Used with high ability year 10 class.
Eye diagram unlabelled (blown up to A3) given to each group, with a set of label cards. First use prior knowledge to label the diagram - assessing prior knowledge.
Then move around the room collecting information on the structures of the eye, filling in the worksheet. Return to group, and use this information to have another go at labelling the diagram. Excellent means of showing progress.
Move on to each label their own diagram, and discuss rods/cones - linking back to previous lesson on the Nervous system.
Short intro with PowerPoint presentation.
Students given SOLO sheet to work through, with support from new AQA textbook. Enables pupils to develop their understanding at their appropriate level of learning, meaning some will progress through the sheet further than others.
Designed for high ability year 8s - in small groups, pupils use the provided information to plan a mini 'lesson' on their allocated deficiency.
One pupils stays at their station to teach others - the rest move around the room, learning about the other deficiencies. They then return to their group, and teach their presenter about what they have learnt.
Move on to look at BMIs, with some celeb data. Pupils are prompted to consider how this may not be a reliable measure of health. e.g. rugby player categorised as obese.
Taught to a higher ability year 10 class over several lessons.
Lesson 1 - The structure of the Heart
Lesson 2 - Blood vessels
Lesson 3 - Components of the blood (station activity, students collect info from around the room on the 4 components, and then apply their knowledge to answer exam-style questions).
Presentation to introduce learning in Science. Gets pupils to reflect on science in Primary schools and discuss their anxieties/excitement for secondary school science.
In small groups, use A3 paper for pupils to draw their mental image of a scientist. 99% will go with the mad scientist stereotype. Look at each other's drawings, and then go through some images of 'real-life' scientist, to get pupils to reconsider their initial stereotype - making the point that we can all be scientists as we make hypotheses, analyse, and consider solutions.
Skills sort (I laminated these) - Which skills are most important to a scientist. Pupils work in small groups, and generate excellent discussion, with teacher playing devil's advocate. Gets pupils to think about how scientists actually work.
Finally pupils can redraw their scientists, annotating diagrams with the key skills which a scientist may showcase!
Really fun lesson.
Lesson to a mixed ability year 7 group, 100 minute session but could be adjusted.
Market place activity, using differentiated booklets. AfL Dice game.
Followed by more ethics based activities, looking at how doctors can make the decision of who receives a donor organ. Developing higher order thinking skills (Bloom's) by ranking and justifying ideas.
Donor cards to be printed, and used as exit pass for 3-2-1 plenary.
Lesson used for a formal observation, which received a Grade 1. At a school where they have 100 minute lessons, therefore this could be adapted and spread over two lessons. Mixed ability class.
Learners really enjoyed the interactive nature of the lesson, and I was successful in showing progress at regular intervals. Differentiated through range of support offered in booklets.
I made dice for this lesson using excellent templates I had found on TES. One dice had pictures of specialised cells on each face, whilst the other had questions on each face. Students LOVED this, but I did make these myself to avoid wasted time in the lesson.
PowerPoint designed using the AQA syllabus for pupils to use to check their understanding of key concepts. Used in a lesson before their end of unit test. Pupils can identify areas they have struggled with and focus their revision on those questions. Hyperlinks to Bitesize to support less confident/able pupils.
100 minute session on the effect of exercise, smoking and asthma on the lungs
Could be extended over several lessons.
Learners conduct a practical to measure lung capacity, and could test the effect of exercise on breathing rate
Focus on graph work and concluding practical results.
100 minute session designed for KS3 - could be expanded or reduced.
Students understand the role of the respiratory system through:
- true or false activity with key stats
- demo of lambs lungs with bellow
- ordering the sentences for inhalation and exhalation
- team challenge to make a model of the system using limited resources
- introduce gas exchange
Fun 100 minute session on the heart and blood vessels - could be expanded or reduced.
Students to learn about the structure of the heart through a memory recall drawing challenge and a dissection. Video links to support learning.
Cryptogram challenge for students to learn about the blood vessels.
British Science week 2016
This presentation explores the history of science and how it is capable of having both a positive and negative influence. It also looks at some key science talking points from 2015/2016. There is a short quiz, and finally some key questions to consider and hopefully spark an interesting discussion!
Lesson designed for KS3 to creatively approach the topic of the tilt of Earth's axis and the seasons. Using hibernation and migration to explore these concepts.
Students start by watching short clip (John Lewis Bear and the Hare)
Research activity on the seasons and hibernation
Choice of task: produce a documentary on the tilt of the axis OR to imagine a world without seasons (choose how to present this). Lower ability could make a model to demonstrate how the tilt affects the seasons.
Taboo plenary
For use over several lessons to enable students to explore this area fully. Fun and interactive!!! (and highlighting the hedgehog which is in huge decline in this country)
Article relating to a modern recreation of Priestley's photosynthesis experiment, with comprehension questions. Used for higher ability student in my Biology class.
Year 7 Science lesson - theme of exploration.
As they enter the classroom there are an array of items spread out on their desks. I used opera glasses, a fossil collection, a meat thermometer, heart rate monitor, etc.
The aim is to get them to brainstorm their thoughts, which focus on what we already know, rather than asking questions and concentrating on the unknown. Prompt them to consider this and develop their questioning!
In groups they take a research topic where much doubt remains. They look at what people used to think, what scientists now believe and what we may find out in the future. Then present their findings to other groups, I used a carousel activity.
Amazing results - one group looked at subatomic particles down to quarks!
Could be spread over more than one lesson. Worked really successfully with my group, as children realised that science is evolving and many questions must be asked if we are to enhance human understanding.
Year 7 Science lesson, could be adapted to use with other year groups
Students work in groups, each group is researching a different type of plate boundary (conservative, constructive, destructive, collision). They then move around the room and teach other groups about what they have learnt. Focus if the Nepal Earthquake, and students use their learning from the lesson to explain what plate boundary there is in Nepal and why the Earthquake occurred.