I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
A color-coded worksheet to help students work through word equations for neutralisation reactions.
Really useful to help lower ability or KS3 classes visualise where the products of neutralisation reactions come from.
Includes a worked example and answer key.
A revision mat for a KS3 class studying electricity and magnetism.
This revision placemat is designed for a top set year 8 class.
This revision placemat covers:
Circuit symbols
The role of each component in a circuit
The rules for current in series and parallel circuits
Potential difference
Drawing voltmeters in parallel
Resistance
Static electricity in terms of electrons / distribution of charge
Magnetism - attraction and repulsion
Magnetic fields
Electromagnetism (what is it, how can the strength be changed, what are the uses)
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, lab safety, scientific apparatus, measuring, Bunsen burners
A lesson hook - writing instructions for an alien to draw a stick man (guidance for teachers included)
A task on reproducibility - students follow instructions for drawing a house
Direct instruction on what makes a good scientific method
Independent task - writing instructions for making a cup of tea
Practical demo - teacher follows students’ instructions and makes cups of tea
Peer assessment slide
An independent task - students write a method for a scientific investigation
A written plenary task
This is a 1 hour lesson resource designed for a lower ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science Biology topic ‘Homeostasis’.
This lesson focuses on reflex arcs, and neurotransmitter release at synapses.
My lesson resources always contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1-hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Chemistry topic on “Electrolysis”.
This lesson focuses on the electrolysis of aqueous solutions, with a specific focus on identifying the products formed at each electrode.
This PowerPoint includes:
A ‘5-in-5’ retrieval-style starter
A retrieval practice task recapping the reactivity series (with varying levels of difficulty / scaffold to choose from)
Guided class discussions
Introduction slides outlining the rules at each electrode
Teacher model slides to practice naming the product at each electrode
Hand signal quizzes with answers, to check pupils’ understanding
Table for students to copy and complete, practising naming the products at each electrode (varying levels of scaffold to choose from)
Exam Questions for students to practise, with varying levels of scaffold to choose from
Answer slides
A game of ‘splat’ for students to play as a plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a low ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This is a theory lesson, so suitable for teaching random sampling with quadrats in the winter months!
This lesson focuses on the method of random sampling, as well as the calculations.
This resource includes:
A ‘5 in 5’ retrieval-style starter
A careers link (ecological consultant)
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
An embedded video
An animated teacher model, helping students to visualise the method
Model results
A teacher model on calculating a mean / estimations, with answer slides
Exam question on random sampling method, with optional scaffold, and answer slide
Exam questions on calculations, with answer slides
Written plenary
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, lab safety, scientific apparatus, measuring, Bunsen burners, writing methods, drawing tables
A lesson hook - funny graphs showing that correlation does not equal causation
A guided student discussion - name the different types of graph and chart
Direct instruction on categoric vs. discrete data
A checkpoint task on categoric vs. discrete data - which is which?
A fill in the blanks task, with answers
direct instruction - rules for drawing a graph
Spot the mistakes task in various graphs
Guided teacher model (visualiser required) - students draw graph along with teacher
Independent task - students draw their own line graph from a results table
A written plenary task
A revision placemat designed for a higher ability year 7 class based on using and interpreting periodic tables.
It could be used for a lower ability KS4 class.
The resource contains two different versions, a ‘challenge’ sheet and a ‘support’ sheet. There are only slight differences between the two. These words can be removed if you do not wish the student to know which sheet they are receiving.
The placemat contains:
Identifying the key groups in the periodic table (e.g. alkali metals, halogens, noble gases, transition metals)
Identifying groups and periods in the periodic table
Using the periodic table to find an element’s chemical symbol, mass number and atomic number
Defining key terms that describe an element’s property, e.g. conductive, malleable, brittle
The organisation of the periodic table
Using an element’s melting point and boiling point to determine its state at room temperature
History of the periodic table (Newlands and Mendeleev)
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a low ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This is a theory lesson, so suitable for teaching random sampling with quadrats in the winter months!
This lesson focuses on the method of systematic sampling using transect lines.
This resource includes:
A ‘5 in 5’ retrieval-style starter
A retrieval practice (recalling method for random sampling)
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher model slides (examples)
An animated teacher model, helping students to visualise the method
Guided class discussions
Multiple choice hand signals quiz
‘Fill in the blanks’ closed task with answer slide
Exam questions, with optional scaffolds, and answer slides
Written plenary
An A3 knowledge organiser on the Organic Chemistry topic from the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
Also suitable for AQA GCSE Chemistry, although does not include the ‘more organic chemistry’ topic.
The knowledge organiser includes information on:
The structure and formula of alkanes
The structure and formula of alkenes
Tests for alkenes
Complete combustion of hydrocarbons
Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons
Trends in the properties of hydrocarbons
Fractional distillation
Cracking
A colour-coded worksheet to scaffold writing word equations for displacement reactions.
The worksheet contains a description of displacement reactions, a reactivity series for reference, an example of a completed word equation, and 15 questions for students to attempt ramped in difficulty.
Eventually students should work up to writing word equations for displacement reactions without needing the colour coding.
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, lab safety, and scientific apparatus
A retrieval practice slide checking students’ prior knowledge on reading scales (measuring cylinders, thermometers) - includes an answer slide
A health and safety slide
Practical activity making measurements of volume, temperature, length and mass - with printout of method and results tables
A written plenary task
A revision placemat designed for a lower ability year 10 class for the ‘electrolysis’ topic.
It is well scaffolded.
The placemat covers:
Labelling cathode, anode, cations, anions, electrolytes
Reactivity series
The general process of electrolysis
Predicting the products of electrolysis of molten ionic compounds
The general rules for the electrolysis of aqueous solutions
Predicting the products of electrolysis of aqueous solutions
This lesson was designed for a lower ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification.
This lesson covers the Linnaean classification system, the binomial naming system, and the three-domain system of classification.
This is a full 1 hour lesson which contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
A lesson hook
Direct instruction slides on classification
An embedded video (catchy song!)
Guided student discussions
Plenty of checkpoints (e.g. multiple choice hand signal questions)
Visual teacher-led models
Student written tasks
Exam questions with scaffolds, and modeled answers
A written plenary
This resource was designed for a higher ability year 7 class to revise our recent topic on reproduction.
It could be used for a lower ability KS4 group.
There are two different versions of this resource with slight variations - one is more open and challenging, the other is more scaffolded. These have been clearly identified for you.
The areas covered in this revision placemat are:
Labeling the male reproductive system
Labeling the female reproductive system
The function of each of the key reproductive organs
Identifying the changes during puberty that occur in males and females
The stages of the menstrual cycle
Fertilisation
A brief overview of pregnancy and childbirth
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus, Biology.
This lesson teaches students how to calculate surface area to volume ratio in simple steps, then links this to exchange surfaces / the size of organisms.
This resource includes:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Retrieval practice
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Guided ‘worked examples’ (teacher models)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A written plenary task
A full lesson on bacterial diseases designed for a mixed ability year 9 class doing the AQA GCSE Biology specification.
This lesson contains:
A 5 in 5 style retrieval starter
An introduction into pathogens - what they are, the four types
A video on salmonella
A true or false quiz on salmonella
An open written task on salmonella with peer assessment
Direct instruction slides on gonorrhoea
Lightning cold call questions on gonorrhoea
An open task to design a fact sheet on gonorrhoea for a doctor’s office
Guided self assessment
A plenary task
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource on static electricity. This was originally designed for a top set year 8 class.
This lesson involves practical demonstrations and activities.
The following equipment will be needed:
A comb and a tap (for demo)
Balloons (for demo)
Empty can (for demo)
Plastic rods, cloth and small pieces of paper (for class practical)
The PowerPoint contains:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter based on the electricity topic, with answers
Retrieval practice on the structure of an atom and subatomic particles
A practical demo bending water using a comb
Direct instruction on static electricity (using comb and water as an example)
A hand signals ‘thumbs up’ true or false quiz
A practical demo making hair stand up using a balloon
A practical demo making an empty can roll using a balloon
A guided conservation on why this happens
A deliberate practice written task on static electricity, with guided self assessment
A class practical on picking up paper using static electricity
A deliberate practice written task on this practical, with guided self assessment
A plenary task
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, plus questions on lab safety
An embedded animated video showing and naming key scientific apparatus in the lab
A scavenger hunt activity, for students to find key practical equipment in the science lab
Introduction slides on 2D drawings of apparatus
Whiteboard quiz on naming / drawing apparatus, with answers
An independent task on drawing apparatus, with answers
A written plenary task
A full 1-hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Chemistry topic of electrolysis.
This lesson focuses on writing half equations
This lesson includes detailed teacher models and worked examples with animations and specific questions to support students’ metacognition.
Many practice questions are included which are ramped in difficulty to build confidence, and contain answer slides.
Students work up to completing exam questions at the end of the lesson.
My lesson resources always contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task