This simple to use and engaging resource provides a useful framework for a lesson on conduction, convection and radiation. Depending on how much time is available to you, I like to demonstrate conduction through particles by inviting my students to stand next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, vibrating slowly. I then “transfer energy” to one of the students, invting them to vibrate faster, knocking the students (particles) on either side of them, transferring the energy on. To help demonstrate convection, I use the potassium permanganate practical. I usually allow the students to carry out a practical on radiation during the following lesson.

PowerPoint, worksheet and model answer sheet covering OCR Biology A 2.1.5 Biological membranes © (i) factors affecting membrane structure and permeability

This resource explains the difference between pure and impure substances, challenges students to compare graphs of pure and impure substances, and explains what is happening at a particle level during heating. Students then complete a simple practical where they measure the temperature of a substance as they heat it and then use a graph of their results to conclude whether or not the substance was pure or impure.

This resource introduces the phrases of the moon and how solar and lunar eclipses form. It is an incredibly useful visual aid and includes a series of questions about eclipses for students to respond to.

This resource introduces anaerobic respiration and compares aerobic and anaerobic respiration. The lesson begins an activity comparing the equations for aerobic and anaerobic respiration, it then explains why people get stitches and pant heavily after exercise. It considers the advantages and disadvantages of anaerobic respiration and how it can be used commercially. The resource includes past paper questions and answers, as well as a graph for students to describe and explain.

This resource introduces the water cycle, the key terms relating to the water cycle, and how polluted water effects the water cycle. The resource includes activities for the students to complete, for example students describe the journey of a water molecule from a river high in the mountains, through the atmosphere and eventually back to the starting point. The resource also includes an experiment that students could complete to investigating the effect of pollution (acid rain) on seed germination.

This resource introduces the menstrual cycle and the main hormones involved in regulating the cycle. It includes a fun snakes-and-ladders game to help students learn more about what happens at each stage of the cycle and encourages students to create their own summary resource.

This resource introduces negative feedback in the context of the endocrine system, using the example of thyroxine and the thyroid gland.

This resource provides an easy to use, simple and useful introduction to the differences between physical and chemical changes. The first slide can be used as a starter, to initiate discussion and inspire students to offer up ideas about the differences between physical and chemical changes. The second and third slides provide a useful visual that can be used to help explain the differences between physical and chemical changes. The resource also includes some fun, quick quizzes to help assess the class’s understanding of the differences between physical and chemical changes.

This high quality and easy-to-use resource on ‘plant responses to the environment’ is specifically designed for students studying OCR A-Level Biology. It includes information about photoperiodism and phytochromes in plants. Students should begin by watching my video tutorial on this topic, which is freely available via my YouTube channel: BiologyWithNewhouse. I have included a link to the video tutorial in the activity sheet. Students should then use information from the video tutorial and the PowerPoint slides to help them complete the activity sheet. This can be done entirely independently, as a flip-learning exercise, or with teacher support.

This resource encourages students to research the human genome project. It includes a series of questions to guide their research as well as answers to the questions.

This resource introduces osmosis, and how plant and animal cells are effected by hypotonic, hypertonic and isotonic solutions.

This resource introduces prokaryotic cells. It describes and explains the features that enable prokaryotic cells to perform their functions.

This resource provides a useful visual aid for introducing and comparing the processes of meiosis and mitosis. The resource includes links to videos on the topic, questions for students to answer, and a true false quiz. One of the tasks instructs students to create a video, poster, or model on mitosis or meiosis. This activity could either be completed during lessons or as a homework.

This resource introduces the Darwin and Wallace, their research and the theory of evolution. Included within the resource are a few links to videos that I find useful for introducing the theory and also opens discussion on the relationship between the two scientists. It invites students to consider whether Darwin cheated Wallace out of his rightful place in history, a question that often leads to great class discussions.

This resource provides an easy-to-use visual aid and activities on the structure of the eye and structure of the camera. It explains how the eye works and how the pinhole camera works, before challenging students to answer the 6 mark question “Compare the eye and the camera”. The resource includes a mark scheme for this question as well as additional questions that could be answered through investigations with a pinhole camera.

This creative and easy-to-use resource introduces leaf structure and function. It begins with a discussion about adaptions and the structures that make leaves specially adapted for their function. It includes cross-sectional diagrams through the leaf for students to label, before inviting students to design an experiment to investigate whether plants lose more water from the upper or lower leaf surface. It includes a writing frame to help support students as they design, carry out and evaluate their experiments, as well as a true or false quiz to finish.

This lesson covers OCR A Level Biology A - 2.1.2 § Inorganic Ions. This resource pack includes a PowerPoint, worksheet, and answer sheet.

This resources provides a clear and easy-to-follow introduction to pressure in liquids. The resource is well supported by a simple demonstration of water coming out of three holes in a container, where the holes are spaced out evenly along a vertical line. By the end of the lesson, students should be secure in their understanding that liquid pressure increases as depth increases and the science behind why some objects float whilst others sink.

This resource introduces diffusion and the factors that effect the rate of diffusion, in a fun and interactive way. The lesson includes a simple experiment to test how temperature effects the rate of diffusion.