Previously a Subject Leader and Science SLE with bags of experience with all things KS4 and A level Biology.
I am currently teaching and creating resources for:
OCR A Level Biology,
AQA Trilogy, Synergy and Triple
Edexcel iGCSE coming soon
KS3 ( looking at the AQA 2 year course) including Biomimicry
If there is anything specific that you would like, please send me a message.
Previously a Subject Leader and Science SLE with bags of experience with all things KS4 and A level Biology.
I am currently teaching and creating resources for:
OCR A Level Biology,
AQA Trilogy, Synergy and Triple
Edexcel iGCSE coming soon
KS3 ( looking at the AQA 2 year course) including Biomimicry
If there is anything specific that you would like, please send me a message.
I made these information cards to use with year 7, 8 and 9. I have previously used them for modelling cells and linking the adaptations of cells to their functions.
The cards have photos, diagrams functions and adaptations.
Included cards are:
Palisade cell
Sperm Cell
Egg cell
Red blood cell
Ciliated cell
Root hair cell
This resource is differentiated by task and also by time to be spent on each.
Red activities = hardest,
Orange = medium demand
Green = easy
The stars represent the time to be spent on each ( I change this depending on the ability of the group/ student e.g. each star represents 2 minutes)
I usually display on the board and students work on A3 or print for lower ability classes.
For KS3 Diet and Health. Suitable for the new AQA KS3 syllabus
Lessons included:
1. The 7 food groups part 1
2. The 7 food groups part 2
3. Balanced diet
4. Unbalanced diet
5. The digestive system
6. Enzyme theory
7. Enzyme practical
8. Absorption
9. Food tests
10. Digestive system model (summary lesson)
11. Energy in food
12. Drugs
optional extra research lesson/ homework
13. Smoking
14. Alcohol
15. Revision
For KS3 biology will also suit AQA new KS3 syllabus
Lessons included:
1. Reproduction in plants
Optional research lesson/homework
2. Seed dispersal investigation part 1 (planning)
3. Seed dispersal investigation part 2
4. Body changes
5. Reproductive organs
6. Menstruation
7. Fertilisation
8. Pregnancy
9. A healthy pregnancy
10. Birth
11. In the womb documentary (1 hr 30 on youtube)
12. Revision
A set of lessons that is suitable for 'reactions of metals and metal compounds' and 'Patterns of reactivity'
Also suitable for the new AQA KS3 syllabus 4b Metals and reactivity
Lessons included:
1. Metals and non-metals
2. Chemical and physical reactions
3. Metals and water
4. Metals and oxygen
5. Metals and acid
6. Metal oxides and acids
7. Reactivity series
8. Explaining displacement
9. Exothermic and endothermic reactions
10. Catalysts
11. Combustion
12. Thermal decomposition
13. Revision
For the new spec OCR Biology A 6.1.2 Patterns of Inheritance
Fast recall and some diagrams from CGP / Pearson
I usually print the handout ppt as a colour booklet for students to annotate
The power point contains 13-14 lessons depending on your pace and activities
1.Environmental and genetic factors
2. Recap meiosis
3. Monogenetic, co-dominance, dihybrid crosses
4.Multiple alleles and practice Qs
5. Sex linkage, autosomal genes and epistasis
6.Summary
7.Chi-squared
8.Factors affecting evolution - types of selection
9.Genetic drift, Bottlenecks and Founder effect
10.H-W Principle
11.Speciation
12. Artificial selection
13. Revision (Past paper questions from legacy papers)
Separate revision grids that follow the spec are also available to buy with QR codes with OCR MCQs, Seneca tasks and you tube clips
These lessons are suitable for Triple Biology.
A power point including 7 lessons and includes a student booklet with all resources needed. There are 4 lined pages at the back to allow for flexibility.
1. Photosynthesis
2-3. RPA Photosynthesis investigation and inverse square law
4. Aerobic respiration
5. Anaerobic respiration
6. Metabolic rate
7. Summary using quick questions and podcast activity
Lots more lessons available, all AQA biology units as well as revision grids for mock and exam preparation.
A huge amount of effort has gone into these resources and your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Used with my year 12s and revision with year 13 Biologists. Also to extend top end GCSE students.
Each sheet contains a diagram, microscope image, features and function
10 fact sheets on organelles includes:
Golgi apparatus
Mitochondria
Ribosome
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Rough endoplasmic reticulum
Lysosome
Nucleus
Chloroplast
Centrioles
Flagella and cilia
For the new OCR specification
6.1.1 Cellular control lessons
Also included is a hand out that I give to students to annotate diagrams and write notes in.
I also have a revision grid made using the spec for this topic with QR codes with additional MCQs, Seneca, YouTube and activities
My teaching order is:
1. Mutations
2. Review of transcription and Transcription factors
3. The Lac operon, introns and exons
4. Review of translation and cAMP
5. Body Plans
6. Apoptosis
7. Recap of mitosis and the cell cycle
8. Revision
Questions refer to the Oxford textbook recommended by OCR edited by Anne Fullick some CGP diagrams and pearson Qs used.
For the new OCR A level Biology course
The power point contains the content for 9 lessons depending on your pace and there is a hand out to go along with it with diagrams to annotate and questions to complete.
My teaching order is:
1. Classification
2. Evidence for classification
3. Phylogeny
4. Theory of Evolution
5. Types of variation
6. Spearman’s Rank
6. Standard deviation
7. Adaptations
8. Natural selection
9. Revision using study mind questions - QR codes
For the new OCR Biology course.
A power point containing 7 lessons depending on your pace.
The second power point is a hand out that I give to my students with all the diagrams and some useful questions.
My teaching order is:
1. Habitats and intro to sampling
2. Sampling
3. Species richness, evenness and Simpson’s index
4. Genetic diversity
5. Factors affecting biodiversity
6. Importance of maintaining biodiversity
7. Conservation agreements
New OCR A level biology course.
A power point with 11 -13 lessons depending on pace
A separate power point has a hand out that I print as an A4 booklet and give my students to annotate diagrams and complete summary questions as we go.
This is the order that I taught the content.
1. Types of pathogen
2. Transmission between animals
3. Primary defence (optional PAG1 for an extra lesson here)
4. T Lymphocytes
5. B lymphocytes
6. Primary and secondary response
7. Antibodies
8. Passive and active immunity
9. Antibiotics
10. Transmission between plants and plant defence (could be 2 lessons)
11 Revision
A comprehensive ppt of 8 lessons with hand out to supplement.
I print the hand out in colour and students write their notes into it. The homework questions refer to the summary questions in the Oxford University Press textbook ’ A level Biology for OCR’ A
The order of teaching was dur to not having a lab for some lessons. You may wish to alter this!
Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes
Ultrastructure of Eukaryotes
Protein synthesis and the role of the cytoskeleton
PAG 1 Preparing slides and drawing specimens
Microscopes research
Magnification and resolution
Using an eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer
Revision questions and QR codes to study mind Qs
For the AQA Specification suitable for Triple students
Student booklet included 36 pages (includes 3 pages of lined paper for flexibility in activity
1. The digestive system
2. RPA test for CHO, proteins and lipids
3. Enzymes theory
4. RPA the effect of pH on amylase
5. Blood and blood vessels
6. The heart -New 3D models with morph transition
7. Coronary heart disease
8. Health issues and the effect of lifestyle
9. Cancer research
10. Structure of a leaf - New 3D model with morph transition
11. Transpiration
12. Summary lesson with revision quiz and 34 minute podcast
Lots of other lessons available , all units for triple and trilogy and revision grids for mocks and exam revision. A huge amount of effort has been put into these resources, I hope you find them useful and your feedback is really appreciated.
For the AQA specification, a series of 12 lessons on Cell Biology.
This is for Triple science students, but lessons 5 and 6 can be deleted for Trilogy students
A separate ppt with a student work booklet (40 pages - 4 pages are lined paper for the flexiblity of additional tasks)
1. Cells
2. RPA 1 Microscopy
3. Cell differentiation and specialisation
4. Microscopy
5. Culturing microorganisms ( set up 2 investigations) RPA 2
6. Culturing microorganisms part 2 follow up
7. Cell division
8. Stem Cells
9. Diffusion, osmosis and active transport
10. Exchange surfaces
11. RPA 3 Osmosis potatoes
12. Summary lesson - checkpoint and revision summary quiz and podcast link included.
I also have available revision grid activities for mock and exam preparation
The pictures were printed laminated and passed around for the students to examine.
You could also give students board pens to mark on the forces and ideas