This lesson describes how the immune system uses molecules on the surface of a cell to identify it, focusing on the identification of pathogens by their antigens. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources which are differentiated are part of the 1st lesson in the series of 7 that cover the content detailed in topic 2.4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. As this is the first lesson in topic 2.4, it has been specifically planned to introduce a number of key concepts which include phagocytosis, T and B cells, antibodies and memory cells so that students are prepared for upcoming lessons. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of cells to recall the common internal components of a cell before they are informed that all cells also have molecules on their outer membrane. Students will recognise that these molecules are used by the immune system for identification before a quick quiz competition reveals that this allows toxins, abnormal body cells and pathogens to be identified. Moving forwards, the next part of the lesson focuses on the antigens that are found on the outside of a pathogen and links are made to upcoming lesson topics which include: phagocytosis following the identification of a pathogen antigen-presentation by macrophages and dendritic cells production of antibodies which are specific to the antigens the use of antigens in a vaccination program The final task challenges the students to describe and explain how antigen variability will affect disease and disease prevention and this task has been differentiated two ways to allow students of differing abilities to be challenged and supported.

This lesson describes the key structural features of viruses and challenges the students to compare them against those of a bacteria as covered in topic 3. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have primarily been designed to cover point 6.5 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification but can be used a revision tool for point 3.4 as students need to recall the structures of a prokaryotic cell. Details of the COVID-19 epidemic are included in the lesson to increase relevance and to help students to understand this biological topic in greater depth. They will understand that a virus’ lack of cell structures results in an non-cellular classification and the fact that it is unable to reproduce without a host is one of the additional reasons that renders it as non-living. The main focus of the lesson is the nucleic acid, the capsid and the attachment proteins that are present in these microorganisms and time is taken to explain how these structures are involved in the infection of a host cell. The lipid membrane is also introduced and links are made to the previous lessons on eukaryotic cells. The final section of the lesson challenges the students to recognise the following prokaryotic cell structures from their descriptions: plasmid pili capsule cell wall flagellum circular DNA ribosomes mesosomes This lesson has been specifically planned to link to the next lesson which covers point 6.6 on the infection of human cells by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus

This fully-resourced lesson describes how Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency virus infect human cells. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 6.6 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and ties in directly with the previous lesson where the structure of bacteria and viruses were compared. The lesson begins by ensuring that students recognise that TB is caused by the infection of a species of bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and they will challenged to use their knowledge of scientific classification to recall that this pathogen is found in the mycobacteria genus. At this point, the students are told that the cell walls of this genus contain mycolic acids and later in the lesson they will have to work out that this specialist feature enables this pathogen to survive phagocytosis. A series of exam-style questions will challenge their knowledge of the respiratory and immune systems as they can understand how the bacterium travels to the alveoli where it is engulfed by a macrophage. Key terms like granuloma and necrosis are introduced and the sequence of events that occur following the formation of this aggregate of cells is described. The structure of viruses was covered during the previous lesson, so this next part of the lesson starts by challenging the students to recall the capsid, genetic material in the form of viral RNA and the lipid envelope. At this point, the students are introduced to gp120, the glycoprotein which is exposed on the surface of the lipid envelope, as this structure is critical for the entry of the virus into host cells. Students will annotate a basic diagram of HIV with these four structures which also has gp41 labelled. A quick quiz competition introduces the names of the enzymes found inside the capsid Moving forwards, the main task of this part of the lesson describes how HIV binds to the helper T cells, injects its capsid and integrates its DNA into the host’s genome in order to replicate to form virus particles (virions). Students are guided through the formation of a detailed answer about the mechanism of HIV and have to input key terms and structures where information is missing. Students will learn that the increase in the number of virus particles and a decrease in helper T cells and other immune cells results in infections like TB and by opportunistic pathogens and that this stage is recognised as AIDS

This fully-resourced lesson describes the relationship between the structure of the chloroplast and its role in the overall reaction of photosynthesis. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 5.5 & 5.9 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and provide a thorough introduction to the light-dependent and light-independent reactions which are covered in the next 3 lessons. Students will have some knowledge of photosynthesis from GCSE and were introduced to the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells in topics 3 and 4 so this lesson has been written to test and to build on that knowledge. A version of the quiz show POINTLESS runs throughout the lesson and this maintains engagement whilst challenging the students to recall the parts of the chloroplast based on a description which is related to their function. The following structures are covered in this lesson: double membrane thylakoids (grana) stroma intergranal lamellae starch grains chloroplast DNA and ribosomes Once each structure has been recalled (or introduced) , a range of activities are used to ensure that key details are understood. As the main focus of the lesson is the reaction of photosynthesis, extra time is taken to introduce the details of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions that take place in the grana and stroma respectively. This includes descriptions of the role of the thylakoid membranes in the light-dependent reactions and the importance of ATP and reduced NADP for the reduction of GP to GALP in the Calvin cycle of the light-independent reactions. Links to other related topics are also made throughout and this is exemplified by the final task of the lesson where students are challenged on their recall of the structure, properties and function of starch (as originally covered in topic 1) As described above, this lesson has been specifically planned to prepare students for the upcoming lessons that cover the details of specification points 5.7 & 5.8 (i) and (ii).

This lesson describes how the products of the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis are used by plants, animals and other organisms. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover point 5.8 (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification concerning the uses of GP and GALP but as the lesson makes continual references to biological molecules, it can act as a revision tool for a lot of the content of topic 1 and 2. The previous lesson described the light-independent reactions and this lesson builds on that understanding to demonstrate how the intermediates of the cycle, GP and GALP, are used. The start of the lesson challenges the students to identify two errors in a diagram of the cycle so that they can recall that most of the GALP molecules are used in the regeneration of ribulose bisphosphate. A quiz version of Pointless runs throughout the lesson and this is used to challenge the students to recall a biological molecule from its description. Once each molecule has been revealed, time is taken to go through the details of the formation and synthesis of this molecule from GALP or from GP in the case of fatty and amino acids. The following molecules are considered in detail during this lesson: glucose (and fructose and galactose) sucrose starch and cellulose glycerol and fatty acids amino acids nucleic acids A range of activities are used to challenge their prior knowledge of these molecules and mark schemes are always displayed for the exam-style questions to allow the students to assess their understanding. As detailed above, this lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the earlier lessons in this topic on the structure of the chloroplast and the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis

This lesson describes the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis as reduction of carbon dioxide using the products of the light-dependent reactions. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 5.8 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) specification and therefore describes carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle and the roles of GP, GALP, RuBP and RUBISCO). The lesson begins with an existing knowledge check where the students are challenged to recall the names of structures, substances and reactions from the light-dependent stage in order to reveal the abbreviations of the main 3 substances in the light-independent stage. This immediately introduces RuBP, GP and GALP and students are then shown how these substances fit into the cycle. The main section of the lesson focuses on the three phases of the Calvin cycle and time is taken to explore the key details of each phase and includes: The role of RUBISCO in carbon fixation The role of the products of the light-dependent stage, ATP and reduced NADP, in the reduction of GP to GALP The use of the majority of the GALP in the regeneration of RuBP A step-by-step guide, with selected questions for the class to consider together, is used to show how 6 turns of the cycle are needed to form the GALP that will then be used to synthesise 1 molecule of glucose. A series of exam-style questions are included at appropriate points of the lesson and this will introduce limiting factors as well as testing their ability to answer questions about this stage when presented with an unfamiliar scientific investigation. The mark schemes are included in the PowerPoint so students can assess their understanding and any misconceptions are immediately addressed. This lesson has been specifically written to tie in with the previous lessons on the structure of a chloroplast and the light-dependent reactions as well as the upcoming lesson on the products of the light-independent reactions.

This lesson describes the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, focusing on the link to the light-independent reactions. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the details included in point 5.7 of the Edexcel A-level Biology specification and therefore describes how light energy is trapped by exciting electrons in chlorophyll and the role of these electrons in generating ATP, reducing NADP in photophosphorylation and producing oxygen through photolysis of water. This is a topic which students tend to find difficult so this lesson has been intricately planned to walk them through each of the key reactions in the light-dependent stage. Time is taken to describe the roles of the major protein complexes that are embedded in the thylakoid membrane and this includes the two photosystems, the proton pump and ATP synthase. A series of exam-style questions have been written that link to other biological topics in this course such as cell structure and membrane transport as well as application questions to challenge them to apply their understanding. Some of these resources have been differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and to be pushed at the same time. Students will learn that there are two pathways that the electron can take from PSI and at the completion of the two tasks which describe each of these pathways, they will understand how ATP is generated in non-cyclic and cyclic fashion. The final task of the lesson asks them to compare these two forms of photophosphorylation to check that they understand when photolysis is involved and reduced NADP is formed. Due to the detail included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2.5 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to complete

This fully-resourced lesson describes the structure of HIV, its replication inside helper T cells and EXPLAINS how it causes the symptoms of AIDS. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 5th lesson in a series of 7 that cover the details of point 2.4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The structure of viruses was covered during the lessons in topic 2.1, so this lesson starts by challenging the students to recall the capsid, genetic material in the form of viral RNA and the lipid envelope. At this point, the students are introduced to gp120, the glycoprotein which is exposed on the surface of the lipid envelope, as this structure is critical for the entry of the virus into host cells. Students will annotate a basic diagram of HIV with these four structures which also has gp41 labelled. A quick quiz competition introduces the names of the enzymes found inside the capsid and the students will learn that integrase allows the viral DNA to be integrated into the host’s genome whilst reverse transcriptase catalyses the reaction to form DNA from RNA. A prior knowledge check challenges the students to identify the helper T cells from a description of their function and they are informed that these immune cells have the CD4 glycoprotein on their surface. Moving forwards, the main part of the lesson describes how HIV binds to the helper T cells, injects its capsid and integrates its DNA into the host’s genome in order to replicate to form virus particles (virions). Students are guided through the formation of a detailed answer about the mechanism of HIV and have to input key terms and structures where information is missing. Students will learn that the increase in the number of virus particles and a decrease in helper T cells and other immune cells results in infections like TB and by opportunistic pathogens and that this stage is recognised as AIDS The final part of the lesson challenges the students to explain why antibiotics are ineffective against viruses through a series of exam-style questions and the final task gets them to work as a class where they have to study the replication process once more to suggest drug actions that might be used to treat HIV

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 fully-resourced lesson describes how antibodies are used in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the last lesson in a series of 7 which have been designed to cover the details within point 2.4 of the AQA A-level specification. As the last lesson in this sub-topic, prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson which challenge the students on their knowledge of antibodies, immunity and protein structure. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use the details of a poster to recognise that individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 could donate plasma and the antibodies be infused into newly infected individuals. They are then expected to answer a series of exam-style questions where they have to describe the structure of these specific antibodies, recognise this as artificial, passive immunity and describe the potential problems should the virus mutate and the shape of its antigens change. This leads into the introduction of the use of antibodies in other ways, namely the ELISA test. The methodology of this test has been divided into four key steps which students will consider one at a time and then answer further questions about key details such as the immobilisation of the antigen and the removal of proteins and antibodies that have not bound by the washing with the detergent after each step. The lesson focuses on the use of this test for medical diagnosis but other uses such as plant pathology and the detection of allergens is briefly introduced at the end of the lesson.

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 fully-resourced lesson describes the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the functions of the different cellular components. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.1 (g) & (i) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and therefore also describes the interrelationship between the organelles involved in the production and secretion of proteins. As cells are the building blocks of living organisms, it makes sense that they would be heavily involved in all 6 modules in the OCR course and intricate planning has ensured that links to the lessons earlier in module 2.1.1 are made as well as to the upcoming modules. The lesson uses a wide range of activities, that include exam-style questions, class discussion points and quick quiz competitions, to maintain motivation and engagement whilst describing the relationship between the structure and function of the following organelles: nucleus nucleolus centrioles ribosomes rough endoplasmic reticulum Golgi apparatus lysosomes smooth endoplasmic reticulum mitochondria cell surface membrane vacuole chloroplasts plasmodesmata Details of the cilia and flagella are covered in the lesson on the importance of the cytoskeleton. All of the worksheets have been differentiated to support students of differing abilities whilst maintaining challenge Due to the detail that is included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 3 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to go through all of the tasks

This lesson describes how to use and manipulate the magnification formula to calculate the magnification or the actual size in a range of units. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.1.1 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and contains a number of quiz rounds as part of the competition that runs throughout all of the module 2.1.1 lessons The students are likely to have met the magnification formula at GCSE so this lesson has been written to build on that knowledge and to support them with more difficult questions when they have to calculate actual size without directly being given the magnification. A step by step guide is used to walk the students through the methodology and useful tips are provided. Students could be asked to calculate the actual size in millimetres, micrometres, nanometres or picometres so time is taken to ensure that they can convert between one and another.

This fully-resourced lesson describes how light and electron microscopy can be used to observe cells and cell structures. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of points 2.1.1 (a) & (f) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and also describes the difference between magnification and resolution As this is likely to be one of the very first lessons that students cover in their A-level studies, it’s important to maintain motivation from the off whilst covering the detailed and important content of microscope studies. In line with this, all of the lessons in module 2.1.1 (cell structure) have an ongoing quiz competition where points can be won in rounds that introduced key terms and values. A quiz scoresheet is included within the resources so that the teacher can keep track of the scores over the 7 lessons in the module and the winning team can be revealed at the end of the last lesson. In this lesson, the quiz rounds are interspersed between a range of tasks which cover the following content: The use of the light microscope to observe cells The total magnification as a product of the power of the eyepiece and objective lens An introduction to the importance of staining The difference between magnification and resolution The use of the TEM The use of the SEM Due to the detail included in this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of allocated A-level teaching time to cover the content

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 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 describes the roles of enzymes in catalysing both intracellular and extracellular reactions and the mechanism of enzyme action. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1.4 (a, b & c) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and includes descriptions of Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis and Koshland’s induced-fit model as well as a focus on catalase and the digestive enzymes as intracellular and extracellular enzymes respectively. The lesson has been specifically planned to tie in with module 2.1.2 where protein structure and globular proteins were covered. This prior knowledge is tested through a series of exam-style questions along with current understanding and mark schemes are included in the PowerPoint so that students can assess their answers. Students will learn that enzymes are large globular proteins which contain an active site that consists of a small number of amino acids. Emil Fischer’s lock and key hypothesis is introduced to enable students to recognise that their specificity is the result of an active site that is complementary in shape to a single type of substrate. Time is taken to discuss key details such as the control of the shape of the active site by the tertiary structure of the protein. The induced-fit model is described so students can understand how the enzyme-susbtrate complex is stabilised and then students are challenged to order the sequence of events in an enzyme-controlled reaction. The final part of the lesson focuses on intracellular and extracellular enzymes. The students are challenged on their recall of the roles of DNA helicase and polymerase in DNA replication before they are challenged on their ability to apply their knowledge and understanding to an unfamiliar situation with questions about catalase and its role in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The lesson concludes with one further set of exam-style questions that challenge their knowledge of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins from module 2.1.3 as they have to recognise some extracellular digestive enzymes from descriptions of their substrates.