This lesson describes the role of reduced NAD and FAD as sources of electrons and protons for the electron transport system. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the content of topic 3 point (d) of A2 unit 3 as set out in the WJEC A-level biology specification and explains how ATP is produced by oxidative phosphorylation. The lesson begins with a recognition that the start of this stage doesn’t have a carbon-based molecule as was observed with the Krebs cycle. This leads into a discussion period, where the students are challenged to study their notes on glycolysis and the Krebs cycle to suggest which products of these reactions could initiate this stage. This introduces the reduced coenzymes as the sources of electrons and protons for the electron transport system, and as shown in the cover image, a step-by-step guide walks the students through the key parts of this stage. Students will learn about the creation of a proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane and the formation of ATP and water when oxygen acts as the final electron acceptor. This lesson is a follow-on lesson from the previous lessons covering the Krebs cycle, glycolysis and the need for respiration.

This lesson guides the students through the stages of the Krebs cycle, describing how ATP and reduced NAD are produced and carbon dioxide released. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been planned to cover the content of topic 3 point [c] of A2 unit 3 as set out in the WJEC A-level biology specification. As shown on the cover image, the lessons starts with a challenge, where students are tasked with recognising that the connection is biological cycles. A prior knowledge check is used to challenge their recall of the mitochondria as the site of aerobic respiration and then to identify the matrix as the site for this particular stage. Moving forwards, the 6 steps of the cycle are explored, and time is taken to consider how dehydrogenation and decarboxylation lead to the reduction of NAD and the release of carbon dioxide, and how ATP is produced by substrate-level phosphorylation. A series of exam-style questions check their understanding, and this includes a link to the next stage and the electron transport system. The answers to all knowledge checks are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.

This lesson uses real-life examples in plants and animals to explain the need for all living organisms to carry out respiration to provide energy. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of topic 3 point (a) of A2 unit 3 as detailed in the WJEC A-level Biology specification but can also be used as a revision tool to challenge the students on their knowledge of active transport. As the first lesson in this topic, it has been specifically planned to act as an introduction to this cellular reaction and provides important details about glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation that will support the students to make significant progress when these stages are covered during upcoming lessons. Students met phosphorylation in topic 2 when considering the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis and their knowledge of the production of ATP in this plant cell reaction is challenged in this lesson. The students are also tested on their recall of the structure and function of ATP, as covered in AS unit 1, topic 5, through a spot the errors task. By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to explain why the ATP produced in cellular respiration is needed by root hair cells and by companion cells and will be introduced to uses in animals too, such as nervous transmission. They will also be able to name and describe the different types of phosphorylation and will know that ATP is produced by substrate-level phosphorylation in glycolysis and the Krebs cycle and by oxidative phosphorylation in the final stage of aerobic respiration.

This lesson challenges the students on their knowledge of the content of module 2.1.2 using a multiple-choice assessment of 15 questions. This sub-module of the OCR A-level biology A specification concerns biological molecules and understanding of this content is fundamental to the understanding of a lot of the topics that follow. The answers to the 15 questions are embedded into the accompanying PowerPoint, which also has KEY POINTS, and other knowledge checks to challenge the content that wasn’t directly assessed by the 15 questions. This lesson has been designed to be used for revision purposes when students reach the end of module 2.1.2 or in the lead up to mock examinations or even final A-level examinations.

This lesson describes the role of auxins in elongation growth, specifically in the plant responses of phototropism and gravitropism. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 15.2 (2) of the CIE A-level biology specification. The lesson begins with a prior knowledge check, where the students have to identify key terms encountered across topics 1 - 14, and use their 1st letters to form the term, tropism. Students are reminded of the meaning of a tropism, and how these directional growth responses are determined by the direction of the external stimuli. They should have met auxins at this previous level, but will now be introduced to IAA, and will complete several tasks which check that they understand the key features of these chemicals, such as their location of production and method by which they move through the shoots and roots. The students are guided through the movement of IAA to the shaded side in a shoot during phototropism, and will learn how this uneven distribution leads to uneven growth. An exam-style question presents them with two further scenarios, where the tip of the shoot has been cut off or is covered, and the students need to describe and explain what will happen to the appearance of the shoot after a week. Moving forwards, the students will learn how the pumping of hydrogen ions acidifies the cell wall and the subsequent activation of expansin proteins are involved in the cell elongation. The remainder of the lesson discusses the response to gravity and explains how shoots and roots respond differently. The lesson is full of understanding and prior knowledge checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint.

This lesson describes how the use of excess fertilisers to replace lost ions and then leaching can lead to environmental issues like eutrophication. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the final lesson in a series of 3 lessons which have been designed to cover point 5.4 (Nutrient cycles) of the AQA A-level biology specification. The lesson begins with a reminder of the key term, continuous monoculture, which students encountered during a lesson on conservation and farming in topic 4. This process, where the same crops are planted season after season leads to the same mineral ions being removed from the soil and not replenished, and this introduces the idea that the harvesting of crops removes minerals from the ecosystem. Students will understand that removing livestock has a similar effect, before they are challenged to recognise that the addition of natural and artificial fertilisers can replace these ions. At this stage, a series of prior knowledge checks are used to challenge their ability to make links to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycle. All answers are embedded in the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress. Moving forwards, a quick task challenges their knowledge of biological numbers to flow through the alphabet and this reveals the key term, leaching. This leads into a step-by-step guide through the stages of eutrophication. The other two lessons in this series describe the nitrogen and phosphorus cycle.

This lesson guides students through the use of the chi-squared test to determine the significance of the difference between observed and expected results. It is fully-resourced with a detailed PowerPoint and differentiated task worksheets that have been designed to cover the part of point 7.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to use the test to compare the goodness of fit between the observed phenotypic ratios and expected ratios. The lesson has been written to include a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to carry out the test in small sections. At each step, time is taken to explain any parts which could cause confusion and helpful hints are provided to increase the likelihood of success in exam questions on this topic. Students will understand how to use the phenotypic ratio to calculate the expected numbers and then how to find the critical value in order to compare it against the chi-squared value. A worked example is used to show the working which will be required to access the marks and then the main task challenges the students to apply their knowledge to a series of questions of increasing difficulty. This is the final lesson of topic 7.1 (inheritance) and links are made throughout the lesson to earlier parts of this topic such as dihybrid inheritance as well as to earlier topics such as meiosis.

This lesson describes how epigenetics is the control of gene expression by factors other than changes in the DNA sequence. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover the content of point (h) from topic 3 of A2 unit 4 of the WJEC A-level biology specification. As shown in the cover image, the lesson began with a challenge, where the students had to recognise that the prefix epi could go before 4 terms. They will learn that this prefix means on or above in Greek meaning epigenetics can be described as factors causing changes to gene function beyond the genetic code. One of several discussion periods is used to encourage them to identify what is not involved here (i.e. gene mutations), and so, epigenetics is introduced as heritable changes in gene function without changes to the base sequence. Moving forwards, the process of DNA methylation is introduced, and students are challenged to predict how the addition of a methyl group could inhibit transcription before they have to use their prior knowledge of key terms to complete a passage about this concept. The details of a study which considered the correlation between DNA methylation and atherosclerosis are provided to broaden their knowledge and then they have to answer questions about the study using their knowledge of content from previously covered topics. The remainder of the lesson discusses acetylation and students will learn that the removal of acetyl groups from histones causes the chromatin to become highly condensed and prevents the transcription of the gene.

This lesson describes the simple reflex arc as a basis for rapid, involuntary and protective actions. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of point (d) of topic 8 of A2 unit 3 of the WJEC A-level biology specification. At the start of the lesson, the students are challenged to recognise the connections between three groups of key terms, and this acts to remind them of the sensory, motor and relay neurone, different types of muscle tissue and some reflexes. Time is taken to ensure that students understand that a simple spinal reflex arc is a direct neural pathway through the spinal cord and does not involve processing by the brain. Some of the content was covered at GCSE and in the first lessons of topic 8, so this lesson has been specifically planned to challenge their recall of this content and then to build upon it, and understanding and prior knowledge checks are used throughout to allow them to assess their progress. The students will be able to recognise the different matter of the spinal cord, which is named according to the presence of myelinated or unmyelinated neurones and they will also understand how sensory neurones enter via the dorsal root and motor neurones exit via the ventral root. Moving forwards, two examples of real biological reflexes are used to increase relevance, and students will see how the knee jerk reflex is unusual as it doesn’t contain a relay neurone. References to synapses, myelination and saltatory conduction are included in the lesson and brief details provided before these are covered in upcoming topic 8 lessons.

An engaging lesson presentation (41 slides) and accompanying worksheet that looks at the different causes of variation and the different types of variation. The lesson begins by challenging the students to pick out a set of siblings from a series of pictures and then getting them to explain scientifically why they made the decision that they did. Moving forwards, students will recognise that one cause of variation is genes. Students are shown a pair of identical twins and asked to explain why they look different despite their identical genes so that they can understand that the environment also affects variation. Students will also meet discontinuous and continuous variation and will understand how this data should be represented. There are progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to assess their understanding. This lesson has been designed for KS3 and GCSE students.

This lesson focuses on the structure of the spinal cord but also introduces key nervous system structures to prepare students for upcoming topic 9 lessons. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been planned to cover the content of point 9.4 (ii) of the Edexcel A-level biology B specification. As shown on the cover image, the lesson begins with a challenge, where students must use their knowledge of content from earlier topics to reveal 5 numbers that add up to 33. They will learn that this is the normal number of vertebrae in the human vertebral column and this leads into the recognition that these bones act to surround and protect the spinal cord. The meninges are introduced and then a quick quiz round is used to reveal the term, grey matter. Students will see that this is found in the centre of the spinal cord and is surrounded by an outer region of white matter. The idea of myelination is introduced, and initial details provided about the increased conductance speed in myelinated neurones because of saltatory conduction. Moving forwards, students will meet the terms dorsal and ventral and see on a diagram that nerves enter and leave the cord by these roots. The role of cerebrospinal fluid is explored and a series of exam-style questions are used to challenge their knowledge from topic 2 and 6 as well as their mathematical skills. The answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress. The lesson finishes with the introduction of the cauda equina as the bundle of nerves at the distal end of the spinal cord.

This lesson explains how uncontrolled cell division can lead to the formation of tumours and considers the differences between benign and malignant. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover point 5.1 (6) of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 2027), The lesson begins with the introduction of the meaning of the mitotic index as well as its formula and the students are then challenged to apply their understanding of this unfamiliar formula to a series of exam-style questions. This will challenge their mathematical skills along with the recollection of the details of the cell cycle that were met in the earlier lessons in topic 5.1. Moving forwards, the potential meanings of a high mitotic index are explored, including high rates of growth and tissue repair, before students are supported to understand that this could indicate that cell division has become uncontrolled. The key term tumour is revealed during a quick quiz round and then the remaining part of the lesson considers how benign and malignant tumours differ. Understanding checks and prior knowledge checks are found throughout the lesson and the answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the behaviour of chromosomes during interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis in the cell cycle. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first half of point 2.2 as detailed in the AQA A-level Biology specification whereas uncontrolled cell division and cancer and binary fission are covered in upcoming lessons. Depending upon the exam board taken at GCSE, the knowledge and understanding of mitosis and the cell cycle will differ considerably between students and there may be a number of misconceptions. This was considered at all points during the planning of the lesson and to address existing errors, key points are emphasised throughout. The cell cycle is introduced at the start of the lesson and the quantity of DNA inside the parent cell is described as diploid and as 2n. 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. Moving forwards, the first real focus is interphase and 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. The main part of the lesson focuses on prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase and describes how the chromosomes behave in these stages. Centrioles were not covered in the topic 2.1 lessons on cell structures so a quick task will introduce them to these organelles who are responsible for the production of the spindle apparatus, 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 lesson describes how the role of carrier of proteins and ATP in active transport and the co-transport of sodium ions and glucose in the ileum. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the final lesson in a series of 3 that have been designed to cover the details of point 2.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and also includes descriptions of endocytosis and exocytosis The start of the lesson focuses on the structure of this energy currency and challenges the students prior knowledge as they covered ATP in topic 1.6. As a result, they will recall that this molecule consists of adenine, ribose and three phosphate groups and that in order to release the stored energy, ATP must be hydrolysed. Time is taken to emphasise the key point that the hydrolysis of ATP can be coupled to energy-requiring reactions and this leads into a series of exam-style questions where students are challenged on their knowledge of simple and facilitated diffusion to recognise that ATP is needed for active transport. These questions also challenge them to compare active transport against the forms of passive transport and to use data from a bar chart to support this form of transport. In answering these questions they will discover that carrier proteins are specific to certain molecules and time is taken to look at the exact mechanism of these transmembrane proteins. A quick quiz round introduces endocytosis and the students will see how vesicles are involved along with the energy source of ATP to move large substances in or out of the cell. The students are then shown how exocytosis is involved in a synapse and in the release of ADH from the pituitary gland during osmoregulation which they will cover in later topics. The final part of the lesson describes the movement of sodium ions and glucose from the ileum to the epithelial cells to the blood using a range of proteins which includes cotransporter proteins and students will learn that similar mechanisms are seen in the phloem and in the proximal convoluted tubule.

This lesson describes the course of events that lead to atherosclerosis and explains the issues for the human body related to this inflammatory disease. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover the content of point 1.5 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level biology A specification. The lesson begins with a task where the students have to use their knowledge of the numbers associated with biology to move forwards and backwards through the alphabet to reveal the name of the disease, atherosclerosis. Students will learn that this is a chronic inflammatory disease. As shown in the cover image, the main part of the lesson uses a step-by-step guide to go through the events, from endothelium damage, monocyte recruitment, macrophage differentiation and eventually the protrusion of plaques into the lumen of the artery. Understanding and prior knowledge checks and quiz quiz competitions are used during this section of the lesson to allow the students to assess their progress and to introduce key terms in a memorable fashion. All answers to any questions are embedded into the PowerPoint. The final part of the lesson uses a series of exam-style questions to consider how atherosclerosis in different blood vessels could lead to medical issues such as myocardial infarctions and strokes.

This lesson describes the course of events that lead to atherosclerosis and explains how the human body can be affected by this inflammatory disease. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover the content of point 1.10 of the Edexcel International A-level biology specification and therefore includes descriptions of endothelial dysfunction, plaque formation and raised blood pressure. The lesson begins with a task where the students have to use their knowledge of the numbers associated with biology to move forwards and backwards through the alphabet to reveal the name of the disease, atherosclerosis. Students will learn that this is a chronic inflammatory disease. As shown in the cover image, the main part of the lesson uses a step-by-step guide to go through the events, from endothelium damage, monocyte recruitment, macrophage differentiation and eventually the protrusion of plaques into the lumen of the artery. Understanding and prior knowledge checks and quiz quiz competitions are used during this section of the lesson to allow the students to assess their progress and to introduce key terms in a memorable fashion. All answers to any questions are embedded into the PowerPoint. The final part of the lesson uses a series of exam-style questions to consider how atherosclerosis in different blood vessels could lead to medical issues such as myocardial infarctions and strokes.

This clear and concise lesson explains how the inheritance of two or more genes that have loci on the same autosome demonstrates autosomal linkage. The engaging PowerPoint and associated resource have been designed to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (b[ii]) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of the use of phenotypic ratios to identify autosomal linkage. This is a topic which can cause confusion for students so time was taken in the design to split the concept into small chunks. There is a clear focus on how the number of original phenotypes and recombinants can be used to determine linkage and suggest how the loci of the two genes compare. Important links to other topics such as crossing over in meiosis are made to enable students to understand how the random formation of the chiasma determines whether new phenotypes will be seen in the offspring or not. Linkage is an important cause of variation and the difference between observed and expected results and this is emphasised on a number of occasions. The main task of the lesson acts as an understanding check where students are challenged to analyse a set of results involving the inheritance of the ABO blood group gene and the nail-patella syndrome gene to determine whether they have loci on the same chromosome and if so, how close their loci would appear to be. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other lessons from module 6.1.2 (Patterns of Inheritance)

This clear and concise lesson looks at the phenomenon known as the Bohr effect and describes and explains how an increased carbon dioxide concentration effects the dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the second part of point 3.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and continually ties in with the previous lesson on the role of haemoglobin. The lesson begins with a terminology check to ensure that the students can use the terms affinity, oxyhaemoglobin and dissociation. In line with this, they are challenged to draw the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and are reminded that this shows how oxygen associates with haemoglobin but how it dissociates at low partial pressures. Moving forwards, a quick quiz is used to introduce Christian Bohr and the students are given some initial details of his described effect. This leads into a series of discussions where the outcome is the understanding that an increased concentration of carbon dioxide decreases the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen. The students will learn that this reduction in affinity is a result of a decrease in the pH of the cell cytoplasm which alters the tertiary structure of the haemoglobin. Opportunities are taken at this point to challenge students on their prior knowledge of protein structures as well as the bonds in the tertiary structure. The lesson finishes with a series of questions where the understanding and application skills are tested as students have to explain the benefit of the Bohr effect for an exercising individual.

This lesson guides students through the respiratory quotient calculation and explains what the different calculated values indicate. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been planned to cover the content of point 7.6 of the Edexcel International A-level biology specification. The lesson begins with a recall challenge, where the students have to demonstrate their knowledge of respiration to reveal the two letters, RQ. The meaning of a quotient is provided and time allocated, where they are encouraged to discuss which two respiratory values might be used. The formula is provided and then a worked example used to model the calculation. The obtained value of 1.0 is explained as the RQ if metabolism consists entirely of carbohydrates. Two exam-style questions are then used to challenge the students to apply their understanding and they’ll reveal the value of 0.7 for lipids. A quick quiz round introduces the range for amino acids as 0.8 - 0.9 before a final task gets them to obtain another value and to recognise that more than one type of molecule is often metabolised. The lesson is full of understanding and prior knowledge checks, and the answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their progress.

This lesson describes how epigenetic modifications like DNA methylation and histone modification can alter the activation of certain genes. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been planned to cover points 3.20 ii & iii of the Edexcel Internationational A-level biology specification, and also highlights that these modifications can be passed on following cell division. The lesson begins by introducing the meaning of the prefix epi as on or above so students understand that epigenetics refers to changes in gene function due to factors beyond the genetic code. Moving forwards, they will learn that DNA methylation involves the attachment of a methyl group to cytosine and will come to understand how this inhibits transcription. They are challenged to recognise the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis through a variety of tasks before reading through a source detailing the results of a study between this cardiovascular condition and DNA methylation. The remainder of the lesson considers how the acetylation of histone proteins affects the expression of genes. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are embedded throughout the lesson (along with the answers) to allow the students to assess their progress on this topic and to encourage them to make links to the content of topics 1 - 2.