Biology teacher

Sarah Whitcombe

Mangroves, reefs and tropical ecology give us plenty to investigate, so I look for ways to connect the syllabus with what pupils can observe around them.

Explore the collection

A little about me

I teach biology from Year 9 through to A Level. Mangroves, reefs and tropical ecology give us plenty to investigate, so I look for ways to connect the syllabus with what pupils can observe around them. A local example can turn an abstract process into a question we have a reason to explore.

Fieldwork is a big part of that approach, especially with A Level groups. Getting a class out to collect observations takes careful preparation. Back in the classroom, those observations give us something concrete to compare, question and explain. I want pupils to work with evidence as well as learn the biological terms.

In this collection, I’m drawn to resources that make a process easier to examine or help pupils organise an investigation. A model is a starting point for discussion: what does it show, what does it simplify, and how does it connect with the living world? I like to give pupils enough structure to begin, then make room for a more careful explanation.

How I approach a lesson

  1. Start with a question or example pupils can investigate.

  2. Use observations to connect biological ideas with evidence.

  3. Ask what a model shows and where the real process is more complex.

Templates I'd use with my class

Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.

Resource preview

Bring your teaching ideas to life

Join the PLAI™ v2 early access waitlist and get ready to create activities and resources shaped around your pupils, your subject and the way you teach.

Your selected resource will be ready to download after you register.

Privacy Policy

PLAI™ V2 Early access

Are you sure you want to miss6 months
FREE?

TopSchool Personal Pro

This isn’t an ongoing promotion. It’s your early-access chance to secure six months of Personal Pro free. Join the PLAI™ V2 waitlist before the countdown ends. Once it hits zero, registration closes.

No payment card. No referrals required.

Your six free months are waiting.

00Days
00Hours
00Mins
00Secs

Offer ends 15 November 202611:59 pm SGT (UTC+8)