The BBC Planet Earth series is an extremely high quality set of nature photography documentaries hosted by David Attenborough. This activity sheet is based on the Ice Worlds program, from Series 1 of Planet Earth (which was released in 2006, but the content is quite timeless). The questions focus on basic trophic interaction terminology, i.e. producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc., so it is advisable to pre-teach those terms. There is a bonus question on commensalism. Recommended use: print out 1 sheet for each student then play the documentary in class as they fill out the questions. This can also be done as a pair or group activity. A mark scheme is included with the download. Acquiring the video: there is a notepad file included with detailed links and instructions for getting the video; I would actually recommend purchasing the DVD as it is quite affordable and can be used in other ways. However, there are various free download options depending on location; if you are in the UK (or have a VPN set to a UK access point) you can use the BBC website. Personal note: this activity was run successfully with a class in Thailand. I selected the Ice Worlds program over the others because I wanted to show the Thai students an ecosystem that was as different as possible from their own, so they could have a sense of the enormous disparity in terrestrial ecosystems.

Mitosis is a fundamental process in eukaryotic biology. This lesson is designed to give students an extremely firm grasp of the mitotic process and its continuous nature, because they literally act out the sequence themselves, from memory, using pipe cleaners to represent chromosomes, and whiteboard markers to show the changing cell structures (centrosomes, membranes, etc) as the cell moves through the sequence. The quality of the performance can be summatively assessed, using the mark grid supplied as a separate document. **Curriculum Links: ** IB Biology 1.6 (Cell Division), 3.2 (Chromosomes), usable for IGCSE/MYP. Recommended supplies: A large set of different colored “pipe cleaners” (light steel wire covered with fuzz; if these are not available in your country, bread ties or narrow electrical wire can substitute). A class set of mini-whiteboards (the lesson can be run with one mini-whiteboard only, or even with paper if pencil is used to draw the cell structures, but paper is not recommended since the constant erasing is laborious). Whiteboard markers Class set of scissors Procedure: A very detailed procedure (5 pages) with diagrams is included in the download. Note: an Excel version of the mark grid is also included in case you want to modify the point values.

This is a video activity about DNA and RNA, based on part 2 of the 2009 BBC documentary, episode 2 “Chemistry of Life”. Despite the vintage, the program is well produced and covers multiple teaching points from IB Biology units 2.6 and 2.7, in the current curriculum. It is also useful for AP and A-Level biology. I have used it with multiple classes and it holds student interest easily. **Obtaining the program: ** Links are included (both here and in a text file in the download) which allow the program to be watched directly given any internet connection. I personally recommend downloading the video to a local hard drive using one of the many browser add-ons available for this purpose; this prevents the lesson being interrupted if there is an internet outage or if the bandwidth is insufficient at your school. Also, video players like VLC allow speedup of the playback, which is not noticeable to students, but greatly facilitates fitting the activity in a single class period. It is also possible to order the program directly from the BBC. Recommendations for use of resource: Print out sufficient copies of the handout for all students, or one copy per group if you prefer group work. Students listen to the program and answer the questions. For the first few questions, when the relevant content is reached, I always bring this to their attention verbally, so they do not get “hypnotized” by the video and forget to answer the questions. At the end of class, collect the completed handouts and grade using the MS included in the download. Playable links and other useful information can be found in the text file accompanying the download. Note: the video does not seem to be on Youtube at the moment (late 2023).

This is a video activity about stem cells, based on a BBC Horizon program from 2009, specifically episode 14 entitled “Fix Me”. Despite the vintage, the program is well produced and covers multiple teaching points from IB Biology unit 1.1, “Introduction to Cells”, in the current curriculum. It is also useful for AP and A-Level biology. I have used it with multiple classes and it holds student interest easily. **Obtaining the program: ** Links are included in a text file in the download which allow the program to be watched directly given any internet connection. I personally recommend downloading the video to a local hard drive using one of the many browser add-ons available for this purpose; this prevents the lesson being interrupted if there is an internet outage or if the bandwidth is insufficient at your school. Also, video players like VLC allow speedup of the playback, which is not noticeable but facilitates fitting the activity in a single class period. It is also possible to order the program directly from the BBC. Recommendations for use of resource: Print out sufficient copies of the handout for all students, or one copy per group if you prefer group work. Students listen to the program and answer the questions. For the first few questions, when the relevant content is reached, I always bring it to their attention verbally, so they do not get “hypnotized” by the video and forget to answer the questions. At the end of class, collect the completed handouts and grade using the MS included in the download. Links and additional information: Refer to the text file included in the download.

This is a 2-page worksheet for students learning eukaryotic cell organelles. Page 1 is an animal cell with all important structures indicated by lines; students must name each structure AND briefly explain its function. Page 2 is the same but for plant cells. The worksheet is in .pdf format for easy printing, and a suggested mark scheme is included. Recommended for IB Biology, AP Biology, A-level Biology, IGCSE Biology.

This is a student activity for learning levels of biological organization. Suitable for grades 6-12, MS or HS biology, IB or AP biology courses. Spreadsheet has four tabs: 1) answers tab for checking 2) all levels mixed together, this covers the entire span from subatomic particles to the whole biosphere. 3) smaller levels, this could be used if you are doing biochemistry etc and want to leave the ecology material for later. 4) larger levels only, this is organismal level and larger, basically ecology level concepts like community, population etc. The tabs are optimized to print cleanly on one or two pages. Recommended use: print out desired number of sheets, then have students individually or in groups cut out the scrambled cards. Then they can sort the cards correctly into threes: name/picture, description and example. If desired they can paste the correct sets onto a separate sheet of paper and these can then be marked. This is an expanded version of a task by user Judyv.

This is an improved version of work by user alexjfirth, all credit to him. Suitable for grades 6-12, perhaps optimal for 9-10. Changes: -instructions added for matching section -name/date/class strip added at top -clarifying instructions added for task 1 and question d) iv). -top heading and borders enlarged -dreadful Comic Sans font eliminated and replaced with Times New Roman.

This is my powerpoint for an IB Chemistry Option D class at my school in Shanghai. It is extremely thorough, accurate and profusely illustrated, with many molecular models, and leavened with touches of humor. The graphics are designed to be used with a remote presenter. The content reflects the 2009 Option D curriculum, but should be adaptable to the new 2014 version. Teachers may adapt the material, however, I request that my name and school information be left in place. The second version is without the background image for printing purposes.