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Lesson overview
LAUNCH · GCSE Biology · Week 6 · Do

Compare Diffusion, Osmosis & Active Transport

🎯 Learning objective: I can compare the three transport processes and choose the correct process from evidence.
✅ Success criteria
  • Compare both sides of a question.
  • Use direction/substance/membrane/energy as discriminators.
  • Apply to unfamiliar contexts.
ArrivalStarterI DoWe DoI Do 2We Do 2IndependentExit
🧬 Edexcel GCSE Biology 1BI0 Foundation · Paper 1 · Topic 1🧪 Transport Decision Lab⏱ 40 minutes
⚡
Do → Transport Decision Labobserve · predict · test · explain · apply
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Stable conditions and clear expectations make GCSE thinking possible.
⏱ 3 min
🚪 Arrival · previous learning
Retrieve the previous learning: W4–6 definitions, applications and data for all three. Osmosis: net movement of water only, from a dilute to a more concentrated solution, through a partially permeable membrane.
Not here last lesson? Everything you need is in the box above — read it, then answer.
◆ Supported — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson

Point to the root hair on the diagram.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Last lesson you applied active transport to root hairs and gut. What did the evidence link it to?

R2 Week 6 · lesson 1

Say what active transport needs that diffusion does not.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Week 6: define active transport using the words gradient and energy.

R3 Week 5

Point to the membrane.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Week 5: define osmosis.

Lead-in Into today

Three processes, one table. Point to the column for energy.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Today you compare all three processes. What questions would separate them?

▲ Standard — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson

Last lesson you applied active transport to root hairs and gut. What did the evidence link it to?

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Last lesson: uptake fell without oxygen. Explain how that supports active transport rather than diffusion.

R2 Week 6 · lesson 1

Week 6: define active transport using the words gradient and energy.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Week 6: explain why active transport is the only one of the three that can run uphill.

R3 Week 5

Week 5: define osmosis.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Week 5: explain what osmosis and diffusion share, and where they differ.

Lead-in Into today

Today you compare all three processes. What questions would separate them?

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Given an unfamiliar example, name the two questions that decide which process it is.

★ Stretch — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson

Last lesson: uptake fell without oxygen. Explain how that supports active transport rather than diffusion.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Point to the root hair on the diagram.

R2 Week 6 · lesson 1

Week 6: explain why active transport is the only one of the three that can run uphill.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Say what active transport needs that diffusion does not.

R3 Week 5

Week 5: explain what osmosis and diffusion share, and where they differ.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Point to the membrane.

Lead-in Into today

Given an unfamiliar example, name the two questions that decide which process it is.

Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can scribe your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Three processes, one table. Point to the column for energy.

Arrival retrieves three times, then leads in. R1 is last lesson, R2 is earlier this week, R3 is older material, and the lead-in opens today without teaching today’s concept.
LAUNCH response routes
📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Quiet retrieval before new demand; uncertainty is information, not public failure.
⏱ 3 min
🌱 Starter · observe / predict

🔍 Scientific question

A compare answer describes diffusion perfectly. It never mentions active transport. Why is correct Biology still incomplete?

FRAME 1/4
BUILD COMPARISON MATRIX
Pause for observation or prediction before advancing.
FRAME 2/4
CLASSIFY FROM EVIDENCE
Pause for observation or prediction before advancing.
FRAME 3/4
ANSWER BOTH SIDES
Pause for observation or prediction before advancing.
FRAME 4/4
EDIT MISSING COMPARISON
Pause for observation or prediction before advancing.

🎯 Commit to a prediction

Before we build the table: which question best separates the three processes?

Choose one. Say it, point to it, or press it.

Nothing here is right or wrong yet, and nothing is marked, scored or stored. A prediction is still worth having when it turns out differently — that is what makes the test worth running.

LAUNCH response routes
📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Prediction/observation precedes explanation.
⏱ 4 min
👩‍🏫 I Do · model the reasoning
🧠 Teacher reasoning model — reveal only after the class has observed/predicted.
STEP Build a four-question comparison matrix.
STEP Model a true compare sentence naming both processes.
STEP Show why a one-sided answer misses the command word.
✔ What this model helps us seeIt puts the three processes side by side, so the deciding differences stand out.
✘ What this model does not showIt leaves out the messy reality that a real cell runs all three at once, and the table makes them look like separate compartments.
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Teacher models scientific reasoning; staff watch access and the point where the idea lands.
⏱ 4 min
🤝 We Do · hinge & response
Commit before reveal: Which feature uniquely identifies active transport?
LAUNCH response routes
📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Adult genuinely receives the response; the next question, explanation or scaffold changes because of it.
⏱ 3 min
👩‍🏫 I Do 2 · connect / extend
🧠 Teacher reasoning model — reveal only after the class has observed/predicted.
STEP Classify unfamiliar scenarios from evidence.
STEP Make one self-edit adding missing comparison side.
STEP Keep practice formative; no automatic score.
QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Teacher models scientific reasoning; staff watch access and the point where the idea lands.
⏱ 4 min
🤝 We Do 2 · scientific model / data
Interactive reasoning: predict/observe first → use the model → explain the evidence → adult receives it.

🧪 Scientific reasoning model

↓ 💧 ↑
Prediction / observation first. Then use the reveal.
What do you notice or predict before revealing the explanation?

⚖️ Transport decision lab

The model above reveals one explanation. This lab is button-only. Three unfamiliar scenarios: for each one the evidence is read, and a ported decision rule names the process live.

Step 1 · Predict, before you test

Which single clue settles the process fastest?

Choose one. Say it, point to it, or press it. Nothing here is right or wrong yet.

Step 2 · Test each scenario
Press one to test it.
Frozen results — these stay on the page

    Nothing tested yet.

    Step 3 · Explain
    SCIENCE GLITCH: “If a substance crosses a membrane, that is osmosis.”

    Use your frozen list as the evidence. Decide, then say why.

    Every step is a button, and each option carries a shape and a word as well as its colour. Say it, point to it or have an adult press it — the route does not change the Biology.

    LAUNCH response routes
    📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
    Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
    QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
    LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
    🛡 SPACE
    🗣 VOICE
    👂 AUDIENCE
    ⚙ INFLUENCE
    Adult genuinely receives the response; the next question, explanation or scaffold changes because of it.
    ⏱ 15 min
    ✏️ Independent · evidence & transfer

    ✏️ Independent GCSE Biology

    Classify the mixed cell scenarios. Sort each one. Is it diffusion? Is it osmosis? Is it active transport? Then answer two compare questions. Read the feedback. Make one change you can see.

    🧪 PRACTICAL / EVIDENCE READY
    EquipmentComparison grid; scenario cards/questions; model-answer reveal.
    Safety / accessNo practical hazard; question count can reduce without losing compare/application outcome.
    Evidence targetClassified scenarios + compare answers + one revised response.
    15 minutes. Supported / Standard / Stretch are movable routes, not grade identities.
    ◆ Keep the grid in view. Do four scenarios. Use one compare frame.
    Direction · water? · membrane? · energy?
    Fade: remove the first prompt that no longer changes success.
    ▲ Do six scenarios. Then two compare questions.
    Give both sides. Do this in every compare.
    Fade: remove the first prompt that no longer changes success.
    ★ Work with new contexts. Which process is it? Then justify it with evidence.
    Give the similarities. Then the differences. Be precise.
    Fade: remove the first prompt that no longer changes success.
    1 · Learner decisionprediction, plan, command-word choice or calculation set-up
    2 · Observable Sciencemeasurement, graph, working, model, practical result or answer
    3 · Learner responseexplanation, evaluation, edit or re-attempt after feedback

    📖 WORD HELP

    active transport
    compare
    concentration gradient

    Use the Biology word first. Ask for help only when you need it. TA fade route: model the word. Then prompt for it. Then wait for it. Drop a step as soon as the pupil no longer needs it.

    LAUNCH response routes
    📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
    Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
    QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
    LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
    🛡 SPACE
    🗣 VOICE
    👂 AUDIENCE
    ⚙ INFLUENCE
    Pupil reasoning stays attributable; feedback produces an edit, re-attempt, calculation, explanation or application.
    ⏱ 4 min
    🎫 Exit · receive and use the response
    ◆ Supported

    Which moves water only?

    ▲ Standard

    Compare diffusion and active transport.

    ★ Stretch

    Compare osmosis and active transport using direction/substance/energy.

    🔁 LAUNCH Lundy close — use the existing work

    1) Pupil answers / edits / re-attempts. 2) Adult genuinely reads, listens or watches and names back what was received. 3) Where appropriate, the pupil adds the single response/next-step line on the same work: “I changed / next I will …”

    No adult signature/countersignature. If local policy uses R, it follows genuine Audience only; this page never adds it automatically.

    Closing the loop: this one ends on paper — your own hand, or your words scribed by an adult. Saying it aloud starts the loop; writing it is what closes it. Pass is always allowed.

    What I said, and what it changed:

    LAUNCH response routes
    📝 write / edit🗣 structured verbal📏 measure / calculate📊 graph / interpret🧪 practical / demonstrate🔁 re-attempt
    Access changes the response route, not the GCSE Biology entitlement.
    QUESTIONEVIDENCEPATTERNEXPLANATIONAPPLICATIONEVALUATION
    LAUNCH rule: the explanation is earned by observation, prediction, measurement, testing or reasoning from evidence.
    🛡 SPACE
    🗣 VOICE
    👂 AUDIENCE
    ⚙ INFLUENCE
    LAUNCH response stays on the existing work; adult genuinely receives it, then the next learning move changes.
    🧑‍🏫 LAUNCH SUPPORT STAFF · THIS SLIDE

    ONE SCIENCE RULE

    For COMPARE, both sides must be present. Prompt ‘and the other process?’ then step back.

    Priority now

    Move learning forward

    Least prompt first
    waitself-promptvisual cuegeneral verbalspecific verbalmodeldirect support

    Move right only as needed, then fade back left.

    🔁 LAUNCH LIVE FEEDBACK–RESPONSE LOOP

    Scientific response changes what happens next

    SPACE

    Stable seating/adult, clear deadlines, no public grading, processing time and authorised access arrangements.

    VOICE

    In-lesson edit, structured verbal response, calculation, graph/data interpretation, demonstration or re-attempt.

    AUDIENCE

    Adult genuinely engages with the edit/re-attempt against the scientific model/criteria.

    INFLUENCE

    Next instruction, question, scaffold, retrieval plan or mock preparation changes because of the response.

    Read the response — classify the cause, not the learner

    Read/listen first. The response decides the next teaching move.

    Policy code reference · staff side only

    VF · verbal feedbackWS · worked with supportI · independentNS+ · one next stepE · evidenceR · responded / Audience happened// · self-edit? · read back

    No code or pupil response is stored by this HTML. No public marks, grade boards or comparison.

    LAUNCH GCSE Biology · W6L3 · Compare Diffusion, Osmosis & Active Transport

    Name: _______________________________   Date: ______________________

    Not here last lesson? Everything you need is in the Retrieval box below — read it, then answer.

    Learning objective: I can compare the three transport processes and choose the correct process from evidence.

    Retrieval: W4–6 definitions, applications and data for all three. Osmosis: net movement of water only, from a dilute to a more concentrated solution, through a partially permeable membrane.

    R1 · Last lesson: Last lesson you applied active transport to root hairs and gut. What did the evidence link it to?

    R2 · Week 6 · lesson 1: Week 6: define active transport using the words gradient and energy.

    R3 · Week 5: Week 5: define osmosis.

    Lead-in · Into today: Today you compare all three processes. What questions would separate them?

    Supported

    ◆ Grid visible; four scenarios + one compare frame.

    Direction · water? · membrane? · energy?

    Standard

    ▲ Six scenarios + two compare questions.

    Both sides in every compare.

    Stretch

    ★ Unfamiliar contexts + justify which evidence supports a process.

    Include precise similarities as well as differences.
    What this model helps us see: It puts the three processes side by side, so the deciding differences stand out.
    What this model does not show: It leaves out the messy reality that a real cell runs all three at once, and the table makes them look like separate compartments.
    WORD HELP
    active transport — moving substances against the gradient, using energy
    compare — say what is the same and what is different, on stated points
    concentration gradient — the difference between a more crowded area and a less crowded one

    Evidence target

    Classified scenarios + compare answers + one revised response.

    Exit + feedback response

    Supported: Which moves water only?

    Standard: Compare diffusion and active transport.

    Stretch: Compare osmosis and active transport using direction/substance/energy.

    Response on this same work: I changed / next I will _________________________________________

    Adult genuinely receives the response. No signature/initial is required.

    Closing the loop: this one ends on paper — your own hand, or your words scribed by an adult. Saying it aloud starts the loop; writing it is what closes it. Pass is always allowed.

    What I said, and what it changed: