This detailed lesson has been planned to cover the 1st part of specification point 5.1.2 © of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the gross structure of the kidney included the detailed structure of the nephron. The lesson was designed at the same time as the other lessons in this topic on ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation so that a common theme runs throughout and students can build their knowledge up gradually and develop a deep understanding of this organ. Students will come to recognise the renal cortex and renal medulla as the two regions of the kidney and learn the parts of the nephron which are found in each of these regions. Time is taken to look at the vascular supply of this organ and specifically to explain how the renal artery divides into the afferent arterioles which carry blood towards the glomerulus and the efferent arterioles which carry the blood away. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to relate structure to function. Having been introduced to the names of each of the parts of the nephron, they have to use the details of the structures found at these parts to match the function. For example, they have to make the connection between the microvilli in the PCT as a sign that this part is involved in selective reabsorption. This lesson has been designed for students studying on the OCR A-level Biology course

This revision resource has been designed with the simple aim of motivating the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 8 (The control of gene expression) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. This topic is regularly regarded as the most difficult by the students and therefore time has been taken to explain the important concepts so that key points are recalled and retained. The resource includes a detailed and engaging Powerpoint (108 slides) and associated worksheets, some of which are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work. The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: The genetic code Substitution mutations and their impact on the primary structure Addition and deletion mutations and the frameshift Benign and malignant tumours The role of oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes in cancer DNA methylation Genetic modification of bacteria to produce human insulin PCR Gel electrophoresis and its application in disease detection Potency of cells The range of activities include exam questions and understanding checks as well as quiz competitions to maintain student engagement. Revision resources are also available for the other 7 topics on the AQA A-level Biology specification

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the use and interpretation of electrocardiogram (ECG) traces and focuses on their use in the diagnosis of CVD and other heart conditions. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.1.2 (h) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and continual links are made to linked topics from earlier in this module The lesson has been written to take place in an imaginary cardiology ward where the students are initially challenged on their knowledge of the symptoms and risk factors of CVD before looking at testing through the use of ECGs and diagnosis. The main focus of the lesson is the ECG and a quiz competition is used to introduce the reference points of P, QRS and T before time is taken to explain their representation with reference to the cardiac cycle. Moving forwards, a SPOT the DIFFERENCE task is used to challenge the students to recognise differences between sinus rhythm and some abnormal rhythms including tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. Bradycardia is used as a symptom of sinus node disfunction and the students are encouraged to discuss this symptom along with some others to try to diagnose this health problem.

This lesson has been designed to cover the content of specification point 4.1.1.1 (Eukaryotes and prokaryotes) of the AQA GCSE Biology and Combined Science course. The understanding of this topic is fundamental to a lot of the later topics on the course so time has been taken to ensure that the key details are covered whilst engagement levels are kept high through the range of activities. The lesson begins by asking students to copy a diagram of a bacterial cell from memory before challenging them to recognise anything that is missing so they can discover the lack of the nucleus. Students are introduced to the idea of a prokaryotic cell before important questions are answered such as the fact that the cell still has DNA despite the absence of the nucleus. Key terms such as plasmid are introduced to the students through the use of quiz competitions in an effort to increase the likelihood of these words being remembered. Moving forwards, eukaryotic cells are considered and the common features of both of the cells are discussed and recalled. Finally, students are asked to compare both types of cells in terms of their size before being challenged on a range of mathematical skills in which they have to convert between the units of centimetres, millimetres, micrometres and nanometres.

This is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 1 (Characteristics and classification of living organisms) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification, for examination in 2020 and 2021. The lesson covers the content in both the core and supplement sections of the specification and therefore can be used with students who will be taking the extended papers as well as the core papers. The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include: CORE Describe the characteristics of living organisms by defining the terms movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition State that organisms can be classified into groups by the features that they share Define and describe the binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed system in which the scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus and species List the main features used to place animals and plants into the appropriate kingdoms SUPPLEMENT Explain that classification systems aim to reflect evolutionary relationships Explain that classification is traditionally based on studies of morphology and anatomy Explain that the sequences of bases in DNA and of amino acids in proteins are used as a more accurate means of classification Explain that organisms which share a more recent ancestor (are more closely related) have base sequences in DNA that are more similar than those that share only a distant ancestor List the main features used to place all organisms into one of the five kingdoms: Animal, Plant, Fungus, Prokaryote, Protoctist List the features of viruses, limited to protein coat and genetic material The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “Are you the KING of the KINGDOMS” where they have to name the kingdoms involved based on a feature whilst crucially being able to recognise the areas of this topic which need their further attention. This lesson can be used as revision resource at the end of the topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual IGCSE exams

This is a highly engaging, detailed and fully-resourced revision lesson which covers topics 4 & 5 of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics specification. Due to the close links between the topics of waves and light and the electromagnetic spectrum, it was decided to design a single resource that challenged the students on their knowledge and understanding of the Physics detailed in these two topics. The PowerPoint and acccompanying resource have been written to include a wide range of activities which include exam-style questions (with clearly explained answers), differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions. These activities challenge the following specification points: Define and use the terms frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period Recall and use both of the equations to calculate wave speed Describe how to measure the velocity of sound in air and ripples on water surfaces Describe the effects of reflection and refraction Explain how waves will be refracted at a boundary in terms of a change in direction and speed Recall that sound waves can be ultrasound and infrasound Explain uses of ultrasound Explain, with the aid of diagrams, refraction, the critical angle and total internal reflection Explain the difference between specular and diffuse reflection Recall that the EM waves are transverse and travel at the speed of light in a vacuum Describe the EM spectrum as continuous from radio waves to gamma rays Describe the uses and harmful effects of the EM waves To fall in line with the heavy mathematical content of the specification, there is a large emphasis on a range of mathematical skills in this lesson which includes rearranging formula, converting between units and using standard form. Due to the detail of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of GCSE-allocated teaching time to cover the content and this allows this to be used at the end of the topic or in the lead up to mock or terminal examinations.

A fully resourced revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions (with explained answers), quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within module 5.1.4 (Hormonal communication) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. The topics tested within this lesson include: Endocrine communication Adrenal glands The pancreas and the release of insulin Regulating blood glucose Diabetes Student will enjoy the range of tasks and quiz rounds whilst crucially being able to recognise any areas which require further attention

This is a highly detailed and engaging lesson that covers the detail of specification point 5.1.1 © of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the generation and transmission of nerve impulses in mammals. This topic is commonly assessed in the terminal exams so a lot of time has been taken to design this resource to include a wide range of activities that motivate the students whilst ensuring that the content is covered in the depth of detail that will allow them to have a real understanding. Interspersed within the activities are understanding checks and prior knowledge checks to enable the students to not only assess their progress against the current topic but also to challenge themselves on the links to earlier topics such as methods of movements across cell membranes and saltatory conduction. There are also a number of quiz competitions which are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way and discussion points to encourage the students to consider why a particular process or mechanism occurs. Over the course of the lesson, the students will learn and discover how the movement of ions across the membrane causes the membrane potential to change. They will see how the resting potential is maintained through the use of the sodium/potassium pump and potassium ion leakage. There is a real focus on depolarisation to allow students to understand how generator potentials can combine and if the resulting depolarisation then exceeds the threshold potential, a full depolarisation will occur. At this point in the lesson students will discover how the all or nothing response explains that action potentials have the same magnitude and that instead a stronger stimulus is linked to an increase in the frequency of the transmission. The rest of the lesson challenges the students to apply their knowledge to explain how repolarisation and hyperpolarisation result and to suggest advantages of the refractory period for nerve cells. This lesson has been designed for students studying the OCR A-level Biology course and ties in nicely with other uploaded lessons on mammalian sensory receptors and the structures and functions of the neurones.

This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the specification point about co-dominance (and blood groups) as detailed in the supplement section of topic 17 (inheritance) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification. As specified in this point, students will learn how this inheritance of the ABO blood group system demonstrates co-dominance (and also multiple alleles). A potentially difficult topic, time has been taken to include guidance sections where students are walked through the interpretation of the different genotypes to find out the phenotypes as well as constructing genetic diagrams and calculating blood groups from pedigree trees. There is a real focus on genetic terminology such as allele, locus, genotype and phenotype so that the understanding is deep and students can use this if they choose to further their studies at A-level. This lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students studying the CIE IGCSE Biology course but is also suitable for older students who are learning about codominance and multiple alleles at A-level

An engaging lesson presentation (65 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within unit B1 (Cell-level systems) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Plant and animal cells Bacterial cells Light and electron microscopy DNA Transcription and translation Enzymes Photosynthesis Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “Shine a LIGHT on any errors" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention

This clear and concise lesson explains how the inheritance of two or more genes that have loci on the same chromosome demonstrates autosomal linkage. The engaging PowerPoint and associated resource have been designed to cover the part of point 16.2 (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to use genetic diagrams to solve problems that involve autosomal linkage. This is a topic which can cause confusion for students so time was taken in the design to split the concept into small chunks. There is a clear focus on how the number of original phenotypes and recombinants can be used to determine linkage and suggest how the loci of the two genes compare. Important links to other topics such as crossing over in meiosis are made to enable students to understand how the random formation of the chiasma determines whether new phenotypes will be seen in the offspring or not. Linkage is an important cause of variation and the difference between observed and expected results and this is emphasised on a number of occasions. The main task of the lesson acts as an understanding check where students are challenged to analyse a set of results involving the inheritance of the ABO blood group gene and the nail-patella syndrome gene to determine whether they have loci on the same chromosome and if so, how close their loci would appear to be.

This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content found within Topic 6 (Immunity, infection and forensics) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification. The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include: Know how DNA profiling is used for identification and determining genetic relationships Know how DNA can be amplified using the PCR Know the structure of a virus Understand how HIV infects human cells, causing a sequence of symptoms that may result in death Understand the non-specific responses of the body to infection Understand the roles of antigens and antibodies in the body’s immune response Understand the differences between the roles of B cells and T cells Understand how one gene can give rise to more than one protein through post-transcriptional changes Understand the difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds such as “FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS” and “Make sure you are very SPECIFIC” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require their further attention during general revision or during the lead up to the actual A-level terminal exams

This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the content found in specification point 5.1 (Homeostasis) of topic 5 of the AQA GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. This resource contains an engaging and detailed PowerPoint (45 slides) and accompanying worksheets The lesson begins by challenging the student’s literacy skills as they are asked to recognise the key term, optimum, from 6 of its’ synonyms. Moving forwards, a range of quiz competitions are used to introduce the term homeostasis and to provide a definition for this key process. Students are given a newspaper article about water and blood glucose so they can recognise 2 conditions which are controlled in the human body. The next part of the lesson looks at the importance of maintaining the levels of water and glucose by considering the medical problems that could arise if they move away from the optimum levels. Students will learn that body temperature is also controlled and links are made to earlier knowledge as they have to explain why an increase in temperature above the set point would be an issue because of the denaturation of enzymes. The rest of the lesson looks at the three parts that are included in all control systems before a final quiz round introduces the receptors, coordination centre and effectors in the control of body temperature. As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the AQA GCSE Biology or Combined Science course, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the process in more detail

This fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the structures that are found in eukaryotic cells. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying exam-question worksheets (which are all differentiated) have been designed to cover the first part of specification point 2.1.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and focuses on those structures found in animal cells. The additional structures, which are found in plant cells, are described in the next lesson uploaded under the title “Structure of eukaryotic (plant) cells”. As cells are the building blocks of living organisms, it makes sense that they would be heavily involved in all of the 8 topics in the AQA course and intricate planning has ensured that these links to previously covered topics as well as upcoming ones are made throughout the lesson. A wide range of activities, that include exam-style questions, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions, will maintain motivation and engagement whilst covering the finer details of the following structures: nucleus nucleolus ribosomes rough endoplasmic reticulum Golgi apparatus lysosomes smooth endoplasmic reticulum mitochondria cell surface membrane As mentioned above, all of the worksheets have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities whilst maintaining challenge Due to the detail that is included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover the work

An engaging lesson presentation (79 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within Topic 9 (Ecosystems and material cycles) of the EDEXCEL GCSE Biology specification The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Levels of organisation Communities Interdependence in a community Determining the number of organisms in a given area Biomass and the transfer of energy between trophic levels Recycling materials Deforestation Global warming Decomposition and the rate of decay Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “Number CRAZY" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention

This lesson describes how to calculate the mean and standard deviation of collected data and describes how these values may be interpreted. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are part of the second lesson in a series of 2 lessons which have been designed to cover point 4.7 (Investigating diversity) of the AQA A-level Biology specification. It is important to note that the students will not be required to calculate the standard deviation in written papers but that they do need to understand how these values are obtained and what they could indicate. The lesson begins with an introduction of the standard deviation as a measure of the spread around the mean. The students will learn that interpreting the data is a critical requirement of this A-level course and this initial portion of the lesson considers how the spread of the data around the mean can lead to differing suggestions about reliability. A step by step guide walks the students through each stage of the calculation of the standard deviation, which includes the calculation of the mean, and they will complete a worked example with the class. A quick quiz round introduces the values of 68 and 95 in a fun way to encourage the students to remember that if the focus of the data shows a normal distribution, 68% of the observations are within +/- one standard deviation and 95% are within 2 standard deviations. The final task challenges the students to apply their knowledge to data about the birth weights of humans at a UK hospital on one day in 2020.

This is a fully-resourced lesson that covers the content of specification point 6.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should understand how skeletal muscles are stimulated to contract by nerves and act as effectors. The wide range of activities included in the lesson will engage and motivate the students whilst the understanding and previous knowledge checks will not only allow them to assess their progress but also challenge them to make links to other Biology topics. The following content is covered in detail in this lesson: The ultrastructure of a myofibril The roles of actin and myosin in myofibril contraction The need for calcium ions and ATP in myofibril contraction The roles of calcium ions and tropomyosin in cross-bridge formation The roles of ATP and phosphocreatine in muscle contraction This lesson has been designed for students studying the AQA A-level Biology course and ties in nicely with the other uploaded lessons from topic 6 such as synapses and NMJs and nerve impulses

This fully-resourced revision lesson has been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content in topic 7 (Astronomy) of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics specification. The lesson has been written to include as many of the specification points as possible but the following have been given particular attention: Explain how the value of g differs between the Earth’s surface and the surface of other bodies in space Recall the bodies that are found in our Solar system Recall the names and order of the eight planets Describe evidence supporting the Big Bang theory Describe that there will be a change in the frequency and wavelength of a wave if the source of the wave is moving in relation to the observer Describe why the red-shift of galaxies provides evidence for the expansion of the Universe Describe the evolution of stars of similar mass to our Sun Describe the evolution of stars with a larger mass than our Sun This topic contains a number of principles or theories which can be poorly understood by students so extra time has been taken to guide them in the formation of descriptions and explanations.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the roles of antigens, antibodies, B cells and T cells in the body’s immune response. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover specification points 6.8 & 6.9 as detailed in the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification and includes descriptions of the involvement of plasma (effector) cells and macrophages as antigen-presenting cells. In the previous lesson on the non-specific responses, the students were introduced to macrophages and dendritic cells as antigen-presenting cells and the start of this lesson challenges their recall and understanding of this process. Time is taken to discuss how the contact between these cells and lymphocytes is critical for the initiation of the body’s (specific) immune response. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the names of the different T cells that result from differentiation. Their specific roles are described including an emphasis on the importance of the release of cytokines in cell signalling to activate other immune system cells. T memory cells are also introduced so that students can understand their role in immunological memory and active immunity as described in an upcoming lesson covering point 6.12. The next part of the lesson focuses on the B cells and describes how clonal selection and clonal expansion results in the formation of memory B cells and effector cells. A series of understanding and application questions are then used to introduce the structure of antibodies and to explain how the complementary shape of the variable region allows the antigen-antibody complex to be formed. The lesson concludes by emphasising that the pathogen will be overcome as a result of the combination of the actions of phagocytes, T killer cells and the antibodies released by the effector cells.

This engaging revision lesson has been designed to guide students through the numerous elements of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which challenge their mathematical skills. A good performance in these MATHS IN BIOLOGY questions across the three assessment papers can prove the difference between a number of grades and this resource provides the students with support and plenty of opportunities to apply their understanding. Both the provided and recall formulae are covered in this lesson and students can assess their progress against the displayed mark schemes with detailed explanations in order to identify any areas which require further attention. The following mathematical skills and formulae are covered during this revision lesson: Hardy-Weinberg principle Chi-squared test Calculating magnification Converting between units of size Standard deviation Mean Estimating populations using sampling results Genetic diversity (polymorphic gene loci) Simpson’s Index of Diversity Percentages Percentage change Cardiac output Respiratory quotient Retention factor The majority of the tasks are differentiated two ways, to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and the different quiz rounds such as “YOU DO THE MATH” and “Fill the VOID” will maintain engagement over the duration of this extensive lesson. It is estimated that this lesson will take in excess of 2 hours teaching time to cover and can be used at different points of the course when these skills need to be tested and honed.