Articles tagged as "Post 16"

A-level set practicals - using a potometer

This new resource supports the use of practicals across various 2015 A-level biology specifications. The simple potometer allows students to measure the rate of transpiration of a plant specimen within a one hour lesson. Students can record the water loss at regular intervals and could investigate the effect of different abiotic factors on the rate of transpiration.

A-level set practicals - dissection and microscopy of a plant stem

This new resource supports the use of practicals across various A-level biology specifications. This experiment allows students to go from the plant on the desk, to observing a stained specimen under the microscope in less than 4 minutes. The viewed specimen clearly shows the location of vascular bundles and the xylem, phloem and sclerenchyma or collenchyma.

Why do bananas fluoresce? An unexpected view of chlorophyll

As a banana ages, black spots appear on the skin. Shine ultraviolet light on them, and you will see an amazing fluorescent blue ring around each black spot. This is produced as the chlorophyll in the banana skin is broken down. This makes a fun and thought-provoking lesson starter for a topic on chlorophyll.

A-level set practicals collection

These brand new resources support the use of practicals across all A-level biology specifications (OCR, AQA and Edexcel).

Biology animations - transport of water and sugar, respiration and photosynthesis and cell growth in plants

Animations on key topics in plant biology, including photosynthesis, xylem and phloem, and cell growth and division.

How to run a science journal club for A-level students

This resource introduces how to run a journal club for your A-level science students, together with a full list of appropriate open-access papers for your students to discuss. Great for stretching and challenging your students!

PlantPowerED 2014 - Science & Design Competition

The SAPS Summer Challenge 2014 asked students aged 14-19 to think about some of the challenges in everyday life – everything from flooded towns to charging up a smartphone in a desert - and to create an idea for an invention that could tackle them. The 'ideas and inspiration' section introduces some of the unexpected ways plants are being used by scientists and engineers today.

How healthy are your trees?

This activity is designed to get students thinking about plants as living organisms that have to survive, breed and defend themselves against disease. Students begin by cataloguing the health of trees in the area, and can then follow this with a statistical investigation.

CSI Trees - investigating plant pathogens

A sickly tree might not look like much of a crime scene, but the influx of pathogens on plants is causing increasing concern in the UK. In this resource, students take on the role of plant pathologists, asking questions to determine the cause of a tree's death.

Gravitropism at post-16 - the Role of Roots

This post-16 resource looks at root growth, with a focus on gravitropism. Using agar plates and white mustard seeds, students can visualise the development of roots, their root hair cells, observe the zones of elongation and differentiation and illustrates gravitropism very effectively in roots.

Revising A-level Biology: Plants 'R' Mint

'Revising A-level Biology: Plants ‘r’ mint' is an innovative revision resource, designed to encourage synoptic thinking and to develop a broader understanding of biology in A2 students. Each of the four student revision packs brings together a range of topics in animal, human and plant biology, centred on a common theme. The revision packs are intended to stretch and challenge students.

Tropisms - how do plants grow in space?

This short activity uses recently published research into plant behaviour, conducted on the International Space Station, to get your students thinking more about tropisms.

Photosynthesis Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!

This quiz about photosynthesis was designed to uncover various misconceptions that students often have, starting with GCSE level misconceptions and moving onto undergraduate level misconceptions.

Medicines and drugs from plants - 'trumps' card game

Throughout human civilisation the plant world has provided a rich source of medicinal and recreational drugs. This resource uses the popular 'trumps' card game format to provide a fun and informative way for post-16 students to learn about some of these plant-derived pharmaceuticals. This also makes a fun science club activity lower down the school, with students focusing mainly on the poisons!

Raising awareness of STEM Careers with post-16 students

Sixth-form students are often unaware of the wide range of science careers available to them. This resource is designed to raise awareness of a greater range of STEM careers for post-16 students. It includes 25 PowerPoint slides, each with information about a different science career, ranging from toxicology to environmental conservation.

Evolutionary relationships, phylogenetic trees and finding new drugs

How can understanding phylogenetic trees and the evolutionary relationships between species lead to the discovery of new drugs for Alzheimers and other ? These resources for post-16 students introduce evolutionary relationships and phylogenetic trees, putting it in the context of modern drug discovery. Topics covered include creating a phylogenetic tree, using DNA and protein sequences to determine evolutionary relationships, and identifying possible sources of new drugs. The resources include teachers' guide, students' worksheets and a Powerpoint.

Investigating the antibacterial properties of plants: Introducing STEM Careers

In this resource, students investigate the antibacterial properties of plants. Their investigation is placed in the context of a case study of Prof Julian Ma who specialises in ‘pharming’ – the production of medicines by plants. Students read the case study and watch the video about Julian's medical research, and then carry out a practical using the disc diffusion method, testing various plants to see if they make chemicals which have antimicrobial properties.

Investigating how plants use colour to attract pollinators: Introducing STEM Careers

In this investigation, students look at the way in which flowering plants use colour to attract pollinators, and particularly bees. They carry out a variety of short practicals and research activities.The investigation is put in a STEM Careers context through a case study of plant scientist Dr Beverley Glover,

Hydroponics

This practical activity outlines how to grow plants hydroponically in the classroom. It aims to give students an understanding of the basic growth needs of plants. It also shows how hydroponics can be utilised to provide food to humans as our population expands.

Video clip - Chloroplasts and starch

This BBC video clip introduces chloroplasts and the accumulation of starch grains. This can be used as an introduction to the importance and then the structure of the chloroplast. Older students can then discuss the internal structure of the chloroplast and relate it to the different stages in photosynthesis.