I currently teach IGCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Also A level Biology. The resources I produce for my lessons are carefully planned and I try to involve a lot of self-learning to allow students to develop these important skills needed for further education.
I currently teach IGCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Also A level Biology. The resources I produce for my lessons are carefully planned and I try to involve a lot of self-learning to allow students to develop these important skills needed for further education.
A complete topic including 8 full lesson powerpoints and 7 worksheets.
Each lesson includes bell ringer activities (starter activities) and plenary activities plus lots of retrieval practice. Each lesson takes approximately 50 - 60 minutes. The PowerPoint can be modified to suit your lesson. There is also a recommend practical activity that involves an eye dissection (worksheet included). There are also many exam-style questions to ensure students understand the material.
I have included a range of different resources and tasks including pair and individual work.
Students should be able to complete the following after the lessons:
Describe the geotropic and phototropic responses of roots and stems and understand the role of auxin in the phototropic response of stems.
State that the central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord andis linked to sense organs by nerves.
Understand that stimulation of receptors in the sense organs sends electrical impulses along nerves into and out of the central nervous system, resulting in rapid responses
Understand the role of neurotransmitters at synapses
Understand the role of neurotransmitters at synapses
Describe the structure and functioning of a simple reflex arc illustrated by the withdrawal of a finger from a hot object
Describe the structure and function of the eye as a receptor
Understand the function of the eye in focusing on near and distant objects, and in responding to changes in light intensity
Describe the role of the skin in temperature regulation, with reference to sweating, vasoconstriction and vasodilation
8 lessons with powerpoints and worksheets covering the topic Gas Exchange in both plants and humans. This covers:
The breathing system of humans including diagrams of the system to label
Gas exchange and the alveolus. Students discover how alveoli are adapted to gas echange.
Ventilation
Core practical - breathing rate and exercise
Smoking and how the lungs are damaged
Gas exchange in the leaf
Gas exchange mission - students are given access to the powerpoint to complete a spy mission linked to gas exchange (optional lesson)
Core practical - investigating the effect of light on photosynthesis/respiration
Each lesson contains a series of tasks to aid students learning including videos, discussion, labelling diagrams and exam questions.
A PDF worksheet which focuses on the changes in an embryo from totipotent cells to cell differentiation. There are questions to challenge students understanding of these terms plus DNA methylation and acetylation. Answer sheet included.
This resource is great for:
In-class worksheet
Pre/post-test
Homework assignment
Support work
Exam-style questions focusing on the structure of proteins.
Answer sheet included.
Suitable for checking understanding in class or as a revision activity.
A technique suggested in the book, Powerlearning. This is a revision technique with self-feedback. Students begin by reading each question and determining which ones they know the answer to and which ones they don’t. Independently, students determine what they know and what requires further study. Students answer the ones they know the answer to and then search for the answers they don’t know. Students then verify the answers they thought were correct.
Students can fold the page over and use the questions for revision/retrieval practice.
A PDF worksheet which focuses on plant reproduction and the formation of the pollen tube. These questions are exam-style questions which check student understanding.
Useful for in class activity, homework, retrieval practice activity.
Answer sheet included.
A revision plan for students studying the Edexcel Biology Unit 4 module.
The timetable can be edited to change the dates. Currently it is for the upcoming January 2023 exams. The timetable covers 9 weeks of intensive revision.
Included in the pack is a detailed day to day revision plan to guide students through their revision. Also included are exam questions (with mark scheme) per topic area and worksheets.
This has been a great resource for weaker students to help plan their revision and ensure they cover the content.
2 X A3 PDF worksheets covering the A level content of DNA structure and DNA replication.
The worksheets have focused activities and exam-style questions to check understanding.
Useful to complement a lesson or for a revision activity.
Answer sheet included.
Overview of aerobic respiration which focuses on Glycolysis, Link, Krebs, and Oxidative phosphorylation. The diagrams are accompanied by application questions to check students’ understanding of the stages.
I suggest printing on A3
There is an answer sheet included.
A formative assessment which can be completed in class or as homework.
This is an independent task where students can use their own knowledge and resources for guidance, to complete an assessment which focuses on part of the GCSE specification for transport in humans.
The assessment focuses on:
Blood vessel structure and function
Heart disease and effect.
Students can peer assess the work and there is a worksheet to help them complete this task.
PDF worksheet focusing on the structure of the brain. Includes exam questions focusing on neurotoxins which can affect brain function.
Markscheme included.
This worksheet is perfect for checking understanding and student application of knowledge.
A 360 panoramic escape room. A great way to introduce the topic of pathogenic microorganisms.
Scenario: The World Health Organisation has released a warning about a new type of disease spreading rapidly over 3 continents. It is very contagious, and the death rate is rising. No one knows at this stage what type of pathogen is causing this illness.
The first task is to return to where the illness was first reported and determine what is causing this new disease. The mission begins in a nearby woodland where the first victims had been staying.
The escape room is designed to generate student interest in microbes. There are a range of resources to support learning including videos, puzzles, worksheets and mazes.
The missions should be played in numerical order as the information in the activities provide the answers to the clues.
The escape room itself contains a lot of information regarding:
• Types of microorganisms
• Lifecycles of microorganisms
• TB, HIV and Candida auris information sheets.
There are mini-quizzes and checkpoints along the way to check student understanding. The answers to these questions are found in videos and worksheets.
At the end of each set of activities there is a key with a locked question. This is the only question students need to get correct in the activities as these lead to the next clue.
This is a great introduction to A level Unit 4 Microorganisms unit.
An exciting 360 panoramic escape room.
The mission is set on Mars in the future. Earth is no longer inhabitable, and students want to know why.
The escape room is designed to generate student interest in an important topic. There are a range of resources to support learning including videos, puzzles, worksheets and mazes.
The missions should be played in numerical order as the information in the activities provide the answers to the clues.
The escape room itself contains a lot of information regarding:
• What is the greenhouse effect?
• What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
• What is global warming?
• What are the long-term effects?
• What can be done?
The answers to these questions are found in videos, worksheets and other websites, such as NASA.
There are mini-quizzes and checkpoints along the way.
At the end of each set of activities there is a key with a locked question. This is the only question students need to get correct in the activities as these lead to the next clue. A teacher answer sheet is included.
I have used this resource to introduce this topic to my year 13 biology class but it would be suitable for younger year groups as the answers are on the site.
A digital escape room to check student understanding of biological molecules studied at AS level.
Once you purchase the escape room, you will download a PDF file with all of the instructions for the students including the website.
The escape room involves students clicking on objects which open up online activities such as multiple choice quizzes, cloze activities, and crosswords.
In my opinion, my students work better with a partner as they can discuss their answers.
Students are required to write some clues onto the worksheet as they will need to input these to move on to the next task.
The escape room took my students around 45 minutes to complete.
Students do not need to input any personal data.
Three activities suitable for IGCSE Biology topics:
Classification of Organisms
Characteristics of Life
I have included a crossword and match the definition activity to allow students to familiarise and consolidate keywords.
There is also a multiple choice quiz with exam style questions for a summative assessment activity.
Answers included
The escape room is online and interactive, using the platform genially. No personal information is collected from the students.
The questions throughout the game are based on a knowledge of the characteristics of organisms, with a range of questions. Students should have some knowledge of the points listed below (or access to their notes/textbook for research purposes.
Specification points covered:
Characteristics of living organisms
Binomial naming system
How organisms are classified
Use of dichotomous keys
Icons on each page allow students to move through the story, or provide a clue. If students are stuck, they should try touching objects on the page as these can also hold clues.
I have provided the answers to the password questions. The multiple-choice questions allow students to pass to the next stage.
The walkthrough is shown in the video link (without the interactive sections) so you can see the types of questions and activities.
7 PDF worksheets focusing on the process of meiosis.
The activities include a cloze activity; crossword; keyword-definition match-up, labeling activity and exam questions.
This is a great resource for end of topic revision or as a formative assessment.
Tasks are set on different pages so activities can also be spread out throughout the unit.
Answer sheet included
In the heart of Victorian London, a mysterious wave of terror has swept through the fog-laden streets.
The notorious Jack the Ripper has resurfaced, leaving a series of gruesome murders in his wake.
You are a young policeman racing against time to uncover the identity of Jack the Ripper before he claims his next victim.
**The story runs alongside tasks to test students’ knowledge and understanding of the Circulatory System. This includes:
**Heart Structure
**Blood Flow
**Cardiac Cycle and control of the cycle
**Blood cells
**Types of circulatory system
**Reading an ECG and calculating heart rate
The escape room is interactive. Students can move objects and click on them to reveal clues. No handouts are required but scrap paper is useful as some clues need to be written down and rearranged.
There are gentle hints at the top of each page but students should click around the whole room to move or reveal clues.
It is important clues are solved as they are required to pass to the next page.
The escape room is a great end-of-topic task to check student´s understanding in a novel way.
**How does a digital escape room work?
Digital Escape rooms are an interactive activity that promotes both individual learning and peer collaboration through problem-solving. Each escape room has a range of activities to challenge the students whilst also covering the specification. This means they are an excellent resource to use as a revision tool. All of the activities are online, eliminating the need for printing materials.
**How does the escape room work?
Students will be given a link to access the digital escape room. You do not need to provide an email address or have a Google account to access the material. Escape rooms can be completed on laptops, tablets and mobile phones, so they can be set as homework or used in cover lessons.
**Starting the Task
• Give students the link to the escape room (on next page)
• Students can enjoy working through the challenges with a partner but they can be completed alone.
• Students will need to look closely at the images. Some objects can be moved to reveal clues, other need to be clicked on.
• There is a teacher answer sheet provided if you need to guide students.
This activity can be used by students to learn about selective breeding or as a retrieval practice activity. The student pair are given a PDF island with a footprint trail. Each image the footprints lead to involves a question they must complete in their note books until they move on to the next image. They can choose one of the counters to move along the island to show their progression.
The tasks are exam-style questions on the topic.
The teacher can go through the answers with the class at the end of the task.
I also showed a brief video on selective breeding to introduce the activity.
National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDN-QeVhQTc