This fully-resourced lesson looks at the details of glycolysis as the first stage of aerobic and anaerobic respiration and explains how the sequence of reactions results in glucose being converted to pyruvate. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should know glycolysis as the phosphorylation of glucose and the production and subsequent oxidation of triose phosphate. The lesson begins with the introduction of the name of the stage and then explains how the phosphorylation of the hexoses and the production of the ATP, coenzymes and pyruvate are the stages that need to be known for this specification. Time is taken to go through each of these stages and key points such as the use of ATP in phosphorylation are explained so that students can understand how this affects the net yield. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce NAD and the students will learn that the reduction of this coenzyme, which is followed by the transport of the protons and electrons to the cristae for the electron transport chain is critical for the overall production of ATP. Understanding checks, in a range of forms, are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their progress and any misconceptions are immediately addressed. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on anaerobic respiration and the different stages of aerobic respiration (the Link reaction, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation)

This clear and concise lesson looks at the role of the Link reaction in the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A which will then enter the Krebs cycle. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the fourth part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should know about this conversion and the production of reduced NAD The lesson begins with a challenge, where the students have to recall the details of glycolysis in order to form the word matrix. This introduces the key point that this stage occurs in this part of the mitochondria and time is taken to explain why the reactions occur in the matrix as opposed to the cytoplasm like glycolysis. Moving forwards, the Link reaction is covered in 5 detailed bullet points and students have to add the key information to these points using their prior knowledge as well as knowledge provided in terms of NAD. The students will recognise that this reaction occurs twice per molecule of glucose and a quick quiz competition is used to test their understanding of the numbers of the different products of this stage. This is just one of the range of methods that are used to check understanding and all answers are explained to allow students to assess their progress. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis and the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

This fully-resourced lesson explores how other respiratory substrates, such as lipids and proteins, can be used to produce molecules of ATP. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 7th and final part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should know how these substrates enter the Krebs cycle. This lesson has been written to challenge the knowledge of the earlier parts of the topic of respiration and so contains constant prior knowledge checks which come in a range of forms. Students will learn that lipids and proteins can be used as respiratory substrates and will recognise the different ways that they enter the respiratory pathway. Time is taken to look at the beta oxidation pathway and again students are challenged to compare the products of this pathway against that of the Link reaction.

This fully-resourced lesson explores how pyruvate can be converted to lactate or ethanol using reduced NAD and that the reoxidation of the coenzyme allows glycolysis to continue. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover points 12.2 (j) and (k) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to explain the production of a small yield of ATP in anaerobic conditions and recognise the concept of an oxygen debt 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 and ethanol fermentation pathways and students are encouraged to discuss the conversions before applying their knowledge to complete diagrams and passages about the pathways. Understanding checks in a range of forms are used to enable the students to assess their progress whilst prior knowledge checks allow them to recognise the links to earlier topics. Students will also be introduced to the oxygen debt and will learn how the volume consumed after vigorous exercise is used to catabolise lactic acid and restore the body’s stores to normal levels. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on the stages of aerobic respiration.

This engaging lesson looks at the structure of the quaternary protein, haemoglobin, and describes its role with red blood cells in the transport of oxygen. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the first part of point 3.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and explains how the cooperative nature of binding results in a loading of each molecule with 4 oxygen molecules and describes how it is unloaded at the respiring cells too. The lesson begins with a version of the quiz show Pointless to introduce haemotology as the study of the blood conditions. Students are told that haemoglobin has a quaternary structure and are challenged to use their prior knowledge of biological molecules to determine what this means for the protein. They will learn that each of the 4 polypeptide chains contains a haem group with an iron ion attached and that it is this group which has a high affinity for oxygen. Time is taken to discuss how this protein must be able to load (and unload) oxygen as well as transport the molecules to the respiring tissues. Students will plot the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and the S-shaped curve is used to encourage discussions about the ease with which haemoglobin loads each molecule. Students will learn that a conformational change upon binding of the first oxygen leads to it being easier to bind future oxygens and that this is known as cooperative binding. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lesson on the Bohr effect.

This fully-resourced lesson explains how gene mutations can occur by substitution, deletion and insertion and explores how these base pair changes can affect the primary structure of the polypeptide and therefore the phenotype. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 16.2 (e) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should understand how these mutations occur and can affect the phenotype. In order to understand how a change in the base sequence can affect the order of the amino acids, students must be confident in their understanding and application of protein synthesis which was taught in topic 6. Therefore, the start of the lesson focuses on transcription and translation and students are guided through the use of the codon table to identify amino acids. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the names of three types of gene mutation whilst challenging the students to recognise terms which are associated with the genetic code and were met in the previous lesson. The main focus of the lesson is base substitutions and how these mutations may or may not cause a change to the amino acid sequence. The students are challenged to use their knowledge of the degenerate nature of the genetic code to explain how a silent mutation can result. The rest of the lesson looks at base deletions and base insertions and students are introduced to the idea of a frameshift mutation. One particular task challenges the students to evaluate the statement that base deletions have a bigger impact on primary structure than base substitutions. This is a differentiated task and they have to compare the fact that the reading frame is shifted by a deletion against the change in a single base by a substitution

This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at the effects of stabilising, directional and disruptive selection as the three main types of selection. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 17.2 (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to identify each type of selection by its effect on different phenotypes. The lesson begins with an introduction to the mark, release, recapture method to calculate numbers of rabbits with different coloured fur in a particular habitat. This method is covered later in topic 18 so this section of the lesson is designed purely to generate changes in numbers of the organisms. Sketch graphs are then constructed to show the changes in the population size in this example. A quick quiz competition is used to engage the students whilst introducing the names of the three main types of selection before a class discussion point encourages the students to recognise which specific type of selection is represented by the rabbits. Key terminology including intermediate and extreme phenotypes and selection pressure are used to emphasise their importance during explanations. A change in the environment of the habitat and a change in the numbers of the rabbits introduces directional selection before students will be given time to discuss and to predict the shape of the sketch graph for disruptive selection. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge in the final task of the lesson by choosing the correct type of selection when presented with details of a population and answer related questions.

This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at how genetic drift can arise after a genetic bottleneck or as a result of the Founder effect. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 17.2 © of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to explain how the Founder effect and genetic drift may affect allele frequencies in populations. 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 fully-resourced lesson guides students through the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equations to determine the frequency of alleles, genotypes and phenotypes in a population. Both the detailed PowerPoint and differentiated practice questions on a worksheet have been designed to cover point 17.2 (d) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of the use of the principle to calculate frequencies in populations. The lesson begins by looking at the two equations and ensuring that students understand the meaning of each of the terms. The recessive condition, cystic fibrosis, is used as an example so that students can start to apply their knowledge and assess whether they understand which genotypes go with which term. Moving forwards, a step-by-step guide is used to show students how to answer a question. Tips are given during the guide so that common misconceptions and mistakes are addressed immediately. The rest of the lesson gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a set of 3 questions, which have been differentiated so that all abilities are able to access the work and be challenged.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the external and internal structure of the mammalian heart and explains how the differences in the thickness of the chamber walls is related to function. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 8.2 (a) and (b) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification As this topic was covered at GCSE, the lesson has been planned to build on this prior knowledge whilst adding the key details which will enable students to provide A-level standard answers. The primary focus is the identification of the different structures of the heart but it also challenges their ability to recognise the important relationship to function. As detailed in specification point (b), time is taken to ensure that students can explain why the atrial walls are thinner than the ventricle walls and why the right ventricle has a thinner wall than the left ventricle. Opportunities are taken throughout the lesson to link this topic to the others found in topics 8.1 and 8.2 including those which have already been covered like circulatory systems as well as those which are upcoming such as the cardiac cycle. There is also an application question where students have to explain why a hole in the ventricular septum would need to be repaired if it doesn’t naturally close over time.

This detailed and fully-resourced lesson describes and explains the pressure changes in the heart and arteries and the role of the valves movements in the cardiac cycle. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.1.2 (f) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and also covers the use of the equation stroke volume x heart rate to calculate cardiac output The start of the lesson introduces the cardiac cycle as well as the key term systole, so that students can immediately recognise that the three stages of the cycle are atrial and ventricular systole followed by diastole. Students are challenged on their prior knowledge of the structure of the heart as they have to name and state the function of an atrioventricular and semi-lunar valve from an internal diagram. This leads into the key point that pressure changes in the chambers and the major arteries results in the opening and closing of these sets of valves. Students are given a description of the pressure change that results in the opening of the AV valves and shown where this would be found on the graph detailing the pressure changes of the cardiac cycle. They then have to use this as a guide to write descriptions for the closing of the AV valve and the opening and closing of the semi-lunar valves and to locate these on the graph. By providing the students with this graph, the next part of the lesson can focus on explaining how these changes come about. Students have to use their current and prior knowledge of the chambers and blood vessels to write 4 descriptions that cover the cardiac cycle. Moving forwards, the students are introduced to the stroke volume and meet normative values for this and for resting heart rate. This will lead into the calculation for cardiac output and a series of questions are used to test their ability to apply this equation as well as to calculate the percentage change which is a commonly assessed mathematical skill. This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on the topics detailed in module 3.1.2 (Transport in animals)

This fully-resourced REVISION lesson has been written to challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of topic 1 (Cell structure) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources will motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content and identify any areas which may require further attention. The wide range of activities have been written to cover as much of the topic as possible but the following specification points have been given particular focus: ATP is produced in mitochondria and chloroplasts and the role of ATP in cells Recognising eukaryotic cell structures and outlining their functions Calculating actual sizes from electron micrographs The structural features of a typical prokaryotic cell The key features of viruses as non-cellular structures Distinguish between resolution and magnification Quiz rounds such as “GUESS WHO of CELL STRUCTURES” and “YOU DO THE MATH” are used to test the students on the finer details of their knowledge of the structure and functions of the organelles and some key numerical facts

This detailed lesson explains how observable features at a microscopic level can be used to classify living organisms into one of the five kingdoms. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.2.2 © (i) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the features of the animalia, plantae, fungi, protoctista and prokaryotae kingdoms. This lesson begins with a knowledge recall as students have to recognise that prior to 1990, kingdom was the highest taxa in the classification hierarchy. Moving forwards, they will recall the names of the five kingdoms and immediately be challenged to split them so that the prokaryotae kingdom is left on its own. An opportunity is taken at this point to check on their prior knowledge of the structure of a bacterial cell from module 2.1.1. These prior knowledge checks are found throughout the lesson (along with current understanding checks) as students are also tested on their knowledge of the structure and function of cellulose. This is found in the section of the lesson where the main constituent of the wall can be used to distinguish between plantae, fungi and prokaryotae. Quick quiz competitions, such as YOU DO THE MATH and SAY WHAT YOU SEE are used to introduce key values and words in a fun and memorable way. The final part of the lesson looks at the protoctista kingdom and students will come to understand how these organisms tend to share a lot of animal or plant-like features. Both of the accompanying resources have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and this lesson has been written to tie in with the previously uploaded lesson on taxonomic hierarchy and the binomial naming system (4.2.2 a & b).

This lesson describes the classification of species into the taxonomic hierarchy and cover point 18.2 (a) of the CIE A-level Biology specification. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to show students how the domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species are used in modern-day classification. The lesson begins by with a knowledge recall as students have to use the provided information about a mule to explain why a horse and donkey are considered to be members of different species. Moving forwards, students will learn that species is the lowest taxon in the modern-day classification hierarchy. The first of a number of rounds of a competition is used to engage the students whilst they learn the names of the 7 other taxa and the horse and the donkey from the earlier example are used to complete the hierarchy. Students are told that a binomial naming system is used in Biology to provide a universal name for each species and the final task of the lesson challenges them to apply their knowledge by completing a hierarchy for a modern-day human, by spotting the correct name for an unfamiliar organism

This revision lesson has been designed to challenge the students on their use of a range of mathematical skills that could be assessed on the six OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science papers. The mathematical element of the GCSE Combined Science course has increased significantly since the specification change and therefore success in those questions which involve the use of maths can prove to be the difference between one grade and another or possibly even more. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities that include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes and explanations so that students can assess their progress. Other activities include differentiated tasks, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions such as “It doesn’t HURT to CONVERT”, “YOU DO THE MATH” and “FILL THE VOID”. The following mathematical skills (in a scientific context) are covered in this lesson: The use of Avogadro’s constant Rearranging the formula of an equation Calculating the amount in moles using mass and relative formula mass Calculating the relative formula mass for formulae with brackets Using the Periodic Table to calculate the number of sub-atomic particles in atoms Changes to electrons in ions Balancing chemical symbol equations Empirical formula Converting between units Calculating concentration in grams per dm cubed and volumes of solutions Calculating size using the magnification equation Using the mean to estimate the population of a sessile species Calculating percentages to prove the importance of biodiversity Calculating percentage change The BMI equation Calculating the acceleration from a velocity-time graph Recalling and applying the Physics equations Understanding prefixes that determine size Leaving answers to significant figures and using standard form Helpful hints and step-by-step guides are used throughout the lesson to support the students and some of the worksheets are differentiated two ways to provide extra assistance. Due to the detail of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of GCSE teaching time to cover the tasks and for this reason it can be used over a number of lessons as well as during different times of the year for revision

This detailed lesson explains how the process of transcription results in the production of messenger RNA (mRNA). Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to specifically cover the first part of point 6.2 (d) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall that most of the nuclear DNA in eukaryotes does not code for polypeptides. This allows the promoter region and terminator region to be introduced, along with the structural gene. Through the use of an engaging quiz competition, students will learn that the strand of DNA involved in transcription is known as the template strand and the other strand is the coding strand. Links to previous lessons on DNA and RNA structure are made throughout and students are continuously challenged on their prior knowledge as well as they current understanding of the lesson topic. Moving forwards, the actual process of transcription is covered in a 7 step bullet point description where the students are asked to complete each passage using the information previously provided. An exam-style question is used to check on their understanding before the final task of the lesson looks at the journey of mRNA to the ribosome for the next stage of translation. This lesson has been written to challenge all abilities whilst ensuring that the most important details are fully explained.

This lesson looks at the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as an in vitro method to amplify DNA fragments as part of the recombinant DNA technology process. The clear PowerPoint has been designed to cover the second part of point 8.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce the PCR abbreviation before students are encouraged to discuss the identity of the enzyme involved and to recall the action of this enzyme. Students will learn that this reaction involves cyclical heating and cooling to a range of temperatures so the next part of this lesson looks at these particular temperatures so the important parts of each of the steps can be understood. Time is taken to examine the key points in detail, such as the specific DNA polymerase that is used and how it is not denatured at the high temperature as well as the involvement of the primers.