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 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
A fully resourced lesson which includes an informative lesson presentation (34 slides) and differentiated worksheets that show students how to convert between units so they are confident to carry out these conversions when required in Science questions. The conversions which are regularly seen at GCSE are covered as well as some more obscure ones which students have to be aware of. A number of quiz competitions are used throughout the lesson to maintain motivation and to allow the students to check their progress in an engaging way
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but is suitable for KS3
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structure of DNA in the detail which is required at GCSE level (14 - 16 year olds in the UK). The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (35 slides) and associated worksheets. The main aim of the lesson is to ensure that students recognise key terminology that comes with this topic such as nucleotide and (nitrogenous) bases. Engaging tasks have been written into the lesson, in order to maintain the motivation, such as when students are introduced to complimentary base pairing through a version of the gameshow “Take me Out”. Additional knowledge is provided at appropriate times in the lesson to stretch and challenge the more able. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding of the structure.
As stated above, this lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with younger students and also with A-level students as a means of a recap before they learn about this in greater detail.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of content in Topic B4(Community-level systems) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Ecosystems
Abiotic and biotic factors
Competition and interdependence
Efficiency of biomass transfer
The Carbon cycle
The Nitrogen cycle
Decomposers
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This fully-resourced lesson describes the non-specific responses of the body to infection and includes details of phagocytosis, inflammation and interferon release. The engaging and detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been primarily designed to cover the content of point 6.7 of the Pearson Edexcel A-level Biology A specification but topics including antigen-presentation are also introduced to prepare students for upcoming lessons on the immune response (6.8 & 6.9).
At the start of the lesson, the students are challenged to recall that cytosis is a suffix associated with transport mechanisms and this introduces phagocytosis as a form of endocytosis which takes in pathogens and foreign particles. This emphasis on key terminology runs throughout the course of the lesson and students are encouraged to consider how the start or end of a word can be used to determine meaning. The process of phagocytosis is then split into 5 key steps and time is taken to discuss the role of opsonins as well as the fusion of lysosomes and the release of lysozymes. A series of application questions are used to challenge the students on their ability to make links to related topics including an understanding of how the hydrolysis of the peptidoglycan wall of a bacteria results in lysis. Students will be able to distinguish between neutrophils and monocytes from a diagram and at this point, the role of macrophages and dendritic cells as antigen-presenting cells is described so that it can be used in the next lesson. The importance of cell signalling for an effective immune response is discussed and the rest of the lesson focuses on the release of two chemicals - interferons and histamine. During the interferon section, references are made to a previous lesson on HIV structure and action so students can understand how the release of these signalling proteins helps neighbouring cells to heighten their anti-viral defences. A step by step guide is used to describe the release of histamine in the inflammatory response and the final task challenges students to use this support to form a detailed answer regarding the steps in inflammation.
This lesson bundle contains 4 detailed lesson PowerPoints, which along with their accompanying resources have been designed to cover the majority of the content in module 2.1.6 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
The lessons have been planned at length and include exam-style questions that will challenge the students on their current understanding, prior knowledge checks to encourage students to make links to previously covered topics, guided discussion points and quick quiz competitions to introduce memorable terms and values.
The following specification points are covered by the resources in this bundle:
The cell cycle
How the cell cycle is regulated
The main stages of mitosis
The significance of mitosis in life cycles
The significance of meiosis in life cycles
The main stages of meiosis
How cells of multicellular organisms are specialised for particular functions
The organisation of cells into tissues, organs and organ systems
Stem cells as a renewing source of undifferentiated cells
The production of erythrocytes and neutrophils derived from stem cells in bone marrow
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the cell specialisation and organisation lesson as this has been uploaded for free
This lesson bundle has been formed from the 13 detailed lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying resources that have been uploaded to cover a lot of the content in modules 2.1.4, 2.1.5 and 2.1.6 of the OCR A-level Biology A specification.
Each lesson contains a wide range of tasks, which include exam-style questions (with mark schemes), guided discussion points, and quick quiz competitions, that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points:
Module 2.1.4: Enzymes
The role of enzymes in catalysing reactions that affect metabolism at a cellular and whole organism level
The role of enzymes in catalysing both intracellular and extracellular reactions
The mechanism of enzyme action
The effect of pH on enzyme activity
The effect of temperature on enzyme activity
The calculation of the temperature coefficient
The effect of enzyme and substrate concentration on enzyme activity
The need for coenzymes, cofactors and prosthetic groups in some enzyme-controlled reactions
Module 2.1.5: Biological membranes
The fluid mosaic model of membrane structure and the roles of its components
Simple and facilitated diffusion as forms of passive transport
Active transport, endocytosis and exocytosis as processes requiring ATP as an immediate source of energy
The movement of water across membranes by osmosis and the effects that solutions of different water potential can have on plant and animal cells
Module 2.1.6: Cell division, cell diversity and cellular organisation
The cell cycle
How the cell cycle is regulated
The main stages of mitosis
The significance of mitosis in life cycles
The significance of meiosis in life cycles
The main stages of meiosis
How cells of multicellular organisms are specialised for particular functions
The organisation of cells into tissues, organs and organ systems
The production of erythrocytes and neutrophils from stem cells in bone marrow
If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons in this bundle, then download the following lessons as they have been uploaded for free:
The roles of enzymes and mechanism of action
Simple and facilitated diffusion
Cell specialisation and organisation
This fully-resourced lesson describes the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression at a transcriptional level. The detailed PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the first part of point 6.1.1 (b) as detailed in the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that the students knowledge should include the lac operon and examples of transcription factors in eukaryotes. .
This is one of the more difficult concepts in this A-level course and therefore key points are reiterated throughout this lesson to increase the likelihood of student understanding and to support them when trying to make links to actual biological examples in living organisms. There is a clear connection to transcription and translation as covered in module 2.1.3, so the lesson begins by reminding students that in addition to the structural gene in a transcription unit, there is the promotor region where RNA polymerase binds. Students are introduced to the idea of transcription factors and will understand how these molecules can activate or repress transcription by enabling or preventing the binding of the enzyme. At this point, students are challenged on their current understanding with a series of questions about DELLA proteins so they can see how these molecules prevent the binding of RNA polymerase. Their understanding is then tested again with another example with oestrogen and the ER receptor. The final and main section of the lesson focuses on the lac operon and immediately an opportunity is taken to challenge their knowledge of biological molecules with a task where they have to spot the errors in a passage describing the formation and breakdown of this disaccharide. Students will be able to visualise the different structures that are found in this operon and time is taken to go through the individual functions. A step by step guide is used to walk students through the sequence of events that occur when lactose is absent and when it is present before they are challenged to apply their understanding to an exam question.
This bundle of 4 lesson presentations and associated resources cover a lot of the mathematical skills that can be tested in Science. Since the move to the new GCSE specifications, the mathematical element has increased significantly and these lessons act to guide students through these skills. Students are shown how to convert between units, rearrange to change the subject of the formula and to use significant figures and standard form.
This bundle of 6 revision lessons challenges the students on their knowledge of the content of topics B1 - B7, C1 - C10 and P1 - P7 of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification which will be assessed on the 6 terminal GCSE papers. Specifically, the range of tasks which include exam-style questions (with displayed answers), quiz competitions and discussion points, have been designed for students taking the FOUNDATION TIER papers but could also be used with students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points are embedded on some topics.
The majority of the tasks are differentiated 2 or 3 ways so that a range of abilities can access the work whilst remaining challenged by the content.
If you would like to see the quality of these lessons, download the paper 2 and 5 revision lessons as these have been shared for free.
A fully-resourced lesson, designed for GCSE students which includes an engaging and informative lesson presentation (49 slides) and an image, actual and magnification question worksheet. This lesson looks at the key features of light and electron microscopes and guides students through calculating size and magnification.
The lesson begins by challenging students to pick out two key terms about microscopes, magnification and resolution, from a group of Scientific words. The understanding of these two terms is critical if students will be able to compare the two types of microscopes so time is taken to go through the definitions and give examples. A number of quick quiz competitions have been written into the lesson to aid the engagement on a topic that some students may not initially consider to be that motivating. These competitions allow key terms such as micrometer and the two types of electron microscope to be introduced in an engaging way. As a result, students will know the numbers that explain why electron microscopes are more advanced than their light counterparts. The remainder of the lesson looks at the units of size which are used in calculation questions and a step by step guide is used to show the students to calculate the actual size of an object or the magnification.
Progress checks have been written into this lesson at regular intervals so that students are constantly assessing their understanding.
Each of the 7 lessons which are included in this bundle have been written to specifically cover the content as detailed in topic 8 of the AQA A-level Biology specification (The control of gene expression). The wide range of activities will maintain engagement whilst supporting the explanations of the biological knowledge to allow the students to build a deep understanding of this potentially difficult topic!
Lessons which cover the following specification points are included in this bundle:
Gene mutations and their effect on the structure of proteins
Regulation of transcription by transcription factors
The role of oestrogen in initiating transcription
Determining the genome of simpler organisms to determine the proteome and its applications
The development of DNA sequencing methods
The production of DNA fragments through use of enzymes or a gene machine
The role of the PCR to amplify DNA fragments
The transfer of DNA into a host cell
VNTRs
The technique of genetic fingerprinting to analyse DNA fragments
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the producing DNA fragments lesson as this has been uploaded for free
All of the 9 lessons that are included in this bundle are highly detailed and are fully-resourced. The lesson PowerPoints and their accompanying worksheets contain a wide range of tasks that will engage and motivate the students whilst covering the following specification points as set out in topic 4 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification:
The structure and ultrastructure of plant cells
The function of the organelles in plant cells
The structure and function of starch and cellulose
The similarities and differences between the structures, position and functions of sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem
Understand that classification is a means of organising the variety of life based on relationships between organisms
New taxonomic groupings
The meaning of the terms biodiversity and endemism
Know how biodiversity can be measured within a habitat and within a species
Comparing biodiversity between habitats using the index of diversity
The adaptations of organisms to their environment
Use of the Hardy-Weinberg equation
Changes in allele frequency are the result of mutation and natural selection
Evaluate the methods used by zoos and seed banks in the conservation of endangered species and their genetic diversity
If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle then download the cellulose & starch and modern-day classification lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This lesson describes the meaning of biodiversity, explains how it relates to a range of habitats, and describes how to calculate an index of diversity. The PowerPoint and accompanying worksheets are part of the first in a series of 2 lessons that have been designed to cover the content of topic 4.6 of the AQA A-level Biology specification. The second lesson describes the balance between conservation and farming.
A quiz competition called BIOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY SNAP runs over the course of the lesson and this will engage the students whilst challenging them to recognise species, population, biodiversity, community and natural selection from their respective definitions. Once biodiversity as the variety of living organisms in a habitat is revealed, the students will learn that this can relate to a range of habitats, from those in the local area to the Earth. When considering the biodiversity of a local habitat, the need for sampling is discussed and some key details are provided to initially prepare the students for these lessons in topic 7. Moving forwards, the students will learn that it is possible to measure biodiversity within a habitat, within a species and within different habitats so that they can be compared. Species richness as a measure of the number of different species in a community is met and a biological example in the rainforests of Madagascar is used to increase its relevance. The students are introduced to an unfamiliar formula that calculates the heterozygosity index and are challenged to apply their knowledge to this situation, as well as linking a low H value to natural selection. The rest of the lesson focuses on the index of diversity and a 3-step guide is used to walk students through each part of the calculation. This is done in combination with a worked example to allow students to visualise how the formula should be applied to actual figures. Using the method, they will then calculate a value of d for a comparable habitat to allow the two values to be considered and the significance of a higher value is explained. All of the exam-style questions have mark schemes embedded in the PowerPoint to allow students to continuously assess their progress and understanding.
This bundle contains 8 fully-resourced lessons which have been designed to cover the following content in topic 8 of the Edexcel International A-level Biology specification:
8.1: Know the structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neurones
8.2: Understand how the nervous system of organisms can cause effectors to respond to a stimulus
8.4: Understand how a nerve impulse is conducted along an axon
8.5: Understand the role of myelination in saltatory conduction
8.6 (i): Know the structure and function of synapses in nerve impulse transmission
8.6 (ii): Understand how the pupil dilates and contracts
8.8: Understand how the nervous system of organisms can detect stimuli with reference to rods in the retina of mammals
8.10: Know that the mammalian nervous system consists of the central and peripheral nervous systems
8.13: Understand how coordination in animals is brought about through nervous and hormonal control
8.18: Understand how recombinant DNA can be produced
8.19: Understand how recombinant DNA can be inserted into other cells
Each of the lessons contains a wide range of activities, which include exam-style questions, guided discussion periods and quick quiz competitions, and these will motivate the students whilst the difficult A-level content is covered
If you would like to see the quality of lessons included in this bundle then download the pupil reflex, saltatory conduction and nervous and hormonal control lessons as these have been uploaded for free
This engaging lesson presentation (58 slides) and associated worksheets uses exam questions with displayed mark schemes, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the topics found within module B4 of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification. The topics which are specifically tested within the lesson include:
Ecosystems, Competition and interdependence, Pyramids of biomass, Efficiency of biomass transfer, The carbon cycle and Decomposers
Students will enjoy the competitions such as "Number CRAZY" and "Take the HOTSEAT" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need their further attention
All 4 of the lessons included in this bundle are highly-detailed to enable students to understand the sequence of events that occur during the body’s response to infection. Hours of planning have gone into the lesson PowerPoints and accompanying resources to ensure that the wide variety of tasks motivate and engage the students whilst challenging them to answer exam-style questions that cover the following specification points in topic 6.7 of the Edexcel A-level Biology B specification:
The mode of action of macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes
The development of the humoral immune response
The development of the cell-mediated response
The role of T and B memory cells in the secondary immune response
Immunity can be natural, artificial, active or passive
Vaccination can be used in the control of disease and the development of herd immunity
This can be a difficult topic for students to grasp, so time is taken to go over the key details to ensure that these are emphasised and retained
This lesson describes the general structure of the 20 amino acids found in proteins and makes clear links to related topics such as genes. The PowerPoint has been designed to cover specification point 2.1.2 (k) of the OCR A-level Biology A course and provides a clear introduction to the following lesson on the formation of dipeptides and polypeptides.
The lesson begins with a prior knowledge check, where the students have to use the 1st letters of 4 answers to uncover a key term. This 4-letter key term is gene and the lesson begins with this word because it is important for students to understand that these sequences of bases on DNA determine the specific sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide. Moving forwards, students are given discussion time to work out that there are 64 different DNA triplets and will learn that these encode for the 20 amino acids that are common to all organisms. The main task of the lesson is an observational one, where students are given time to study the displayed formula of 4 amino acids. They are not allowed to draw anything during this time but will be challenged with 3 multiple choice questions at the end. This task has been designed to allow the students to visualise how the 20 amino acids share common features in an amine and an acid group. A quick quiz round introduces the R group and time is taken to explain how the structure of this side chain is the only structural difference. Students will be introduced to the existence of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, acidic and basic R groups so that they are able to apply this knowledge in future lessons where structure and shape is considered. Some time is also given to look at cysteine in greater detail due to the presence of sulfur atoms and once again a link is made to disulfide bridges for upcoming lessons. The lesson concludes with one more quiz round called LINK TO THE FUTURE where the students will see the roles played by amino acids in the later part of the course such as translation and in the formation of dipeptides.
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