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.
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.
This bundle of 3 lessons covers the content of topic 15.2 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27). This topic, titled control and coordination in plants, isn’t always a student favourite, so additional time has been put into the design and planning to maintain engagement whilst ensuring that the A-level content is covered in detail. A lot of these biological processes are sequences of events, so step-by-step guides are used to aid retention. Understanding checks are found throughout the lessons, as well as prior knowledge checks which challenge content from earlier plant-based topics such as 14.2 and 7. All answers to these checks are embedded into the PowerPoints to allow the students to assess their progress.
Topic 15.1, control and coordination in mammals, is also available on here, as well as the larger bundle containing all the topic 15 lessons.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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 detailed lesson describes the different types of plant responses, including responses to abiotic stress and herbivory and the range of tropisms. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover the content set out in point (a) of module 5.1.5 of the OCR A-level biology A specification, but as the role of auxins in phototropism and gravitropism are also described, some aspects of point (b) are covered. This lesson also acts as an excellent revision tool as the students’ knowledge of previously-covered topics including classification, defences against pathogens, and biological molecules are constantly challenged.
The lesson begins with one of these challenges, where the students must recognise 7 key terms from their descriptions and use the respective 1st letters to reveal the key term, stimuli. This leads into the recognition of the need for plants to respond to these changes in the environment to increase their chances of survival. Students will have briefly encountered auxins at GCSE and this first part of the lesson builds on this knowledge, introducing IAA, and ensuring that they know the fundamentals, including how these hormones move from the tips to the growing regions. A series of application questions will challenge them to describe how plants display positive phototropism and roots display positive gravitropism.
Moving forwards, the students will learn that nastic responses are independent of the direction of the external stimuli and the Venus flytrap is used as an example. Again, a series of exam-style questions will challenge the students on their knowledge of topics related to this carnivorous plant.
The remainder of the lesson considers responses to abiotic stress, such as water stress and the herbivory response, including the production of alkaloids and pheromones.
The answers to all understanding checks are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their progress.
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 detailed and engaging lesson supports students with their revision in the build up to their UNIT 1 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge them on their knowledge of Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health (topics 1 and 2) of the Edexcel International A-level biology 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
Haemoglobin and the affinity for oxygen
The role of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle
The course of events that lead to atherosclerosis
Passive and active transport
DNA replication
The structure and function of starch
Genetic terminology
Codominance
Sex-linked diseases
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.
This detailed lesson will support students with their revision for the PAPER 4 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge their knowledge and understanding of topics 12 - 19 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27), allowing them to identify those areas which require further attention before the examinations.
Included in the range of tasks are exam-style questions and 34 short-answer understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. As shown in the cover image, there are several 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:
Directional, disruptive and stabilising selection
The evolution of antibiotic resistance
Allopatric and sympatric speciation
The Founder effect and genetic bottlenecks
The Hardy-Weinberg principle
Genetic terminology
Calculating phenotypic ratios for sex-linked disease and alleles demonstrating codominance
Autosomal linkage
The events of meiosis which contribute to genetic variation
Calculating the chi-squared value
Mutations
Gel electrophoresis
The lac operon as an example of the control of protein production
The three-domain system
Classification taxa
Saltatory conduction
Structure of neurones
The function of cholinergic synapses
The role of abscisic acid and calcium ions in the response to water stress
Skeletal muscle contraction
Aerobic respiration
The connection between the light-dependent and light-independent stages of photosynthesis
Calculating the Simpson’s index of diversity
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 4 hours of teaching time if covered in full, but teachers may choose to use sections to focus on a specific topic.
If you would like to view the quality of my revision lessons before buying, then download the PAPER 1 & 2 REVISION lesson as this has been shared for free.
This detailed lesson has been designed to support students when revising for their PAPER 2 (Biological diversity) mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge their knowledge and understanding of modules 1, 2, 4 and 6 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 25 short-answer understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. As shown in the cover image, there are several 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:
Directional, disruptive and stabilising selection
The evolution of antibiotic resistance
Allopatric and sympatric speciation
The Founder effect and genetic bottlenecks
The Hardy-Weinberg principle
Genetic terminology
Calculating phenotypic ratios for sex-linked disease and alleles demonstrating codominance
Autosomal linkage
Calculating the chi-squared value
Movement of molecules across cell membranes
The lac operon as an example of the control of gene expression at a transcriptional level
Types of immunity
The role of antigen-presenting cells
The role of T and B cells in the primary immune response
Communicable diseases in animals and plants
Calculating genetic diversity
Calculating the Simpson’s index of diversity
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 would like to view the quality of my revision lessons before buying, then download the PAPER 1 REVISION lesson as this has been shared for free.
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 detailed and engaging lesson will support students with their revision in the build up to their PAPER 1 & 2 mocks or final assessments. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge students on their knowledge of topics 1 - 11 of the CIE A-level biology specification (for assessment in 2025 - 27), 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
The structure of haemoglobin and collagen
Fibrous and globular proteins
The roles of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle
The changes in the quantity of DNA through the mitotic cell cycle
The role of DNA polymerase and DNA ligase in DNA replication
The behaviour of chromosomes during prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase
The importance of mitosis for living organisms
The bonds formed during translation
The structure of starch and cellulose
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells
Calculating the size of an object under an optical microscope
Using the image = actual x magnification formula
The role of APCs and T helper cells in the immune response
Pathogens which cause infectious diseases
Many of the tasks have been differentiated to maintain challenge whilst providing access to all.
This is an extensive lesson with multiple 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 small sections in shorter lessons to focus on a specific topic.
This detailed and engaging lesson supports students with their revision in the build up to their PAPER 2 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge students on their knowledge and understanding of the content of topics 1 - 4 and 8 - 10 of the Edexcel A-level biology B specification, allowing them to identify those 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. As shown in the cover image, there are several 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:
Directional, disruptive and stabilising selection
Saltatory conduction
The structure of neurones
Depolarisation and the initiation of an action potential
Hardy-Weinberg principle
The Founder effect and population bottlenecks
Genetic terminology
Codominance
Sex linkage and autosomal linkage
Chi squared test
Myoglobin vs haemoglobin
Succession
The sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS
The control of heart rate
The functions of the different parts of the brain
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 the students find this lesson useful, there is also a PAPER 1 REVISION lesson uploaded which challenges the content of topics 1 - 7.
This detailed and engaging lesson will support students to revise in the build up to their PAPER 1 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge students on their knowledge of topics 1 - 7 of the Edexcel A-level biology B specification, allowing them to recognise those 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
Classification hierarchy and the binomial name
The meaning of a biological species
The three-domain model
DNA triplets and mRNA codons
The structure of haemoglobin and collagen
Fibrous and globular proteins
The roles of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle
The enzymes in DNA replication
The role of meiosis in genetic variation
The structure of starch and cellulose
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells
The light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
The role of APCs and T helper cells in the immune response
The evolution of antibiotic resistance
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 small sections in shorter lessons to focus on a specific topic.
This detailed lesson has been intricately planned to support students with their revision in the build up to their PAPER 1 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge students on their knowledge of topics 1 - 6 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level biology A specification, allowing them to recognise those 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
Classification hierarchy
The three-domain model
DNA triplets and mRNA codons
The structure of haemoglobin and collagen
Fibrous and globular proteins
The roles of the heart valves in the cardiac cycle
The enzymes in DNA replication
The role of meiosis in genetic variation
The structure of starch and cellulose
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells
The light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
The role of APCs and T helper cells in the immune response
The evolution of antibiotic resistance
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.
A lesson revising PAPER 2 content (topics 1 - 4, 7 & 8) has also been uploaded.
This detailed lesson has been intricately planned to support student revision in the build up to their PAPER 2 mocks or final assessment. The wide range of tasks and activities will challenge students on their knowledge of topics 1 - 4, 7 & 8 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level biology A specification, allowing them to recognise those 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:
Allopatric and sympatric speciation
Saltatory conduction
The structure of neurones
Depolarisation and the initiation of an action potential
Hardy-Weinberg principle
Genetic terminology
Sex linkage and autosomal linkage
Aerobic respiration
The lower yield of ATP from anaerobic respiration
The sliding filament model of muscle contraction
The ultrastructure of skeletal muscle
Slow and fast twitch muscle fibres
The control of heart rate
The functions of the different parts of the brain
Calculating cardiac output
Gene expression as demonstrated by the lac operon
The events of atherosclerosis
Epigenetics
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.
This lesson will support students with their revision in the build up to the AQA A-level biology PAPER 1 mocks or final assessments. The lesson includes a wide variety of tasks and activities which will engage and motivate students whilst challenging their knowledge and understanding of the content of topics 1 - 4, allowing them to identify any gaps so they can be addressed before the assessments. These tasks include exam-style questions and understanding checks and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint. Several of these questions challenge their mathematical skills, to prepare them for the volume of marks that will be assigned to this aspect of the course. There are also quick quiz rounds and guided discussion periods to allow students to support each other, and some of the accompanying resources have been differentiated to allow access to the content for all.
The following content is directly covered by this revision lesson:
The nature of the genetic code
Classification hierarchy
The structure of proteins
Cardiac output
The roles of enzymes in DNA replication
The events of meiosis which contribute to genetic variation
The relationship between structure and function in plant polysaccharides
The structure and function of organelles
Cell fractionation
Calculating the size of an object under an optical microscope
Using the image = actual x magnification formula
Types of immunity
Understanding whether data is significantly different or not
The role of macrophages in the immune response
The evolution of antibiotic resistance
The lesson finishes with a round of BLOCKBUSTERS, where students are challenged to recognise 17 key terms from across topics 1 - 4, which weren’t directly covered by the earlier part of the lesson.
If you are happy with the quality of this revision lesson, a lesson challenging content from topics 5 - 8 for PAPER 2 has also been uploaded.