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 bundle contains 10 detailed lesson PowerPoints and the variety of tasks that are contained within these slides and the accompanying resources will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points within topic 1 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification:
The importance of water as a solvent in transport
The difference between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
The relationship between the structure and function of monosaccharides
The formation and breakdown of disaccharides
The relationship between the structure and function of glycogen, amylose and amylopectin
The synthesis of triglycerides
The differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids
The relationship between the structure of capillaries, arteries and veins and their functions
Atrial systole, ventricular systole and cardiac diastole as the three stages of the cardiac cycle
The operation of the mammalian heart and the major blood vessels
The role of haemoglobin in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide
The oxygen dissociation curve for foetal haemoglobin and during the Bohr effect
The blood clotting process
If you want to sample the quality of this bundle, then download the glycogen, amylose and amylopectin, cardiac cycle and blood clotting lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This lesson bundle contains 10 lesson PowerPoints, which are highly detailed, and along with their accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of modules 5.1.3 & 5.1.4 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification, titled neuronal communication and hormonal communication.
Each lesson contains a wide range of tasks, that include exam-style questions with mark schemes written into the PowerPoint that students can use to assess their understanding of the current topic as well as previously covered topics. There are also differentiated tasks, discussion points and quick quiz competitions to introduce key values and terms in a fun and memorable way.
This lesson bundle covers the following specification points in modules 5.1.3 & 5.1.4:
The roles of mammalian sensory receptors in converting different types of stimuli into nerve impulses
The structure and functions of sensory, motor and relay neurones
The generation and transmission of nerve impulses in mammals
The structure and roles of synapses in neurotransmission
Endocrine communication by hormones
The structure and functions of the adrenal glands
The histology of the pancreas
The regulation of blood glucose concentration
The differences between diabetes mellitus type I and II
The potential treatments for diabetes mellitus
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the nerve impulse and endocrine communication lessons as these have been uploaded for free.
This lesson bundle contains 10 lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources which are filled with a wide variety of tasks to motivate and engage the students whilst covering the detailed content of topic 4 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification. Extensive planning has gone into each lesson to ensure that understanding is complete and that students are challenged to make links to previously covered topics.
The tasks include exam-style questions, differentiated tasks, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions and together these cover the following specification points in topic 4:
The meaning of the terms biodiversity and endemism
Measuring biodiversity within a habitat using species richness and within a species by calculating the heterozygosity index
Comparing biodiversity between habitats by calculating an index of diversity
The concept of niche and examples of behavioural, anatomical and physiological adaptations
Natural selection can lead to adaptation and evolution
The Hardy-Weinberg equation can be used to see whether a change in allele frequency is occurring in a population over time
Reproductive isolation can lead to the formation of new species
Classification is built around the species concept
Critical evaluation of new data by the scientific community, which leads to new taxonomic groupings
The ultrastructure of plant cells
The structure and function of the polysaccharides starch and cellulose
The similarities and differences between the structures, position and function of sclerenchyma fibres, xylem vessels and phloem
Evaluate the methods used by zoos and seed banks in the conservation of endangered species and their genetic diversity
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the isolation and speciation, ultrastructure of plant cells and xylem, phloem and sclerenchyma lessons as these have been uploaded for free
Topic 12 tends to be the 1st topic to be taught in the second year of the CIE A-level Biology course and these 9 lessons are filled with a wide variety of differentiated tasks that will immediately engage and motivate the students whilst ensuring that the detailed content is covered. It is critical that students understand how energy in the form of ATP is produced by aerobic and anaerobic respiration and are able to describe the energy-driven reactions like active transport that need this input. For this reason, the lessons contain multiple understanding checks which assess the students on their current knowledge as well as checking on their ability to link to previously-covered topics.
The following specification points in topic 12 of the CIE A-level Biology specification are covered in these lessons:
The need for energy in living organisms
The features of ATP that make this molecule suitable as the energy currency
Substrate-level phosphorylation in glycolysis and the Krebs cycle
The role of the coenzymes in respiration
The involvement of the electron transport chain that’s found in the mitochondria and chloroplast membranes in the production of ATP
The four stages of aerobic respiration
Glycolysis
The link reaction
The Krebs cycle
Oxidative phosphorylation
The structure of the mitochondrion
The differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration
The oxygen debt
If you would like to sample the quality of these lessons, then download the roles of the coenzymes and the Krebs cycle lessons as these have been uploaded for free
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 bundle of 9 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B9 (Coordination and response) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
The parts of the nervous system - CNS and PNS
Identifiying sensory and motor neurones from diagrams
The coordination of regulation of body functions
Identifying the structures of the eye
The functions of the parts of the eye
Hormones as chemicals produced by glands
The actions of adrenaline
Homeostasis as the maintenance of a constant internal environment
Control by negative feedback
The control of blood glucose by the liver and insulin and glucagon from the pancreas
The maintenance of a constant internal body temperature
Phototropism, gravitropism and the involvement of auxins
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
Respiration and photosynthesis are two of the most important biological processes, which can be poorly understood by students but unsurprisingly are commonly assessed in the terminal exams. These 8 lessons have been intricately planned so that they contain a wide range of activities that will engage the students whilst covering the key detail to try to deepen their understanding and include exam-style questions so they are prepared for the assessments.
The following specification points in topic 5 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B course are covered by these 9 fully-resourced lessons:
Cellular respiration yields ATP
The different stages of aerobic respiration
The conversion of glucose to pyruvate during glycolysis
The mitochondrial matrix as the site of the Link reaction and Krebs cycle
The production of carbon dioxide, reduced NAD and ATP in the Krebs cycle
Oxidative phosphorylation
The yield of ATP from anaerobic respiration
The production of lactate in mammalian muscles
Ethanol formation in plants
The structure of the chloroplasts
The role of thylakoid membranes in the light-dependent stage
The process of cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation
The use of reduced NADP and ATP in the Calvin cycle
Understand how GALP is used as a raw material in the production of monosaccharides, amino acids and other molecules
Factors that limit photosynthesis including carbon dioxide, light intensity and temperature
Due to the detail of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of a month of A-level lessons to cover these lessons
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the link reaction, Krebs cycle and light-independent stage lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle of 7 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B9 (Ecosystems and material cycles) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Levels of organisation in an ecosystem
Biotic and abiotic factors
Interdependence
Types of ecological relationships
Sampling techniques
Human impacts on ecosystems
Maintaining and increasing biodiversity
The carbon cycle
The nitrogen cycle
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 lesson bundle contains 10 lessons which are fully-resourced and have been designed to cover the content as detailed in topic 8 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification (Origins of genetic variation). Each lesson includes a wide range of activities that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following topic 8 specification points:
Mutations are the source of new variations
Random assortment and crossing over in meiosis give rise to new combinations of alleles in gametes
Random fertilisation brings about genetic variation
The meaning of genetic terms
Be able to construct genetic crosses and pedigree diagrams
The inheritance of two non-interacting unlinked genes
Autosomal linkage as the presence of alleles on the same chromosome
Sex linkage on the X chromosome
Use the chi squared test to determine the significance of the difference between observed and expected results
Stabilising and disruptive selection
Genetic drift
Population bottlenecks and the founder effect
Monitoring changes in allele frequencies using the Hardy Weinberg equation
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle then download the sex linkage and genetic drift lessons as these have been uploaded for free
Normally the first topic to be taught in the second year of the AQA A-level Biology course, topic 5 contains some very important biological processes which include photosynthesis, respiration and energy transfer between organisms. All of the 13 lessons that are included in this bundle are highly detailed and have been planned at length to ensure that students remain motivated and engaged whilst being constantly challenged on their current understanding. Links to previously-covered topics are also made throughout the lessons.
The following specification points are covered in these lessons:
TOPIC 5.1
The light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis
The use of reduced NADP and ATP from the light-dependent reaction in the light-independent reaction
The light-independent reaction of photosynthesis
Environmental factors that limit the rate of photosynthesis
TOPIC 5.2
Respiration produces ATP
Glycolysis as the first stage of aerobic and anaerobic respiration
The conversion of pyruvate to lactate or ethanol in the anaerobic pathways
The link reaction and the Krebs cycle
Synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation
Other respiratory substrates
TOPIC 5.3
Gross primary production and net primary production
The net production of consumers
Farming practices designed to increase the efficiency of energy transfer
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the chloroplast structure, anaerobic respiration, oxidative phosphorylation and GPP lessons as these have been uploaded for free
These 9 lessons are highly detailed and are filled with a wide range of tasks that will engage the students whilst covering the following specification points in topics 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 and 4.7 of the AQA A-level Biology specification:
4.4
Genetic diversity as the number of different alleles of genes in a population and a factor enabling natural selection to occur
The principles of natural selection in the evolution of populations
Directional and stabilising selection
Natural selection results in anatomical, physiological or behavioural adaptations
4.5
Two organisms belong to the same species if they are able to produce fertile offspring
The taxonomic hierarchy comprising domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
The use of the binomial name to identify species
4.6
Biodiversity can relate to a range of habitats
Species richness
Calculating an index of diversity
The balance between conservation and farming
4.7
Investigating genetic diversity with, or between species, by comparing observable characteristics or nucleic acids and the structure of proteins
Calculating and interpreting the mean and standard deviation
If you download the natural selection and standard deviation lessons which have been shared for free then you will be able to see the quality of lessons included in this bundle
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B7 (Ecology) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Competition
Abiotic and biotic factors
Food chains
Using quadrats and transects
The Carbon cycle
Biodiversity
Deforestation and land use
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 8 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B3 (Infection and response) of the AQA GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Communicable diseases
Viral diseases
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Protist diseases
Human defence systems
Preventing disease by vaccinations
Antibiotics
Discovery and development of drugs
Producing monoclonal antibodies
Uses of monoclonal antibodies
Plant disease
Plant defence responses
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 10 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B5 (Genes, inheritance and selection) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Variation
Types of reproduction
Meiosis
Genetic diagrams
Sex determination
Classification
Evolution by natural selection
Evidence for evolution
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. It is estimated that this bundle would cover about 6 week’s worth of lessons.
This bundle contains 11 fully-resourced lessons which will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points in topics 7 and 8 of the CIE A-level Biology specification:
TOPIC 7
The structure of xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells
The relationship between the structure and function of xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells
Explain how hydrogen bonding of water molecules is involved with the movement in the xylem by cohesion-tension in transpiration pull and adhesion to cell walls
The pathways and mechanisms by which water and mineral ions are transported from the soil to the xylem and from roots to leaves
Assimilates move between sources and sinks between phloem sieve tubes
The mechanism by which sucrose is loaded into the phloem
The mass flow of phloem sap down a hydrostatic pressure gradient
TOPIC 8
The double, closed circulatory system of a mammal
The relationship between the structure and function of arteries, veins and capillaries
The role of haemoglobin in carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide
The significance of the oxygen dissociation curve of adult haemoglobin at different carbon dioxide concentrations
The external and internal structure of the heart
The cardiac cycle
The role of the SAN, AVN and Purkyne tissue in the initiation and conduction of the heart action
The lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks which include exam-style questions with mark schemes, discussion points and quiz competitions that will check on current understanding as well as making links to previously covered topics.
This bundle of 8 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B11 (Inheritance) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Inheritance as the transmission of genetic information
Chromosomes, genes and alleles
Inheritance of sex in humans (XX and XY)
The haploid and diploid nucleus
Mitosis and the production of genetically identical cells
Meiosis and the production of gametes
Understanding genetic terminology (e.g. genotypes)
Using Punnett crosses to interpret the results of monohybrid crosses
Interpret pedigree diagrams
Phenotypic and genetic variation
Continuous and discontinuous variation
Natural selection
Selective breeding
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 a lot of the content in Topic B5 (Health, disease and development of medicines) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Health
The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases
Pathogens
Common infections
The spread of diseases and the prevention
The spread of STIs
The physical and chemical defences of the human body
The use of antibiotics
Developing new medicines
Non-communicable diseases
Treating cardiovascular disease
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.
The biological molecules topic is incredibly important, not just because it is found near to the start of the course, but also because of its detailed content which must be well understood to promote success with the other 18 CIE International A-level Biology topics. Many hours of intricate planning have gone into the design of all of the 11 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the content is covered in detail, understanding is constantly checked and misconceptions addressed and that engagement is high. This is achieved through the wide variety of tasks in the PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets which include exam-style questions with clear answers, discussion points, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered by the lessons within this bundle:
Tests for reducing and non-reducing sugars
The iodine test for starch
The emulsion test for lipids
The biuret test for proteins
The ring forms of alpha and beta glucose
The meaning of the terms monomer, polymer, macromolecule, monosaccharide, disaccharide and polysaccharide
The formation of a glycosidic bond by a condensation reaction
The breakage of glycosidic bonds by hydrolysis reactions
The relationship between the molecular structure and functions of a triglyceride
The relationship between the structure and functions of a phospholipid
The structure of an amino acid and the formation and breakage of a peptide bond
The meaning of the different protein structures and the types of bonding that hold these molecules in shape
The molecular structure of haemoglobin and collagen as examples of globular and fibrous proteins
The relationship between the properties and roles of water in living organisms
The lesson on the biuret test for proteins and the emulsion test for lipids also contains a section which can be used for the revision of topics 2.2 and 2.3
Due to the detail of each of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 4 weeks of allocated teaching time to cover the content.
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the alpha and beta glucose, phospholipids and haemoglobin and collagen lessons as these have been shared for free
As the first topic to be taught at the start at the second year of the Edexcel International A-level Biology course, topic 5 is very important and the content includes the key reaction of photosynthesis. All 9 of the lessons included in this bundle are highly detailed and have been filled with a wide variety of tasks which will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points:
The overall reaction of photosynthesis
The phosphorylation of ADP and the hydrolysis of ATP
The light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis
The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
The products of the Calvin cycle
The structure of the chloroplasts and the role of this organelle in photosynthesis
Be able to calculate net primary productivity
Know the relationship between NPP, GPP and R
Understand the meaning of the terms ecosystem, community, population and habitat
The numbers and distribution of organisms in a habitat are controlled by biotic and abiotic factors
The concept of niche
The effect of temperature on the rate of enzyme activity and the calculation of the Q10
Isolation reduces gene flow and leads to allopatric and sympatric speciation
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the products of photosynthesis 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