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 lesson explains the principles of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 6.1.3 (d) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification
A quick quiz competition is used to introduce the PCR abbreviation before students are encouraged to discuss the possible identity of the enzyme involved and to recall the action of this enzyme. Students will learn that this reaction involves cyclical heating and cooling to a range of temperatures so the next part of this lesson focuses on each temperature and specifically the reasons behind the choice. Time is taken to examine the key points in detail, such as why Taq polymerase has to be used as it is not denatured at the high temperature as well as the involvement of the primers. This process is closely linked to other techniques like electrophoresis which is covered in a later lesson and ties are continuously made throughout the lesson
This process is mentioned in other uploaded lessons in this module such as electrophoresis and genetic engineering to allow students to understand how it is critical for DNA analysis
This fully-resourced lesson explores the contributions of chromosome mutations to genetic variation. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed and written to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (a) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of the contribution of genetic factors to phenotypic variation
Over the course of the lesson, students will encounter a number of chromosome mutations and see the conditions which they cause. Time is taken to look at non-disjunction and how this can result in Down, Turner’s and Klinefelter’s syndromes. Students are guided through a description of the formation of gametes and zygotes with abnormal numbers of chromosomes before being challenged to describe the formation of a zygote with Turner’s syndrome. Moving forwards, translocation and polyploidy are also discussed. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals, that not only check the learning from this lesson but also from related topics (such as meiosis) and this enables the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This is an engaging and informative lesson that looks at the properties of water and challenges students to be able to explain how these properties are related to the numerous functions of this biological molecule. This lesson focuses on the link between properties and functions which is the area where students commonly struggle.
A range of tasks and activities, including a quick competition are used to introduce the different properties and the key terms and then time is taken to look at how this property enables water to be used for a range of functions. Students will learn that water has both a high specific heat capacity and a high latent heat of vaporisation and be able to explain why this is important. Water is a crucial solvent which enables it to perform many roles in living organisms and these are explored. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can constantly assess their understanding and build on any knowledge that was there from GCSE.
This fully-resourced lesson explores the inheritance of genetic characteristics that involve multiple alleles and codominant alleles. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and differentiated worksheets have been designed to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (b[i]) which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of genetic diagrams to show patterns of inheritance including multiple and codominant alleles.
The main part of the lesson uses the inheritance of the ABO blood groups to demonstrate how the three alleles that are found at the locus on chromosome 9 and the codominance of the A and B alleles affects the phenotypes. Students are guided through the construction of the different genotypes and how to interpret the resulting phenotype. They are challenged to use a partially completed pedigree tree to determine the blood group for some of the family members and to explain how they came to their answer. To further challenge their ability to apply their knowledge, a series of questions about multiple alleles and codominance in animals that are not humans are used.
The final part of the lesson makes a link back to module 4 and the correlation between a high proportion of polymorphic gene loci and an increase in genetic diversity. Students will be expected to make links between module 4 and 6 as part of papers 2 and 3, so this demonstrates how exam questions can do just that
This is an extensive and fully-resourced lesson that guides students through drawing genetic diagrams to show the inheritance of one or two genes in order to calculate the phenotypic ratio. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the part of module 6.1.2 (b[i]) which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply an understanding of the patterns for both monogenic and dihybrid inheritance
As you can see from the cover image, this lesson uses a step by step guide to go through each important stage of drawing the genetic cross. Extra time is taken over step 2 which involves writing out the different possible gametes that a parent can produce. This is the step where students most commonly make mistakes so it is critical that the method is understood. Helpful hints are also given throughout, such as only writing out the different possible gametes in order to avoid creating unnecessary work. Students are shown how to answer an example question so that they can visualise how to set out their work before they are challenged to try two further questions. This first of these is differentiated so that even those students who find this very difficult are able to access the learning. The final question will enable the students to come up with the ratio 9:3:3:1 and they will be shown how they can recognise when this should be the expected ratio as this links to the chi-squared test.
This bundle of 8 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B3 (Infection and response) of the AQA GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Communicable diseases
Viral diseases
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Protist diseases
Human defence systems
Preventing disease by vaccinations
Antibiotics
Discovery and development of drugs
Producing monoclonal antibodies
Uses of monoclonal antibodies
Plant disease
Plant defence responses
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 3 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic P9 (Forces and their effects) of the Edexcel GCSE Physics specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Objects interacting due to forces
Vector and scalar quantities
Resolution of forces
Free body diagrams
Turning forces
The principle of moments
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B4 (Natural selection and genetic modification) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The theory of evolution by natural selection
Resistant bacteria as evidence for natural selection
Classification
Selective breeding and the impact
The main stages of genetic engineering
The risks of genetic engineering
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This is a fast-paced lesson which goes through the main steps of selective breeding and looks at the potential risks of this process. The lesson begins by looking at the characteristics of a number of organisms that would be selected. Time is taken to ensure that students understand that selective breeding is not a new thing and has been going on for a very long time and therefore some of the problems associated with this are now being experienced. The actual process is reduced down into 5 steps which can be recalled and applied to questions. The remainder of the lesson looks at the potential issues with selective breeding. The reduction in the nose size of pugs is explored as an example of the health problems which bred animals may face.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students.
This lesson uses the example of the genetic engineering of bacteria to produce insulin to walk students through the steps involved in this process. It has been written for GCSE students and therefore includes the detail required at this level, such as the involvement of restriction enzymes and the sticky ends that their cut produces. The lesson begins by challenging students to recognise that insulin is being described by a series of clues. Some further details of this hormone are recalled to test their previous knowledge of the endocrine system and also to lead into the genetic engineering of bacteria to make this protein. Moving forwards, time is taken to go through the details of plasmids and how they act as vectors as well as the enzymes, restriction and ligase. The main task of the lesson uses a series of descriptions to go through the steps involved in the process. Words or phrases are missing from each description so students have to use the terms they’ve encountered in this lesson as well as their prior knowledge to complete the step. Discussion-provoking questions are added to encourage the students to consider why certain parts of the process occur. The lesson concludes by the consideration of other organisms which have been genetically engineered as well as some of the risks of the process, which students are asked to complete for homework.
As detailed above, this lesson has been designed for GCSE students but could be used with students taking A-level Biology, who are struggling to understand the detail found at this level and need to revisit the foundations.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic P6 (Radioactivity) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The atom
Isotopes
Background radiation
Alpha, beta and gamma radiation
Nuclear decay equations
The unit of radioactivity
Half-life
The dangers of ionising radiation
The differences between irradiation and contamination
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic P4 (Waves) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Using the terms frequency and wavelength
Using the terms amplitude, period and velocity
Longitudinal and transverse waves
Calculating wave speed
Refraction of waves
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 5 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic P3 (Conservation of energy) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science & GCSE Physics specifications. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Calculating change in gravitational potential energy
Kinetic energy
Conservation of energy
Reducing unwanted energy transfer
Efficiency
Increasing efficiency
Energy sources
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding
This bundle of 10 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic P2 of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Scalar and vector quantities
Velocity
Calculating speed
Distance-time graphs
Recall and use the acceleration equation
Use the equations of motion equation
Velocity-time graphs
Recall some everyday speeds
Use the equation to calculate weight
The relationship between weight and gravitational field strength
Recall and use the equation for momentum
Momentum in collisions
The factors affecting stopping distances
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C9 (Separate Chemistry 2) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Detecting cations
Detecting anions
Alkanes as saturated hydrocarbons
Alkenes as unsaturated hydrocarbons
Testing with bromine water
Complete combustion of hydrocarbons
Polymers
Biological polymers
Alcohols
Carboxylic acids
Production of ethanol
Nanoparticles
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 5 lessons some of the content in Topic C8 (Fuels and Earth Science) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science & GCSE Chemistry specifications. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Hydrocarbons
Fractional distillation of crude oil
Complete and incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons
Cracking
Formation of the early atmosphere
The modern day atmosphere
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 10 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B3 (Genetics) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Advantages and disadvantages of asexual reproduction
Advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction
The role of meiosis
The structure of DNA
Transcription and translation
Understanding and using genetic terminology
Monohybrid inheritance
Sex determination
Sex linkage
The causes of variation
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 10 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic B5 (Health, disease and development of medicines) of the Edexcel GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Health
The difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases
Pathogens
Common infections
The spread of diseases and the prevention
The spread of STIs
Plant defences
Identification of plant diseases
The physical and chemical defences of the human body
The use of antibiotics
Developing new medicines
Monoclonal antibodies
Non-communicable diseases
Treating cardiovascular disease
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This lesson has been designed to enable students to recognise the key stages in the formation of the early atmosphere and to also show how today’s atmosphere was formed. The lesson has been primarily designed for GCSE students but is suitable for higher ability younger students who perhaps are studying the Earth and its formation.
The lesson begins by checking that the students know the percentages of the different gases found in the modern day atmosphere. Some time is taken to check on their mathematical skills by challenging them to produce a pie chart to represent these different percentages. Students are then asked to predict how they think the percentage of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour would have differed from now to the early atmosphere. The key steps in the formation are then introduced and critical points discussed. Students will learn about the volcanic activity, formation of the oceans and photosynthesis as crucial points in the change to the percentages of those three gases. A number of progress checks are written into the lesson, which check knowledge from this lesson and related topics such as the reaction of acids and gases.
This bundle of 12 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic C5 (Separate Chemistry 1) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
The transition metals
Alloys
Concentration of solutions
Acid-alkali titration
Titration calculations
Calculating the percentage yield
Calculating the atom economy
Molar volume
The Haber Process
Factors and the position of equilibrium
Choosing reaction conditions
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.