This booklet contains a range of suggested teaching activities and contexts for teaching about biological molecules at A level.  Topics covered include: hydrogen bonding, monomers, polymers, glucose, ribose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, glycosidic, starch, glycogen, cellulose, phospholipid, ester, amino acid, protein...

From the Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving project by Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), this activity for post-16 students demonstrates that if a link is suspected between a risk factor and an illness, statistical methods can be used to test whether such a link exists. Topic areas covered are:...

These resources can be used as a context to look at 14-16 and post-16 biology curriculum areas of:

• vision and the eye

• structure and function of the retina

• development and use of biomaterials

• tissue transplants and stem cells in the treatment of human disorders

• working...

This unplugged activity from Peter McOwan and Paul Curzon mingles computer science with biology. A group activity is used that mimics the firing of neurons within the brain. These trigger other neurons to fire – these can be compared to AND gates in logic circuits.

The ‘brain in a bag’ kits used in the...

In this module students will study barnacle morphology, life histories and life styles as Darwin did. He based his classification and search for a common ancestor upon his studies. Recent work using genetic and molecular evidence and scanning electron microscopy shows how some of the key difficulties in drawing the...

The Youth Grand Challenges is a new STEM competition that aims to inspire students aged 11-to-19.  This resource provides a selection of ideas for research or practical projects on the subect of the spread of disease.

Curriculum links include pathogens, bacteria, epidemics, pandemics, malaria, water borne...

This is a classroom-based activity from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute that allows students to explore the features of two bacterial pathogen genomes. The aim of this activity is to highlight the role of different genetic components in two closely related subspecies of Salmonella enterica, and to identify how...

Learners discover the BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute for forest research free air carbon enrichment) experiment and the infrastructure associated with it. They are introduced to the arrays, met masts and flux tower and encouraged to think about the research questions that this experiment can answer. Learners are...

This resource describes the use of Cabomba to investigate the effect of light intensity in photosynthesis. The video demonstrates how best to use this protocol with students in the lab, supported by student sheets with four different investigations, technical notes and...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation enables students to investigate the process of mitosis in a growing root tip. The mitotic index is the fraction of cells in a microscope field which contain condensed chromosomes.

In this activity students prepare and stain root tips....

Produced by the Wellcome Trust, this issue of the Big Picture explores some of the careers that are available to students who have studied biological science. It goes...

Produced for Future Morph, these resources consist of a short video and an accompanying classroom activity. In the video, a First Diploma in Animal Care student describes her work on the course. She illustrates how the course gives experience relevent to working in a range of environments including farming, zoos...

Produced for Future Morph, these resources include a video and a classroom activity. In the video, two First Diploma in Horticulture students show how they repot plants and describe the display they helped to produce for the Devon County show. A classroom activity encourages students to clone a plant by taking...

Produced for Future Morph, these materials contain a video clip showing a student talking about his National Diploma course in Sport and Exercise Science. He describes how science, physiology and psychology are important aspects of his studies as well as the careers his course can lead on to.

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the activity of the enzyme catechol oxidase (also called polyphenoloxidase). Found in a wide variety of plants, it is responsible for the darkening observed when many fruits or vegetables...