been uploaded for free
All of the 8 lessons that are included in this bundle are fully-resourced and contain a wide range of tasks which cover the content of the following specification points in topic 3 of AS unit 2 as detailed in the WJEC A-level Biology specification:
a: The double circulatory system of a mammal
b: The mammalian circulatory system including the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels
c: The cardiac cycle and the role of the SAN and Purkyne fibres
h: The formation of tissue fluid and its importance as the link between blood and cells
j: The absorption of water by the root
k: The movement of water through the root by the apoplast, symplast and vacuolar pathways
l: The structure and role of the endodermis
m: The detailed structure of the xylem
n: The movement of water from root to leaf including the transpiration stream and the cohesion-tension theory
q: The detailed structure of the phloem
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the double circulatory system and xylem and phloem lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This bundle of 7 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic B3.2 (Coordination and control - the endocrine system) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Describe hormonal coordination by the human endocrine system
Explain the roles of adrenaline and thyroxine in the body
Describe the role of hormones in human reproduction (the menstrual cycle)
The hormonal and non-hormonal methods of contraception
Explain the use of hormones to treat infertility
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 6 revision lessons covers the content in topics 1 - 4, 7 and 8 of the Edexcel A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification that can be assessed in Paper 2 (Energy, exercise and coordination).
Each of the lessons has been designed to include a range of exam questions, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions that will motivate the students whilst they evaluate their understanding of the different sub-topics. Helpful hints are given throughout the lesson to aid the students in structuring their answers and the mathematical elements of the course are constantly challenged as well.
The 6 topics covered by this bundle are:
Topic 1: Lifestyle, health and risk
Topic 2: Genes and health
Topic 3: Voice of the genome
Topic 4: Biodiversity and natural resources
Topic 7: Run for your life
Topic 8: Grey matter
This bundle contains 5 fully-resourced lessons which are highly detailed and will engage and motivate the students whilst the following content that is set out in topic 13 of the CIE A-level Biology specification is covered:
Topic 13.1
Energy transferred as ATP and reduced NADP from the light dependent stage is used during the Calvin cycle to produce complex organic molecules
The sites of the light-dependent and light-independent stages of photosynthesis
The light-dependent stage as the photoactivation of chlorophyll, the photolysis of water and the transfer of energy to ATP and reduced NADP
Cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation
The three main stages of the Calvin cycle
The conversion of Calvin cycle intermediates to carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids
Topic 13.2
Explain the term limiting factor in relation to photosynthesis
Explain the effects of changes in light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature on the rate of photosynthesis
Explain how an understanding of limiting factors is used to increase crop yields in protected environments
The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which include exam-style questions, whole class discussion periods and quiz competitions which are designed to introduce key terms and values in a memorable way.
The biodiversity topic may not be every students’ favourite, but questions relating to this module 4 topic are very common in the OCR terminal exams, meaning it can be an area where a lot of marks are unfortunately lost. With this in mind, hours of research and planning has gone into each of the 6 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the slides and accompanying worksheets contain interesting and relevant biological examples that will catch the attention of the students and ultimately increase the likelihood of the retention of the detailed A-level content. There are also regular understanding checks in the form of exam-style questions with accompanying mark schemes to allow the students to assess their progress.
The following specification points in module 4.2.1 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification are covered in this bundle:
How biodiversity may be considered at different levels
Random sampling and non-random sampling (opportunistic, stratified, systematic)
How to measure species richness and species evenness
The use and interpretation of Simpson’s Index of Diversity
How genetic biodiversity may be assessed, including calculations
The ecological, economic and aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity
In situ and ex situ methods of maintaining biodiversity
International and local conservation agreements made to protects species and habitats
The “reasons for maintaining biodiversity” lesson has been uploaded for free so if you download this, you will be able to recognise the quality of lesson that can be found in this bundle
This bundle of 8 revision lessons have been designed to include a range of exam questions (with explained answers), differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification content.
The 8 topics that are covered in the specification are included in this bundle and are:
Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk
Topic 2: Genes and Health
Topic 3: Voice of the Genome
Topic 4: Biodiversity and natural resources
Topic 5: On the wild side
Topic 6: Infection, immunity and forensics
Topic 7: Run for your life
Topic 8: Grey matter
Students will enjoy the range of activities, which provide a much needed alternative to their other revision methods, and these lessons can be used throughout the duration of the course, as an end of topic revision lesson or in the lead up to mocks or the actual A-level terminal exams
All 9 of the lessons included in this bundle are fully resourced and have been designed to cover the detailed content of module 5.2.2 (Respiration) of the OCR A-Level Biology A specification.
The following specification points are covered by this bundle of lessons:
The need for cellular respiration
The structure of the mitochondrion
The process and site of glycolysis
The link reaction and its site in the cell
The process and site of the Krebs cycle
The importance of coenzymes in cellular respiration
The process and site of oxidative phosphorylation
The chemiosmotic theory
The process of anaerobic respiration in eukaryotes
The difference in the relative energy values of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
The use and interpretation of the respiratory quotient
All of the lessons are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks so that students can assess their understanding of the current topic as well as prior knowledge checks to enable links between topics and modules to be seen
It is estimated that these lessons will cover in excess of a month’s A-level Biology teaching time
This bundle of 7 lesson presentations and associated worksheets have been designed to motivate and engage students whilst they assess their knowledge of the 7 Biology topics that are covered in the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification.
The lessons use a range of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to cover the content in the following topics:
B1 Cell Biology
B2 Organisation
B3 Infection and response
B4 Bioenergetics
B5 Homeostasis and response
B6 Inheritance, variation and evolution
B7 Ecology
These revision lessons can be used at the end of the topic, in the lead up to the mock exams or in the lead up to the actual GCSE terminal exams
This bundle of 6 lessons covers a lot of the content in Module 6.1.3 (Manipulating genomes) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes an end of module revision lesson. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The principles of DNA sequencing
The development of new DNA sequencing techniques
The principles of the PCR and its applications
The principles and uses of electrophoresis to separate DNA fragments and proteins
The principles and techniques of genetic engineering
6.1.3 REVISION
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 6 engaging and motivating lesson presentations and associated worksheets uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to test the students on their knowledge of the 6 modules found within the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification. The knowledge of Modules B1 (Cell-level systems), B2 (Scaling up), B3 (Organism-level systems), B4 (Community-level systems), B5 (Genes, inheritance and selection) and B6 (Global challenges) can be assessed using these lessons.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in the sub-topic B2.2(The challenges of size) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Explain the need for exchange surfaces and a transport system in a multicellular organism due to the low SA:V ratio
The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood at the alveoli
Explain how the structure of the heart and the blood vessels are adapted to their function
Explain how the red blood cells and plasma are adapted to their transport function in the blood
Describe the processes of transpiration and translocation
Explain how the structure of the xylem and phloem are adapted to their functions in the plant
Explain the effects of a variety of factors on the rate of water uptake
Describe how a simple potometer can be used to investigate the rate of water uptake
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B8 (Exchange and transport in animals) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The need to transport substances
Surface to volume ratio
Gas exchange at the alveoli
The structure of blood and its function
The structure of blood vessels
The structure of the heart
Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.