Topics 5 & 6: The mitotic cell cycle, nucleic acids & protein synthesis (CIE A-level Biology)

This lesson bundle contains 12 detailed lesson PowerPoints, which along with their accompanying resources, have been intricately planned to cover the majority of the content of topics 5 and 6 of the CIE A-level Biology specification. The cell cycle, mitosis and protein synthesis are topics that students tend to find difficult and therefore the planning focused on the inclusion of a wide range of tasks that would not only promote the retention of important information and secure knowledge but also maintain motivation and engagement.

The tasks include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes which challenge the students on their current understanding and prior knowledge, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions which introduce key terms and values.

The following specification points are covered by these 12 lessons:

Topic 5

• The structure of a chromosome, limited to DNA, histone proteins, chromatids, centromere and telomere
• The importance of mitosis in producing genetically identical cells, growth, cell replacement, repair of tissues and asexual reproduction
• The cell cycle, including the G and S phases of interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis
• Uncontrolled cell division and the formation of tumours
• The behaviour of chromosomes in animal and plant cells in the mitotic cell cycle

Topic 6

• The structure of nucleotides, including ATP
• The structure of DNA and RNA
• The semi-conservative replication of DNA during interphase
• A polypeptide is coded for by a gene
• Gene mutations can cause changes to the polypeptide sequence
• The information in DNA is used during transcription and translation to construct polypeptides