This DP Biology Unit Planner provides a complete, ready-to-use unit for B2.1 Membranes and Membrane Transport. Designed for a combined SL/HL classroom in Year 1, Term 2.

What’s inside?

Complete unit structure – B2.1.1 (lipid bilayers), B2.1.2 (bilayer barriers), B2.1.3 (simple diffusion), B2.1.4 (integral/peripheral proteins), B2.1.5 (osmosis & aquaporins), B2.1.6 (channel proteins), B2.1.7 (pump proteins & active transport), B2.1.8 (selectivity comparison), B2.1.9 (glycoproteins & glycolipids), B2.1.10 (fluid mosaic model – AoS: draw 2D representation), HL B2.1.11–17 (fatty acids & fluidity, cholesterol, vesicle fusion, gated ion channels, Na⁺/K⁺ pump, SGLT cotransport, CAMs).

Teaching activities – Permeability prediction card sort, osmosis practical (potato in sucrose – % mass change, graph with error bars, isotonic point), transport kinetics graph analysis, fluid mosaic model drawing (12-point IB checklist, peer assessment), glycoprotein case studies (ABO blood groups, HIV), HL membrane fluidity lipid analysis (Antarctic icefish vs human vs desert bacterium), HL Na⁺/K⁺ pump & SGLT cotransport diagrams, HL gated ion channels (neuromuscular junction, curare).

Assessment – Formative (permeability sort, osmosis data & graph, kinetics explanations, AoS peer assessment, exit tickets) and Summative (45-min test: 15 MCQ + fluid mosaic drawing + kinetics graph analysis + HL: fluidity/cotransport extended response OR SL: osmosis/glycoprotein extended response).

Differentiation – Scaffolding (transport flowchart, data table templates, partial bilayer diagram, bilingual vocabulary), affirming identity (SGLT2 inhibitors & diabetes in China – ~140 million patients; ABO blood group; TCM & berberine), extension (homeoviscous adaptation, anaesthetics & ion channels, RCSB PDB SGLT2 structure 7VSI).

NOS connections – Paradigm shift (Davson–Danielli → fluid mosaic, freeze-fracture EM), technology (aquaporins – 2003 Nobel, Agre & MacKinnon), serendipity, membrane asymmetry experiment, homeoviscous adaptation, SGLT2 inhibitors (basic science → clinical medicine).

ATL skills – Thinking (multi-criteria analysis, kinetics graphs, systems thinking), Social (collaborative practicals, peer assessment), Communication (AoS drawing, comparison tables, error bars), Self-management (time management, deliberate practice), Research (HL PDB structural investigation).

Misconceptions register

And much more.

For a complete Theme B Form and Function Unit Plans bundle, please visit /teaching-resource/resource-13479307

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