understand biology
The OCR spec is now partly examined through some terrific multiple choice questions. This is a assessment format that is unusual to many students. Here are 9 questions from an Old paper that will stimulate some thought.
Please like and share
Read moreMost students revise by copying out textbooks that they didn't understand when they were taught the concepts. There are better ways of learning and revising.
Here is one way of revising Biological Molecules, print these on card then cut out and go through with a friend - then try making your own.
Please like and share
Read moreDont panic, the question is not about the Cuckoopint flowers that you have never heard of, its about aerobic respiration, mitochondria, oxygen consumption - all of which are topics that you are familiar with.
Please like and share
Read moreWhen I teach plant reproduction in the spring I give every student a broad bean. We discuss seed shape and function and the conditions that might be needed for germination.
Read moreMindmaps suit the way I think and organise my thoughts and certainly seem to suit many of my students.
Read moreEnzymes have an active site - Substrates don't.
The substrate is a complementary shape to the active site NOT the "same shape"
Enzymes reduce the activation energy for a reaction to occur
Anabolism is making, Catabolism is breaking
Please like and share
Read moreThe only prior A-level knowledge you need to answer the question is that lactate is produced when ATP is made from anaerobic respiration.
Please like and share
Read moreFor our workshop room, we purchased some cheap white boards and then removed the table tops and replaced them with whiteboards.
Read moreThe next class upped the ante ....
And made a fantastic bilayer from molymods - took them a total of 8 minutes
Read moreFollowing on from glucose...
I divided the class into 4. Gave out the molymods challenged them to make a phospholipid.
6 minutes later...
Read moreThis year we have the first non modular synoptic A-level papers for nearly 20 years. I have been revisiting old Nuffield papers from the 1990s to find good questions.
try this one
- update, I have had some requests to go through some synoptic questions so I will be posting some video tutorials on my youtube channel over the weekend
Modelling with Molymods is absolutely essential to understanding condensation reactions between monomers and it is something that many students really enjoy.
I recommend that you do this as a whole class activity.
Read moreTeaching aerobic respiration is a difficult topic, traditionally, teachers begin with glycolysis, then link reaction and krebs cycle and then the electron transport chain, I would argue that there is a better way to teach this.
Please like and share
Read moreFrequently students fail to learn the vocabulary of Biology. To get a top grade it is essential to know what the words mean in a Biological context (niche, chromosome, chromatid...), and have the confidence to use those words in an exam answer.
Read moreThe new linear A level has synoptic questions that will test knowledge and understanding from both years in the same question. Often with looking at experimental data.
Read moreI have written and incorporated many socrative quizzes into my classroom teaching. Socrative is free web application (www.socrative.com) where you can set up a teacher account and can very rapidly write multiple choice and short answer tests.
Read more