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.
This bundle contains 20 PowerPoint lessons which are highly-detailed and are fully-resourced with differentiated worksheets. Intricate planning means that the wide range of activities included in these lessons will engage and motivate the students, check on their current understanding and their ability to make links to previously covered topics and most importantly will deepen their understanding of the following specification points in topic 2 (Cells) of the AQA A-level Biology specification:
Structure and function of the organelles in eukaryotic cells
The specialised cells in complex, multicellular organisms
The structure of prokaryotic cells
The structure of viruses which are acellular and non-living
Measuring objects under an optical microscope
Use of the magnification formula
The principles of cell fractionation and ultracentrifugation
The behaviour of chromosomes during the stages of the cell cycle
Calculating the mitotic index
Binary fission
The basic structure of cell membranes
The role of phospholipids, proteins, glycoproteins, glycolipids and cholesterol
Simple diffusion
Facilitated diffusion
Osmosis, explained in terms of water potential
The role of carrier proteins and the hydrolysis of ATP in active transport
Co-transport as illustrated by the absorption of sodium ions and glucose by the cells lining the mammalian ileum
Recognition of different cells by the immune system
The identification of pathogens from antigens
The phagocytosis of pathogens
The cellular response involving T lymphocytes
The humoral response involving the production of antibodies by plasma cells
The structure of an antibody
The roles of plasma cells and memory cells in the primary and secondary immune response
The use of vaccines to protect populations
The differences between active and passive immunity
The structure of the human immunodeficiency virus and its replication in helper T cells
How HIV causes the symptoms of AIDS
Why antibiotics are ineffective against viruses
The use of antibodies in the ELISA test
If you would like to sample the quality of these lessons, then download the eukaryotic animal cells, viruses, osmosis, lymphocytes, HIV and AIDS lessons as these have been shared for free.
I have also uploaded a lesson on optical microscopes (for free) but it isn’t included in this bundle as the limit of 20 resources has been reached!
This bundle contains 11 detailed lesson PowerPoints and the variety of tasks that are contained within these slides and the accompanying resources will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points within topic 1 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification:
The importance of water as a solvent in transport
The difference between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
The relationship between the structure and function of monosaccharides
The formation and breakdown of disaccharides
The relationship between the structure and function of glycogen, amylose and amylopectin
The synthesis of triglycerides
The differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids
The relationship between the structure of capillaries, arteries and veins and their functions
Atrial systole, ventricular systole and cardiac diastole as the three stages of the cardiac cycle
The operation of the mammalian heart and the major blood vessels
The role of haemoglobin in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide
The oxygen dissociation curve for foetal haemoglobin and during the Bohr effect
The course of events that lead to atherosclerosis
The blood clotting process
If you want to sample the quality of this bundle, then download the glycogen, amylose and amylopectin, cardiac cycle and blood clotting lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This bundle of detailed lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the content of topic 5.1 (Photosynthesis) in the AQA A-level Biology specification. This cellular reaction can prove difficult for the students to understand, so extra planning has gone into these 4 lessons to ensure that the key details of the reactions are embedded and understanding is constantly checked through a variety of activities. All of the exam-style questions which are used in these current understanding and prior knowledge checks have mark schemes that are included in the PowerPoint to allow the students to assess their work.
If you would like to sample the quality of these lessons, download the chloroplast structure lesson as this has been uploaded for free.
A detailed lesson presentation (37 slides) and associated worksheets that looks at the different pieces of evidence that scientists use to support evolution and discusses how these support the theory. The lesson begins by challenging students to decide which piece of evidence is the key piece in supporting evolution (fossils). Students will then have to arrange a number of statements to describe how a fossil is formed. Students are introduced to the fossil record and questions are used to check that they understand where the oldest fossils would be found. Moving forwards, students are given three pieces of evidence that would be observed in the fossil record and they are challenged to explain how each of these supports the theory of evolution. Quick competitions are then used to get the students to see some extinct organisms in the Dodo and Woolly Mammoth and again they are questioned on how extinct animals support the theory of evolution. Further evidence in rapid changes in species and molecular comparison is discussed. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding and there is a set homework included.
This lesson describes the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and discusses the difficulties in controlling this spread. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover specification points 6.4 (i & ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification
President Trump’s error ridden speech about antibiotics is used at the beginning of the lesson to remind students that this is a treatment for bacterial infections and not viruses as he stated. Moving forwards, 2 quick quiz competitions are used to introduce MRSA and then to get the students to recognise that they can use this abbreviation to remind them to use mutation, reproduce, selection (and survive) and allele in their descriptions of the development of resistance by evolution through natural selection. The main task of the lesson challenges the students to form a description to explain how this strain of bacteria developed resistance to methicillin, making use of the five key terms emphasised above. Moving forwards, there is a focus on the hospital as the common location for MRSA infections and students will recognise that this opportunistic pathogen can infect through open wounds to cause sepsis and potentially death. Figures from infections and deaths in hospitals in the US are used to increase the relevance and students will learn how a MRSA prevention program in VHA facilities includes screening of surgery patients to try to reduce its impact. The lesson concludes with a discussion about other methods that can be used by hospitals and general practitioners to reduce the spread of MRSA and to try to prevent the development of resistance in other strains.
This fully-resourced lesson has been designed to cover the content of specification point 5.2.2 (The brain) as found in topic 5 of the AQA GCSE Biology specification. This resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (33 slides) and accompanying worksheets, some of which have been differentiated so that students of different abilities can access the work.
The resource is filled with a wide range of activities, each of which has been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst ensuring that the key Biological content is covered in detail. Understanding checks are included throughout so that the students can assess their grasp of the content. In addition, previous knowledge checks make links to content from earlier topics such as cancer.
The following content is covered in this lesson:
The functions of the cerebral cortex, medulla and cerebellum
Identification of the regions of the brain on an external and internal diagram
The early use of stroke victims to identify functions
The key details of the MRI scanning technique
The difficulties of diagnosing and treating brain disorders and disease
As stated at the top, this lesson has been designed for GCSE-aged students who are studying the AQA GCSE Biology course, but it can be used with A-level students who need to go back over the key points before looking at the functionality of the regions in more detail
This lesson describes and explains how production is affected by a range of farming practices designed to increase the efficiency of energy transfer. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are part of the third lesson in a series of 3 which have been designed to cover the detail included in specification point 5.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
Over the course of the lesson, a range of tasks which include exam-style questions with displayed mark schemes, guided discussion periods and quick quiz competitions will introduce and consider the following farming practices:
raising herbivores to reduce the number of trophic levels in a food chain
intensely rearing animals to reduce respiratory losses in human food chains
the use of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides
the addition of artificial fertilisers
The ethical issues raised by these practices are also considered and alternative methods discussed such as the addition of natural predators and the use of organic fertilisers like manure
As this is the last lesson in topic 5.3, it has been specifically planned to challenge the students on their knowledge of the previous two lessons and this includes a series of questions linking farming practice to the formula to calculate net production
As the 1st topic on the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A (Salters Nuffield) course, the Lifestyle, health and risk topic is extremely important to introduce the students to the detail needed for success in this subject. Extensive planning has gone into all 10 lessons included in this bundle to motivate and engage the students whilst covering the following specification points:
The importance of water
The structure and function of blood vessels
The cardiac cycle and the relationship between the structure and operation of the heart to its function
The course of events that lead to atherosclerosis
The blood clotting process
The differences between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides
The structure and role of the monosaccharides
Understand how monosaccharides join to form disaccharides and polysaccharides through condensation reactions and are split through hydrolysis reactions
The relationship between the structure and roles of the polysaccharides
The synthesis of a triglyceride by the formation of ester bonds between glycerol and fatty acids
The difference between saturated and unsaturated lipids
The PowerPoints and accompanying resources contain a wide variety of tasks which include exam-style questions with mark schemes, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions.
It’s fair to say that cell structure and biological molecules are two of the most important topics in the OCR A-level Biology A course and all 19 lessons that are included in this bundle have been planned at length to cover the module 2.1.1 & 2.1.2 specification points in the detail required at this level.
The lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources contain a wide range of tasks as well as regular checks to allow students to assess their understanding of the current content as well as prior knowledge checks to emphasise the importance of making links to topics in other modules.
The following specification points in modules 2.1.1 (cell structure) and 2.1.2 (biological molecules) are covered by the lessons in this bundle:
2.1.1
The use of microscopy to observe and investigate different types of cell and cell structure in a range of eukaryotic organisms
The use of the eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer
The use of staining in light microscopy
The use and manipulation of the magnification formula
The difference between magnification and resolution
The ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells and the functions of the different cellular components
The interrelationship between the organelles involved in the production and secretion of proteins
The importance of the cytoskeleton
The similarities and differences between the ultrastructure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
2.1.2
The properties and roles of water in living organisms
The concept of monomers and polymers and the importance of condensation and hydrolysis reactions
The chemical elements that make up biological molecules
The structure and properties of glucose and ribose
The synthesis and breakdown of a disaccharide and a polysaccharide by the formation and breakage of glycosidic bonds
The structure of starch, glycogen and cellulose molecules
The relationship between the structure, function and roles of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol in living organisms
The general structure of an amino acid
The synthesis and breakdown of dipeptides and polypeptides
The levels of protein structure
The structure and function of globular proteins
The properties and functions of fibrous proteins
The key inorganic ions involved in biological processes
The chemical tests for proteins, reducing and non-reducing sugars, starch and lipids
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free:
The use of microscopy
The importance of the cytoskeleton
Properties and roles of water
Glucose & ribose
General structure of an amino acid
Dipeptides, polypeptides and protein structure
This lesson describes how genetic diversity within, or between species, can be investigated by comparison of characteristics or biological molecules. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are primarily designed to cover the content of point 4.7 of the AQA A-level Biology specification but as this is the last lesson in the topic, it has also been planned to contain a range of questions, tasks and quiz rounds that will challenge the students on their knowledge and understanding of topic 4.
Over the course of the lesson, the students will discover that comparisons of measurable or observable characteristics, DNA and mRNA sequences and the primary structure of common proteins can all be used to investigate diversity. Links are continually made to prior learning, such as the existence of convergent evolution as evidence of the need to compare biological molecules as opposed to the simple comparison of phenotypes. The issues associated with a limited genetic diversity are discussed and the interesting biological example of the congenital dysfunctions consistently found in the Sumatran tigers in captivity in Australia and New Zealand is used to demonstrate the problems of a small gene pool. Moving forwards, the study of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene by Carl Woese is introduced and students will learn that this led to the adoption of the three-domain system in 1990. The final part of the lesson describes how the primary structure of proteins like cytochrome c that is involved in respiration and is therefore found in most living organisms can be compared and challenges the students to demonstrate their understanding of protein synthesis when considering the differences between humans and rhesus monkeys.
The AQA specification states that a minimum of 10% of the marks across the 3 assessment papers will require the use of mathematical skills. This revision lesson has been designed to include a wide range of activities that challenge the students on these exact skills because success in the maths in biology questions can prove the difference between one grade and the next!
Step-by-step guides are used to walk students through the application of a number of the formulae and then exam-style questions with clear mark schemes (which are included in the PowerPoint) will allow them to assess their progress. Other activities include differentiated tasks, group discussions and quick quiz competitions such as “FROM NUMBERS 2 LETTERS” and “YOU DO THE MATH”.
The lesson has been written to cover as much of the mathematical requirements section of the specification as possible but the following have been given particular attention:
Hardy-Weinberg equation
Chi-squared test
Calculating size
Converting between quantitative units
Standard deviation
Estimating populations of sessile and motile species
Percentages and percentage change
Cardiac output
Geometry
Due to the detail and extensiveness of this lesson, it is estimated that it will take in excess of 2/3 hours of A-level teaching time to work through the activities and it can be used throughout the duration of the course
This concise lesson acts as an introduction to topic 5.3, Energy and Ecosystems, and describes how plant biomass is formed, measured and estimated. The engaging PowerPoint is the 1st in a series of 3 lessons which have been designed to cover the detailed content of topic 5.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification.
A quiz round called REVERSE Biology Bingo runs throughout the lesson and challenges students to recognise the following key terms from descriptions called out by the bingo caller:
community
ecosystem
abiotic factor
photosynthesis
respiratory substrate
biomass
calorimetry
The ultimate aim of this quiz format is to support the students to understand that any sugars produced by photosynthesis that are not used as respiratory substrates are used to form biological molecules that form the biomass of a plant and that this can be estimated using calorimetry. Due to the clear link to photosynthesis, a series of prior knowledge checks are used to challenge the students on their knowledge of this cellular reaction but as this is the first lesson in the topic, the final section of the lesson looks forwards and introduces the chemical energy store in the plant biomass as NPP and students will also meet GPP and R so they are partially prepared for the next lesson.
This fully-resourced lesson focuses on the events of meiosis which specifically contribute to genetic variation. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the 4th and final part of point 4.3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification which states that students should be able to describe how meiosis produces daughter cells that are genetically different from each other.
In order to understand how the events of meiosis like crossing over and random assortment and independent segregation can lead to variation, students need to be clear in their understanding that DNA replication in interphase results in homologous chromosomes as pairs of sister chromatids. Therefore the beginning of the lesson focuses on the chromosomes in the parent cell and this first part of the cycle and students will be introduced to non-sister chromatids and the fact that they may contain different alleles which is important for the exchange that occurs during crossing over. Time is taken to go through this event in prophase I in a step by step guide so that the students can recognise that the result can be new combinations of alleles that were not present in the parent cell. Moving forwards, the lesson explores how the independent segregation of chromosomes and chromatids during anaphase I and II results in genetically different gametes. The final part of the lesson looks at the use of a mathematical expression to calculate the possible combinations of alleles in gametes as well as in a zygote following the random fertilisation of haploid gametes. Understanding and prior knowledge checks are interspersed throughout the lesson as well as a series of exam questions which challenge the students to apply their knowledge to potentially unfamiliar situations.
Due to the detail of this lesson, it is estimated that this will take about 2 hours of A-level teaching time to deliver
This detailed lesson introduces the 3 main principles of the cell theory and describes how cells are organised into tissues, organs and organ systems. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 2.1 (i) & (ii) of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification.
The cell theory is introduced at the start of the lesson and the 1st principle is immediately discussed to ensure that students are aware that all living organisms are made of cells. This principle is discussed with relation to viruses to enable students to understand that the lack of cell structure in a virus is one of the reasons that they are not considered to be living. The second principle states that the cell is the basic unit of structure and organisation and this leads into the main part of the lesson where specialised cells and their groupings into tissues are considered. Students are challenged to compare an amoeba against a human to get them to focus on the difference in the SA/V ratio. This acts as an introduction into the process of differentiation and a recognition of its importance for multicellular organisms. Students will discover that a zygote is a stem cell which can express all of the genes in its genome and divide by mitosis. Time is then taken to introduce gene expression as this will need to be understood in the later topics of the course. Moving forwards, the lesson uses the process of haematopoiesis from haematopoietic stem cells to demonstrate how the red blood cell and neutrophil differ significantly in structure despite arising from the same cell along the same cell lineage. A series of exam-style questions will not only challenge their knowledge of structure but also their ability to apply this knowledge to unfamiliar situations. These differences in cell structure is further exemplified by the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract and students will understand why the shape and arrangement of these cells differ in the trachea and alveoli in line with function. The link between specialised cells and tissues is made at this point of the lesson with these examples of epithelium and students will also see how tissues are grouped into organs and then into organ systems. The third principle states that cells arise from pre-existing cells and this will be demonstrated later in topic 2 with mitosis and meiosis.
This bundle contains 18 detailed and engaging lessons which cover the following specification points in module 3 (Exchange and transport) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification:
3.1.1: Exchange surfaces
The need for specialised exchange surfaces
The features of an efficient exchange surface
The structures and functions of the components of the mammalian gaseous exchange system
The mechanism of ventilation in mammals
The mechanisms of ventilation and gas exchange in bony fish and insects
3.1.2: Transport in animals
The double, closed circulatory system in mammals
The structure and functions of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules and veins
The formation of tissue fluid from plasma
The external and internal structure of the heart
The cardiac cycle
How heart action is initiated and coordinated
The use and interpretation of ECG traces
The role of haemoglobin in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide
The oxygen dissociation curve for foetal and adult haemoglobin
3.1.3: Transport in plants
The structure and function of the vascular systems in the roots, stems and leaves
The transport of water into the plant, through the plant and to the air surrounding the leaves
The mechanism of translocation
As well as the detailed A-level Biology content of the PowerPoint slides, the resources contain a wide range of tasks including guided discussion points, exam-style questions and quiz competitions which will engage and motivate the students
This lesson describes the structure and ultrastructure of plant cells to allow students to compare this structure against animal cell structure. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover points 4.1 (i) & (ii) in unit 2 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification and also describes the functions of the cell wall, chloroplast, amyloplast, vacuole, tonoplast, plasmodesmata, pits and middle lamella
The lesson begins with a task called REVERSE GUESS WHO which will challenge the students to recognise a particular organelle from a description of its function. This will remind students that plant cells are eukaryotic and therefore contain a cell-surface membrane, a nucleus (+ nucleolus), a mitochondria, a Golgi apparatus, ribosomes and rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum like the animal cells. Moving forwards, the next part of the lesson focuses on the relationship between the structure and function of the vacuole, chloroplast, plasmodesmata and cellulose cell wall. When considering the vacuole, key structures such as the tonoplast are described as well as critical functions including the maintenance of turgor pressure. A detailed knowledge of the structure of the chloroplast at this early stage of their A-level studies will increase the likelihood of a clear understanding of photosynthesis when covered in topic 5. For this reason, time is taken to consider the light-dependent and light-independent reactions and to explain how these stages are linked. Students will learn that chloroplasts and amyloplasts can contain stores of starch so an opportunity is taken to challenge them on their knowledge of this polysaccharide as it was covered in topic 1. The final task challenges them to recognise descriptions of the cell wall, chloroplast, amyloplasts, vacuole, tonoplast and plasmodesmata which will leave 2 remaining which describe the pits and middle lamella.
This revision lesson contains an engaging powerpoint (45 slides) and associated worksheets that are incorporated into the lesson to challenge and consolidate the learning. The lesson has been designed to contain a wide range of activities so that students remain motivated and engaged whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in Biology topic 3 (Infection and response) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (Trilogy 9-1)
The exam questions, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions found within the lesson challenge the following specification topics:
Communicable (infectious) diseases
Viral diseases
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Protist diseases
The Human defence system
Vaccinations
Antibiotics
Students will be able to use the lesson to identify the areas of the specification that require further attention and this lesson can be used at the end of the topic, in the lead up to the mocks or in the lead up to the actual GCSE exams.
An engaging lesson presentation (16 slides) which looks at the surface area to volume ratio and ensures that students can explain why this factor is so important to the organisation of living organisms. This is a topic which is generally poorly misunderstood by students and therefore time has been taken to design an engaging lesson which highlights the key points in order to encourage greater understanding.
The lesson begins by showing students the dimensions of a cube and two answers and challenges them to work out what the questions were that produced these answers. Students are shown how to calculate the surface area and the volume of an object before it is explained how this can then be turned into a ratio. Time is taken at this point to ensure that students can apply this new-found knowledge as they have to work out which of the three organisms in the “SA: V OLYMPICS” would stand aloft the podium. Students are given the opportunity to draw conclusions from this task so that they can recognise that the larger the organism, the lower the surface area to volume ratio. The lesson finishes by explaining how larger organisms, like humans, have adapted in order to increase the surface area at important exchange surfaces in their bodies.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but is perfectly suitable for A-level students who want to look at this topic from a basic level
This detailed and clear lesson describes and explains how the electron transport chain and the chemiosmotic theory are involved in the synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover the sixth part of point 5.2 of the AQA A-level Biology A specification and also looks at the role of the enzyme, ATP synthase.
The lesson begins with a discussion about the starting point of the reaction. In the previous stages, the starting molecule was the final product of the last stage but in this stage, it is the reduced coenzymes which release their hydrogen atoms. Moving forwards, the process of oxidative phosphorylation is covered in 7 steps and at each point, key facts are discussed and explored in detail to enable a deep understanding to be developed. Students will see how the proton gradient is created and that the flow of protons down the channel associated with ATP synthase results in a conformational change and the addition of phosphate groups to ADP. Understanding checks are included throughout the lesson to enable the students to assess their progress.
This lesson has been written to tie in with the other uploaded lessons on glycolysis, the Link reaction and Krebs cycle and anaerobic respiration.
A series of 5 exam questions that challenge students to work out the actual size of a section as seen under a microscope or the magnification. These questions will test their ability to convert between measurements and give answers in micrometers. These questions are suitable for GCSE and A-level students
