This fully-resourced lesson describes how natural selection leads to behavioural, anatomical and physiological adaptations. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 4.3 & 4.4 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description that explains how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin to enable them to see the principles of natural selection. This can then be used when describing how the anatomy of the modern-day giraffe has evolved over time. The concept of convergent evolution is introduced and links are made to the need for modern classification techniques as this is covered later in topic 4. Moving forwards, students will understand how natural selection leads to adaptations and a quick quiz competition introduces the different types of adaptation and a series of tasks are used to ensure that the students can distinguish between anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations. The Marram grass is used to test their understanding further, before a step by step guide describes how the lignified cells prevent a loss of turgidity. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to explain how the other adaptations of this grass help it to survive in its environment. A series of exam-style questions on the Mangrove family will challenge them to make links to other topics such as osmosis and the mark schemes are displayed to allow them to assess their understanding. The final part of the lesson focuses on the adaptations of the anteater but this time links are made to the upcoming topic of taxonomy so that students are prepared for this lesson on species and classification hierarchy. Due to the extensiveness of this lesson and the detail contained within the resources, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to deliver this lesson.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure, properties and functions of triglycerides in living organisms. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the first part of point (f) as detailed in AS unit 1, topic 1 of the WJEC A-level Biology specification and links are also made to related future topics such as the importance of the myelin sheath for the conduction of an electrical impulse which is covered in A2. The lesson begins with a focus on the basic structure and roles of lipids, including the elements that are found in this biological molecule and some of the places in living organisms where they are found. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to recall the structure of the carbohydrates from earlier in topic 1 so that the structure of a triglyceride can be introduced. Students will learn that this macromolecule is formed from one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids and have to use their understanding of condensation reactions to draw the final structure. Time is taken to look at the difference in structure and properties of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and students will be able to identify one from the other when presented with a molecular formula. The final part of the lesson explores how the various properties of a triglyceride mean that it has numerous roles in organisms including that of an energy store and source and as an insulator of heat and electricity.

This lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the vacuole, chloroplast and cell wall, as found in plant cells. Additional structures, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, were covered in the previous lesson on the structure of eukaryotic animal cells and the detailed content of these two lessons has been designed in parallel to cover the main content of point 2.1.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins with a task called REVERSE GUESS WHO which will challenge the students to recognise a cell structure from a description of its function. This will remind students that plant cells are eukaryotic and therefore contain a cell-surface membrane, a nucleus (+ nucleolus), a mitochondria, a Golgi apparatus, ribosomes and rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum like the animal cells. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson focuses on the relationship between the structure and function of the vacuole, chloroplast and cellulose cell wall. When considering the vacuole, key structures such as the tonoplast are described as well as critical functions including the maintenance of turgor pressure. A detailed knowledge of the structure of the chloroplast at this early stage of their A-level studies will increase the likelihood of a clear understanding of photosynthesis when covered in topic 5. For this reason, time is taken to consider the light-dependent and light-independent reactions and to explain how these stages are linked. The final part of the lesson challenges the students on their knowledge of cellulose as a polysaccharide as previously covered in topic 1. In addition to the focus on plant cells, the presence of chloroplasts and a cell wall in algae and the latter in fungi is also described. The previous lesson which contains the content that ties in closely with this one has been uploaded under the title “Structure of eukaryotic (animal) cells”

This fully-resourced lesson describes how respiration in the absence of oxygen produces a limited yield of ATP and results in lactate or ethanol formation. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover all of the specification points under point 5.5 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and explains how pyruvate must be converted to lactate or ethanol using the hydrogen atoms released from reduced NAD to reoxidise this coenzyme to allow glycolysis to continue. The lesson begins with a focus on the coenzyme, NAD, and students are challenged to recall details of its role in the oxidation of glycerate-3-phosphate. Students will recall that oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic respiration allows these coenzymes to be reoxidised and therefore recognise that another metabolic pathway has to operate when there is no oxygen available. Time is taken to go through the details of the lactate and ethanol fermentation pathways and students are encouraged to discuss the conversions before applying their knowledge to complete diagrams and passages about the pathways. Understanding checks in a range of forms are used to enable the students to assess their progress whilst prior knowledge checks allow them to recognise the links to earlier topics. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis and the stages of aerobic respiration as detailed in points 5.1 - 5.5.

This detailed lesson describes the light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis and focuses on the transfer of electrons and proton pumping. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of point 5.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and has been planned to link with the previous lesson on the structure of the chloroplast and to prepare the students for the next lesson on the light-independent reaction. The light-dependent reaction is a topic which students tend to find difficult so this lesson has been planned to walk them through all of the key details. Time is taken to describe the roles of the major protein complexes that are embedded in the thylakoid membrane and this includes the two photosystems, the cytochrome proton pump and ATP synthase. A series of exam-style questions have been written that link to other biological topics in this course such as cell structure and membrane transport as well as application questions to challenge them to apply their understanding. Some of these resources have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and to be pushed at the same time. Students will learn that there are two pathways that the electron can take from PSI and at the completion of the two tasks which describe each of these pathways, they will understand how ATP is generated in non-cyclic and cyclic fashion. The final task of the lesson asks them to compare these two forms of photophosphorylation to check that they understand when photolysis is involved and reduced NADP is formed. Due to the detail included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2.5 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to complete.

This detailed and fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the polysaccharides: glycogen, starch and cellulose. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 1.1 (iv) as it is detailed in the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and clear links are also made to the previous lessons in this topic where the monosaccharides and disaccharides were introduced. By the end of this lesson, students should understand how key structural features like the 1 - 4 and 1 - 6 glycosidic bonds and the hydrogen bonds dictate whether the polysaccharide chain is branched or unbranched and also whether it spirals or not. A range of activities are used to motivate and engage the students as they discover that glycogen is stored in liver and muscle cells, which it is able to do because of its compact structure. They are encouraged to discuss why the branched structure of this polysaccharide means that it can act as an immediate source of energy and they will recognise that hydrolysis reactions at the multiple ends of this chain will release glucose. Following on from the description of the structure of glycogen, students are challenged to design an exam question in the form of a comparison table so that it can be completed as the lesson progresses once they learn more about starch and cellulose. This includes a split in the starch section of the table so that the differing structures and properties of amylose and amylopectin can be considered. In the final part of the lesson, time is taken to focus on the formation of cellulose microfibrils and macrofibrils to explain how plant cells have the additional strength needed to support the whole plant. Due to the detail included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated teaching time to complete

This lesson describes how the hydrolysis of ATP supplies energy for biological processes and how the phosphorylation of ADP requires energy. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 5.6 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification and also describes how ATP is made in the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis and is needed in the light-independent stage. The start of the lesson focuses on the structure of this energy currency and challenges the students to use their knowledge of nucleotides and specifically RNA nucleotides to recognise the components of ATP. As a result, they will learn that this molecule consists of adenine, ribose and three phosphate groups. In order to release the stored energy, ATP must be broken down and students will be given time to discuss which reaction will be involved as well as the products of this reaction. Time is taken to describe how the hydrolysis of ATP can be coupled to energy-requiring reactions within cells and the examples of skeletal muscle contraction are used as this is covered in greater detail in topic 7. The final part of the lesson considers how ATP is formed when ADP is phosphorylated and students will learn that this occurs in the mitochondria and chloroplast during aerobic respiration and photosynthesis respectively, so that it ties in with the upcoming lessons in topic 5 and 7.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the light independent reaction of photosynthesis and explains how reduced NADP is used to form a simple sugar. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 5.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and lengthy planning has ensured that links are continually made to the previous lesson on the light-dependent reaction so that students can understand how the products of that stage are essential for the Calvin cycle The lesson begins with an existing knowledge check where the students are challenged to recall the names of structures, substances and reactions from the light-dependent stage in order to reveal the abbreviations of the main 3 substances in the light-independent stage. This immediately introduces RuBP, GP and TP and students are then shown how these substances fit into the cycle. The main section of the lesson focuses on the three phases of the Calvin cycle and time is taken to explore the key details of each phase and includes: The role of RuBisCO in carbon fixation The role of the products of the light-dependent stage, ATP and reduced NADP, in the reduction of GP to TP The use of the majority of the TP in the regeneration of RuBP A step-by-step guide, with selected questions for the class to consider together, is used to show how 6 turns of the cycle are needed to form the TP that will then be used to synthesise 1 molecule of glucose. A series of exam-style questions are included at appropriate points of the lesson and this will introduce limiting factors as well as testing their ability to answer questions about this stage when presented with an unfamiliar scientific investigation. The mark schemes are included in the PowerPoint so students can assess their understanding and any misconceptions are immediately addressed. This lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the previous lessons on the structure of a chloroplast and the light-dependent stage as well as upcoming lesson on limiting factors

This lesson describes how the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer are used to measure the size of an object with an optical microscope. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the second part of point 2.1.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification The main task of this concise lesson involves a step by step guide which walks students through the methodology and the use of the scale on the stage micrometer to identify the size of the divisions of the eyepiece graticule. This will need them to convert between units and as this was covered in the previous lesson, a number of prior knowledge checks will check that they are able to do this. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to apply this method to a series of exam-style questions and the mark scheme is displayed on the PowerPoint so that they can assess their understanding.

This detailed lesson describes the role of the mRNA, tRNA, ribosomes and start and stop codons during the second stage of protein synthesis - translation. This lesson is the second in a series of two, which have been designed together to cover point 2.13 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification. The first lesson in this series describes transcription. Translation is a topic which is often poorly understood and so this lesson has been written to enable the students to understand how to answer the different types of questions by knowing and including the key details of the structures involved. The lesson begins by challenging the students to consider why it is so important that the amino acids are assembled in the correct order during the formation of the chain. Moving forwards, a quick quiz round called “LOST IN TRANSLATION” is used to check on their prior knowledge of the mRNA strand, the tRNA molecules, the genetic code and the ribosomes. The next task involves a very detailed description of translation that has been divided into 14 statements which the students have to put into the correct order. By giving them a passage that consists of this considerable detail, they can pick out the important parts to use in the next task where they have to answer shorter questions worth between 3 and 4 marks. These types of questions are common in the assessments and by building up through the lesson, their confidence to answer this type should increase. The final two tasks of the lesson involve another quiz, where the teams compete to transcribe and translate in the quickest time before using all that they have learnt to answer some exam-style questions which involve the genetic code and the mRNA codon table.

This REVISION resource has been designed to motivate and engage students whilst they are challenged on their knowledge of the content in topics C6-C10 of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification which can be assessed on PAPER 4. This is fully-resourced and contains a detailed PowerPoint (118 slides) and accompanying worksheets, some of which have been differentiated. The resource was written with the aim of covering as many C6-C10 sub-topics as possible, but the following ones have received particular focus: Pure substances in Science Chromatography Detecting gases Reversible reactions Changing conditions and the position of the equilibrium Factors affecting the rate of a chemical reaction The structure of the alkanes Complete combustion of the alkanes Cracking and the alkenes Fractional distillation of crude oil This resource can be used in combination with the PAPER 3 revision resource which covers the content in Chemistry topics C1 - C5 as well as the other AQA GCSE Combined Science REVISION lessons which I’ve uploaded

This revision resource includes exam questions, understanding checks and quiz competitions, all of which have been designed with the aim of motivating and engaging the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 10 (Diseases and immunity) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. This revision resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (37 slides) and associated worksheets, some of which have been differentiated to help and challenge differing abilities. The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the Core and Supplement content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Pathogens as disease causing microorganisms that cause transmissible diseases when they are spread Pathogens can be spread through direct or indirect contact Vaccinations as a form of active immunity that leads to the production of memory cells Examples of passive immunity The human body’s defence systems to include the white blood cells Diabetes type I as an example of an autoimmune disease

This revision resource includes exam questions, understanding checks and quiz competitions, all of which have been designed with the aim of motivating and engaging the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 5 (Enzymes) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. This revision resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (25 slides) and associated worksheet. The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the Core and supplement content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Define enzymes as proteins that function as biological catalysts Explain enzyme action with reference to active site, substrate and enzyme-substrate complex Explain the specificity of enzymes Explain the effect of changes of temperature on enzyme activity Explain the effect of changes of pH on enzyme activity Describe what happens to an enzyme when it is denatured

This revision resource has been designed to include a range of activities that will engage the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content of topic C12 of the CIE IGCSE Combined Science specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. Exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions such as “Are you on FORM” will challenge the students on their recall of the content as well as their ability to apply this knowledge. The lesson was written to cover as much of the content as possible, but the following topics have received particular attention: • The conditions needed for cracking • Alkanes and alkenes as the products of cracking • Alkanes as saturated hydrocarbons with single covalent bonds between their atoms • Alkenes as unsaturated hydrocarbons with one double covalent bond • Testing between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons using aqueous bromine solution • The fractional distillation of crude oil • The uses of the fractions This resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (51 slides) and associated worksheets and is ideal for use at the end of this topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual terminal exams

This revision resource has been designed to include a range of activities that will engage the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content of topic C2 (Experimental techniques) of the CIE IGCSE Combined Science specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. Exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions such as “SEPARATE the FACT from the FICTION” will challenge the students on their recall of the content as well as their ability to apply this knowledge. The lesson was written to cover as much of the content as possible, but the following topics have received particular attention: • Simple distillation and fractional distillation Choosing appropriate apparatus Experimental and investigational skills Crystallisation and filtration Paper chromatography Calculating the retention factor This resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (45 slides) and associated worksheets and is ideal for use at the end of this topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual terminal exams

This lesson has been designed to cover the content as detailed in points 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (The eye as a sensory receptor and the correction of eye defects) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. Consisting of a detailed and engaging PowerPoint (54 slides) and accompanying worksheets, the range of activities will motivate the students whilst ensuring that the content is covered in detail. Students will learn how the structures of the eye enable it to function as a sensory receptor, with a particular focus on the role of the cornea, lens, iris and the rod and cone cells in the retina. In addition, students will understand how eye defects such as short-sightedness and cataracts can cause problems for vision and can be corrected. Progress checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding of the content and any misconceptions can be addressed whilst quiz competitions are used to introduce new terms in a fun and memorable way. This lesson has been written for GCSE-aged students who are studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification but can be used with younger students who have a real interest in this sensory receptor as well as older students who need to know the key details for their A level course.

This lesson has been designed to cover the content in specification point 17.3 (Mitosis) which is part of topic 17 (Inheritance) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification. A wide range of activities have been written into the lesson to motivate and engage the students whilst ensuring that the following content of both the Core & Supplement sections are covered in detail. The duplication of chromosomes before mitosis Mitosis is a form of division that results in genetically identical cells The important roles of mitosis for living organisms Stem cells use mitosis before differentiation to produce specialised cells Understanding checks have been included in the lesson at regular points to allow the students to assess their understanding as well as previous knowledge checks to topics like organelles in animal and plant cells. This lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students but is suitable for older students who are studying mitosis at A-level and need to recall the key points