This lesson describes the structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 4th lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. This lesson focuses on the functions and the structural similarities and differences between a sensory and motor neurone. Students will be introduced to key structures like the cell body, axon and dendrites and learn how they differ in these two peripheral nervous system neurones. They will also learn about the myelin sheath and will be challenged to use a data table to recognise that myelinated neurones conduct impulses faster than unmyelinated neurones. There is a brief explanation about the jumping action of the impulse between the nodes of Ranvier to enable this faster conduction. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The somatic nervous system #9 The autonomic nervous system #10 The fight or flight response #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This concise lesson describes the function of the cerebellum. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 3rd lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. In the previous lesson, the students were introduced to the function of the lobes of the cerebral cortex and so the initial task challenges them to use that knowledge to learn the name of the cerebellum. The students will be able to locate this structure on a diagram. Moving forwards, the function of this brain structure as controlling balance, posture and fine movement is introduced and real life examples are given. As this is the last lesson on brain structure, the final part of the lesson uses a BLOCKBUSTERS quiz to challenge their understanding of the content of the first 3 lessons of this topic. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The somatic nervous system #9 The autonomic nervous system #10 The fight or flight response #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This lesson describes the structure and localised function of the frontal, occipital, temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebrum. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 2nd lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. In the previous lesson, the students were introduced to the cerebrum as two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum. This lesson builds on this by introducing the cerebral cortex as the outer layer which is divided into four lobes in each hemisphere. A series of quizzes are used throughout the lesson to introduce key terms in an engaging and (hopefully) memorable way, and through one quiz, the students will discover the names of the 4 lobes and recognise where they are located. Moving forward, students will learn about the function of each lobe, including the localised function of the motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory, Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The somatic nervous system #9 The autonomic nervous system #10 The fight or flight response #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This lesson focuses on the organisation of the nervous system into the CNS and the several divisions of the PNS. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource are part of the 1st lesson in a series of 17 lessons that cover the details of the brain and neuropsychology topic of the AQA GCSE Psychology specification. This lesson has been designed to act as an introduction to the topic to allow students to understand how the brain and spinal cord (as part of the CNS) and the SNS and ANS (as part of the PNS) fit into the organisation of the system. The functions of each part are briefly introduced to give an understanding that can then be built upon in future lessons in the topic. The students will learn that the main part of the brain is the cerebrum and that this organ is divided into hemispheres. They’ll learn that the brain is connected to the other part of the CNS, the spinal cord, by the brain stem, and that these nerves are responsible for conducting impulses between the brain and the rest of the body. The differences between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems are introduced before a worksheet task challenges the students to recognise which responses are brought about by the SNS and which by the ANS. This topic of the brain and neuropsychology has proved particularly difficult for the students in recent years, so I have taken time to analyse the lesson sequencing. There’s a lot of content to absorb and to understand before moving onto the next part, so I’ve tried to ensure that cross topics links and prior knowledge checks run throughout the lessons. I have organised the lessons to run through the biology content first before moving onto the psychology parts as shown by the 17 lessons below: #1 Organisation of the nervous system #2 The structure and function of the cerebral lobes #3 The cerebellum #4 The structure and function of the sensory and motor neurones #5 The relay neurones #6 Synaptic transmission #7 Excitation and inhibition at the synapse #8 The somatic nervous system #9 The autonomic nervous system #10 The fight or flight response #11 James-Lange theory of emotion #12 James-Lange theory of emotion part 2 #13 Penfield’s study of the interpretative index #14 Hebb’s theory of learning and neuronal growth #15 An introduction to neuropsychology #16 Brain scanning techniques #17 Tulving’s gold memory study

This lesson focuses on the key terms associated with ecosystems and describes how populations are affected by a range of factors. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the 1st lesson in a series of 4 lessons that cover the details of point 7.4 of the AQA A-level Biology specification As shown in the cover image, a modified version of the quiz competition BLOCKBUSTERS runs throughout the lesson and this introduces new terms as well as challenging students to recall key terms that were encountered in previous topics. These include population, ecosystems, competition, niche, abiotic factors and carrying capacity. Each time a term is met, time is taken to describe its meaning and to explain its relevance and context in this topic of populations in ecosystems. Exam-style questions are also used to challenge the students to apply their understanding and displayed mark schemes allow them to assess their progress. Prior knowledge checks interspersed within the lesson which check on topics such as the nitrogen cycle, adaptations and the biological classification of a species

This lesson describes how to investigate the distribution and abundance of organisms and how to estimate the numbers of a species in a habitat. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the first lesson in a series of two lessons which have been designed to cover the details of point B6.1a of the OCR GCSE Biology specification. This first lesson focuses on the use of a quadrat to estimate population size as well as belt transects to consider distribution. Step by step guides are used throughout the lesson to model the workings required in the calculations. This includes the use of a 1 metre squared quadrat as well as other areas. Once a method has been modelled, the students are challenged with a series of exam questions and mark schemes are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to self-assess.

This lesson explains that velocity is speed in a stated direction and then describes how to use the distance and time to calculate speed. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.5 & 2.6 of the Edexcel GCSE Physics & Combined Science specifications. The lesson begins with a prior knowledge check, where the students are challenged to use their understanding of the last lesson on scalar and vector quantities to complete a definition about velocity. This vector quantity is involved in the calculation of acceleration, momentum and in an equation of motion and this is briefly introduced to the students. Moving forwards, they are challenged to recall the equation to calculate speed that should have been met at KS3 as well as in Maths. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the use of this equation as well as rearrangements to change the subject. A series of step by step guides are used to model the workings required in these calculations and then the students have to apply their understanding to a series of exam questions. Mark schemes for each of the questions are embedded in the PowerPoint and the question worksheet has been differentiated two ways to provide assistance to students who are finding it difficult.

This lesson describes the key difference between scalar and vector quantities and introduces examples of physical factors that fit into each group. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover points 2.1 - 2.4 of the Edexcel GCSE Physics and Combined Science specifications. The lesson begins with an introduction of the fact that some quantities are scalar and some are vector. A quick competition is used to introduce the key term, magnitude, and students will learn that scalar quantities such as speed have a size but are missing something else. A guided discussion period then challenges them to consider what that missing element might be, and this leads into the completion of the scalar definition. The next task then challenges the students to use this completed definition to write a similar one for a vector quantity. They will learn that velocity is a vector due to its magnitude and specific direction and then a series of exam questions are used to challenge their current understanding in terms of changes in speed and velocity at a crossroads. The mark scheme for each of the questions is embedded into the PowerPoint. The remainder of the lesson uses another competition to introduce acceleration, momentum, energy, force, mass and weight as scalar or vector quantities and the students are challenged one final time as they have to explain why weight is an example of a vector quantity.

This lesson introduces and explains the meaning of 11 key terms associated with the genetic inheritance topic. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 6.1.6 of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification and include explanations of genome, chromosome, gene, allele, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype, dominant, recessive and gamete. The key term, genome, was met earlier in topic 6 so the lesson begins with a knowledge retrieval with the definition for this term. As the genome is the entire DNA of an organism, the next task challenges the students to identify three errors in a passage about DNA. This challenges their recall of the structure of this chemical as a double helix, its location in an eukaryotic cell in the nucleus and an understanding that the gene codes for the sequence of amino acids in a specific protein. This leads into discussions about chromosomes and genes and time is taken to explain that homologous chromosomes have the same genes at the exact same gene loci. The students will learn that alternative forms of the gene (alleles) can be found at these loci and that these structures explain the differences in inherited characteristics. Moving forwards, the main section of the lesson describes the link between the dominant and recessive alleles, homozygous and heterozygous genotypes, and the physical expression as the phenotype. The final key term is gamete, and the students are challenged to recognise a definition for this term using their knowledge of meiosis. Two progress and understanding checks complete the lesson and check on the students’ ability to recognise and write definitions for these 11 terms and to use them accurately in a written description

This lesson explains the meaning of 11 key terms associated with the genetic inheritance topic and challenges the students to use them in context. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 6.1.6 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification and include explanations of genome, chromosome, gene, allele, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype, dominant, recessive and gamete. The key term, genome, was met earlier in topic 6 so the lesson begins with a knowledge retrieval with the definition for this term. As the genome is the entire DNA of an organism, the next task challenges the students to identify three errors in a passage about DNA. This leads into discussions about chromosomes and genes and time is taken to explain that homologous chromosomes have the same genes at the exact same gene loci. The students will learn that alternative forms of the gene (alleles) can be found at these loci and that these structures explain the differences in inherited characteristics. Moving forwards, the main section of the lesson describes the link between the dominant and recessive alleles, homozygous and heterozygous genotypes, and the physical expression as the phenotype. The final key term is gamete, and the students are challenged to recognise a definition for this term using their knowledge of meiosis. Two progress and understanding checks complete the lesson and check on the students’ ability to recognise and write definitions for these 11 terms and to use them accurately in a written description

This lesson describes how the alveoli are adapted for gas exchange by diffusion between the air in the lungs and the blood capillaries. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource are part of the second lesson in a series of 2 which have been designed to cover the content of point 8.2 & 8.3 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology and Combined Science specifications. During the 1st lesson in this series, the students were shown how to calculate the surface area to volume ratio and so this lesson begins by challenging them to recall that the larger the organism, the smaller the ratio. This is done through the PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT format as shown in the cover picture, and leads into the key idea that complex multicellular organisms like humans have developed a range of different adaptations to increase this ratio at their exchange surfaces. Moving forwards, time is taken to consider and discuss how the following adaptations of the alveoli affect the rate of diffusion: large surface area lining of the alveoli consisting of a single layer of flattened cells maintenance of a steep concentration gradient Each feature is related to diffusion and current understanding and prior knowledge checks are used to allow the students to assess their progress and to challenge them to make links to other topics of the course. All exam questions have mark schemes embedded into the PowerPoint

This lesson describes the key steps involved in transcription, the 1st stage of protein synthesis. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource are part of the first lesson in a series of 2 lessons which have been designed to cover the content of point 3.8 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. According to the specification, the students are expected to know this process in considerable detail, and the lesson has been planned to reflect this. In a previous lesson in topic 3, the students were introduced to the definition of a gene as a section of a DNA molecule that codes for the sequence of amino acids in a protein. They will learn that this represents coding DNA, so time is then taken to explain that not all DNA codes for proteins and that there are sections of non-coding DNA located in front and behind each gene. This is vital information as it leads into the start of the process, where the binding of RNA polymerase to a section of non-coding DNA located in front of the gene is the trigger for the start of transcription of that particular gene. Moving forwards, a step by step guide describes the key steps which include the lining up of the RNA nucleotides against the exposed bases and the formation of mRNA through the reactions catalysed by RNA polymerase. Students are given key details of RNA nucleotides, specifically the inclusion of uracil bases, and an understanding check challenges them to determine the sequence of RNA bases that will line up against a template strand. These current understanding checks along with prior knowledge checks are found throughout the lesson to allow the students to assess their progress and to challenge them to make links to previous lessons.

This lesson uses step by step guides to describe how to calculate the surface area to volume ratio. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the first lesson in a series of 2 lessons which have been designed to cover the detail of points 8.2 and 8.3 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. The calculation of the SA/V ratio can be an area of the course that students find difficult so this lesson breaks the calculation into parts to guide them through each step. The students are shown how to calculate the surface area, then the volume and then how to express the answer of the division calculation as a ratio against 1. After each step, the students are given the opportunity to apply their understanding and all questions have mark schemes with full workings embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to self-assess. Students also tend to struggle to see the relevance to Biology so the remainder of the lesson involves the calculation of the ratio for the alveoli in the human body. Students will discover that the surface area to volume ratio is significantly increased in these gas exchange surfaces which leads into the upcoming lesson on the adaptations of the alveoli to overcome the overall low ratio in larger organisms.

This lesson explains how the complete combustion of hydrocarbons produces carbon dioxide and water and explains how write equations to represent these reactions. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the second lesson in a series of 2 which have been designed to cover the detail in point 7.1.3 of the AQA GCSE Chemistry & Combined Science specifications. As shown in the cover picture, the lesson starts with a challenge where the students have to recognise the key term combustion from its suffix and a brief definition. Moving forwards, students will discover that the combustion of hydrocarbons releases energy and during this reaction, the carbon and hydrogen are oxidised. Time is taken to emphasise that sufficient oxygen needs to be present for complete combustion to occur and that if the supply is plentiful then carbon dioxide and water will be produced. The main part of the lesson uses a step by step guide to show students how to write word equations and balanced symbol equations for these reactions, before they are challenged to apply their understanding to write their own. All of the exam questions have mark schemes embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to self-assess. The final part of the lesson uses an internet article about carbon monoxide poisoning to introduce that this toxic gas can be produced when oxygen is insufficient.

This lesson introduces the alkanes as a group of hydrocarbons and explains how to draw their displayed formula and work out the general formula. The PowerPoint is part of the second lesson in a series of 2 which have been designed to cover point 7.1.1 of the AQA GCSE Chemistry & Combined Science specifications. The students were introduced to crude oil and hydrocarbons in the previous lesson so this one begins by introducing the fact that most of the hydrocarbons in crude oil are alkanes. The students are challenged to recall that covalent bonds will hold hydrogen and carbon together and they will learn that every carbon atom has four covalent bonds. This fact is used in the step by step guide as they are shown how to draw the displayed formula for methane. Moving forwards, a quick competition is used to introduce the next three members of the group in ethane, propane and butane, and the students have to apply their understanding by drawing the formula to find the molecular formula. The general formula for the alkanes is determined and then a series of exam questions will challenge them to apply this to work out numbers of carbon or hydrogen atoms or to write a formula.

This lesson describes the size and mass of atoms and describes the relative mass and electrical charge of the subatomic particles. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the first lesson in a series of 3 that has been designed to cover specification points 1.1.4 - 1.1.6 of the AQA GCSE Chemistry & Combined Science specifications. The lesson begins by introducing giga as a prefix of size and this leads into a task where the students have to order the other prefixes from largest to smallest. This introduces the nanometre and students will learn the size of the radius of an atom is 0.1nm. Time is taken to compare this size against that of a football and a human egg cell to try to put this atom radius into context. Moving forwards, the term “subatomic particles” is introduced and the students are challenged to recall the names of the three types along with their location within the atom from their lessons on the development of the atomic model earlier in topic 1. They are told that most of atom’s mass is in the nucleus and therefore can work out the protons and neutrons have much higher relative masses than electrons. They will also learn the relative electrical charges of the particles and are challenged to use this to state the overall charge of an atom and the nucleus. There is a considerable amount of Maths written into this lesson including the use of standard form and conversion between units and step by step guides are used to support the students with this work

This lesson describes the role of meiotic cell division, including a detailed explanation of how 4 genetically unidentical daughter cells are formed. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 3.3 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology and Combined Science specifications. The students covered the mitotic cell cycle in topic 2 and their knowledge of this type of cell division is utilised throughout the lesson to help with the understanding of this cycle. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall the meaning of diploid and they will learn that the parent cell at the start of the meiotic cell cycle is a diploid cell. Time is taken to remind them of the events of interphase and then the lessons focuses on the 2 sets of division in meiosis which produces four haploid daughter cells. The identity of these cells as gametes is emphasised. The final part of the lesson uses a series of exam questions to challenge the students on their understanding of the cycle and the mark schemes are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.

This lesson describes how the structure of the heart and the circulatory system is related to its function. The PowerPoint lesson and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the detail of point 8.8 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology and Combined Science specifications and includes descriptions of the role of the major blood vessels, the heart valves, and the relative thickness of the chamber walls. The lesson starts with an extract from Friends and challenges the students to recognise that full sized aortic pumps is a thesaurus version of big hearts. This reiterates the basic function of the heart that was met at KS2 and KS3 and moving forwards, the students will learn that it is the contraction of the cardiac muscle in the walls of the four heart chambers that allows this to happen. Students are provided with a diagram throughout the lesson which will be annotated as new structures are encountered and they begin by labelling the two atria and ventricles. The focus of the lesson is the relationship between structure and function so time is taken to consider the different roles of the atria and ventricles, as well as the right ventricle versus the left ventricle. Students will be able to observe from their diagram that the left ventricle has the thickest wall and they will be challenged to explain why later in the lesson once more detailed knowledge has been added. The next part of the lesson introduces the pulmonary artery and vein and a task challenges the students to consider the relationship between the heart and the lungs, and their prior knowledge of the adaptations of the alveoli is also tested. The remainder of the lesson discusses the double circulatory system and the heart valves. Understanding checks are found throughout the lesson and mark schemes are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.

This lesson describes the meaning of the terms stroke volume and heart rate and explains how to use them to calculate the cardiac output. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of specification point 8.12 of the Edexcel GCSE Biology & Combined Science specifications. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of the structure of the heart chambers to identify the one which has the most muscular wall. Their discussions should lead to the left ventricle and following the introduction of the key term stroke volume using a quick quiz competition, they will learn that this factor is the volume of blood pumped out of the left ventricle each heart beat. Another competition introduces the normative values for stroke volume and the resting heart rate and then the students are challenged to use the provided equation to calculate the cardiac output and to write a definition for this factor using their current understanding. The remainder of the lesson considers how these three factors change during exercise and they are challenged to apply their understanding through a series of exam questions. This worksheet is differentiated two ways and the mark scheme is embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.