A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides a series of questions to recap the basic microscopic structure of muscle fibres and their arrangement. Key words: Muscle, fibre, myofibril, contraction, actin, myosin, A-band, I-band, H-zone

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource serves as a recap of key events that occur during muscle contraction. The worksheet includes reference to the appearance of striated muscle fibres when in a state of contraction and relaxation (e.g. I bands, A-bands, H-zone) and the sequence of events that occur at the neuromuscular junction when a nerve impuse triggers muscle contraction. Key words: muscle, fibres, A-band, I-band, H-zone, contraction, relaxation, calcium, troponin, tropomyosin, myosin, actin

This resource is aimed at advanced biology students and includes two differentiated practical schedules for the observation of phototactic behaviour in blowfly larvae (maggotts). Both schedules include a brief introduction to the nature of taxis behaviour, followed by details of the practical task. A table to collate data is provided, followed by a step-by-step method of using the chi-squared test to assess statistical significance. The worksheet for higher ability students also contains extra challenge questions on the reason for statistical testing and the rationale for using chi-squared. Key words: behaviour, blowfly larvae, maggotts, statistics, phototaxis, light, response, chi-squared

A worksheet aimed at advanced level biology students, this resource focuses on the mechanism of action of agonists and antagonists. The worksheet includes a diagram and explanation of how agonists and antagonists work, followed by some examples of common drugs and chemicals that can act as agonists or antagonists of the autonomic nervous system. A diagram of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system is included and is required for the final page of the worksheet - a series of questions that asks students to predict the effect of various drugs and poisons (e.g. beta blockers, muscarine, atropine, etc). This is a good activity for making the link between theory and practice; most students really enjoy being able to predict the action of a drug from a simple understanding of its mechanism. A second, shorter worksheet is also included on the same topic which could be used as a revision activity once the key concepts have been taught. Key words: agonist, anatgonist, sympathetic, parasympathetic, sympathetic, autonomic, muscarine, beta blockers, atropine, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, sarin

A starter/plenary worksheet that can be used to recap the events of action potential generation, propagation of an impulse and factors affecting speed of impulse transmission Key words: impulse, nerve, action potential, transmission, propagation, speed

A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this worksheet provides 27 'what am I?' quiz questions on the physiology of the digestive system. This is a good resource to use as a recap on key words and vocabulary (of which there is a great deal!) as well as checking on understanding. Key words: digestive system, mouth, oesophagus, peristalsis, stomach, intestine, gastrin, secretin, cckpz, endopeptidase, trypsin, chymotrypsin

A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this worksheet focuses on how food is digested in both the mouth and stomach. The worksheet contains both factual information and questions that discuss the breakdown of carbohydrates by salivary amylase and proteins by pepsin. The physiology of the stomach is also covered along with consideration of endopeptidase enzymes. Key words: stomach, mouth, saliva, amylase, maltose, starch, goblet cells, oxyntic cells, hydrochloric acid, endopeptidase, exopeptidase, protein, pepsin

A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this is a table that displays the structural formulae of various biological molecules, including triglyceride fats, cellulose, amylopectin, a tripeptide, maltose and sucrose. Students are required to identify each molecule and also which enzyme is responsible for breaking it down plus the breakdown products.

A resource aimed at advanced biology students, this comprehensive four-page worksheet covers an overview of kidney anatomy, blood vessel arrangements, filtration at the glomerulus and interpretation of micrograph images of podocytes at the renal capsule. Key words: kidney, transplant, dialysis, glomerulus, filtration, proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, collecting duct, aldosterone, anti diuretic hormone, osmosis, reuptake, hydrostatic pressure

A comprehensive worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource focuses on the role of the glomerulus, proximal convoluted tubule and loop of Henle in the kidney. Included in this resource: 1. Starter task review of the glomerulus with application questions on three different kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, minimal change glomerulonephritis and membranous gloerulonephritis) 2. Question sheet and diagram on selective reabsorption in the proximal convoluted tubule 3. Question sheet and diagram on concentration of glomerular filtrate in the loop of Henle Key words: kidney, transplant, dialysis, glomerulus, filtration, proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, collecting duct, aldosterone, anti diuretic hormone, osmosis, reuptake, hydrostatic pressure

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students studying the details of the proximal convoluted tubule of the kidney. The worksheet consists of seven questions (with a diagram for reference) that looks at the adaptations of pct cells, mechanisms of reuptake, absorption of water and the effect of diabetes on reuptake of glucose. Key words: kidney, transplant, dialysis, glomerulus, filtration, proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, collecting duct, aldosterone, anti diuretic hormone, osmosis, reuptake, hydrostatic pressure

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides 21 factual questions (a 'what am I?' quiz) that recaps key word vocabulary on the topic of the kidney and osmoregulation. The worksheet continues with a sequencing exercise on the negative feedback mechanisms of osmoregulation. Key words: kidney, transplant, dialysis, glomerulus, filtration, proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, collecting duct, aldosterone, anti diuretic hormone, osmosis, reuptake, hydrostatic pressure

A resource aimed at advanced biology students that recaps the basic details of kidney function via the use of key words inserted into a passage of text. The worksheet continues on to a research activity that focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of kidney transplant and dialysis treatment. Weblinks for the research are provided. Key words: kidney, transplant, dialysis, glomerulus, filtration, proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, loop of Henle, collecting duct, aldosterone, anti diuretic hormone, osmosis, reuptake, hydrostatic pressure

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource bridges understanding of the liver and kidney's functions in the body. The worksheet looks at the nature of excretory products in different animals (ammonia, urea and uric acid) and the link between water availability, solubility and choice of excretory product. A good resource to build synoptic knowledge on these topics with students. Key words: excretion, liver, kidney, urea, uric acid, ammonia, ornithine cycle

A worksheet aimed at higher ability 14-16 students or advanced post 16 biology students, this resource provides a research task for students to independently learn about the topic of thermoregulation. Various prompts are provided along with a set of internet links that students can use for their research. Key words: thermoregulation, vasoconstriction, vasodilation, sweating, shivering, piloerection, homeostasis, negative feedback

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students, this resource provides a series of questions to recap basic understanding (e.g. sequence the physiological events that occur during thermoregulation) followed by more developmental questions to challenge students and get them thinking more deeply about the topic and various contexts where it could be applied. Key words: thermoregulation, temperature, heat, heat loss, heat gain, sweating, shivering, vasoconstriction, vasodilation

A resource aimed at advanced biology students that looks at how organisms (a kagaroo rat is used as an example) in desert environments have both physiological and behavioural adaptations to cope with their environment. Key words: osmoregulation, behavioural, physiological, desert, water potential, osmosis, kidney, loop of Henle, cortex, medulla, sweating

A comprehensive four-page worksheet that deals with the physiology and function of the liver. This resource is aimed at advanced biology students and begins with a synoptic starter task that examines how blood flows through major body organs and the overall role of the liver in the mammalian circulatory system. The worksheet then moves on to look at gross anatomy of the liver and microscopic histology of the liver, covering details of the the liver lobules, bile canaliculi, sinusoids, hepatocytes and Kupffer cells.

A worksheet aimed at advanced biology students which concisely deals with the causes and mechanisms of hypothermia and hyperthermia. The worksheet concludes by looking at how endotherms and ectotherms regulate body temperature. Both sections of the worksheet include questions that help students to build their understanding withe reference to graphical displays of core temperature for each scenario. Key words: temperature, hypothermia, hyperthermia, endotherm, ectotherm

A worksheet aimed at either higher ability 14-16 students or advanced biology students, this resource is useful as a starter or plenary exercise to recap ideas on homeostasis and the mechanisms by which heat can be gained or lost (various scenarios are given for students to explain). The worksheet concludes with some research tasks on the physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation. Key words: homeostasis, thermoregulation, temperature, conduction, convection, radiation, heat gain, heat loss