A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
This fully-resourced REVISION lesson has been designed to enable the students to challenge their knowledge of the content of topic 16 (Inherited change) of the CIE A-level Biology specification. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated worksheets will motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content and identify any areas which may require further attention.
The wide range of activities have been written to cover as much of the topic as possible but the following specification points have been given particular focus:
Homologous pairs of chromosomes
The meanings of haploid and diploid
The behaviour of chromosomes in meiosis
Crossing over and random assortment as causes of genetic variation
The use of key genetic terminology
The use of genetic diagrams to solve problems including autosomal and sex-linkage, dihybrid inheritance and gene interactions
The use of the chi-squared test
Gene mutations
Genetic control of protein production in prokaryotes
Gibberellins and how they cause the breakdown of DELLA proteins
Due to the extensiveness of this resource, it is likely that it will take a number of lessons to go through all of the activities
This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at examples of stabilising, directional and disruptive selection as the three main types of selection. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 1st part of point 6.1.2 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the factors that affect the evolution of a species.
The lesson begins by making a link to a topic from module 4 as the students are challenged to use the mark, release, recapture method to calculate numbers of rabbits with different coloured fur in a particular habitat. Sketch graphs are then constructed to show the changes in the population size in this example. A quick quiz competition is used to engage the students whilst introducing the names of the three main types of selection before a class discussion point encourages the students to recognise which specific type of selection is represented by the rabbits. Key terminology including intermediate and extreme phenotypes and selection pressure are used to emphasise their importance during explanations. A change in the environment of the habitat and a change in the numbers of the rabbits introduces directional selection before students will be given time to discuss and to predict the shape of the sketch graph for disruptive selection. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge in the final task of the lesson by choosing the correct type of selection when presented with details of a population and answer related questions.
This lesson has been designed to tie in with another uploaded lesson on genetic drift which covers the second part of this specification point.
This engaging and fully-resourced lesson looks at how genetic drift can arise after a genetic bottleneck or as a result of the Founder effect. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 6.1.2 (e) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the factors that affect the evolution of a species.
A wide range of examples are used to show the students how a population that descends from a small number of parents will have a reduction in genetic variation and a change in the frequency of existing alleles. Students are encouraged to discuss new information to consider key points and understanding checks in a range of forms are used to enable them to check their progress and address any misconceptions. Students are provided with three articles on Huntington’s disease in South Africa, the Caribbean lizards and the plains bison to understand how either a sharp reduction in numbers of a new population beginning from a handful of individuals results in a small gene pool. Links to related topics are made throughout the lesson to ensure that a deep understanding is gained.
This lesson has been designed to tie in with another uploaded lesson on types of selection which is part of this specification point
This fully-resourced lesson looks at the contribution of environmental and genetic factors to phenotypic variation. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover point 6.1.2 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of how mutations and meiosis and the lack of availability of ions can cause variation within a species.
Students are challenged at the start of the lesson to recognise the terms phenotype and species from their definitions in order to begin a discussion on the causes of the phenotypic variation within a species. Moving forwards, students will recall that mutations are the primary source of genetic variation and time is taken to look at the effect of gene and chromosome mutations. Gene mutations were covered earlier in module 6 so these tasks act as a prior knowledge check as students have to recognise the different types of gene mutations and explain their effects on the primary structure with reference to the genetic code. These prior knowledge checks are found throughout the lesson and challenge the knowledge of other topics that include photosynthesis and meiosis. The karyotype of an individual who has Down syndrome is used to introduce chromosome mutations and students will be introduced to the different types, with a focus on non-disjunction. The key events of meiosis that produce variation (crossing over and independent assortment) are explored and students will be given a mathematical formula to use to calculate the number of chromosome combinations in gametes and in the resulting zygote. The final part of the lesson looks at chlorosis and how an environmental factor can prevent the express of a gene.
If you would like a lesson that goes into chromosome mutations in even greater detail, please search for the uploaded lesson on that topic which complements this lesson
This fully-resourced lesson explores how new species arise when changes in the gene pool of two populations prevents members from interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the fifth part of point 7.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe allopatric and sympatric speciation.
The lesson begins by using the example of a hinny, which is the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, to challenge students to recall the biological classification of a species. Moving forwards, students are introduced to the idea of speciation and the key components of this process, such as isolation and selection pressures, are covered and discussed in detail. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson to allow the students to not only assess their progress against the current topic but also to make links to earlier topics in the specification. Time is taken to look at the details of allopatric speciation and how the different mutations that arise in the isolated populations and genetic drift will lead to genetic changes. The example of allopatric speciation in wrasse fish because of the isthmus of Panama is used to allow the students to visualise this process. The final part of the lesson considers sympatric speciation and again a wide variety of tasks are used to enable a deep understanding to be developed.
Each of the 4 lessons which are included in this bundle are fully-resourced and have been designed to cover the content as detailed in topic 6.2 (Nervous coordination) of the AQA A-Level Biology specification. The specification points that are covered within these lessons include:
The structure of a myelinated motor neurone
The establishment of a resting potential
Depolarisation
All or nothing principle
Factors affecting the speed of conductance
The lessons have been written to include a wide range of activities and numerous understanding and prior knowledge checks so students can assess their progress against the current topic as well as be challenged to make links to other topics within this module and earlier modules
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the saltatory conduction lesson which is free
This lesson focuses on the degenerate nature of the genetic code and explains how a mutation may not result in a change to the sequence of amino acids. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the first part of point 4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and it makes links to the upcoming lesson on gene mutations.
The lesson begins by introducing the terms near universal and non-overlapping in addition to degenerate. A quick quiz competition is used to generate the number 20 so that the students can learn that there are 20 proteinogenic amino acids in the genetic code. This leads into a challenge, where they have to use their prior knowledge of DNA to calculate the number of different DNA triplets (64) and the mismatch in number is then discussed and related back to the lesson topic. Moving forwards, base substitutions and base deletions are briefly introduced so that they can see how although one substitution can change the primary structure, another will change the codon but not the encoded amino acid. The lesson concludes with a brief look at the non-overlapping nature of the code so that the impact of a base deletion (or insertion) can be understood when covered in greater detail in topic 8.
This lesson has been specifically designed to tie in with the other lessons from topic 4.3 on gene mutations, chromosome mutations and meiosis.
This fully-resourced lesson focuses on the role of meiosis in ensuring genetic variation through the production of non-identical gametes. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover point 3.9 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification which states that students should be able to describe how crossing over and independent assortment result in genetically unidentical daughter cells.
In order to understand how the events of meiosis like crossing over and random assortment and independent segregation can lead to variation, students need to be clear in their understanding that DNA replication in interphase results in homologous chromosomes as pairs of sister chromatids. Therefore the beginning of the lesson focuses on the chromosomes in the parent cell and this first part of the cycle and students will be introduced to non-sister chromatids and the fact that they may contain different alleles which is important for the exchange that occurs during crossing over. Time is taken to go through this event in prophase I in a step by step guide so that the students can recognise that the result can be new combinations of alleles that were not present in the parent cell. Moving forwards, the lesson explores how the independent segregation of chromosomes and chromatids during anaphase I and II results in genetically different gametes. The final part of the lesson looks at the use of a mathematical expression to calculate the possible combinations of alleles in gametes as well as in a zygote following the random fertilisation of haploid gametes. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are interspersed throughout the lesson as well as a series of exam questions which challenge the students to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations.
This lesson focuses on the nature of the genetic code and specifically focuses on the degenerate nature to make a link to gene mutations which is covered later in topic 2. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 2.7 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification which states that students should understand how the descriptive terms triplet code, degenerate and non-overlapping relate to the genetic code.
The lesson begins by introducing the terms near universal and non-overlapping in addition to degenerate. A quick quiz competition is used to generate the number 20 so that the students can learn that there are 20 proteinogenic amino acids in the genetic code. This leads into a challenge, where they have to use their prior knowledge of DNA to calculate the number of different DNA triplets (64) and the mismatch in number is then discussed and related back to the lesson topic. Moving forwards, substitutions and deletions are briefly introduced so that they can see how although one substitution can change the primary structure, another will change the codon but not the encoded amino acid. The lesson concludes with a brief look at the non-overlapping nature of the code so that the impact of a base deletion can be understood when covered in greater detail with cystic fibrosis
This fully-resourced lesson covers the meaning of the 9 genetic terms that are detailed in point 2.13 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification as well as four other key terms which will need to be used later in topic 2, 3 and 8.
In the following lessons, students are expected to be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of genetic diagrams and phenotypic ratios to show patterns of inheritance and this is only possible with a clear understanding of the genetic terminology that will be used in related exam questions. As some of these terms were met at GCSE, this lesson has been designed to build on this prior knowledge and provide clear explanations as to their meanings as well as numerous examples of their use in both questions and exemplary answers. The main task provides the students with an opportunity to apply their understanding by recognising a dominance hierarchy in a multiple alleles characteristic and then calculating a phenotypic ratio when given a completed genetic diagram. Other tasks include prior knowledge checks, discussion points to encourage students to consider the implementation of the genetic terms and quiz competitions to introduce new terms, maintain engagement and act as an understanding check.
The 13 terms are genome, gene, chromosome, gene locus, homologous chromosomes, alleles, dominant, recessive, genotype, phenotype, homozygotes and heterozygotes
This is a fully-resourced lesson which looks at the inheritance of genes that are carried on the sex chromosomes in sex-linkage. Students will explore sex-linked diseases in humans and then are challenged to apply their knowledge to examples in other animals. The detailed PowerPoint and associated resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 3.8 (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology (Salters Nuffield) specification which states that students should understand sex-linkage.
Key genetic terminology is used throughout and the lesson begins with a check on their ability to identify the definition of homologous chromosomes. Students will recall that the sex chromosomes are not fully homologous and that the smaller Y chromosome lacks some of the genes that are found on the X. This leads into one of the numerous discussion points, where students are encouraged to consider whether females or males are more likely to suffer from sex-linked diseases. In terms of humans, the lesson focuses on haemophilia and red-green colour blindness and a step-by-step guide is used to demonstrate how these specific genetic diagrams should be constructed and how the phenotypes should then be interpreted. The final tasks of the lesson challenge the students to apply their knowledge to a question about chickens and how the rate of feather production in chicks can be used to determine gender.
This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover point 8.4 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification that states that students should know the structures and function of synapses in nerve impulse transmission. The majority of the lesson uses the cholinergic synapse as the example but other neurotransmitters are considered to provide the students with a wider view of this topic and to make links to specification point 8.15
The lesson begins by using a version of the WALL (as shown in the cover image) which asks the students to group 12 words into three groups of 4. Not only will this challenge their prior knowledge from topics earlier in this module but it will also lead to the discovery of four of the structures that are found in a synapse. Moving forwards, students are introduced to aectylcholine as the neurotransmitter involved at cholinergic synapses and they will start to add labels to the structures found in the pre-synaptic bulb. Time is taken to focus on certain structures such as the voltage gated channels as these types of channel were met previously when looking at the depolarisation of a neurone. There is plenty of challenge and discovery as students are pushed to explain why organelles like mitochondria would be found in large numbers in the bulb. With this process being a cascade of events, a bullet point format is used to ensure that the key content is taken in by the students and again key points like exocytosis and the action of acetylcholinesterase are discussed further. The final part of the lesson challenges the application aspect of the specification as students are introduced to unfamiliar situations in terms of synapses with new drugs like MDMA and are asked to work out and explain how these affect the nervous transmission.
Understanding checks and prior knowledge checks are included throughout the lesson so that students can not only assess their progress against the current topic but also see whether they can make links to earlier topics.
This fully-resourced lesson guides students through the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equation to see whether a change in allele frequency is occurring in a population over time. The detailed PowerPoint and differentiated practice questions worksheets have been designed to cover point 4.5 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification which expects students to be able to use this mathematical equation
The lesson begins by looking at the equation and ensuring that students understand the meaning of each of the terms. The recessive condition, cystic fibrosis, is used as an example so that students can start to apply their knowledge and assess whether they understand which genotypes go with which term. Moving forwards, a step-by-step guide is used to show students how to answer a question. Tips are given during the guide so that common misconceptions and mistakes are addressed immediately. The rest of the lesson gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a set of 3 questions, which have been differentiated so that all abilities are able to access the work and be challenged
This fully-resourced lesson looks at how errors in DNA replication can give rise to gene mutations and then links to an earlier topic by exploring how these base changes can affect the primary structure of a polypeptide. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 2.12 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and constantly refers back to points 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9 which detail the genetic code, genes and the structure of proteins.
In order to understand how a change in the base sequence can affect the order of the amino acids, students must be confident in their understanding and application of protein synthesis which was taught in 2.6. Therefore, the start of the lesson focuses on transcription and translation and students are guided through the use of the codon table to identify amino acids. Moving forwards, a quick quiz competition is used to introduce the names of three types of gene mutation whilst challenging the students to recognise terms which are associated with the genetic code and were met in the previous lesson. The main focus of the lesson is base substitutions and how these mutations may or may not cause a change to the amino acid sequence. The students are challenged to use their knowledge of the degenerate nature of the genetic code to explain how a silent mutation can result. The rest of the lesson looks at base deletions and base insertions and students are introduced to the idea of a frameshift mutation. One particular task challenges the students to evaluate the statement that base deletions have a bigger impact on primary structure than base substitutions. This is a differentiated task and they have to compare the fact that the reading frame is shifted by a deletion against the change in a single base by a substitution.
This fully-resourced lesson looks at the series of oxidation-reduction reactions that form the Krebs cycle and focuses on the products in terms of reduced NAD, FAD and ATP. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have both been designed to cover the fifth part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
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 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
This lesson has been designed to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis, anaerobic respiration, the Link reaction and oxidative phosphorylation.
This clear and concise lesson explores the importance of coenzymes in cellular respiration as detailed in point 5.2.2 (f) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
Students encountered coenzymes in module 2.1.4 as well as looking at the roles of NAD, CoA and FAD whilst learning about glycolysis, the link reaction and Krebs cycle earlier in this module. Therefore this lesson was designed to check on their understanding of the importance of these roles and goes on to explain how the transport of the protons and electrons to the mitochondrial cristae is key for the production of ATP.
This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons in module 5.2.2 which include the mitochondria, glycolysis, the link reaction and the Krebs cycle
This detailed lesson introduces the four stages of aerobic respiration and looks at the relationship between structure and function of the mitochondrion. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover points 12.2 (a) and (i) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes, cristae, matrix and mitochondrial DNA.
The lesson begins with an introduction to glycolysis and students will learn how this first stage of aerobic respiration is also the first stage when oxygen isn’t present. A version of “GUESS WHO” challenges students to use a series of structural clues to whittle the 6 organelles down to just the mitochondrion so that they can learn how the other three stages take place inside this organelle. Moving forwards, the key components of the organelle are identified on a diagram. Students are introduced to the stages of respiration so that they can make a link to the parts of the cell and the mitochondria where each stage occurs. Students will learn that the presence of decarboxylase and dehydrogenase enzymes in the matrix along with coenzymes and oxaloacetate allows the Link reaction and the Krebs cycle to run. Finally, time is taken to introduce the electron transport chain and the enzyme, ATP synthase, so that students can begin to understand how the flow of protons across the inner membrane results in the production of ATP.
This fully-resourced lesson explores how glucose as well as the other respiratory substrates, such as lipids and proteins, can enter the respiratory pathway and therefore can be respired to produce molecules of ATP. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 12.1 (f) and (g) of the CIE International A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to explain the relative energy values of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and be able to determine respiratory quotients from equations.
This lesson has been written to challenge current understanding as well as introduce details of glycolysis, the link reaction and Krebs cycle as these stages have yet to be covered fully. Students will learn that lipids and proteins can be used as respiratory substrates and will recognise the different ways that they enter the respiratory pathway. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce the relative energy value for carbohydrates and students are challenged to predict how the values for lipids and proteins will compare. As a result, students will recognise that a greater number of hydrogen atoms results in a greater availability of protons to form the proton gradient to fuel the production of ATP. The rest of the lesson focuses on the calculation of the respiratory quotient and time is taken to look at how the result can be interpreted to determine which substrates were respired.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the process of skeletal muscle contraction in terms of the sliding filament theory. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover point 7.2 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) specification and includes the role of actin, myosin, troponin, tropomyosin, calcium ions and ATP.
The lesson begins with a study of the structure of the thick and thin filaments. Students will recognise that the protruding heads of the myosin molecule are mobile and this enables this protein to bind to the binding sites when they are exposed on actin. This leads into the introduction of troponin and tropomyosin and key details about the binding of calcium to this complex is explained. Moving forwards, students are encouraged to discuss possible reasons that can explain how the sarcomere narrows during contraction when the filaments remain the same length. This main part of the lesson goes through the main steps of the sliding filament model of muscle contraction and the critical roles of the calcium ions and ATP are discussed. The final task of the lesson challenges the students to apply their knowledge by describing the immediate effect on muscle contraction when one of the elements doesn’t function correctly.
This lesson has been written to tie in with another uploaded lesson on the structure of a muscle fibre which is covered in specification point 7.10
