I currently teach IGCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Also A level Biology. The resources I produce for my lessons are carefully planned and I try to involve a lot of self-learning to allow students to develop these important skills needed for further education.
I currently teach IGCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Also A level Biology. The resources I produce for my lessons are carefully planned and I try to involve a lot of self-learning to allow students to develop these important skills needed for further education.
2 lessons focusing on the process of fertilisation in mammals including the acrosome and cortical reaction. In plants, formation of the pollen tube and then double fertilisation.
Activities include video, diagrams and exam style questions.
Edexcel Specification Point: 5.20; 5.21; 5.22 covered.
A complete lesson discussing the implications in a global change of climate.
There are opportunities for group/pair discussion plus exam style questions and answers to check understanding.
A Word document which can be modified.
It contains all of the specification points for unit 4 “Energy Flow, Ecosystems and the Environment”.
I have included an exam progression tracker for the 8 exams available and have included the grade boundaries and UMS scores for each exam. These are the modular exams for unit 4 IAL but are also great exam practice for Biology A students in preparation for the June exam.
I have included page references for each specification point (from the IAL Book 2 and will need to be modified for Biology A). There is also a RAG section to support student learning.
I print these and give them to each student so they can follow the course but also monitor their performance in each exam.
6 PDF worksheets with exam questions focusing on sexual reproduction. There is an answer sheet to go with this resource.
The worksheets focus on
gametogenesis
fertilization
pregnancy and hormones
gamete structure
A complete lesson with worksheets and exam questions/answers which introduces the reflex arc. There are simple animations which show the route of the impulse. Synapses are not covered in detail as they are not needed for double award syllabus (edexcel IGCSE).
A PPT with complete lesson with different activities to introduce the idea of surface area and volume and how it is affected by the size of an organism.
Activities include - calculating the surface area and volume of 3 cubes; explaining why certain cells/organs have a large surface area.
There is also an edexcel IGCSE exam question and mark scheme for self assessment.
A lesson which explores the effect of exercise and heart rate on the body. Students learn how to calculate cardiac output.
The power point explores the role of the cardiovascular control centre. Students complete a diagram showing how both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can increase/decrease the heart rate depending on blood pressure, need for oxygen and glucose.
There is a little practical activity when students observe the effect of adrenaline on heart rate and how quickly heart rate changes.
A PPT which introduces the role of both xylem and phloem. The first activity is a research activity (8 minutes) where students use resources available to determine characteristics and roles of phloem and xylem.
The next 20 minutes is a circus of activities with microscope work (drawing xylem and phloem); observing dye in celery; dendrochronology (tree rings) and transpiration and translocation.
This series of 3 lessons covers:
the terms magnification and resolution
the differences between light and electron microscopes
the importance of staining in microscopy; a series of practicals with instructions
how to make plan drawings of specimens
how to use a graticule.
I have included different tasks, some individual and some group work. I have encouraged my students to study independently rather than give all of the information. There are also a series of exam questions to test understanding.
These lessons provide support towards the core practical
A level lesson which focuses on reasons for speciation to occur. The powerpoint is a complete lesson which contains individual student tasks to aid note taking and examination style questions.
This is an interactive lesson focusing on the different methods used by forensic scientists to determine the time of death.
This includes:
Algor mortis (body temperature)
Rigor mortis (muscle contraction)
Livor mortis (colour of skin after death)
Entomology (study of insects)
Decomposition
Students click on each link to gain information about each method. The information is in the form of text, diagrams and videos.
Students can summarise this information in their notes if the teacher wishes.
The students are then given information about 5 deceased people and the state of the body when found.
Working in pairs or groups, students use the information to predict and approximate the time of death (they are given a current time and work backwards).
Edexcel Biology - specification refernce 5.17 and 5.18
2 powerpoint lessons investigating the Carbon Cycle and Carbon sinks. The second lesson investigates the causes of climate change including the issues of methane from farming.
2 lessons looking at the causes, symptoms and treatments of 2 deadly diseases.
Edexcel Spec link 6.6
There is plenty of opportunity for class discussion and links into history for both diseases.
I have included graded tasks in both lessons as my students enjoy working their way up to the higher grades.
Edexcel Specification 6.17 - 6.19
Two lessons which takes students through the process of how the polymerase chain reaction works and how gel electrophoresis can produces banding patterns.
There are opportunities for class discussion and tasks for the students to complete. I have also included a video which discusses DNA fingerprinting.
A series of lessons which focus on homeostasis and muscles.
Students will study
the structure of skeletal muscle
Fast and slow twitch muscle fibres
The sliding filament theory
The role of actin, myosin and ATP
The myogenic nature of the heart
ECGs
Homeostasis and negative feedback
Control of heart and breathing rate
2 complete lessons covering the events which lead to the formation of a blood clot and how atherosclerosis occurs.
Edexcel IAL spec link - 1.10 and 1.11
There is an excel video included in the ppt.
There are many opportunities for assessment in the power points and an exam question for each lesson.
A level Biology lesson looking at the structure of ATP and its role in cells
Lesson objectives:
Describe the structure of the molecule ATP
Explain why ATP is used by organisms
Describe the role ATP plays in the cell
There are a series of exam questions included to check understanding
A complete lesson which introduces the terminology used in Ecology lessons. We also explore how abiotic and biotic factors can affect a habitat. There are questions to check understanding of knowledge learnt plus independent learning activities.
Learning outcomes
Recall what is meant by the terms population, community, habitat and ecosystem
Understand that the numbers and distribution of organisms in a habitat are controlled by biotic and abiotic factors
Understand how the concept of a niche accounts for the distribution and abundance of organisms in a habitat