GCSE teaching resources for OCR Gateway - Biology

These teaching resources and practical investigation ideas are referred to directly within the OCR Gateway GCSE Biology specification, for teaching from 2011.

They refer to the biology components taught within the OCR GCSE Gateway Core Science, Additional Science and Triple Science.

Many other practical investigations and resources to support your teaching are available throughout the SAPS website. Please go to Secondary Resources for a filterable index of other resources available.

Module B1

Effect of light on growth of a seedling

• Practical: The response of seedlings to light Includes student sheet, illustrated worksheet and teachers' notes
  

Module B2

Research images of plant (and animal) adaptations

• Visit our Plant Science Image Library
  

• Video clip - Plant adaptations to overcome environmental limitations.
  

Sustainability

• Video clip - Vavilov and the establishment of the first seed banks

Module B3

Root tip squash to show mitosis

• Practical: Investigating mitosis in allium root tip squash
  

Examine pollen under a microscope

• Visit our Pollen Image Library
  

Carry out a meristem tissue culture using cauliflower

• Practical: Cauliflower cloning
  

Investigate chloroplasts

• Video clip - chloroplasts and starch
  

Module B4

Practice your ecology and fieldwork skills from the classroom with our preparatory ecology exercises

• Ecology exercise 1- measuring abundance and random sampling
  

• Ecology exercise 2 – the distribution of species across a footpath
  

Testing variegated and non-variegated leaves for starch

• Practical: Starch test in variegated leaves Includes student sheet and teachers' notes
• Video clip: Light and starch
  

The production of oxygen in plants

• Video clip: Production of oxygen in plants
  

The release of oxygen by pond weed

• Practical: Investigating photosynthesis using Cabomba Includes teachers' and technical notes
  

Effect of changing light, CO2 or temperature on pondweed

• Practical: Using Cabomba in hydrogen carbonate indicator Includes teachers' and technical notes

Investigate osmosis using potato strips

• Practical: Using potato to demonstrate osmosis and the new Chardakov method Includes teachers' and technical notes

Examine stomata under a microscope

• Practical: Observing stomata Includes teachers' and technical notes

• Video clip - Leaf structure, stomata and carbon dioxide

Use ICT to examine leaves

• Visit our plant science image library (www.plantscienceimages.org.uk)

Experiments to show transpiration

• Practical: Comparison of transpiration rates Includes teachers' and technical notes

Experiment to show the effect of mineral deficiencies on plants

• What do plants need to grow
  
  

Module B6

Gene technology

• Video clip - The case for genetically modified crop plants

• Video clip - Genetic engineering to increase productivity in rice

• Video clip - Norman Borlaug and selective breeding of wheat

• Video clip - Muriel Weldale and complex gene interactions

• Video clip - William Bateson and patterns of inheritance