This is a detailed and engaging lesson that looks at how molecules move between areas of differing concentrations by diffusion and then explores how this occurs across cell membranes and focuses on the alveoli. The lesson begins by using a step by step format to write the definition for diffusion so that key terms such as concentration gradient are understood. Students will be introduced to this as a passive process so that they can understand how active transport differs when this is met in another lesson. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can assess their understanding against a displayed answer. Moving forwards, the lesson focuses on diffusion across cell membranes and uses the example of the exchange surface of the alveoli and blood capillaries to explore the different features which act to increase the rate of diffusion. The final part of the lesson briefly looks at how the villi in the small intestine increase the rate of diffusion. This lesson has been written for GCSE aged students. If you’re looking for a lesson on this topic but for older students, then my alternative upload “Simple diffusion” will be more suitable

This engaging lesson covers the detail of the 2nd part of specification point 5.1.3 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology specification which states that students should demonstrate and apply an understanding of the importance of synapses in summation and control, including inhibitory and excitatory synapses. This is a topic which is generally poorly understood by students or brushed over so considerable time has been taken to design the activities to motivate the students so that the content is memorable whilst still being covered in detail. Links are continually made to earlier topics in this module such as synapses and generator potentials but also to topics covered in the previous year and still to be covered. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise a description of generator potential and they will then discover that this is also known as an EPSP. Students will recall that a small depolarisation may not lead to the opening of the voltage gated channels and therefore the full depolarisation which is needed for the initiation of an action potential and will discuss how this problem could be overcome. Lots of discussion points like this are included in the lesson to encourage the students to challenge and debate why a particular process of mechanism occurs. Students will therefore learn that EPSPs can be combined and this is known as summation. A quiz round is used to introduce temporal and spatial summation. Moving forwards, students are presented with a number of examples where they have to decide why type of summation is involved. Again, the lesson has been written to include real-life examples such as chronic pain conditions so the chances of the content sticking is increased. The final part of the lesson introduces IPSPs and the effect of these on summation and action potentials is discussed. This lesson has been designed for students studying on the OCR A-level Biology course and ties in well with the other uploaded lessons from module 5.1.3 on sensory receptors, neurones, nerve impulses and cholinergic synapses

An engaging lesson presentation (68 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within unit B4 (Bioenergetics) of the AQA GCSE Biology specification (specification unit B4.4). The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Photosynthesis reaction Rate of photosynthesis Uses of glucose from photosynthesis Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration Response to exercise Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “Take a STEP back” and “Shine a LIGHT on the errors” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structure of the human heart and its associated vessels and ensures that students know the journey which blood takes through this organ. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (25 slides), a diagram to label and a worksheet to summarise the journey. The lesson begins with a bit of fun as students see the script to part of an episode from Friends. Students will recognise the alternative definition of the heart and ultimately recall that the function of this organ is to pump blood around the body. Moving forwards, the main task of the lesson involves labelling the four chambers and the blood vessels which bring blood towards and away from the heart. Students are given useful hints along the way to enable them to discover the answers rather than simply being given a finished diagram. Time is taken to look at the valves and discuss their function so that students can understand this role when they encounter them in veins. The lesson concludes with one final task that challenges the students to detail the journey of blood through the heart. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge

This lesson explains the effects of temperature increases on enzyme activity and describes how to calculate the temperature coefficient. The PowerPoint and the accompanying resource are part of the second lesson in a series of 3, which cover the content detailed in point 2.1.4 (d) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and this lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with an earlier lesson covering 2.1.4 (a, b & c) where the roles and mechanism of action of enzymes were introduced. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise optimum as a key term from its 6 synonyms that are shown on the board. Time is taken to ensure that the students understand that the optimum temperature is the temperature at which the most enzyme-product complexes are produced per second and therefore the temperature at which the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction works at its maximum. The optimum temperatures of DNA polymerase in humans and in a thermophilic bacteria and RUBISCO in a tomato plant are used to demonstrate how different enzymes have different optimum temperatures and the roles of the latter two in the PCR and photosynthesis are briefly described to prepare students for these lessons in modules 6 and 5. Moving forwards, the next part of the lesson focuses on enzyme activity at temperatures below the optimum and at temperatures above the optimum. Students will understand that increasing the temperature increases the kinetic energy of the enzyme and substrate molecules, and this increases the likelihood of successful collisions and the production of enzyme-substrate and enzyme-product complexes. When considering the effect of increasing the temperature above the optimum, continual references are made to the previous lesson and the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure. Students will be able to describe how the hydrogen and ionic bonds in the tertiary structure are broken by the vibrations associated with higher temperatures and are challenged to complete the graph to show how the rate of reaction decreases to 0 when the enzyme has denatured. The final part of the lesson introduces the Q10 temperature coefficient and students are challenged to apply this formula to calculate the value for a chemical reaction and a metabolic reaction to determine that enzyme-catalysed reactions have higher rates of reaction Please note that this lesson has been designed specifically to explain the relationship between the change in temperature and the rate of enzyme activity in a reaction and not the practical skills that is part of a lesson covering specification point 2.1.4 (d) [ii]

This engaging lesson explains why coenzymes, cofactors and prosthetic groups are needed in some enzyme-controlled reactions. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been primarily designed to cover point 2.1.4 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology specification but can also be used as a revision lesson for the roles of ions as was covered back in module 2.1.2. The lesson begins with an introduction of the description of a cofactor and students will learn that some are permanently bound to the enzyme whilst others only form temporary associations. A quick quiz competition runs over the course of the lesson and is used to introduce prosthetic groups, mineral ion cofactors and organic coenzymes and zinc ions with carbonic anhydrase, chloride ions with amylase and NAD are used as examples of each type. The lesson has been planned to make links to related topics such as cations, anions, transport of carbon dioxide and respiration which will test students on their prior knowledge as well as prepare them for these topics in modules 3 and 5.

This detailed lesson describes the structure and properties of the cell membrane, focusing on the phospholipid bilayer, cholesterol and membrane proteins. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the details of point 2.2 (i) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and clear links are made to Singer and Nicholson’s fluid mosaic model which is covered in the following lesson Students met triglycerides in topic 1 and so a quick quiz competition at the start of the lesson challenges their recall of the structure of these lipids so that they can recognise the similarities and differences to the structure of phospholipids. Time is taken to look at the differing properties of the phosphate head and the fatty acid tails in terms of water and the class is challenged to work out how the phospholipids must be arranged when there’s an aqueous solution on the inside and outside of the cell. This introduces the bilayer arrangement, with the hydrophilic phosphate heads protruding outwards into the aqueous solutions on the inside and the outside of the cell. In a link to some upcoming lessons on the transport mechanisms, the students will learn that only small, non-polar molecules can move by simple diffusion and that this is through the tails of the bilayer. This introduces the need for transmembrane proteins to allow large or polar molecules to move into the cell by facilitated diffusion and active transport. Proteins that act as receptors as also introduced and an opportunity is taken to make a link to an upcoming topic so that students can understand how hormones or drugs will bind to target cells in this way. Moving forwards, the structure of cholesterol is covered and students will learn that this hydrophobic molecule sits in the middle of the tails and therefore acts to regulate membrane fluidity. The final part of the lesson challenges the students to apply their newly-acquired knowledge to a series of questions where they have to explain why proteins may have moved when two cells are fused and to suggest why there is a larger proportion of these proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane than the outer membrane.

This lesson describes the processes that take place during interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis and outlines how checkpoints regulate the cell cycle. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.6 (a & b) of the OCR A-level Biology specification and prepares the students for the upcoming lessons on the main stages of mitosis and its significance in life cycles The students were introduced to the cell cycle at GCSE so this lesson has been planned to build on that knowledge and to emphasise that the M phase which includes mitosis (nuclear division) only occupies a small part of the cycle. The students will learn that interphase is the main stage and that this is split into three phases, G1, S and G2. A range of tasks which include exam-style questions, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions are used to introduce key terms and values and to describe the main processes that occur in a very specific order. There is also a focus on the checkpoints, such as the restriction point that occurs before the S phase to ensure that the cell is ready for DNA replication. Extra time is taken to ensure that key terminology is included and understood, such as sister chromatid and centromere, and this focus helps to show how it is possible for genetically identical daughter cells to be formed at the end of the cycle. Important details of mitosis are introduced so students are ready for the next lesson, before the differences in cytokinesis in animal and plant cells are described.

This lesson describes the differences between the primary and secondary responses and describes how the structure of antibodies is related to function. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 4.1.1 (g), (h) and (i) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification and emphasises the importance of memory cells. As memory B cells differentiate into plasma cells that produce antibodies when a specific antigen is re-encountered, it was decided to link the immune responses and antibodies together in one lesson. The lesson begins by checking on the students incoming knowledge to ensure that they recognise that B cells differentiate into plasma cells and memory cells. This was introduced in a previous lesson on the specific immune response and students must be confident in their understanding if the development of immunity is to be understood. A couple of quick quiz competitions are then used to introduce key terms so that the structure of antibodies in terms of polypeptide chains, variable and constant regions and hinge regions are met. Time is taken to focus on the variable region and to explain how the specificity of this for a particular antigen allows neutralisation and agglutination to take place. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the differences between the primary and secondary immune responses and a series of exam-style questions will enable students to understand that the quicker production of a greater concentration of these antibodies in the secondary response is due to the retention of memory cells.

This fully-resourced lesson looks at the process and site of the Krebs cycle and explains the importance of decarboxylation, dehydrogenation, the reduction of NAD and FAD and substrate level phosphorylation. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have both been designed to cover point 5.2.2 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes the formation of citrate from the acetyl group of acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate and the regeneration of this four carbon molecule. The lesson begins with a version of the Impossible game where students have to spot the connection between 8 of the 9 terms and will ultimately learn that this next stage is called the Krebs cycle. The main part of the lesson challenges the students to use descriptions of the main steps of the cycle to continue their diagram of the oxidation-reduction reactions. Students are continually exposed to key terminology such as decarboxylation and dehydrogenation and they will learn where carbon dioxide is lost and reduced NAD and FAD are generated. They will also recognise that ATP is synthesised by substrate level phosphorylation. The final task challenges them to apply their knowledge of the cycle to work out the numbers of the different products and to calculate the number of ATP that must be produced in the next stage if the theoretical yield of 32ATP is to be achieved. This lesson has been designed to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis, anaerobic respiration, the Link reaction, oxidative phosphorylation and respiratory substrates

An engaging lesson presentation (30 slides) that looks at the different methods that are used to treat cardiovascular diseases. The lesson begins by looking at the surgical procedure of heart bypass before exploring the use of stents to widen a partially blocked artery. Links are made back to previous knowledge when discussing valves and students are challenged to explain why a faulty valve must be replaced. The rest of the lesson focusses on treating CVD with medicines such as statins and antiplatelets and students will learn the side-effects associated with these drugs. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but is suitable for all ages

This detailed lesson describes the principles of DNA sequencing and has been designed to cover the first part of point 6.1.3 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification. Fred Sanger’s chain termination method is used as the example to guide the students through the details of each step. The lesson begins with a focus on the common ingredients of the process such as DNA polymerase, DNA nucleotides and primers. Links are made to module 2.1.3 where nucleic acids were initially met through a series of prior knowledge check questions. Time is then taken to explain why these short lengths of synthesised nucleotides are necessary and this will support students when primers are met in the PCR and genetic engineering. Moving forwards, students will recognise how the modification to the nucleotide means that the chain terminates once a modified nucleotide is added into the sequence and that these have been radioactively labelled. Gel electrophoresis is introduced and an outline of the process given to provide knowledge to build on when this is encountered later in the module. A series of exam-style questions allow students to assess their understanding of this potentially difficult topic before students are encouraged to consider the limitations of the method so they are prepared to meet the new methods in upcoming lessons. A number of quiz competitions run throughout the lesson to maintain engagement and to introduce terms and values in a memorable way

This is a fully-resourced lesson that covers the details of specification point 5.1.2 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the effects of kidney failure and its potential treatments. This lesson consists of an engaging PowerPoint (55 slides) and associated differentiated worksheets that look at the diagnosis of a number of different kidney-related conditions and the potential treatments for kidney failure. This lesson is designed to get the students to take on the numerous roles of a doctor who works in the renal ward which include testing, diagnosis and treatment. Having obtained measurements by GFR and results by taking urine samples, hey are challenged to use their knowledge of the function of the kidney to study urine samples (and the accompanying GP’s notes) to diagnose one of four conditions. They then have to write a letter to the patient to explain how they made this diagnosis, again focusing on their knowledge of the structure and functions of the Bowman’s capsule and PCT. The rest of the lesson focuses on haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplant. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding and there are a number of homework activities included in the lesson. This lesson is designed for A-level students who are studying the OCR A-level Biology specification and ties in nicely with the other uploaded lessons on this organ which include the structure and function of the nephron, ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and osmoregulation.

This is an engaging lesson that looks at how vaccinations are used in medicine and considers how the introduction of these preventative measures has reduced the incidence of disease. The lesson begins by introducing vaccinations as the deliberate exposure to antigenic material and then reminds students of the meaning of the term, antigen, so that they understand how this will elicit the desired immune response. Lots of opportunities for discussion have been written into the lesson so that key points such as how the vaccination is altered so that isn’t harmful and how memory cells work can be discussed amongst students before being clarified by the teacher and the lesson content. Moving forwards, students will be given some figures on child mortality rate in 1900 and 2000. They are shown how to manipulate this data in order to work out the percentage change. Students are then challenged to use these skills when comparing the children that were vaccinated for whooping cough in 1968 and 1995 and to make a link between vaccinations and mortality rates. These mathematical skills are being tested more and more in Biology so this guidance will help students to understand how to manipulate data when required. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can constantly assess their understanding. This lesson has been designed for GCSE aged students. If you’re looking for a lesson on this same topic but for older students at A-level, then my upload “Vaccinations (A-level)” will be more suitable

An engaging lesson presentation (61 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within unit B5 (Genes, inheritance and selection) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification The topics that are tested within the lesson include: Sexual and asexual reproduction Meiosis Dominant and recessive alleles Genetic crosses The history of genetics Natural selection Classification systems Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “Number CRAZY" and “Which Scientist is hidden?” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention

A resourced lesson which looks at three of the main components of blood and ensures that students can relate their features to their function. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (31 slides) and an associated worksheet The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise blood from a description of some of its contents. This will enable students to identify some of the substances like hormones and urea that are carried in the plasma. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson takes a format where the students have to act as recruitment consultants. They have been given 3 job roles to fill and once they have decided on the right candidates for the job, they need to be able to explain why these have been chosen. Students will go study the red and white blood cells and platelets, focusing on how their different specialised features enable them to effectively carry out their respective functions. Students will be able to compare the cells in terms of size, number of nuclei and ultimately explain why they have their features. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but is perfectly suitable to be used with KS3 students who are studying the circulatory system

This fully-resourced lesson explores the inheritance of genetic characteristics that involve multiple alleles and codominant alleles. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets have been designed to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (b[i]) which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of genetic diagrams to show patterns of inheritance including multiple and codominant alleles. The main part of the lesson uses the inheritance of the ABO blood groups to demonstrate how the three alleles that are found at the locus on chromosome 9 and the codominance of the A and B alleles affects the phenotypes. Students are guided through the construction of the different genotypes and how to interpret the resulting phenotype. They are challenged to use a partially completed pedigree tree to determine the blood group for some of the family members and to explain how they came to their answer. To further challenge their ability to apply their knowledge, a series of questions about multiple alleles and codominance in animals that are not humans are used. The final part of the lesson makes a link back to module 4 and the correlation between a high proportion of polymorphic gene loci and an increase in genetic diversity. Students will be expected to make links between module 4 and 6 as part of papers 2 and 3, so this demonstrates how exam questions can do just that

This engaging lesson describes the relationship between the structure and properties of a phopholipid and explains the link to its role in membranes. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the second part of point 1.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and includes constant references to the previous lesson on triglycerides. The role of a phospholipid in a cell membrane provides the backbone to the whole lesson. A quick quiz round called FAMILY AFFAIR, challenges the students to use their knowledge of the structure of a triglyceride to identify the shared features in a phospholipid. This then allows the differences to be introduced, such as the presence of a phosphate group in place of the third fatty acid. Moving forwards, the students will learn that the two fatty acid tails are hydrophobic whilst the phosphate head is hydrophilic which leads into a key discussion point where the class has to consider how it is possible for the phospholipids to be arranged when both the inside and outside of a cell is an aqueous solution. The outcome of the discussion is the introduction of the bilayer which is critical for the lesson in topic 2 on the fluid mosaic model. The final part of the lesson explains how both facilitated diffusion and active transport mean that proteins are found floating in the cell membrane and this also helps to briefly prepare the students for upcoming topic 2 lessons.

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at how decomposers are involved with the process of decay. The lesson includes an engaging and detailed lesson presentation (31 slides) and an associated differentiated worksheets. The lesson begins by displaying the definitions for decomposers and detritivores and challenging students to use their bingo cards to see if they can work out the words which are being described. Students will learn how these two types of organisms work together to break down matter. Moving forwards, a worked example is used to guide students through how to calculate the rate of decay from a range of different data types. Students will be challenged to act like a travel agent for decomposers to come up with the different conditions that they require. Finally, they have to bring all of the new-found knowledge together to answer a range of summary questions. These questions are differentiated two ways so that differing abilities can access the work. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK)

A fully-resourced lesson which explores the photosynthesis reaction, focusing on where it takes place and the reactants and products of this chemical reaction. This lesson includes an engaging and detailed lesson presentation (45 slides), a summary task and a crossword which is used throughout the lesson. Students will already have a fair knowledge of this topic from KS3 so this lesson has been written to take that knowledge and push it forward. Key details are added throughout the lesson such as how the reactants enter the plant by osmosis and diffusion and also how water travels from the roots to the leaves in the xylem vessel. An engaging competition runs during the lesson called “LIGHT up the crossword” and this enables the key terms of the topic to be stored in one place. There are two main written tasks during the lesson which challenge the students to summarise the reaction using all that they have learnt and also to state the different uses of glucose. The lesson has been linked to related topics with understanding checks written in at regular intervals so this knowledge can be assessed. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students who want to learn more than they currently know