This fully-resourced lesson provides examples of anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations of organisms to their environment. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.19 in unit 2 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and also describes the concept of a niche and makes continual links to related topics such as natural selection A quick quiz competition at the start of the lesson introduces the different types of adaptation and a series of tasks are used to ensure that the students can distinguish between anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations. The Marram grass is used to test their understanding further, before a step by step guide describes how the lignified cells prevent a loss of turgidity. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to explain how the other adaptations of this grass help it to survive in its environment. A series of exam-style questions on the Mangrove family will challenge them to make links to other topics such as osmosis and the mark schemes are displayed to allow them to assess their understanding. The final part of the lesson focuses on the adaptations of the anteater but this time links are made to the upcoming topic of taxonomy so that students are prepared for this lesson on species and classification hierarchy.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the meaning of the terms stem cell, pluripotency, totipotency, morula and blastocyst. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover points 3.17 (i) and (ii) of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and contains discussions about the decisions that the scientific community have to make about the use of stem cells in medical therapies. The lesson begins with a knowledge recall of the structure of eukaryotic cells and the students have to use the first letters of each of the four answers to reveal the key term, stem cell. Time is then taken to consider the meaning of cellular differentiation, and this leads into the key idea that not all stem cells are equal when it comes to the number of cell types that they have the potential to differentiate into. A quick quiz round introduces the five degrees of potency, and then the students are challenged to use their understanding of terminology to place totipotency, pluripotency, multipotency, oligopotency and unipotency in the correct places on the potency continuum. Although the latter three do not have to be specifically known based on the content of specification point 3.17 (i), an understanding of their meaning was deemed helpful when planning the lesson as it should assist with the retention of knowledge about totipotency and pluripotency. These two highest degrees of potency are the main focus of the lesson, and key details are emphasised such as the ability of totipotent cells to differentiate into any extra-embroyonic cell, which the pluripotent cells are unable to do. The morula, and inner cell mass and trophoblast of the blastocyst are then introduced and used to demonstrate these differences in potency. The final part of the lesson discusses the decisions that the scientific community have to make about the use of embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and also foetal stem cells which allows for a link to chorionic villus sampling from topic 2. There is also a Maths in a Biology context question included in the lesson (when introducing the morula) to ensure that students continue to be prepared for the numerous calculations that they will have to tackle in the terminal exams. This resource has been differentiated two ways to allow students of differing abilities to access the work

This lesson describes the different types of pathogens that can cause communicable diseases in plants and animals. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been primarily designed to cover point 4.1.1 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology specification but as this is the first lesson in module 4, it has been specifically planned to make links to upcoming topics such as phagocytosis, vaccinations and classification. viruses - HIV/AIDS, influenza, TMV bacteria - TB, cholera, ring rot protoctista - malaria fungi - athlete’s foot, black sigatoka, ringworm, The diseases shown above are covered by the detailed content of this lesson and the differing mechanisms of action of the four types of pathogens are discussed and considered throughout. For example, time is taken to describe how HIV uses a glycoprotein to attach to T helper cells whilst toxins released by bacteria damage the host tissue and the Plasmodium parasite is transmitted from one host to another by a vector to cause malaria. The accompanying worksheets contain a range of exam-style questions, including a mathematical calculation, and mark schemes are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to immediately assess their understanding.

This lesson has been designed to cover the content as detailed in point 5.2.1 (The structure and function of the human nervous system) of the AQA GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. Consisting of a detailed and engaging PowerPoint (38 slides) and accompanying worksheets, the range of activities will motivate the students whilst ensuring that the content is covered in detail. Students will learn how receptors, sensory neurones, the CNS, motor neurones and effectors are involved in the detection and response to a stimulus. Reflex reactions are also considered and discussed so that students can recognise how these automatic and rapid responses avoid damage and pain to humans. Progress checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding of the content and any misconceptions can be addressed whilst quiz competitions, like FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS and YOU DO THE MATH, are used to introduce new terms and important values in a fun and memorable way. This lesson has been written for GCSE-aged students who are studying the AQA GCSE Biology or Combined Science specifications but can be used with older students who need to know the key details of the nervous system for their A level course before taking it to greater depths

This lesson describes how the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer are used in the measurement of cells. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 1.1 [c] of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also includes a number of tasks that have been written to ensure that students are able to recognise the millimetre, micrometre and nanometre as units of size and that they are able to convert between them. As this content is part of topic 1.1, it is likely that this lesson on the measurement of cells and the units of size will be one of the first that students will encounter in this A-level course. With this in mind, this lesson and the next two on microscopes and calculating actual size have been specifically written to contain a wide variety of tasks, including an ongoing quiz competition. This will act to maintain engagement in a topic that can sometimes discourage students at this early stage of the course whilst ensuring that the key content is covered and understanding is constantly checked. A step by step guide walks them through the use of the scale on the stage micrometer to identify the size of the divisions of the eyepiece graticule and then they are challenged to apply this method to a series of questions. Useful hints are provided throughout the lesson and students will be able to confidently convert between metres, millimetres, micrometres and nanometres by the end of the lesson A quiz scoresheet is included with the lesson so that teachers can keep track of the points won in the different rounds and add them to those won in the upcoming lessons in topic 1.1

This fully-resourced lesson describes how a triglyceride is synthesised and describes the differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 1.5 (i) & (ii) as detailed in the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and links are also made to related future topics such as the use of lipids as a substrate for respiration and the importance of the myelin sheath for the conduction of an electrical impulse. The lesson begins with a focus on the basic structure and roles of lipids, including the elements that are found in this biological molecule and some of the places in living organisms where they are found. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to recall the structure of the carbohydrates from earlier in topic 1 so that the structure of a triglyceride can be introduced. Students will learn that this macromolecule is formed from one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids and have to use their understanding of condensation reactions to draw the final structure. Time is taken to look at the difference in structure and properties of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and students will be able to identify one from the other when presented with a molecular formula. The final part of the lesson explores how the various properties of lipids mean that these molecules have numerous roles in organisms including that of an energy store and source and as an insulator of heat and electricity.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how the cohesion-tension model explains the transport of water from the roots to the shoots. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 4.7 (iii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B 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 then the main focus is the interaction between cohesion and tension. The role of adhesive forces in capillary action is also 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.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the effects of enzyme and substrate concentration on enzyme activity. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are the third in a series of 3 lessons which cover the details of point 2.1.4 (d) [i] of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and students are also challenged on their recall of the details of transcription and translation as covered in module 2.1.3. The first part of the lesson describes how an increase in substrate concentration will affect the rate of reaction when a fixed concentration of enzyme is used. Time is taken to introduce limiting factors and students will be challenged to identify substrate concentration as the limiting factor before the maximum rate is attained and then they are given discussion time to identify the possible factors after this point. A series of exam-style questions are used throughout the lesson and the mark schemes are displayed to allow the students to assess their understanding and for any misconceptions to be immediately addressed. Moving forwards, the students have to use their knowledge of substrate concentration to construct a graph to represent the relationship between enzyme concentration and rate of reaction and they have to explain the different sections of the graph and identify the limiting factors. The final section of the lesson describes how the availability of enzymes is controlled in living organisms. Students will come to recognise that this availability is the result of enzyme synthesis and enzyme degradation and a SPOT THE ERRORS task is used to challenge their recall of protein synthesis. Please note that this lesson explains the Biology behind the effect of concentration on enzyme activity and not the methodology involved in carrying out such an investigation as this is covered in the lessons designed in line with point 2.1.4 (d) [ii]

This fully-resourced lesson introduces bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics and describes their differences, focusing on their modes of action. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 6.14 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification but also makes continual links to earlier lessons in topic 6 as well as related topics from the previous year such as protein synthesis from topic 2 The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of the previous topic 6 lessons to identify the suffixes cidal and static. Students will learn that when the prefix is added, these form the full names of two types of antibiotics. Their understanding of terminology is tested further as they have to recognise that Polymyxin B is an example of a bactericidal antibiotic as its actions would result in the death of the bacterial cell. Tetracycline is used as the example of a bacteriostatic antibiotic and students will discover that its prevention of the binding of tRNA that inhibits protein synthesis and this reduction and stopping of growth and reproduction is synonymous with these drugs. Students are challenged on their knowledge of translation and will also be given time for a class discussion to understand that these antibiotics encourage the body’s immune system to overcome the pathogen in natural, active immunity. The final part of the lesson uses a quick quiz competition and a series of exam-style questions to ensure that students can recognise the different antibiotics from descriptions.

This lesson describes self and non-self antigens and how a failure to distinguish between the two is the mechanism of autoimmune diseases. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been primarily designed to cover points 11.1 (d & f) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and describe examples of these diseases including myasthenia gravis, but this lesson can also be used to revise the content of the earlier topics as well as the previous lessons in topic 10 & 11 through the range of activities that are included The first part of the lesson focuses on the antigens and explains how the failure of the immune system cells to recognise these molecules on the outside of a cell or organism elicits an immune response. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to recognise diseases from descriptions and then to use the first letters of their names to form the term, autoimmune. In doing so, the students will discover that rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, type I diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis are all examples of autoimmune diseases. The next part of the lesson focuses on the mechanism of these diseases where the immune system cells do not recognise the antigens (self-antigens) on the outside of the healthy cells, and therefore treats them as foreign antigens, resulting in the production of autoantibodies against proteins on these healthy cells and tissues. Key details of the autoimmune diseases stated above and lupus are described and links to previously covered topics as well as to future topics such as the pancreas and nervous system are made. The students will be challenged by the numerous exam-style questions, all of which have mark schemes embedded into the PowerPoint to allow for immediate assessment of progress.

This lesson outlines how penicillin acts on bacteria and why antibiotics do not affect viruses. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 10.2 (a) of the CIE A-level Biology specification and also introduces the concept of bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics, as illustrated by penicillin and tetracycline. The lesson begins with an engaging task, where the students have to identify the surnames of famous scientists from their descriptions to reveal the surname Fleming. This introduces Sir Alexander Fleming as the microbiologist who discovered penicillin in 1928. Time is taken to describe penicillin as a group of antibiotics that contain a beta-lactam ring in their molecular structure. Using this information and their knowledge of bacterial cell structure from topic 1, the students have to complete a passage describing how penicillin inhibits the formation of cross links in cell wall synthesis. A series of exam-style questions are then used to make links to the upcoming topic of antibiotic resistance. The next part of the lesson focuses on the differences between bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics and the students will learn that penicillin is bactericidal as the weakening of the cell wall leads to lysis and death. Tetracycline is used as the example of a bacteriostatic antibiotic and students will discover that it is the prevention of the binding of tRNA that inhibits protein synthesis and that this reduction and prevention of growth and reproduction is synonymous with these antimicrobial agents. Students are challenged on their knowledge of translation and will also be given time for a class discussion to understand that these antibiotics work in tandem the body’s immune system to overcome the pathogen The final part of the lesson explains why antibiotics are ineffective against viruses.

This lesson outlines how bacteria become resistant to antiobiotics and discusses its consequences and the steps taken to reduce its impact. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover specification points 10.2 (b & c) of the CIE A-level Biology specification President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of the development of resistance by evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description to explain how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin, making use of the five key terms emphasised above. Moving forwards, there is a focus on the hospital as the common location for MRSA infections and students will recognise that this opportunistic pathogen can infect through open wounds to cause sepsis and potentially death. Figures from infections and deaths in hospitals in the US are used to increase the relevance and students will learn how a MRSA prevention program in VHA facilities includes screening of surgery patients to try to reduce its impact. The lesson concludes with a discussion about other methods that can be used by hospitals and general practitioners to reduce the impact of MRSA and to try to prevent the development of resistance in other strains.

This fully-resourced lesson compares the structure and ultrastructure of a prokaryotic cell against an eukaryotic cell. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 2.1.1 (k) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification and describes how the size and cell structures differ as well as the additional features that are found in some prokaryotic cells and briefly introduces binary fission. A clear understanding of terminology is important for A-level Biology so this lesson begins with a challenge, where the students have to come up with a 3-letter prefix that they believe will translate as before or in front of . This leads into the discovery of the meaning of prokaryote as before nucleus which acts to remind students that these types of cell lack this cell structure. Links to the previous lessons on the eukaryotic cells are made throughout the lesson and at this particular point, the students are asked to work out why the DNA would be described as naked and to state where it will be found in the cell. Moving forwards, the students will discover that these cells also lack membrane bound organelles and a quick quiz competition challenges them to identify the specific structure that is absent from just a single word. In addition to the naked DNA, students will learn that there are also ribosomes in the cytoplasm and will discover that these are smaller than those found in the cytoplasm of an eukaryotic cell (but the same size as those in chloroplasts and mitochondria). The remainder of the lesson focuses on the composition of the cell wall, the additional features of prokaryotic cells such as plasmids and there is also the introduction of binary fission as the mechanism by which these organisms reproduce so that students can recognise that these cells do not contain centrioles

This lesson describes the meaning of ecological terms and explains how biotic and abiotic factors control the distribution of organisms in a habitat. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 5.11, 5.12 and 5.13 in unit 4 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification and therefore cover the biological definitions of ecosystem, community, population and habitat. A quiz round called REVERSE Biology Bingo runs throughout the lesson and challenges students to recognise the following key terms from descriptions called out by the bingo caller: community ecosystem abiotic factor photosynthesis respiratory substrate biomass calorimetry distribution niche The ultimate aim of this quiz format is to support the students to understand that any sugars produced by photosynthesis that are not used as respiratory substrates are used to form biological molecules that form the biomass of a plant and that this can be estimated using calorimetry. Links are made to photosynthesis and net primary productivity as these will be met later in topic 5 as well as challenging their prior knowledge of adaptations, heterozygosity index classification and biological molecules. The final part of the lesson uses an exam-style question to get the students to recognise that biotic and abiotic factors control the distribution of organisms in a habitat and to recall the concept of niche.

This fully-resourced lesson describes the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression at a transcriptional level. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of point 6.1.1 (b) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that the students knowledge should include the lac operon and examples of transcription factors in eukaryotes. . This is one of the more difficult concepts in this A-level course and therefore key points are reiterated throughout this lesson to increase the likelihood of student understanding and to support them when trying to make links to actual biological examples in living organisms. There is a clear connection to transcription and translation as covered in module 2.1.3, so the lesson begins by reminding students that in addition to the structural gene in a transcription unit, there is the promotor region where RNA polymerase binds. Students are introduced to the idea of transcription factors and will understand how these molecules can activate or repress transcription by enabling or preventing the binding of the enzyme. At this point, students are challenged on their current understanding with a series of questions about DELLA proteins so they can see how these molecules prevent the binding of RNA polymerase. Their understanding is then tested again with another example with oestrogen and the ER receptor. The final and main section of the lesson focuses on the lac operon and immediately an opportunity is taken to challenge their knowledge of biological molecules with a task where they have to spot the errors in a passage describing the formation and breakdown of this disaccharide. Students will be able to visualise the different structures that are found in this operon and time is taken to go through the individual functions. A step by step guide is used to walk students through the sequence of events that occur when lactose is absent and when it is present before they are challenged to apply their understanding to an exam question.

This engaging lesson uses the example of resistant bacteria and the modern-day giraffe to describe how natural selection occurs. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 17.2 (a) of the CIE A-level Biology specification but also explains that genetic diversity is important for selection and therefore covers 17.1 (d) at the same time. President Trump’s error ridden speech about viruses antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students antibiotics are actually a treatment for bacterial infections. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions will initially introduce MRSA and then will show the students that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description that explains how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin. In doing so, they will see the principles of natural selection so they can be applied to different situations such as describing how the anatomy of the modern-day giraffe has evolved over time. The final part of the lesson introduces adaptations and convergent evolution and also links to the need for modern classification techniques which is covered later in topic 17.

An engaging and informative lesson presentation (30 slides) that looks at some of the uses of stem cells in medicine. The lesson begins by challenging the students to define some key terms such as undifferentiated which are associated with these cells. Moving forwards, students will look at the uses of embryonic stem cells including in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and for tests in drug trials. Students are challenged to consider for homework why the uses of these cells remains controversial. This lesson is designed for GCSE students

This engaging lesson looks at the role of haemoglobin in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide and compares the dissociation curves for foetal and adult haemoglobin. The detailed PowerPoint has been designed to cover points 3.1.2 (i & j) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes references to the role of carbonic anhydrase and the formation of haemoglobinic acid and carbaminohaemoglobin. 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. At this point, foetal haemoglobin and its differing affinity of oxygen is introduced and students are challenged to predict whether this affinity will be higher or lower than adult haemoglobin and to represent this on their dissociation curve. The remainder of the lesson looks at the different ways that carbon dioxide is transported around the body that involve haemoglobin. Time is taken to look at the dissociation of carbonic acid into hydrogen ions so that students can understand how this will affect the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen in an upcoming lesson on the Bohr effect. It is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of A-level teaching time to cover the detail of these two specification points as covered in this lesson

This lesson has been designed to cover the higher tier content of specification points 7.4 & 7.5 (The hormones involved in the stages of the menstrual cycle) which is found in topic 7 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. A wide range of activities will engage and motivate the students whilst the content is covered in detail and understanding checks are included at regular points to enable the students to self-assess their new found knowledge. Students will learn about the different stages of the menstrual cycle including menstruation and ovulation and will see how FSH, oestrogen, LH and progesterone interact to control these stages. This lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are taking the Edexcel GCSE Biology or Combined Science course but it is also suitable for younger students who are looking into this topic as part of the reproduction module

This detailed lesson describes the formation of polypeptides as well as the different levels of protein structures and links this to function. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.9 (ii) & (iii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification but also makes specific reference to genes and therefore covers the details of point 2.8 too. 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. The lesson concludes with one final task where the students have to identify three errors in a passage about the hydrolysis of a dipeptide or polypeptide.