This is a fully-resourced lesson which looks at the properties of group 0 of the Periodic Table, the Noble Gases, and includes a lesson presentation (29 slides) and an associated worksheet. The lesson uses a range of engaging quiz competitions to enable the students to understand why these elements do not react. Other properties such as their boiling points are explored and there is continual reference to the other groups of elements so that students can make clear comparisons. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK), but it is also suitable for younger students who might be carrying out a project on the Periodic Table

A fully-resourced lesson that looks at the topic of osmosis and how the movement of water between a cell and the solution can affect the appearance of an animal and a plant cell. This lesson includes a detailed and engaging lesson presentation (42 slides) and differentiated worksheets that include exam questions that can be set as homework. There is a lot of key terminology associated with this topic and time is taken to ensure that students understand the meaning of each of these terms before moving forwards. Students are introduced to the different types of solutions and then a step-by-step guide is used to show them how to compare the water potential of the solution and the cell and then how this will determine which was water moves. The main task is differentiated so that students are challenged and can access the work. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is also suitable for A-level students

An engaging lesson presentation (30 slides) that looks at electric current and ensures that students know the key details about this factor in preparation for their GCSE studies. The lesson begins by forming a definition for this electrical term and then as the lesson progresses, this definition is broken so that each element is understood. Students will be introduced to the difference between electron flow and conventional current. Time is taken to ensure that students understand that an ammeter must be set up in series. The remainder of the lesson will focus on the mathematical calculations which include current and important skills such as converting between units is covered.] As stated above, this lesson has been designed primarily for those students taking their GCSE exams (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is suitable for younger students too.

This fully-resourced lesson explores the inheritance of sex-linked diseases in humans and then challenges the students to apply their knowledge to examples in other animals. The detailed PowerPoint and associated differentiated resources have been designed to cover the part of point 6.1.2 (b[i]) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification which states that students should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of genetic diagrams which include sex-linkage. Key genetic terminology is used throughout and the lesson begins with a check on their ability to identify the definition of homologous chromosomes. Students will recall that the sex chromosomes are not fully homologous and that the smaller Y chromosome lacks some of the genes that are found on the X. This leads into one of the numerous discussion points, where students are encouraged to consider whether females or males are more likely to suffer from sex-linked diseases. In terms of humans, the lesson focuses on haemophilia and red-green colour blindness and a step-by-step guide is used to demonstrate how these specific genetic diagrams should be constructed and how the phenotypes should then be interpreted. The final tasks of the lesson challenge the students to carry out a dihybrid cross that involves a sex-linked disease and an autosomal disease before applying their knowledge to a question about chickens and how the rate of feather production in chicks can be used to determine gender. All of the tasks are differentiated so that students of differing abilities can access the work and all exam questions have fully-explained, visual markschemes to allow them to assess their progress and address any misconceptions.

A fully-resourced lesson that teaches students how to calculate the concentration of a solution in the units grams per decimetres cubed and mol per decimetre cubed. The lesson includes a concise but detailed lesson presentation (20 slides) and a set of differentiated questions. The lesson begins by introducing students to volumes in decimetres cubed and time is taken to ensure that students are able to convert to this measurement. Moving forwards, students are guided through how to calculate the concentration in both units through the use of worked examples. Differentiated questions are available so that all abilities can access the work. This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but could be used with students who are beginning their A level Chemistry studies

A fully-resourced lesson that looks at a number of the allotropes of carbon which need to be known for GCSE Science. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (40 slides) and associated worksheets. The lesson begins by recalling the definition of an allotrope. Students are then introduced to graphene and will understand how this is related to graphite and know the properties of these two materials that are shared. Time is taken to ensure that students can explain why graphene is able to conduct electricity. Moving forwards, students will meet the family of allotropes known as the fullerenes and will see some important details about a few of these. This lesson has been written for students studying GCSE (14 - 16 year olds in the UK).

An engaging lesson presentation (37 slides) which gets students to test their practical skills by carrying out the four identification tests for oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and chlorine. The lesson begins by using a competition called “Guess the gas” where students have to used clues to identify the four colourless gases which will be used in the lesson. Moving forwards, students will meet the pieces of equipment that will be used in these tests. Practical instructions for each of the tests are included in the lesson so that students can produce the gas and then carry out the test. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson so that students can assess their understanding. This lesson is suitable for both KS3 and GCSE students

A fully-resourced lesson that looks at the meaning of thinking, braking and stopping distances and focuses on the factors that would cause each of them to increase. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (45 slides) and an associated worksheet for the calculations. The lesson begins by introducing the term stopping distance and then challenging students to recognise that both the distance travelled during the driver’s reaction time and under the braking force will contribute to this. Students are constantly challenged to think about the factors that would cause either the thinking or braking distance to increase and to be able to explain why scientifically. Moving forwards, the mathematical element that is associated with this topic is explored as students are shown how to calculate the braking distance at different speeds as well as convert between speeds in miles per hour and metres per second. There is also a set homework included as part of the lesson. There are regular progress checks written into the lesson so that students can assess their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with those at KS3.

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the structures of arteries, veins and capillaries and ensures that students can relate these features to their respective functions. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (41 slides) and a differentiated worksheet The lesson begins by getting the students to come up with a really simple rule to remind themselves that arteries carry blood away from the heart. They are then challenged to extend this definition by considering the pressure of the blood found in arteries. Students will learn that most arteries carry oxygenated blood but will consider and recall the artery which is the exception to the rule. Students are shown a diagram of the basic structure of the artery and the reasons for the narrow lumen and thick muscular wall are explained. Moving forwards, students are challenged to use the work on arteries to sketch a diagram of a vein and to explain why they have given this vessel certain features. A quick competition is then used to check their understand of the work so far whilst introducing valves and again they are given a chance to work out which blood vessel would need these structures in their lumen. The remainder of the lesson focuses on the capillary and time is taken to relate the features to an actual example involving the alveoli of the lungs. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge

An engaging lesson presentation which looks at the two types of animal stem cells, exploring their important differences and briefly looking at their potential uses in medicine. The lesson begins by looking at the meaning of the term differentiation and then challenging students to draw a simple conclusion once they know that stems cells are undifferentiated cells. Time is taken to look into this part of the knowledge in depth but then students are given the key points which must be understood for them to move forwards. Students are told that there are two types of animal stem cells before a quiz competition is used to get them to predict which one of the two is being described by the clues. The answers to the competition then have to be used to write a summary passage about the two types. Students are also told that stem cells exist in plants in the form of meristem cells. Finally, Parkinson’s disease and Diabetes mellitus Type I are used as examples of conditions that could be potentially treated with stem cells.

A thought-provoking lesson presentation (34 slides) that looks at each of the stages in the development of drugs and considers the potential issues that arise at each of the stages. The lesson begins by ensuring that the students know the scientific definition of a drug and then they will be told how much is spent by the NHS alone each year on medicinal drugs so they can recognise the importance of this topic. Moving forwards, each stage in the development is considered in the appropriate detail. Students are challenged to consider some stages from both a scientific angle and a business angle so they can understand why certain animals are chosen for the testing. Key terms such as placebo and double blind trial are introduced and discussion time is written into the lesson so that insightful questions can be posed by all. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with KS3 students who might be carrying out research or a project on the topic of drugs.

A fully-resourced lesson which guides students through using moles to calculate the mass of a substance in a reaction. The lesson includes a detailed lesson presentation (22 slides) and associated worksheets which are used to check the skills and understanding of the students. The lesson begins by introducing the students to the three steps involved in a calculating mass question. These skills include calculating the relative formula mass and identifying molar ratios in equations to calculate amounts so time is taken to recap on how this is done before students are given the opportunity to try some progress check questions. A worked example brings these three steps together to guide the students to the final answer. The final task involves 4 questions where students are challenged to apply their new-found knowledge. This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK)

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the gaseous reversible reaction known as the Haber Process and then explores and explains why the specific conditions are chosen for this reaction. The lesson includes a detailed lesson presentation (29 slides) and associated worksheets which are differentiated. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use a description of the reaction to complete the balanced symbol equation. A quiz competition involving both Chemistry and Maths skills is used to reveal the temperature and pressure which are chosen for this reaction. Students will learn that this only produces a yield of 30% and therefore are encouraged to question why these conditions are chosen. In doing so, they are made to wear two “hats”, so that they consider it from both a Science angle but also a business angle. Their knowledge of reversible reactions and the effect of changing either the temperature or the pressure on the position of the equilibrium are constantly challenged and then checked through a range of progress check questions. As a result of this lesson, students will understand that these conditions are a compromise and be able to explain why. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK).

A fully-resourced lesson which guides students through drawing, writing and recognising the electronic configurations of atoms and ions. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (33 slides), an associated worksheet and a competition worksheet. The lesson begins by introducing the students to the number of electrons that can be held on the first three electron shells. They are then shown how to draw an electronic configuration and write this in brackets form. Students are given the opportunity to apply this knowledge by drawing the configuration of first 20 elements of the Periodic Table. Moving forwards, students are guided to enable them to discover how the electron configuration is linked to the position of an atom in the Periodic Table. The remainder of the lesson focuses on ions and how the configuration of these substances can be recognised. Some time is taken to explain how ions are formed from atoms and the lesson finishes with a competition which challenges students to identify atoms or ions from their configurations to form a word. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding and a range of quiz competitions to maintain engagement. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with younger students, especially the initial part of the lesson on atoms and the link to the Periodic Table

A concise lesson presentation (21 slides) which uses a range of methods to allow students to discover how to draw dot and cross diagrams for covalent structures. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall their knowledge of electronic structure to show the outer shell of two specified atoms. They will then see how it is possible for both of these atoms to get full outer shells by sharing as happens in this type of bonding. A few more examples are used to consolidate this understanding before quick competition is used to check the understanding so far. Moving forwards, a step by step guide shows students how to draw dot and cross diagrams using the same techniques as was utilised with the hulas. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students.

A fully-resourced lesson which explores how ions are formed from atoms. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (33 slides) and an associated worksheet to be used during an understanding check. The first part of the lesson focuses on atoms and specifically on getting students to recall that they contains the same number of protons and electrons and this is why they have no charge. By ensuring that they are confident with this fact, they will be able to understand why ions have a charge. Students will learn that ions have full outer shells of electrons and this change in the number of this sub-atomic particle leads to the charge. They are shown examples with aluminium and oxygen and then challenged to apply this new-found knowledge to a task where they have to explain how group 1, 2, 5 and 7 atoms become ions. The final part of the lesson looks at how ion knowledge can be assessed in a question as they have to recognise the electron configuration of one and describe how many sub-atomic particles are found in different examples. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students who are looking to extend their knowledge past basic atomic structure

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction of cracking and the conditions that are needed for this reaction on both an industrial scale and in a laboratory. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (33 slides) and an associated worksheet containing questions for a progress check. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of alkanes and a given example to work out the name of a 6, 7 and 8 carbon alkane. Students need to be able to name the alkanes and alkenes in order to understand the products of a cracking reaction. A number of quiz competitions are used to introduce both the name of the reaction but also the temperature that is needed when it is carried out on an industrial scale. Students will then be shown a diagram of a cracking experiment in a laboratory so they can discover that a catalyst is also needed. Students will learn, either through carrying out the experiment or through the informative slide, that the product of a cracking reaction is a smaller alkane molecule and a smaller alkene molecule. Time is taken to go back over the meaning of saturated and unsaturated and once the students have been introduced to bromine water, they are challenged to work out what the respective reactions will be when it is added to an alkane and an alkene. The remainder of the lesson focuses on writing word and chemical symbol equations for a cracking reaction. Students will be shown how the second product of a reaction can be worked out when the reactant and first product are provided and then they challenge themselves by trying to write three equations. Understanding checks are written into the lesson at regular places to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students.

An informative lesson presentation (44 slides) that looks at the work of the key Scientists involved in the development of the atomic model. Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr were four men whose work has led to the changes in the atomic model over the years and this lesson looks at parts of each of their work. There is a focus on Rutherford’s work with the alpha particles and students are challenged to draw conclusions based on the deflections they are shown. There is lots of time written into the lesson for consolidation and regular progress checks ensure that students have the opportunity to assess their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with KS3 students who perhaps are carrying out a project on the atom and want to add detail to their work

A fully-resourced lesson which looks at speed and velocity as scalar and vector quantities and then guides students through a range of questions which challenge them to calculate both of these forms of motion. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (44 slides) and differentiated worksheets containing questions. The lesson begins by introducing the terms magnitude and direction so that students can learn how scalar and vector quantities differ. Students will learn that speed is a scalar quantity and velocity is a vector quantity and then be questioned through a crossroads scenario to understand how speed can stay the same but as soon as an object changes direction, the velocity changes. Moving forwards, the students are given the equation to calculate speed and a few simple questions are worked through before they have to do a series of their own questions to find the average speeds for walking, running and cycling. A pair of more difficult speed questions are then attempted which challenge the students to convert from metres per seconds to miles per hour and to calculate the speed of a bicycle by calculating the distance travelled by the sensor on the wheel. This task is differentiated so that students who need some assistance will still be able to access the work. A quiz competition is then used to introduce students to the range of equations which contain velocity and then having been given them, they have to rearrange the formula to make velocity the subject and apply to some further questions. The final task of the lesson brings all the work together in one final competition where students have to use their new-found knowledge of speed and velocity to get TEAM POINTS. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals to allow the students to check their understanding and any misconceptions to be addressed immediately. This lesson has been written for GCSE students and links between the other topics on the curriculum but could be used with KS3 students who are finding the topic of speed too simple and are needing a challenge

An engaging lesson presentation (39 slides) which explores how cells differentiate in order to specialise to become more effective at carrying out a particular function. This lesson focuses on five cells - red blood cells, sperm cells, fat cells, ciliated cells and palisade cells. The lesson begins by challenging the mathematical skills of the students as they have to convert the number 37 trillion into standard form. Students will learn that although all of the cells found in a human would be eukaryotic animal cells, they wouldn’t all be the same. They are introduced to the key term differentiation through a quiz competition and time is taken to ensure that students understand how this process leads to specialisation. The remainder of the lesson concentrates on looking at the function and features of the five cells. Quiz competitions are used throughout to maintain engagement whilst ample time is given to student discussion where they are challenged to consider why a cell would have specialised in such a way. Key terminology is consistently used so that students are not caught off guard in an exam question when this specialist language is used. Regular progress checks are written into the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students who are looking to extend their knowledge on the topic of cells.