This engaging revision lesson challenges students on their understanding of the homeostatic control system that regulates blood glucose concentration. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to check on the understanding of the details in specification point 5.3.2 of the AQA biology and combined science specifications. A common mistake in this topic is that students confuse glycogen with glucagon and use them incorrectly so time is spent to ensure that students recognise the difference between the complex carbohydrate and the hormone. In addition to challenging the students on their knowledge of this control system, the following linked topics are also challenged: key biological terms (beginning with G) the digestive system structures in a control system

This detailed resource has been designed to cover the content of points 7.19, 7.20, 7.21 and 7.22 (The structure and function of the nephron of the kidney, kidney failure and the production of urea) as set out in topic 7 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. This resource contains an engaging and detailed PowerPoint (66 slides) and accompanying worksheets, which have been differentiated so that students of different abilities can access the work. The detail of the content and this resource means that it is likely to take at least 2 lessons to go through the tasks. The resource is filled with a wide range of activities, each of which has been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst ensuring that the key Biological content is covered in good detail. Understanding checks are included throughout so that the students can assess their grasp of the content. In addition, prior knowledge checks make links to content from earlier topics such as homeostasis, osmosis and diabetes. The following content is covered in this lesson: The formation of urea by the break down of excess amino acids in the liver Filtration of the blood in the glomerulus and the Bowman’s capsule The selective reabsorption of glucose The reabsorption of water The effect of ADH on the permeability of the collecting duct and the production of concentrated urine Treatment of kidney failure by dialysis or organ transplant As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the Edexcel GCSE Biology course, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the function of the nephron in more detail

This fully-resourced lesson describes the role of mitosis and the cell cycle in producing identical cells for growth and asexual reproduction. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover point 3.10 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification In the previous lesson covering meiosis (3.9), students were introduced to the different phases and structures involved in the cycle so this lesson builds on that by providing greater detail of the key events in each phase. Beginning with a focus on interphase, the importance of DNA replication is explained so that students can initially recognise that there are pairs of identical sister chromatids and then can understand how they are separated later in the cycle. A quiz competition has been written into the lesson and this runs throughout, challenging the students to identify the quantity of DNA in the cell (in terms of n) at different points of the cycle. The main part of the lesson focuses on prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase and describes how the chromosomes behave in these stages. Students will understand how the cytoplasmic division that occurs in cytokinesis results in the production of genetically identical daughter cells. This leads into a series of understanding and application questions where students have to identify the various roles of mitosis in living organisms as well as tackling a Maths in a Biology context question. The lesson concludes with a final round of MITOSIS SNAP where they only shout out this word when a match is seen between the name of a phase, an event and a picture.

This engaging and fully-resourced lesson explores how genetic drift can arise after a population bottleneck or as a result of the Founder effect. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 8.3 (ii) & (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification A wide range of examples are used to show the students how a population that descends from a small number of parents will have a reduction in genetic variation and a change in the frequency of existing alleles. Students are encouraged to discuss new information to consider key points and understanding checks in a range of forms are used to enable them to check their progress and address any misconceptions. Students are provided with three articles on Huntington’s disease in South Africa, the Caribbean lizards and the plains bison to understand how either a sharp reduction in numbers of a new population beginning from a handful of individuals results in a small gene pool. Links to related topics are made throughout the lesson to ensure that a deep understanding is gained.

This lesson describes the formation of dipeptides & polypeptides and the different levels of protein structure with reference to specific examples in living organisms. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 2.1.2 (l) & (m) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and make continual links to previous lessons such as amino acids as well as to upcoming lessons like antibodies. The start of the lesson focuses on the formation of a peptide bond during a condensation reaction so that students can understand how a dipeptide is formed and therefore how a polypeptide forms when multiple reactions occur. The main part of the lesson describes the different levels of protein structure. A step by step guide is used to demonstrate how the sequences of bases in a gene acts as a template to form a sequence of codons on a mRNA strand and how this is translated into a particular sequence of amino acids known as the primary structure. The students are then challenged to apply their understanding of this process by using three more gene sequences to work out three primary structures and recognise how different genes lead to different sequences. Moving forwards, students will learn how the order of amino acids in the primary structure determines the shape of the protein molecule, through its secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure and time is taken to consider the details of each of these. There is a particular focus on the different bonds that hold the 3D shape firmly in place and a quick quiz round then introduces the importance of this shape as exemplified by enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Students will see the differences between globular and fibrous protein and again biological examples are used to increase relevance. The lesson concludes with one final quiz round called STRUC by NUMBERS where the students have to use their understanding of the protein structures to calculate a numerical answer.

This lesson describes the secretion of peptide and steroid hormones by endocrine glands and their differing effects on target cells. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover point 5.1.4 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification but also makes clear links to upcoming lessons in this module as well as to topics such as transcription factors which are covered in module 6.1.1 Students should have a base knowledge of the endocrine system from GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to add the detail needed at this level. The lesson begins by challenging this knowledge to check that they understand that endocrine glands secrete these hormones directly into the blood. Students will learn that most of the secreted hormones are peptide (or protein) hormones and a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge them on their recall of the structure of insulin as well as to apply their knowledge to questions about glucagon. Moving forwards, the students are reminded that hormones have target cells that have specific receptor sites on their membrane. The relationship between a peptide hormone as a first messenger and a second messenger on the inside of the cell is covered in detail in an upcoming lesson but students are briefly introduced to G proteins and cyclic AMP so they are prepared. The rest of the lesson focuses on steroid hormones and specifically their ability to pass through the membrane of a cell and to bind to transcription factors, as exemplified by oestrogen.

This revision resource includes exam questions, understanding checks and quiz competitions, all of which have been designed with the aim of motivating and engaging the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 1.1 (Cells and movement across cell membranes) of the WJEC GCSE Biology specification. 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: Active transport as an active process The differentiation of cells in animal and plants to become adapted for specific functions Osmosis The functions of the organelles of animal and plant cells Enzymes as proteins which speed up reactions The active site, substrates and enzyme-substrate complexes The effect of pH on enzyme activity Diffusion as a passive process, which allows substances including oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass across a membrane

This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson which prepares the students for the various types of questions that they can encounter on PAPER 1 of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science course. The lesson uses a wide range of activities to challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of topics B1 - B5 and has been specifically designed for students taking the HIGHER TIER exam. The lesson has been designed to take place within a hospital and the students will then visit a number of wards, the pharmacy, the hospital cafe and the museum to allow the following specification topics to be covered: Cancer and uncontrolled cell division Meiosis and the production of gametes Mitosis and the cell cycle Sex determination The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases The spread of communicable diseases by pathogens Diseases caused by the four different pathogens The use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections Evolution by natural selection in bacteria and animals Genetic terminology The structure of DNA Inheritance of disorders caused by dominant and recessive alleles The central nervous system and other structures involved in nervous reactions Reflex arcs Risk factors of non-communicable diseases Osmosis Fossils as evidence for human evolution In order to cater for the different abilities that can be found in Combined Science classes, most of the tasks have been differentiated 2 or 3 ways and there are also step by step guides to walk the students through the more difficult concepts like evolution by natural selection and genetic diagrams. To maintain engagement throughout the lesson, 8 quiz rounds have been written into the lesson which will challenge the students to work within their teams and compete for a range of team points. The size of this lesson means that it is likely to take in excess of 3/4 teaching hours to cover the detail as necessary and therefore this allows the resource to be used at numerous points throughout the duration of the course as well as just before the terminal exam.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how the mechanisms by which water upwards in the xylem to the leaves and then into the air. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying, differentiated resources have primarily been designed to cover the second part of point 3.1.3 (d) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification This lesson has been written to follow on from the end of the previous lesson, which finished with the description of the transport of the water and mineral ions from the endodermis to the xylem. Students are immediately challenged to use this knowledge to understand root pressure and the movement by mass flow down the pressure gradient. Moving forwards, time is taken to study the details of transpiration pull and the interaction between cohesion, tension and adhesion in capillary action is explained. Understanding is constantly checked through a range of tasks and prior knowledge checks are also written into the lesson to challenge the students to make links to previously covered topics such as the structure of the transport tissues. The final part of the lesson considers the journey of water through the leaf and ultimately out of the stomata in transpiration. A step by step guide using questions to discuss and answer as a class is used to support the students before the final task challenges them to summarise this movement out of the leaf.

This concise lesson describes the essential features of the alveolar epithelium as a surface over which gas exchange takes place. The engaging PowerPoint has been designed to cover the fourth part of point 3.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also includes an introduction to ventilation which is covered in the following lesson. Gas exchange at the alveoli is a topic that was covered at GCSE so this lesson has been written to challenge the recall of that knowledge and to build on it. The main focus of the lesson is the type of epithelium found lining the alveoli and students will discover that a single layer of flattened cells known as simple, squamous epithelium acts to reduce the diffusion distance. Again, students will have met this in a lesson in topic 2 on specialised cells (and tissues) so a number of prior knowledge checks are used alongside current understanding checks. The following features of the alveolar epithelium are also covered: Surface area Moist lining Production of surfactant The maintenance of a steep concentration gradient As a constant ventilation supply is critical for the maintenance of the steep concentration gradient, the final part of the lesson considers the mechanism of ventilation to prepare the students for the next lesson.

This detailed lesson describes the differences between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 1.1 (i) that’s detailed in the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and the aim of this lesson is to provide the students with key details to prepare them for the upcoming lessons on the carbohydrate groups. The lesson begins with a made-up round of the quiz show POINTLESS, where students have to try to identify four answers to do with carbohydrates. In doing so, they will learn or recall that these molecules are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that they are a source of energy which can sometimes be rightly or wrongly associated with obesity and that the names of the three main groups is derived from the Greek word sakkharon. A number of quick quiz rounds have been written into the lesson to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way and the first round allows the students to meet some of common monosaccharides. Moving forwards, students will learn that a disaccharide is formed when two of these monomers are joined together and they are then challenged on their knowledge of condensation reactions which were originally encountered during the lesson on water. Students will understand how multiple reactions and multiple glycosidic bonds will result in the formation of a polysaccharide and glycogen and starch are introduced as well as amylose and amylopectin as components of this latter polymer. The final part of the lesson considers how hydrolysis reactions allow polysaccharides and disaccharides to be broken back down into monosaccharides.

This lesson describes the classification system, focusing on the biological classification of a species and the 7 taxa found above this lowest taxon. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover points (a), (b), (f) & (g) in AS unit 2, topic 1 of the WJEC A-level Biology specification and also describes the binomial naming system which uses the genus and species. The lesson also contains links to upcoming lessons where the three-domain classification system and the characteristics of the five kingdoms are covered. The lesson begins by looking at the meaning of a population in Biology so that the term species can be introduced. A hinny, which is the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, is used to explain how these two organisms must be members of different species because they are unable to produce fertile offspring. Moving forwards, students will learn that classification is a means of organising the variety of life based on relationships between organisms using differences and similarities in phenotypes and in genotypes and is built around the species concept and that in the modern-day classification hierarchy, species is the lowest taxon. A quiz runs throughout the lesson and this particular round will engage the students whilst they learn (or recall) the names of the other 7 taxa and the horse and the donkey from the earlier example are used to complete the hierarchy. Students will understand that the binomial naming system was introduced by Carl Linnaeus to provide a universal name for each species and they will be challenged to apply their knowledge by completing a hierarchy for a modern-day human, by spotting the correct name for an unfamiliar organism and finally by suggesting advantages of this system.

This lesson describes how to investigate the distribution and abundance of organisms and how to estimate the numbers of a species in a habitat. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the first lesson in a series of two lessons which have been designed to cover the details of point B6.1a of the OCR GCSE Biology specification. This first lesson focuses on the use of a quadrat to estimate population size as well as belt transects to consider distribution. Step by step guides are used throughout the lesson to model the workings required in the calculations. This includes the use of a 1 metre squared quadrat as well as other areas. Once a method has been modelled, the students are challenged with a series of exam questions and mark schemes are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to self-assess.

This lesson describes how the structures of the xylem vessel elements, phloem sieve tube elements and companion cells relates to their functions. Both the engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.1 (d) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lessons begins by challenging the students to identify the substances that a plant needs for the cellular reactions, where they are absorbed and where these reactions occur in a plant. The aim of this task is to get the students to recognise that water and mineral ions are absorbed in the roots and needed in the leaves whilst the products of photosynthesis are in the leaves and need to be used all over the plant. Students will be reminded that the xylem and phloem are the vascular tissues responsible for transporting these substances and then the rest of the lesson focuses on linking structure to function. A range of tasks which include discussion points, exam-style questions and quick quiz rounds are used to describe how lignification results in the xylem as a hollow tube of xylem cells to allow water to move as a complete column. They will also learn that the narrow diameter of this vessel allows capillary action to move water molecules up the sides of the vessel. The same process is used to enable students to understand how the structures of the companion cells allows assimilates to be loaded before being moved to the sieve tube elements through the plasmodesmata. It is estimated that it will take around 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail which has been written into this lesson.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the structure of the DNA, including the structure of the nucleotides and the bonds that form the backbone and double helix. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 1.4 (i) as detailed in the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification. As students will already have some knowledge of this nucleic acid from GCSE, the lesson has been written to build on this prior knowledge and then to add key detail. Students need to have a clear understanding of the structure of a nucleotide for this topic as well as upcoming lessons on RNA and ATP, so the start of the lesson focuses on these monomers and the three components. Time is taken to look at the bases and students will be introduced to purines and pyrimidines and are reminded of the bonds that form between the complementary base pairs. A series of exam-style questions checks on their current understanding and mark schemes are displayed to enable the students to assess their understanding and to address any misconceptions should they arise. Phosphodiester bonds are also introduced before a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the numbers 5 and 3 so that the directionality of the DNA strand can be explained.

This detailed and fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of glycogen and amylose and amylopectin as components of starch. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the fourth part of points 1.2 & 1.4 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and links are continuously made to the previous lessons in this topic where the monosaccharides and disaccharides were introduced. The lesson begins with the CARBOHYDRATE WALL where students have to use their prior knowledge to collect the 9 carbohydrates on show into 3 groups. This results in glycogen, starch and cellulose being grouped together as polysaccharides and the structure and roles of the first two are covered over the course of the lesson. Cellulose is covered in a lesson in topic 4. Students will learn how key structural features like the 1 - 4 and 1 - 6 glycosidic bonds and the hydrogen bonds dictate whether the polysaccharide chain is branched or unbranched and also allows for spiralling. Following the description of the structure of glycogen, students are challenged to design an exam question in the form of a comparison table so that it can be completed as the lesson progresses and they learn more about starch. This includes a split in the starch section of the table so that the differing structures and properties of amylose and amylopectin can be considered. The importance of the compact structure for storage is discussed as well as the branched chains of amylopectin acting as quick source of energy when it is needed. The lesson concludes with a question and answer section that guides the students when answering a question about the importance of the lower solubility of the polysaccharides when compared to the monosaccharides.

This lesson describes the meaning of the terms stroke volume and heart rate and explains how to use them to calculate the cardiac output. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of specification point 8.12 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of the structure of the heart chambers to identify the one which has the most muscular wall. Their discussions should lead to the left ventricle and following the introduction of the key term stroke volume using a quick quiz competition, they will learn that this factor is the volume of blood pumped out of the left ventricle each heart beat. Another competition introduces the normative values for stroke volume and the resting heart rate and then the students are challenged to use the provided equation to calculate the cardiac output and to write a definition for this factor using their current understanding. The remainder of the lesson considers how these three factors change during exercise and they are challenged to apply their understanding through a series of exam questions. This worksheet is differentiated two ways and the mark scheme is embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.

This fully-resourced lesson explores what happens to lactate after a period of anaerobic respiration as detailed in point 7.7 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification. Students will learn how pyruvate is converted to lactate using reduced NAD and that the reoxidation of the coenzyme allows glycolysis to continue. The lesson begins with a focus on the coenzyme, NAD, and students are challenged to recall details of its role in the oxidation of triose phosphate. Students will learn that oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic respiration allows these coenzymes to be reoxidised but that another metabolic pathway has to operate when there is no oxygen. Time is taken to go through the lactate fermentation pathway and students are encouraged to discuss the conversions before applying their knowledge to complete the diagram and passages about the pathway. Students are introduced to the oxygen debt and will learn how the volume consumed after vigorous exercise is used to catabolise lactic acid and to restore the body’s stores to normal levels.

This lesson describes how cholera, measles, malaria, TB and HIV are transmitted from an infected individual to an uninfected individual. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been primarily designed to cover point 10.1 [c] of the CIE A-level Biology specification but intricate planning ensures that the students are constantly challenged on their recall of the content of the previous lesson where the names and types of pathogens that caused these diseases was covered. The lesson contains a wide range of tasks which will engage the students whilst challenging them to think about the biological content. Relevant examples such as the UK government’s public message of “HANDS, FACE, SPACE” are used to explain how measles, TB and HIV are directly transmitted through droplet infection or the exchange of bodily fluids. A series of exam-style questions challenge the students on their knowledge of the transmission of HIV and the mark scheme is embedded into the PowerPoint to allow them to assess their progress. The rest of the lesson focuses on the transmission of cholera and malaria in unsafe water and through a vector respectively. Again, the students are challenged to recall the name and type of pathogen that is the causative organism before details of the spread are discussed and described.

This lesson explains the meaning of 11 key terms associated with the genetic inheritance topic and challenges the students to use them in context. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 6.1.6 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification and include explanations of genome, chromosome, gene, allele, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype, dominant, recessive and gamete. The key term, genome, was met earlier in topic 6 so the lesson begins with a knowledge retrieval with the definition for this term. As the genome is the entire DNA of an organism, the next task challenges the students to identify three errors in a passage about DNA. This leads into discussions about chromosomes and genes and time is taken to explain that homologous chromosomes have the same genes at the exact same gene loci. The students will learn that alternative forms of the gene (alleles) can be found at these loci and that these structures explain the differences in inherited characteristics. Moving forwards, the main section of the lesson describes the link between the dominant and recessive alleles, homozygous and heterozygous genotypes, and the physical expression as the phenotype. The final key term is gamete, and the students are challenged to recognise a definition for this term using their knowledge of meiosis. Two progress and understanding checks complete the lesson and check on the students’ ability to recognise and write definitions for these 11 terms and to use them accurately in a written description