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 detailed and engaging lesson looks at the culture of transformed host cells as an in vivo method to amplify DNA fragments. Both the PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the third part of point 8.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and ties in with the previous two lessons in this sub-topic on producing DNA fragments and the polymerase chain reaction.
The lesson begins with the introduction of the terms transgenic and transformed. Students will learn that bacterial cells are the most commonly transformed cells so the next task challenges their recall of the structures of these cells so that plasmid DNA can be examined from that point onwards. A quick quiz competition is used to introduce the key term, vector, and then the rest of the lesson looks at the details of the five steps involved in the transformation of the host cell:
Remove and prepare the plasmid to act as a vector
Insert the DNA fragment into the vector
Transfer the recombinant plasmid into the host cell
Identify the cells which have taken up the recombinant plasmid
All the transformed host cells to replicate and express the novel gene
Time is taken to explore the finer details of each step such as the addition of the promoter and terminator regions, use of the same restriction enzyme to cut the plasmid as was used to cut the gene and the different types of marker genes. Links are continuously made to the previous lessons in this topic so that students feel confident to answer assessment questions which bring in knowledge from all of the sections.
This fully-resourced lesson bundle covers the content as detailed in topic 8.4.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification (recombinant DNA technology). All of the lessons have been written to contain a wide range of activities that will maintain student engagement whilst this potentially difficult concept is explained. Links are continuously made to previous lessons in topic 8 as well as those covered in the AS year (mainly topic 4)
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the producing DNA fragments lesson as this has been uploaded for free
This fully-resourced lesson looks at the detailed structure of a muscle fibre, and focuses on the proteins, bands and zones that are found in the myofibril. The engaging PowerPoint and acccompanying resource have been designed to cover the third part of point E2 in UNIT 2 of the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science specification.
The lesson begins with an imaginary question from the quiz show POINTLESS, where students have to recognise a range of fields of study. This will reveal myology as the study of muscles so that key terms like myofibril and myosin can be introduced. Moving forwards, students will be shown the striated appearance of this muscle so they can recognise that some areas appear dark where both myofilaments are found and others as light as they only contain actin or myosin. A quiz competition is used to introduce the A band, I band and H zone and students then have to use the information given to label a diagram of the myofibril. The final task challenges the students to use their knowledge of the sliding filament theory to recognise which of these bands or zones narrow or stay the same length when muscle is contracted.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the structure of the heart as well as the associated blood vessels. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying differentiated resources have been designed to cover the 1st part of point 1.2.5 as detailed in the Edexcel A-level PE specification which states that students need to learn about the anatomical components and structure of the heart.
The structure of the heart is a topic which was covered in part at GCSE so this lesson has been written to build on that prior knowledge. The main task of the lesson involves students labelling the different structures as they are recalled. Time is taken at different points of the lesson to look at some of the structures and concepts in further detail. For example, students will learn that humans have a double circulatory system, as detailed in point 1.2.6, and that the thicker muscular wall of the left ventricle allows the blood in the systemic circulation to be pumped at a higher pressure than in the pulmonary circulation. Students are also challenged to explain why a hole in the septum would cause health issues for an affected individual and this links back to previous work in unit 1 on energy systems.
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to identify the following structures and describe their individual functions:
right and left atria
right and left ventricles
septum
tricuspid and bicuspid valve
semi-lunar valves
pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein
vena cava
aorta
A number of quiz rounds are used throughout the lesson to introduce key terms in a fun and memorable way before the final round is used as a final check so they can assess whether they can recognise the structures and recall their functions.
This lesson describes and explains how the contraction of the heart chambers during atrial and ventricular systole and the relaxation during diastole causes blood to flow through the heart. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of point 1.2.6 as detailed in the Edexcel A-level PE specification which states that students need to learn about the physiology of the cardiovascular system with regards to the cardiac cycle.
The students will have already encountered aspects of the cardiovascular system in topic 1.2.5 and this lesson aims to build on that knowledge. Students will be introduced to the sequence of events known as the cardiac cycle and will learn that the cycle can be split into three parts, which are atrial systole, ventricular systole and diastole. There is a particular focus on the role of the AV and semi-lunar valves in the control of blood flow and students are challenged to explain how pressure changes cause these valves to open or close. The final task of the lesson involves a quiz round called “RECYCLE THIS?” where the teams have to use their knowledge of the cardiac cycle and the function and anatomy of the heart and blood vessels from a previous lesson to spot any errors in the description of blood flow through the heart
This lesson describes and explains how the contraction of the heart chambers during atrial and ventricular systole and the relaxation during diastole causes blood to flow through the heart. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been designed to cover the first part of point B3 of UNIT 2 of the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science specification.
The students will have already encountered aspects of the cardiac cycle in unit 1 and this lesson aims to build on that knowledge. Students will be reminded that the sequence of events known as the cardiac cycle can be split into three parts, which are atrial systole, ventricular systole and diastole. There is a particular focus on the role of the AV and semi-lunar valves in the control of blood flow and students are challenged to explain how pressure changes cause these valves to open or close. The final task of the lesson involves a quiz round called “RECYCLE THIS?” where the teams have to use their knowledge of the cardiac cycle and the function and anatomy of the heart and blood vessels from a previous lesson to spot any errors in the description of blood flow through the heart
This lesson has been specifically designed to tie in with the next lesson outlined in the specification on the neural control of the cardiac cycle
This is a fully-resourced lesson which describes the relationship between cardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate and explains how they differ between rest and during exercise. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 5th point in SECTION 9 of the CIE International A-level PE specification.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise that the left ventricle has the most muscular wall of all of the heart chambers. This allows the stroke volume to be introduced as the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle each heart beat and then a quiz competition is used to introduce normative values for the stroke volume and the heart rate. Moving forwards, students will learn that the cardiac output is the product of the stroke volume and the heart rate. The main part of the lesson looks at the adaptation of the heart to aerobic training in the form of cardiac hypertrophy and then the students are challenged to work out how this would affect the stroke volume, the cardiac output and the resting heart rate. A number of tasks are used to get the students to explain why the resting heart rate decreases and to calculate the changes in cardiac output. One of the two tasks has been differentiated and this allows students of differing abilities to access the work.
This engaging lesson looks at the role of haemoglobin in transporting oxygen as well as the different ways that carbon dioxide is transported around the body. The detailed PowerPoint has been designed to cover the 5th point in section A10 of the CIE International A-level PE specification.
The lesson begins with a version of the quiz show Pointless to introduce haemotology as the study of the blood conditions. Students will learn that haemoglobin is a protein made of 4 polypeptide chains and that it is the haem group found on each of these chains which has a high affinity for oxygen. Time is taken to discuss how haemoglobin must be able to load (and unload) oxygen as well as transport the oxygen to the cells of the working muscles so that they can continue to produce energy by the aerobic system. Students will plot the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve so they can understand about the unloading aspect of the role.
The remainder of the lesson looks at the different ways that carbon dioxide is transported around the body and students will learn that the dissociation of carbonic acid into hydrogen ions affects the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen so that the Bohr effect can be explained.
This fully-resourced lesson explains how a shift of the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve is a beneficial phenomenon for exercising individuals. Both the detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 2nd part of the transportation of oxygen section as detailed in the Applied Anatomy and physiology unit of the AQA A-level PE specification.
The previous lesson introduced the transportation of oxygen by haemoglobin and the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve so this lesson has been written to build on that knowledge and this is immediately checked at the start of the lesson by getting the students to recall key terms as well as the shape of the curve. A quick quiz competition, called SPORTS SCIENCE, is used to challenge their knowledge of the names of famous sports people to identify the surname of the scientist, Christian Bohr. They are told that this effect describes how an increase in the concentration of a substance affects the dissociation curve and are encouraged to predict what this substance might be. By shifting the curve to the right, students will learn that the affinity of haemoglobin is reduced. The curve is used to show how the saturation of haemoglobin is less at low partial pressures of oxygen when there is increased carbon dioxide concentration before they are challenged to summarise the effect on the dissociation before applying all of their knowledge to a final sporting situation.
The final task has been differentiated 2 ways so that students of differing abilities are able to access the work
This is a fully-resourced lesson which describes the relationship between cardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate and explains how they differ between rest and during exercise. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 2nd part of point 1.1.2 of the AQA A-level PE specification.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise that the left ventricle has the most muscular wall of all of the heart chambers. This allows the stroke volume to be introduced as the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle each heart beat and then a quiz competition is used to introduce normative values for the stroke volume and the heart rate. Moving forwards, students will learn that the cardiac output is the product of the stroke volume and the heart rate. At this point in the lesson, time is taken to challenge the students to consider how these three factors would be affected by a single physical activity. Venous return and the regulation of heart rate are briefly introduced to explain the increase in stroke volume and heart rate but these are covered in greater detail in later lessons in this topic. The main part of the lesson looks at the adaptation of the heart to aerobic training in the form of cardiac hypertrophy and then the students are challenged to work out how this would affect the stroke volume, the cardiac output and the resting heart rate. A number of tasks are used to get the students to explain why the resting heart rate decreases and to calculate the changes in cardiac output. One of the two tasks has been differentiated and this allows students of differing abilities to access the work
Disaccharides are formed from the condensation of two monosaccharides and this lesson describes the formation of maltose, sucrose and lactose. The PowerPoint and accompanying question sheet have been designed to cover the second part of point 1.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification but also make links to the previous lesson on monosaccharides when considering the different components of these three disaccharides.
The first section of the lesson focuses on a prefix and a suffix so that the students can recognise that the names of the common disaccharides end in -ose. In line with this, a quick quiz round is used to introduce maltose, sucrose and lactose before students are challenged on their prior knowledge as they have to describe how condensation reactions and the formation of glycosidic bonds were involved in the synthesis of each one. The main task of the lesson again challenges the students to recall details of a previous lesson as they have to identify the monomers of each disaccharide when presented with the displayed formula. Time is taken to show how their knowledge of these simple sugars will be important in later topics such as digestion, translocation in the phloem and the Lac Operon in the control of gene expression. The lesson finishes with two exam-style questions where students have to demonstrate and apply their newly acquired knowledge
Monosaccharides are the monomers from which larger carbohydrates are formed and this lesson describes their structure and roles in living organisms. The detailed and engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of point 1.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and looks at alpha-glucose, beta-glucose, galactose, fructose, deoxyribose and ribose.
The lesson begins with a made-up round of the quiz show POINTLESS, where students have to try to identify four answers to do with carbohydrates. In doing so, they will learn or recall that these molecules are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that they are a source of energy which can sometimes be rightly or wrongly associated with obesity and that the names of the three main groups is derived from the Greek word sakkharon. Using the molecular formula of glucose as a guide, students will be given the general formula for the monosaccharides and will learn that deoxyribose is an exception to the rule that the number of carbon and oxygen atoms are equal. Moving forwards, students have to study the displayed formula of glucose for two minutes without being able to note anything down before they are challenged to recreate what they saw in a test of their observational skills. At this point of the lesson, the idea of numbering the carbons is introduced so that the different glycosidic bonds can be understood in an upcoming lesson as well as the recognition of the different isomers of glucose. The difference between alpha and beta-glucose is provided and students are again challenged to draw a molecule of glucose, this time for the beta form. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the roles of the 6 monosaccharides and the final task involves a series of application questions where the students are challenged to suggest why ribose could be considered important for active transport and muscle contraction
This fully-resourced lesson describes how triglycerides are formed during condensation reactions and compares saturated and unsaturated lipids. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the points 1.14 (i) & (ii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification and links are also made to related future topics such as the importance of the myelin sheath for the conduction of an electrical impulse.
The lesson begins with a focus on the basic structure and roles of lipids, including the elements that are found in this biological molecule and some of the places in living organisms where they are found. Moving forwards, the students are challenged to recall the structure of the carbohydrates from topics 1.12 & 1.13 so that the structure of a triglyceride can be introduced. Students will learn that this macromolecule is formed from one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids and have to use their understanding of condensation reactions to draw the final structure. Time is taken to look at the difference in structure and properties of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and students will be able to identify one from the other when presented with a molecular formula. The final part of the lesson explores how the various properties of a triglyceride mean that it has numerous roles in organisms including that of an energy store and source and as an insulator of heat and electricity.
This detailed lesson describes the formation of polypeptides as well as the different levels of protein structures and links this to function. Both the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.9 (ii) & (iii) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification but also makes specific reference to genes and therefore covers the details of point 2.8 too.
The start of the lesson focuses on the formation of a peptide bond during a condensation reaction so that students can understand how a dipeptide is formed and therefore how a polypeptide forms when multiple reactions occur.
The main part of the lesson describes the different levels of protein structure. A step by step guide is used to demonstrate how the sequences of bases in a gene acts as a template to form a sequence of codons on a mRNA strand and how this is translated into a particular sequence of amino acids known as the primary structure. The students are then challenged to apply their understanding of this process by using three more gene sequences to work out three primary structures and recognise how different genes lead to different sequences. Moving forwards, students will learn how the order of amino acids in the primary structure determines the shape of the protein molecule, through its secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure and time is taken to consider the details of each of these. There is a particular focus on the different bonds that hold the 3D shape firmly in place and a quick quiz round then introduces the importance of this shape as exemplified by enzymes, antibodies and hormones. The lesson concludes with one final task where the students have to identify three errors in a passage about the hydrolysis of a dipeptide or polypeptide.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the movement of molecules by active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis and explains the need for ATP. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets have been designed to cover the second part of point 2.4 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology specification. The first part of 2.4, concerning simple and facilitated diffusion, was covered in the previous lesson.
The start of the lesson challenges the students to use their prior knowledge of biological molecules to come up with the abbreviation ATP and they will learn that this is a phosphorylated nucleotide that contains adenine, ribose and three phosphate groups. Students may not have known this as the energy currency from GCSE so time is taken to explain that this molecule must be broken down to release energy and students are challenged to recall which type of reaction will be involved and to predict the products of such a reaction. This hydrolysis of ATP can be coupled to energy-requiring reactions within the cell and the rest of the lesson focuses on the use of this energy for active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis. Students are challenged to answer a series of questions which 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 enery source of ATP to move large substances in or out of the cell. The lesson concludes with a link to a future topic as the students are shown how exocytosis is involved in a synapse.
This concise lesson describes the basic structure of an amino acid and introduces them as the monomers of polypeptides. The engaging PowerPoint has been designed to cover point 2.9 (i) of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification and has been specifically written to lead into the next lesson on dipeptides and polypeptides.
The lesson begins with a prior knowledge check, where the students have to use the 1st letters of 4 answers to uncover a key term. This 4-letter key term is gene and the lesson begins with this word because it is important for students to understand that these sequences of bases on DNA determine the specific sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide as detailed in specification point 2.8. Moving forwards, the students are given discussion time to work out that there are 64 different DNA triplets and will learn that these encode for the 20 amino acids that are common to all organisms. The main task of the lesson is an observational one, where students are given time to study the displayed formula of 4 amino acids. They are not allowed to draw anything during this time but will be challenged with 3 multiple choice questions at the end. This task has been designed to allow the students to visualise how the 20 amino acids share common features in an amine and an acid group. A quick quiz round introduces the R group and time is taken to explain how the structure of this side chain is the only structural difference, before cysteine is considered in greater detail due to the presence of sulfur atoms. Students are briefly introduced to disulfide bridges so they will recognise how particular bonds form between the R groups in the tertiary structure which is covered in the next lesson. The lesson concludes with one more quiz round called LINK TO THE FUTURE where the students will see the roles played by amino acids in the later part of the course such as translation and dipeptides.
Some of the key biological topics are covered in topic 2 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) course and include the transport of materials across cell membranes, DNA structure and replication, protein synthesis and monohybrid inheritance. In line with this, many hours of intricate planning have gone into the design of all of the 19 lessons that are included in this bundle to ensure that the content is covered in detail, understanding is constantly checked to immediately address misconceptions and that engagement is high. This is achieved through the wide variety of tasks in the PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets which include exam-style questions with clear answers, discussion points, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered by the lessons within this bundle:
The properties of gas exchange surfaces in living organisms
Understand how the rate of diffusion is dependent on these properties and can be used in the calculation of the rate of diffusion by Fick’s law
Adaptations of the mammalian lung for rapid gaseous exchange
Structure and properties of cell membranes
Simple and facilitated diffusion as methods of passive transport
The involvement of ATP and carrier proteins in active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis
The basic structure of mononucleotides
The structures of DNA and RNA
The process of protein synthesis
The roles of the template strand, mRNA and tRNA
The nature of the genetic code
A gene is a sequence of bases on DNA that codes for the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide
The basic structure of an amino acid
The formation of polypeptides and proteins
The primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins
Globular and fibrous proteins using haemoglobin and collagen as examples
The mechanism of action and the specificity of enzymes
Enzymes are biological catalysts that reduce activation energy
The process of DNA replication
Errors in DNA replication can give rise to mutations
The meaning of key genetic terms
Patterns of inheritance, in the context of monohybrid inheritance
Understand how the expression of a gene mutation in people with cystic fibrosis impairs the functioning of the gaseous exchange, digestive and reproductive systems
Understand the uses and implications of genetic screening and prenatal testing
Due to the detail included in each of these lessons, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 months of allocated teaching time to cover the content.
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the gas exchange surfaces, cell membranes, transcription, globular and fibrous proteins, monohybrid inheritance and cystic fibrosis lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle contains 5 detailed and engaging lessons that cover the content in topic 2.2 of the CIE International A-level Biology course. Due to the importance of these biological molecules in living organisms, this mini-topic is fundamental to the whole course and planning has taken account of this with extra time given to those key details which must be understood.
The PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities which include discussion points, current understanding and prior knowledge checks and quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered in this bundle:
The ring forms of alpha and beta glucose
The meaning of the terms monomer, polymer, macromolecule, monosaccharide, disaccharide and polysaccharide
The formation and breakage of glycosidic bonds by condensation and hydrolysis reactions
The molecular structure of a triglyceride
The relationship between the structure and functions of triglycerides in living organisms
The structure and functions of phospholipids
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the glucose and phospholipids lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle contains 4 detailed and engaging lessons that cover the content in topic 2.3 of the CIE International A-level Biology course. Due to the importance of proteins and water in living organisms, this mini-topic is fundamental to the whole course and planning has taken account of this with extra time given to key details that must be understood.
The PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities which include discussion points, current understanding and prior knowledge checks and quiz competitions.
The following specification points are covered in this bundle:
The structure of an amino acid and the formation and breakage of a peptide bond
The meanings of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure
The types of bonding that hold protein molecules in shape
The molecular structure of haemoglobin as an example of a globular protein
Collagen as an example of a fibrous protein
The relationship between the properties of water and its roles in living organisms
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons, download the haemoglobin and collagen lesson as this has been shared for free
This lesson describes the relationship between the structure and function of the vacuole, chloroplast and cell wall, as found in plant cells. Additional structures, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, were covered in the previous lesson on the structure of eukaryotic animal cells and the detailed content of these two lessons has been designed in parallel to cover the main content of point 2.1.1 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
The lesson begins with a task called REVERSE GUESS WHO which will challenge the students to recognise a cell structure from a description of its function. This will remind students that plant cells are eukaryotic and therefore contain a cell-surface membrane, a nucleus (+ nucleolus), a mitochondria, a Golgi apparatus, ribosomes and rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum like the animal cells. Moving forwards, the rest of the lesson focuses on the relationship between the structure and function of the vacuole, chloroplast and cellulose cell wall. When considering the vacuole, key structures such as the tonoplast are described as well as critical functions including the maintenance of turgor pressure. A detailed knowledge of the structure of the chloroplast at this early stage of their A-level studies will increase the likelihood of a clear understanding of photosynthesis when covered in topic 5. For this reason, time is taken to consider the light-dependent and light-independent reactions and to explain how these stages are linked. The final part of the lesson challenges the students on their knowledge of cellulose as a polysaccharide as previously covered in topic 1. In addition to the focus on plant cells, the presence of chloroplasts and a cell wall in algae and the latter in fungi is also described.
The previous lesson which contains the content that ties in closely with this one has been uploaded under the title “Structure of eukaryotic (animal) cells”
