These are level descriptors I have written for the new GCSE levels 1-9. They cover planning, collecting and recording results and drawing graphs. You will find them very useful for developing assessments and levelling pupil's work.

This is an A level lesson. Students learn about open and closed circulatory systems and then practice comparing the circulatory systems of mammals to fish and also amphibians. The focus is on presenting students with diagrams and teaching them how to analyse the different systems and explain why each is effective for that particular organism. Students complete a worksheet to show their understanding and self assess via a mark scheme (included in the presentation). Finally students compare the effectiveness of a frog’s circulatory system to a mammal. Again students self asses their answers against a mark scheme (provided)

This resource covers dominant and recessive, co dominance, incomplete dominance and sex linked disorders by providing a collection of worksheets for students to practice the crosses. You can teach it very quickly and thoroughly assess your students understanding.

This resources consists of 2 lessons worth of learning. It enables students to ‘see’ what is happening in enzyme reactions where substrate concentration is increased and then temperature is increased. Students will relate the graphs to what is happening at the enzyme level. There are lots of resources and activities in this pair of lessons. Enjoy!

An engaging way for students to work in pairs to learn how enzymes work. I have included the rally quiz set of questions I use in class to assess learning following the activity, plus a summary sheet which can be set as homework at the end of the lesson.

Questions on one side of the table and answers on the next so students can fold the paper in half and test themselves. Covers foundation level C2 additional science for AQA.

This is a complete lesson. The PowerPoint contains teaching slides, question slides, activities and markschemes for self assessment. There is a ‘Know it Show it’ slide to introduce objectives and outcomes. The lesson is planned around Rosenshine’s Principles of Practice. The lesson includes recall activities and focuses on the use of key scientific terms to promote literacy. The activities use co-operative learning strategies to engage all students in your lesson. Any worksheets

Students are asked to recall the number of chromosomes in images of different human cells. Answers are animated to appear. Lesson then shows a baby just after birth and the following slides show different stages of development and arrive at a slide of the gametes showing fertilization. The next slide is animated to zoom into the nucleus and 23 chromosomes appear. The next image shows the ovum and the 23 chromosomes animate in. This is used to focus on why the gametes are special and therefore have special adaptations. The following slides are used to teach the adaptation of the gametes. Students are provided with key terms to use to write the adapations of the gametes. A slide of answers for self assessment is included.

Students recall the parts of a microscope and link key terms together to describe how to use it to view a specimen. Students self assess their extended description using a mark scheme. Students learn how to prepare a slide to view cheek cells. Students calculate total magnification and focus on the names of the lenses to use and their magnifications. All answers are included.

Students learn about mitosis in context of how a single fertilised egg becomes a newborn baby. I created animated slides which teach students the stages of mitosis and the key events occurring at each stage. Students are give a diagram and key terms to use to describe each stage. They then self assess their answers. After years of improving my lesson on mitosis - this is the most effective lesson I have created. The animations make mitosis easy and the context in which the lesson is set allows students to understand the importance of the process in

Lesson introduces how children look like their biological parents. Slides recall cheek cells and focuses on the nucleus. Recall of chromosomes and genes and alleles. Mendel is introduced and to help students understand his experiments with pea plants, plant reproduction is re-visited. Students describe the steps in plant reproduction. The lesson focuses on the genes and alleles inside the pollen and ovule. Lesson 2 then looks at genetic crosses involving pea plants. Punnett squares are used in addition to other diagrams. Students complete worksheets of genetic crosses and all answers are included in the PowerPoint for self assessment.

The lesson has a recall starter of stages of mitosis. It then shows an images of a newborn going back to an early embryo and fertilised egg. Students are then given a diagram (which is also on the slide) and asked to identify cells undergoing mitosis, cells which are all the same and cells which can become any cell in the human body. Answers are provided. IVF is then taught to explain how scientists can obtain embryonic stem cells for research. Students are taught how the properties of embryonic stem cells make these cells special. Students complete a worksheet where they use key terms to describe the stages in IVF

This lesson starts with recall of cells needed to make a baby then revisits the number of chromosomes in these cells. We question ‘how’ do these cells get made with a haploid number of chromosomes. We teach meiosis with a focus on the number of chromosomes. I have created animated slides with step by step questions that are posed which we answer as we teach the lesson. Students complete a set of recall questions and self assess their answers. All answers are included. They then complete a table comparing mitosis and meiosis. Students also self assess their answers. All worksheets and answers included.

The lesson begins with recall of the function of haemoglobin and introduces sickle cell red blood cells and their effect on the delivery of oxygen to body cells. The link is made between a mutation in a gene created the sickle cell allele using clear images. The following slides teach the inheritance of sickle cell disease. Students then complete a co operative learning activity called Sage and Scribe - instructions included on a slide. All worksheets and answers included for self assessment. At the end, students introduce key terms and their meanings. There is an activity assessing students recall of these key terms

The lesson begins with a recall activity of the key terms used in genetics. Answers are included. Images of Polydactyl are shown. the lesson recalls cells, chromosomes, genes and alleles and then genetic diagrams are used to show inheritance of the condition. Students complete genetic crosses independently and self assess against answers displayed. Students complete a co operative learning activity called Sage and Scribe - instructions and sheets included. Students self assess their responses. The lesson then moves on to why it is a 50% chance of having a boy or a girl and uses genetic diagram to explain inheritance. Students then complete a worksheet and self assess their

Five QWC Questions for the new specification for Biology based on AQA higher exam questions. Each question has a sheet containing descriptors which inform students of the question and the content required in their extended answer. The second sheet is a detailed markscheme. It is written to make marking quicker whilst providing detailed feedback to students. The teacher can use a highlighter on the markscheme to identify where relevant points have been made and to show where marks have been awarded. There is a level boundary sheet that I have produced so that marks can be converted to the new 1-9 levels.

Use the powerpoint to describe the task to your class. Students complete the corresponding worksheet. Then display the mark scheme on the powerpoint and students either self assess or peer asses their work using the markscheme. They can then use another coloured pen to show their improvements/ what they missed out. I have included two types of co-operative learning quizzes for your to use as revision prior to the activity. Rally quiz. Give each pair a card. They ask a question each - like a rally. Answers are included on the card. For fan and pick, students work in groups of 4. Student 1 fans the set of cards, student 2 selects a card and passes it to number 3 who reads the question. Student 4 answers. If it is wrong, 3 coaches. The students rotate responsibilities clockwise until all questions have been answered.

I produced this resource so that I could make my lesson on pressure more interesting. My aim was to link it to everyday situations. Pupils are challenged to explain how the shape of objects affects the pressure they exert.

An independent learning acitivity where you are free to visit and question groups. Pupils interpret the images in each box and write their ideas on post-it-notes. They learn to use labels and images and are able to discuss ideas. I have made the story accessible to all abilities. I have included a variety of worksheets which pupils can complete once they have learned the process of respiration.

Pupils love this lesson. The task is for them to design and make a boat out of tin foil and sellotape, then compete against each other to find out how much mass their boat will hold before sinking. To make it more engaing I've based it around a Pirates of the Carribean theme. The worksheet makes sure they evaluate their own design and the winning one.