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 revision resource contains an engaging and informative PowerPoint (49 slides) and a differentiated worksheet that will enable the students to assess their understanding of the topic B2 (Cells) content of the CIE IGCSE Combined Science specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. The following topics have been given particular attention in this lesson:
The structure and function of red blood cells
Diffusion as the movement of molecules from a high concentration to a low concentration
The structure of root hair cells to allow absorption of minerals and water from the soil
Osmosis investigations
The effect on plant cells of immersion in solutions of different water potentials
The function of the organelles found in animal and plant cells
The structure and function of specialised cells
This resource is ideal for revision purposes during or at the end of the topic and in the lead up to mocks or the actual IGCSE exams
This concise, engaging revision lesson has been designed to include activities that will motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of topic B3 (Biological molecules) of the CIE IGCSE Combined Science specification. An understanding of biological molecules is fundamental to the understanding of a lot other Biology topics and this lesson has attempted to make the links between the different areas.
The range of activities which include exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions have been written to cover as much of the content as possible but the following topics have received particular attention:
The chemical elements in carbohydrates
The formation of starch and glycogen from glucose
The iodine test for starch
Lipids are formed of fatty acids and glycerol
Investigational skills
The ethanol emulsion test for lipids
This resource includes a PowerPoint (27 slides) and a worksheet with a task about the digestion of milk fat so students can recognise the components of lipids
This fully-resourced REVISION lesson has been written to challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of topic 6 (Magnetism and electromagnetism) of the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Physics specification. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources 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:
Magnets attract and repel other magnets and attract magnetic materials
Magnetism is induced in some materials when they are placed in a magnetic field
The construction of an electromagnet
Use of the left-hand rule to predict the direction of the resulting force in a motor
How the motor effect is applied in a loudspeaker
The structure and function of a transformer
Know and use the relationship between input and output voltages and the turns ratio
Know and use the relationship between input and output power for 100% efficient transformer
Explain the use of a step-up transformer in the transmission of electrical energy
Quiz rounds such as “THE BIG REVEAL” and “WHAT EXACTLY AM I” are used to test the students on their knowledge of key terms and structures and all of the tasks are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work
This fully-resourced revision lesson challenges the students on their knowledge of the content which is detailed in topic 14 (Particle model) of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics specification. The wide range of activities, which include exam-style questions with clear explanations, will allow them to assess their understanding of the content and to recognise those areas which require further attention.
The lesson has been designed to cover as much of the module as possible but the following specification points have been given particular attention:
Recall and use the equation to calculate density
Explain the differences in density between the different states of matter
Describe that mass is conserved during physical changes
Explain how heating a system will change the temperature or change a state
Define the terms specific heat capacity and specific latent heat and describe the differences between them
Use the equations involving specific heat capacity and specific latent heat
Explain the qualitative relationship between Kelvin temperature and pressure of a gas
Convert between the Kelvin and degrees Celsius scales
Explain the effect of changing the volume on the pressure of a fixed mass of gas at a constant temperature
Explain why doing work on a gas can increase the temperature
Most of the resources are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and be challenged and the PowerPoint guides the students through the range of mathematical skills which are tested in this topic
This bundle of 4 fully-resourced lessons have been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content in topics 1 - 4 of the OCR GCSE Physics specification which will be tested in PAPER 1. The detailed PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities which include exam-style questions with clearly explained answers, differentiated tasks and quick quiz rounds to bring in a competitive edge.
The topics covered are:
Topic 1: Matter
Topic 2: Forces
Topic 3: Electricity
Topic 4: Magnetism and magnetic fields
Due to the high mathematical content of this specification, the PowerPoints contain step-by-step guides to carrying out calculations.
If you want to sample the quality of the lessons, download the topic 3 revision lesson which has been shared for free
This fully-resourced revision lesson challenges the students on their knowledge of the content detailed in topic 1 (Matter) of the OCR GCSE Physics specification. The wide range of activities, which include exam questions with clear explanations, will allow them to assess their understanding of the content and to recognise those areas which require further attention.
The lesson has been designed to cover as much of the module as possible but the following specification points have been given particular attention:
Recall and apply the equation to calculate density
Describe how and why the atomic model has changed over time
Describe the atom and recall the typical size
Explain the difference in density between different states of matter
Describe how mass is conserved when physical changes occur
Describe how physical changes differ from chemical changes
Define the term specific heat capacity and distinguish between that and specific latent heat
Applying the equation to calculate the specific heat capacity
Understanding that temperature does not change during changes of state
Applying the equation to calculate the specific latent heat
Explaining the qualitative relationship between the temperature of a gas and its pressure
Applying the equation that links pressure, volume and a constant
Explain how doing work on a gas can increase its temperature
Explain why pressure in a liquid varies with depth
Most of the resources are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work and be challenged and the PowerPoint guides the students through the range of mathematical skills which are tested in this module
This bundle of 3 fully-resourced lessons have been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content in topics 5, 6 and 8 of the OCR GCSE Physics specification which will be tested in PAPER 2. The detailed PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities which include exam-style questions with clearly explained answers, differentiated tasks and quick quiz rounds to bring in a competitive edge.
The topics covered are:
Topic 5: Waves in matter
Topic 6: Radioactivity
Topic 8: Global challenges
Due to the high mathematical content of this specification, the PowerPoints contain step-by-step guides to carrying out calculations.
If you want to sample the quality of the lessons, download the topic 8 revision lesson which has been shared for free
This revision lesson is fully-resourced and the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to challenge students on their understanding of the content detailed in topics 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9 of the WJEC GCSE Physics specification. It was decided that the close links between the types of radiation, half-life and nuclear energy lent themselves to a combined revision resource.
The lesson was written to cover as much of the topics as possible but the following points have been given particular attention:
The nucleon and proton number and the numbers of neutrons and protons in an atomic nucleus
Recognising and representing isotopes
Calculating the half-life when given information about the radioactive count
The differing penetrating powers of the three types of radiation
Background radiation
Sources of background radiation and possible reasons for varying levels of radon gas
Nuclear decay equations for alpha and beta decay
Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
Representing a nuclear fission reaction in an equation
The wide range of activities which include exam-style questions with fully-explained answers, differentiated tasks and quick quiz competitions will engage and motivate the students whilst they recognise the areas of these topics which will require their further attention
It is estimated that it will take in excess of 2 hours of GCSE teaching time to complete this lesson
This bundle of revision lessons have been designed to enable students to assess their knowledge and understanding of the content detailed in the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics specification and ultimately to recognise those areas which need extra attention before an end of topic test or mock or terminal exam.
Each lesson is fully-resourced and the engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources contain a wide range of activities that include exam-style questions with clearly explained answers and quick quiz competitions.
The following topics are covered by this bundle:
Topic 1: Key concepts in Physics
Topic 2: Motion and forces
Topic 3: Conservation of energy
Topic 4: Waves
Topic 5: Light and the EM spectrum
Topic 6: Radioactivity
Topic 7: Astronomy
Topic 8: Energy - forces doing work
Topic 9: Forces and their effects
Topic 10: Electricity and circuits
Topic 12: Magnetism and the motor effect
Topic 13: Electromagnetic induction
Topic 14: Particle model
Topic 15: Forces and matter
If you want to see the quality of these lessons, download the topics 4 & 5, 7, 10 and 12 & 13 lessons as these have been shared for free.
This lesson describes how mutations to the genes that control mitosis can lead to uncontrolled cell division and the formation of cancerous tumours. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the final lesson in a series of 3 lessons which have been planned to cover the content of topic 2.2 (All cells arise from other cells) of the AQA A-level biology specification.
The first 2 lessons in this series of lessons described the events of the mitotic cell cycle and the calculation of the mitotic index and interpretation of the calculated value, and this lesson has been designed to check on their understanding and to build on the existing knowledge. The lesson begins with a task using numbers from biology to reveal the term, controlled, which leads into the recognition that mitosis is a controlled process that’s controlled by genes. Moving forwards, the students will understand that mutations to these genes and the formation of alleles can cause the cell division to become uncontrolled and this leads to the formation of tumours. Students will learn that there are benign and malignant tumours and that the latter are cancerous. The topic of tumours is covered in more detail in topic 8, but the key details are introduced here. The example of the BRCA genes is used to describe treatments that aim to control the rate of cell division and the importance of diagnosing cancer early to try to prevent the spread to other tissues.
This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the content of specification point 5.3.3 (Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body) as found in topic 5 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification. This resource contains an engaging and detailed PowerPoint (59 slides) and accompanying worksheets, which have been differentiated so that students of different abilities can access the work. The detail of the content and this resource means that it is likely to take more than 1 lesson to go through the tasks.
The resource is filled with a wide range of activities, each of which has been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst ensuring that the key Biological content is covered in good detail. Understanding checks are included throughout so that the students can assess their grasp of the content. In addition, prior knowledge checks make links to content from earlier topics such as homeostasis, osmosis and active transport.
The following content is covered in this lesson:
The importance of controlled water levels for cellular function
The ways that water is lost and removed from the body
The formation of urea by deamination
Filtration of the blood by the kidney
Selective reabsorption of useful molecules from the kidney to the blood
The effect of ADH on the permeability of the tubules of the kidney
Dialysis and transplant as possible treatment options for kidney failure
As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the AQA GCSE Biology course, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the function of the nephron in more detail
This lesson uses a step-by-step guide to describe the role of gibberellins in the germination of barley. The PowerPoint and accompanying resource have been planned to cover point (3) of topic 15.2 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27).
The lesson begins with a challenge, where the students must identify the term, germination, from a series of clues. They will learn that this is the development of a plant from a seed following a period of dormancy and involves gibberellins. A quick quiz round is then used to introduce the embryo, endosperm and aleurone layer in the structure of a barley seed. The process of seed germination can be divided into a sequence of 9 events and the main task of the lesson challenges the students to order these 9 events. However, this task has an extra level of difficulty as two of the events have been missed out, so the students must use the clues to predict the key biological processes in these events.
This detailed and engaging lesson supports students with their revision in the build up to their PAPER 1 (Biological processes) mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge them on their knowledge of modules 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the OCR A-level biology A specification, allowing them to identify any areas which require further attention before the examinations.
Included in the range of tasks are exam-style questions and understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. There are quiz rounds to maintain engagement and to encourage healthy competition, as well as guided discussion periods to provide opportunities for students to support each other.
The following content is directly covered by this revision lesson:
The nature of the genetic code
Globular and fibrous proteins
Protein structure
The role of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle
The conduction system of the heart
The autonomic control of heart rate
The mitotic cell cycle
DNA replication
The events of meiosis that contribute to genetic variation
The structure of starch and cellulose
The light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells
Calculating the size of an object under the optical microscope
Saltatory conduction
The structure and function of sensory and motor neurones
Depolarisation and the initiation of an action potential
Many of the tasks have been differentiated to maintain challenge whilst providing access to all.
This is an extensive lesson with many tasks so it is estimated that it will take over 3 hours of teaching time if covered in full, but teachers may choose to use sections to focus on a specific topic.
If you and your students enjoy this lesson and find it beneficial, a revision challenging the content of modules 1, 2, 4 & 6 as assessed in PAPER 2 (Biological diversity) has also been uploaded.
This lesson describes the role of gibberellin in stem elongation, including the role of the dominant allele, Le, and the recessive allele, le. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 16.2 (7) of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025-27).
The lesson begins with the introduction of the Le gene loci, along with some initial details of this gene’s regulation of height in some plants. The students met gibberellin in topic 15, so the first of several prior knowledge checks is used to challenge them to recall the name of this plant hormone from a description about seed germination. Moving forwards, the students will learn that the enzyme encoded for by the Le gene is involved in the gibberellin synthesis pathway, where it catalyses the conversion of the inactive precursor GA20 to GA1, which is active gibberellin. As this lesson is part of topic 16, the genetics that underpins the biology is continually referenced, and again, an exam-style question is used to ensure that students recognise that homozygous dominant and heterozygous genotypes would be expressed as tall plants.
The rest of the lesson considers the recessive allele, and how the substitution of alanine with threonine affects the shape of the active site, rendering the enzyme as non-functional.
All answers to the knowledge checks are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their progress.
This lesson describes the role of gibberellin in stem elongation, and considers the experimental evidence which supports this theory. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification point 5.1.5 (d) as set out in the OCR A-level biology A specification.
The lesson begins with the introduction of the Le gene loci, along with some initial details of this gene’s regulation of height in some plants. The students met gibberellin in a previous lesson in this module on the roles of plant hormones, so the first of several prior knowledge checks is used to challenge them to recall the name of this plant hormone from a description about seed germination. Moving forwards, the students will learn that the enzyme encoded for by the Le gene is involved in the gibberellin synthesis pathway, where it catalyses the conversion of the inactive precursor GA20 to GA1, which is active gibberellin. As this lesson is normally taught before patterns of inheritance in module 6.2.1, a step-by-step guide is used to describe how to use a genetic diagram to predict the phenotypic outcomes. An exam-style question is used to ensure that students recognise that homozygous dominant and heterozygous genotypes would be expressed as tall plants.
The next part of the lesson considers the recessive allele, and how the substitution of alanine with threonine affects the shape of the active site, rendering the enzyme as non-functional.
The final part of the lesson looks at examples of investigations which have been used to obtain experimental evidence which support the theory of the role of gibberellin in stem elongation.
All answers to the knowledge checks are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their progress.
The role of gibberellin in seed germination is covered in “The roles of plant hormones” lesson which has been uploaded for free.
All 11 lessons included in this bundle are detailed and contain a wide variety of tasks to challenge and engage the students whilst covering this potentially difficult topic. The content of this module, titled plant and animal responses, is regularly assessed in the PAPER 1 and 3 OCR examinations, so these lessons have been filled with assessment-style questions to continually expose the students to this type of material.
The following specification points are covered by this bundle:
5.1.5 a, b, d, g, h, i, k, and l.
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons before committing to the bundle, then why not download the role of plant hormones, organisation of the nervous system and sliding filament theory lessons, as these have been shared for free?
This lesson describes the steps involved in the closure of the Venus flytrap as a response to touch by an insect or an arachnid. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the detail of point (1) of topic 15.2 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27).
The lesson begins with a recall of tropisms as directional growth responses in plants and a short amount of time is allocated to discuss the importance of phototropism and gravitropism. This leads into the introduction of thigmotropism as a directional response to touch, before the students will learn that the closure of the Venus flytrap is an example of a thigmonastic response, a response that’s independent of direction. The students are presented with a passage that describes the classification, and structure of the Venus flytrap, as well as the stimulus that results in the closure. They must answer 8 exam-style questions on the content of the passage, which challenges their understanding of the current topic and links to other topics such as organelles and biological molecules. All answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their progress.
The rest of the lesson focuses on the steps involved in the mechanism of closure, including the detection of touch by the sensors in the trigger hairs, the movement of ions, and the elongation of the cells in the lobes of the modified leaves.
This mini-bundle covers key content in the plant half of module 5.1.5, which is titled “Plant and animal responses”. The students knowledge and understanding of the plant topics tends to be weaker than that of the animals, so these 3 lessons have to be planned at length to break the content down into smaller chunks and there are multiple opportunities for understanding to be checked.
If you would like to sample the quality of these lessons and the time that has been put into their design, then why not download the “role of plant hormones” lesson as this has been shared for free.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the stages of meiosis and specifically the events which contribute to genetic variation. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover specification points 2.3 (iv) & (v) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification and includes description of crossing over, independent assortment and the production of haploid gametes
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.
It’s fair to say that the plant-based topics are not every students’ favourite, so the lessons in this bundle are full of engaging activities and knowledge checks to maintain motivation whilst ensuring that the A-level details are understood. These 5 lessons cover the plant sections of topics 14 and 15 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27) and complement each other by building on knowledge attained in the previous lesson.