This engaging lesson describes the key features of viruses and therefore explains why these microorganisms are non-cellular. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover specification point 1.2 (f) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification and also includes details of HIV so that students are prepared for this lesson later in topic 10. Details of the COVID-19 epidemic are included in the lesson to increase relevance and to help students to understand this biological topic in greater depth. They will understand that the lack of cell structures results in an non-cellular classification and the fact that it is unable to reproduce without a host is one of the additional reasons that renders it as non-living. The main focus of the lesson is the nucleic acid, the capsid and the attachment proteins that are present in these microorganisms and time is taken to explain how these structures are involved in the infection of a host cell. The lipid membrane is also introduced and links are made to the previous lessons on eukaryotic cells. The final section uses a version of BBC 1’s POINTLESS to introduce a number of viral diseases in animals and the use of a glycoprotein by HIV to attach to helper T cells is briefly introduced.

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

This resource contains a detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets, all of which have been designed to cover points 2.5 (a & b) of the WJEC GCSE Biology specification. This specification point states that students should be able to apply their knowledge and understanding of sense organs responding to specific stimuli and the CNS and nerves forming the nervous system. The lesson begins by introducing the term stimuli and then a quick quiz is used to get their competitive juices flowing as they have to react 1st to recognise the 5 different stimuli. Students will learn that sense organs are groups of receptor cells that respond to one or a few of these stimuli and they will form sentences to describe this role. Moving forwards, the link is made to the nervous system and how electrical impulses conducted on neurones allows communication between these receptors and the CNS and between the CNS and the effectors. At this point, students are challenged on their understanding of the functions of the structures in a nervous reaction as they have to put them into the correct order. They are given a quick and easy way to recognise the difference between a sensory and motor neurone on a diagram and how to use the function to show the direction of conduction. Time is taken to look at the role of a synapse in a reaction. The main task challenges the students to apply their knowledge to the example of a fly being flicked off the arm by forming a full description. This lesson contains a wide range of activities which include quiz competitions to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way as well as understanding and prior knowledge checks so that students can assess their grasp of the critical content. It has been written for students studying the WJEC GCSE Biology course but is also suitable for younger students looking at the nervous system or A-level students who need to recall the key details and structures

This detailed and engaging lesson describes the movement of water molecules by osmosis and this is explained in terms of water potential. Both the PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the third part of specification point 2.3 as detailed in the AQA A-level Biology specification and they also describe the impact of solutions of different water potentials on suspended animal and plant cells. It’s likely that students will have used the term concentration in their osmosis definitions at GCSE, so the aim of the starter task is to introduce water potential to allow students to begin to recognise osmosis as the movement of water molecules from a high water potential to a lower potential, with the water potential gradient. Time is taken to describe the finer details of water potential to enable students to understand that 0 is the highest value (pure water) and that this becomes negative once solutes are dissolved. Exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson to check on current understanding as well as prior knowledge checks which make links to previously covered topics such as the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the movement of water when animal and plant cells are suspended in hypotonic, hypertonic or isotonic solutions and the final appearance of these cells is described, including any issues this may cause. This lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the previous two lessons in topic 2.3 that cover the cell membrane and diffusion as well as an upcoming lesson on active transport and co-transport.

This detailed and engaging lesson describes how the roles of hydrogen, iron, sodium and phosphate ions are based on their properties. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover point 1.8 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins with a made-up round of POINTLESS where students have to use their prior knowledge of topic 1 to identify four biological molecules. All four of these molecules are connected by a phosphate group and this acts to remind students that phosphate ions are a component of both DNA and ATP. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson explores the role of hydrogen ions in pH, iron in haemoglobin and sodium in the co-transport of glucose and amino acids. The lesson has been written so that links can be made to upcoming topics including the regulation of heart rate, transport of oxygen and selective reabsorption in the nephron of the kidney.

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 describes the key steps in the blood clotting process, including the roles of thromboplastin, thrombin and fibrin. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been primarily designed to cover the content detailed in point 1.11 of the Edexcel A-level International specification but time has been taken to look at haemophilia as a sex-linked disease so that students are prepared for when this is covered in greater detail in topic 3. The lesson begins with the introduction of clotting factors as integral parts of the blood clotting process and explains that factor III, thromboplastin, needs to recalled as well as the events that immediately precede and follows its release. Students will learn how damage to the lining and the exposure of collagen triggers the release of this factor and how a cascade of events then results. Quick quiz rounds and tasks are used to introduce the names of the other substances involved which are prothrombin, thrombin, fibrinogen and fibrin. In a link to the upcoming topic of proteins, students will understand how the insolubility of fibrin enables this mesh of fibres to trap platelets and red blood cells and to form the permanent clot. In the previous lessons, students described the events in atherosclerosis and a link is made to the role of blood clotting in CVD. The final part of the lesson introduces haemophilia as a sex-linked disease and students are challenged to apply their knowledge to an unfamiliar situation as they have to write genotypes and determine phenotypes before explaining why men are more likely to suffer from this disease than women.

This fully-resourced lesson explores how glucose as well as the other respiratory substrates, such as lipids and proteins, can enter the respiratory pathway and therefore can be respired to produce molecules of ATP. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 5.2.2 (j) and (k) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should know the difference in the relative energy values of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and be able to use and interpret the respiratory quotient. This lesson has been written to challenge current understanding as well as the knowledge of glycolysis, the link reaction and Krebs cycle and so contains regular prior knowledge checks which come in a range of forms. Students will learn that lipids and proteins can be used as respiratory substrates and will recognise the different ways that they enter the respiratory pathway. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce the mean energy value for carbohydrates and students are challenged to predict how the values for lipids and proteins will compare. As a result, students will recognise that a greater number of hydrogen atoms results in a greater availability of protons to form the chemiosmotic gradient to fuel the production of ATP. The rest of the lesson focuses on the calculation of the respiratory quotient and time is taken to look at how the result can be interpreted to determine which substrates were respired.

This detailed lesson looks at the structural organisation of the mammalian nervous system into the CNS and the PNS as detailed in point 5.1.5 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. Students will see how the PNS is divided into the sensory and motor systems and then further divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson to make links to earlier topics such as the structure of neurones and the function of the hypothalamus in thermoregulation and osmoregulation. This lesson has been designed to tie in with the uploaded lesson on the autonomic nervous system which is also covered in specification point 5.1.5 (g)

This detailed lesson has been written to cover the part of specification point 6.4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe how the structure of the nephron allows for the formation of glomerular filtrate. The aim of the design was to give the students the opportunity to discover the function of ultrafiltration and to be able to explain how the mechanisms found in the glomerulus and the Bowman’s capsule control the movement of small molecules out of the blood plasma. Key terminology is used throughout and students will learn how the combination of the capillary endothelium and the podocytes creates filtration slits that allow glucose, water, urea and ions through into the Bowman’s capsule but ensure that blood cells and plasma proteins remain in the bloodstream. A number of quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values in a fun and memorable way whilst understanding and prior knowledge checks allow the students to assess their understanding of the current topic and to challenge themselves to make links to earlier topics. The final task of the lesson challenges the students to apply their knowledge by recognising substances found in a urine sample that shouldn’t be present and to explain why this would cause a problem This lesson has been written for students studying on the AQA A-level course and ties in nicely with the other kidney lessons on the structure of the nephron, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the calculation of a turning force and uses this to apply the principle of moments. The lesson includes an engaging and informative lesson presentation (24 slides) and a series of worksheets, some of which contain questions which have been differentiated. The lesson begins by getting the students to read through the scene from Friends which involves the famous “PIVOT”. This word has been removed from the scene and so students have to work out what it is and how it could relate to a Physics lesson. The rest of the lesson focuses on the range of calculation questions that students can face, which get progressively more difficult. At each stage of the lesson, students are guided through examples and given hints on points to be conscious of so that any silly mistakes can be eradicated. The principle of moments question worksheet has been differentiated two ways so that those students who need extra assistance are still able to access the learning. A homework question is also included in the lesson. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but should higher ability KS3 students want to really test themselves, it could be used with them.

An engaging lesson presentation (73 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 C5 of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Chemistry specification. The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Percentage yield Concentration of solution Titrations Titration calculations Gas calculations Rate of reaction Factors affecting the rate of reaction Reversible reactions Equilibrium position Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “Under PRESSURE” and “Number CRAZY” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention

A fully-resourced lesson which explores how the release of thyroxine from the thyroid gland regulates the metabolic rate and how a negative feedback loop is used as the final control. This lesson includes an engaging and detailed presentation (19 slides), a crossword and an understanding check task. The lesson begins by challenging the students knowledge of the endocrine system to get them to come up with the letters that form the name, “thyroid gland”. Students will be reminded that this gland releases thyroxine which is involved with the regulation of the metabolic rate. Students will learn that in order for the thyroid gland to release this hormone, it has to be stimulated by TSH from the pituitary gland which in turn was controlled by the hypothalamus. At this point, the students are challenged to put the order of the control mechanism in the right order on their worksheet. This leads them to the word negative which links to how a negative feedback loop is used as the final act in the mechanism. This lesson is designed for GCSE students but is suitable for A-level students too who need to know about this endocrine gland and also negative feedback

A concise lesson presentation that focuses on the key details that students need to know about diodes for the GCSE examinations. The lesson begins by introducing the idea that diodes only allow current to flow in one direction. Moving forwards, time is taken to go through the potential difference vs current graph in 3 parts so that students can explain how the diode functions. Moving forwards, students will meet a LED and then in the style commonly associated with the 6 mark exam question, they are challenged to use data in a table to compare the effectiveness of a LED against other light bulbs.

This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within Topic C3 (Physical chemistry) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification which has its’ first assessment in 2019. The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Energetics Rates of reaction Reversible reactions and equilibria Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require their further attention during general revision or during the lead up to the actual assessment.

This is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quiz tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 9 (The Periodic Table) of the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) specification. 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 Periodic Table as a method of classifying elements and its use to predict properties of elements Describe the change from metallic to nonmetallic character across a period Describe lithium, sodium and potassium in Group I as a collection of relatively soft metals showing a trend in melting point, density and reaction with water Describe the halogens, chlorine, bromine and iodine in Group VII, as a collection of diatomic non-metals showing a trend in colour and density and state their reaction with other halide ions Predict the properties of other elements in Group VII, given data where appropriate Describe the transition elements as a collection of metals having high densities, high melting points and forming coloured compounds, and which, as elements and compounds, often act as catalysts Describe the noble gases, in Group VIII or 0, as being unreactive, monoatomic gases and explain this in terms of electronic structure State the uses of the noble gases in providing an inert atmosphere, i.e. argon in lamps, helium for filling balloons SUPPLEMENT Describe and explain the relationship between Group number, number of outer shell electrons and metallic/non-metallic character Identify trends in Groups, given information about the elements concerned Know that transition elements have variable oxidation states The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “Make sure you check every passage PERIODICALLY” where they have to scan summary passages about the table and decide if it is 100% correct 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 GCSE exams

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 6 (Groups in the Periodic Table) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification. The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include: Explain why some elements can be classified as alkali metals (group 1), halogens (group 7) or noble gases (group 0), based on their position in the periodic table Describe the pattern in reactivity of the alkali metals, lithium, sodium and potassium, with water; and use this pattern to predict the reactivity of other alkali metals Explain this pattern in reactivity in terms of electronic configurations Recall the colours and physical states of chlorine, bromine and iodine at room temperature Describe the pattern in the physical properties of the halogens, chlorine, bromine and iodine, and use this pattern to predict the physical properties of other halogens Describe the reactions of the halogens, chlorine, bromine and iodine, with metals to form metal halides, and use this pattern to predict the reactions of other halogens Describe the relative reactivity of the halogens chlorine, bromine and iodine, as shown by their displacement reactions with halide ions in aqueous solution, and use this pattern to predict the reactions of astatine Explain the relative reactivity of the halogens in terms of electronic configurations Explain why the noble gases are chemically inert, compared with the other elements, in terms of their electronic configurations The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “Make sure you check every passage PERIODICALLY” where they have to scan summary passages about the table and decide if it is 100% correct 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 GCSE exams

This is a detailed REVISION lesson that contains an engaging powerpoint (99 slides) and is fully-resourced with associated worksheets. The lesson uses a range of activities which include exam questions (with displayed answers), differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to engage students whilst they assess their knowledge of the content that is found within topic 8 (Global challenges) of the OCR GCSE Physics A specification. The following specification points are covered in this lesson: Explain the factors which affect the distance required for road transport vehicles to come to rest in emergencies and the implications for safety Estimate how the distances required for road vehicles to stop in an emergency, varies over a range of typical speeds Estimate the forces involved in typical situations on a public road Describe the main energy sources available for use on Earth, compare the ways in which they are used and distinguish between renewable and non-renewable sources Explain patterns and trends in the use of energy resources Recall that step-up and step-down transformers are used to change the potential difference as power is transferred from power stations Link the potential differences and numbers of turns of a transformer to the power transfer involved; relate this to the advantages of power transmission at high voltages Recall that the domestic supply in the UK is a.c. at 50Hz and about 230 volts Recall the differences in function between the live, neutral and earth mains wires, and the potential differences between these wires Explain the red-shift of light as seen from galaxies which are receding (qualitative only). The change with distance of each galaxy’s speed is evidence of an expanding universe Explain how red shift and other evidence can be linked to the Big-Bang model Recall that our Sun was formed from dust and gas drawn together by gravity and explain how this caused fusion reactions, leading to equilibrium between gravitational collapse and expansion due to the energy released during fusion Recall the main features of our solar system, including the similarities and distinctions between the planets and their moons Due to the size of this revision lesson, it is likely to be used over the course of a number of lessons and can also be used throughout the duration of the GCSE course, as an end of topic revision lesson or as lessons in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams

This is a highly-detailed revision resource which has been designed to be used over a number of lessons and allows teachers to dip in and out of the material as fits to the requirements of their classes and students. The resource consists of an engaging and detailed powerpoint (135 slides) and worksheets which have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to be challenged and access the work. The lesson consists of a wide range of activities which will engage and motivate the students and includes exam questions, quiz competitions and quick tasks. The lesson has been designed to cover as many of the sub-topics within topics 4, 5 and 6 of the OCR Gateway GCSE Biology A specification but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention: Topic B4: Community-level systems Ecological terms Carbon cycle Topic B5: Genes, inheritance and selection The effect of mutations on phenotypes Single-gene crosses Sex determination Genetic terminology Topic B6: Global challenges Communicable diseases Genetic engineering Vaccinations CHD This revision resource can be used in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams and due to its size, it could be repeatably used to ensure that students develop a deep understanding of these topics.

A concise lesson presentation (16 slides) and associated worksheet that looks at the motion topic of Momentum and guides students through how to answer these questions. The lesson begins by giving the students the units for momentum and challenging them to use this to work out the other factors involved in the equation. Moving forwards, a number of progress checks are used to see whether the students can apply their new found knowledge. All progress checks have displayed mark schemes. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students and ties in nicely with my other resources, "Conservation of momentum" and "Changes in momentum"