Mitosis, the Cell Cycle and Stem Cells — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

How does one fertilised egg become trillions of cells — and how could stem cells repair the body? This 22-slide interactive lesson on mitosis takes pupils from first ideas to exam-style explanations, with 13 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Mitosis, the Cell Cycle and Stem Cells in GCSE Biology

Pupils learn that human body cells have 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs, then sequence the three stages of the cell cycle: growth and DNA copying, mitosis and cytokinesis. They explain why mitosis matters for growth, repair and asexual reproduction, compare embryonic stem cells, adult bone marrow stem cells and plant meristems, and weigh up uses such as bone marrow transplants against the risks and ethical concerns.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Describe chromosomes and where they are found.
• Describe the three stages of the cell cycle.
• State why mitosis is important for growth, repair and asexual reproduction.
• Describe embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and plant meristems.
• Evaluate the benefits, risks and ethical issues of using stem cells.

What’s Included

• 22-slide interactive lesson on mitosis
• 13 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks, drag-and-drop categorising and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Everyday examples make biology feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports UK GCSE Biology and Combined Science (AQA, Edexcel and OCR) and the Nigerian Senior Secondary Biology curriculum (SS1), including WAEC and NECO exam preparation.

Love this? You’ll love…

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Years 10–11 (ages 14–16), and SS1 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 13 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.