This detailed lesson describes the relationship between the structure, properties and roles of water for living organisms. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the details of specification point 2.1.2 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and has been specifically designed to ensure that each role is illustrated using an example in prokaryotes or eukaryotes.
As this is the first lesson in the biological molecules sub-module (2.1.2), which is a topic that students tend to find difficult or potentially less engaging, the planning has centred around the inclusion of a wide variety of tasks to cover the content whilst maintaining motivation and engagement. These tasks include current understanding and prior knowledge checks, discussion points and quick quiz competitions to introduce key terms and values in a memorable way. The start of the lesson considers the structure of water molecules, focusing on the covalent and hydrogen bonds, and the dipole nature of this molecule. Time is taken to emphasise the importance of these bonds and this property for the numerous roles of water and then over the remainder of the lesson, the following properties are described and discussed and linked to real-life examples:
- As a solvent to act as a transport medium in blood plasma
- Molecules are attracted by cohesive forces to enable transport in the xylem
- High latent heat of vaporisation for thermoregulation
- High specific heat capacity for the maintenance of a stable environment
- Peak density in the liquid form allowing ice to float
The final part of the lesson introduces condensation and hydrolysis reactions and students will learn that a clear understanding of these reactions is fundamental as they will reappear throughout the module in the synthesis and breakdown of biological molecules.
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Cell structure & biological molecules (OCR A-level Biology A)
It's fair to say that cell structure and biological molecules are two of the most important topics in the OCR A-level Biology A course and all 19 lessons that are included in this bundle have been planned at length to cover the module 2.1.1 & 2.1.2 specification points in the detail required at this level. The lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks as well as regular checks to allow students to assess their understanding of the current content as well as prior knowledge checks to emphasise the importance of making links to topics in other modules. The following specification points in modules 2.1.1 (cell structure) and 2.1.2 (biological molecules) are covered by the lessons in this bundle: 2.1.1 * The use of microscopy to observe and investigate different types of cell and cell structure in a range of eukaryotic organisms * The use of the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer * The use of staining in light microscopy * The use and manipulation of the magnification formula * The difference between magnification and resolution * The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the functions of the different cellular components * The interrelationship between the organelles involved in the production and secretion of proteins * The importance of the cytoskeleton * The similarities and differences between the ultrastructure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells 2.1.2 * The properties and roles of water in living organisms * The concept of monomers and polymers and the importance of condensation and hydrolysis reactions * The chemical elements that make up biological molecules * The structure and properties of glucose and ribose * The synthesis and breakdown of a disaccharide and a polysaccharide by the formation and breakage of glycosidic bonds * The structure of starch, glycogen and cellulose molecules * The relationship between the structure, function and roles of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol in living organisms * The general structure of an amino acid * The synthesis and breakdown of dipeptides and polypeptides * The levels of protein structure * The structure and function of globular proteins * The properties and functions of fibrous proteins * The key inorganic ions involved in biological processes * The chemical tests for proteins, reducing and non-reducing sugars, starch and lipids If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free: * The use of microscopy * The importance of the cytoskeleton * Properties and roles of water * Glucose & ribose * General structure of an amino acid * Dipeptides, polypeptides and protein structure
Module 2.1.2: Biological molecules (OCR A-level Biology A)
The biological molecules sub-module is incredibly important, not just because it is found near to the start of the course, but also because of its detailed content which must be well understood to promote success with most of the other OCR A-level Biology A modules. Many hours of intricate planning have gone into the design of all of the 13 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the content is covered in detail, understanding is constantly checked and misconceptions addressed and that engagement is high. This is achieved through the wide variety of tasks in the PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets which include exam-style questions with clear answers, discussion points, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions. The following specification points are covered by the lessons within this bundle: * The relationship between the properties of water and its roles for living organisms * The concept of monomers and polymers and the importance of condensation and hydrolysis reactions * The chemical elements that make up biological molecules * The ring structure and properties of glucose and structure of ribose * The synthesis and breakdown of a disaccharide and a polysaccharide * The relationship between the structures, properties and functions of starch, glycogen and cellulose * The structure of a triglyceride and a phospholipid as macromolecules * The synthesis and breakdown of triglycerides * The relationship between the properties and functions of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol * The general structure of an amino acid * The synthesis and breakdown of dipeptides and polypeptides * The levels of protein structure * The structure and function of globular proteins * The properties and functions of fibrous proteins * The key inorganic ions that are involved in biological processes * How to carry out and interpret the results of the chemical tests for proteins, reducing and non-reducing sugars, starch and lipids Due to the detail of each of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 6 weeks of allocated teaching time to cover the content. If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the properties of water, glucose & ribose, amino acids and dipeptides and polypeptides lessons as these have been shared for free
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