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 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
A slide on expectations in science lessons
An activity spotting lab safety issues from an image, with answers (can be printed if preferred)
An embedded music video
An introduction into hazard symbols
A hand signal quiz on hazard symbols
An independent task on hazard symbols, with answer slide
A written plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson based on the Biology Required Practical 6 from AQA GCSE Combined Science (reaction times). Also suitable for students studying AQA GCSE Biology.
This resource was designed for a lower ability year 11 class, but could easily be adapted for other year groups or abilities.
This resource includes:
A fully guided PowerPoint, with chunked practical instructions
A student worksheet with practical instructions, results tables, and application questions
A conversion table for reaction times
The PowerPoint includes:
A ‘5-in-5’ retrieval-style starter
A lesson hook - an online reaction time game
Chunked practical instructions (slow practical) with use of colour coding and dual coding / imagery for ease of understanding
Models (e.g. a model results table showing how to find an anomaly)
Application questions
Model answers
A written plenary (an exam question, with a scaffold, a mark scheme, and a model answer)
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 11 class studying the AQA Biology syllabus. It comes with a full PowerPoint presentation and printouts.
The PowerPoint contains the following:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Lesson hook
Embedded videos
Guided class discussions
Guided teacher model slides
Direct instruction slides (using dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
‘Check for understanding’ slides using hand signals, quizzes etc.
Independent tasks (exam questions), with answer slides
Challenge questions
A written plenary task based on an exam question
A full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Chemistry specification.
This lesson is from the ‘electrolysis’ topic and guides students through the Required Practical on electrolysis.
This resource contains a guided PowerPoint (inc. a health and safety slide), and a student method sheet with a results table and application questions. The slide contains answers to the application questions.
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
An end of year science quiz suitable for all secondary school science pupils, designed for years 7-10.
There are six rounds. Each round is in the style of a classic television game show.
The rounds are:
Round One - Who wants to be a millionaire? Students answer multiple choice questions from a range of topics (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). Students can unanimously decide to use one of the lifelines available.
Round Two - Are you smarter than a 10 year old? Students answer multiple choice questions from the primary school science curriculum, from school years 3-6.
Round Three - The price is right! Students make numerical estimates based on scientific questions, e.g. how many times your heart beats a day. The team closest to the correct answers wins. Points are deducted if students go over the correct answer.
Round Four - Wheel of fortune. Scientific key terms are displayed on the board with most of the letters missing. A short clue is given. Students have to figure out what the key terms are.
Round Five - Pointless. Students are asked a scientific question where they need to name something. Points are given for the most obscure answer.
Round Six - Countdown. Students are given eight letters in a jumble, and a brief clue. Students have until the end of the countdown clock to solve the jumbled science key word.
This is a full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Biology syllabus.
This lesson covers the definition of a species, and the theory of speciation.
This lesson PowerPoint contains:
A “5-in-5” retrieval-style starter
A lesson hook
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
An embedded youtube video on speciation
Guided class discussions
Regular checks for understanding (hand signals, true/false quizzes etc.)
A guided teacher model of the theory of speciation
An independent task for students (cut and stick flow chart / story board on speciation)
An exam question with mark scheme included
Worksheets included for the flow chart and exam question.
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class introducing them to acids and alkalis.
This is an introduction lesson to “Chapter 4 - Acids and Alkalis” from Activate 1, Chemistry.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where Chemistry is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Know that alkalis are the chemical opposites of acids
Give examples of common acidic and alkaline solutions
Describe the hazards of using acids and alkalis
State how to control the risks of using acids and alkalis
Compare concentrated and dilute solutions
All of my lesson resources 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 resource containing:
Five A3 information sheets on giant covalent molecules / allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, Buckminsterfullerene)
A structured template for an A4 fact sheet for students to fill in
This resource works great for SEND classes that benefit from movement around the room. This is a great reading comprehension task and trains students to seek relevant information from chunks of text.
This resource was designed for a low ability year 9 class as end of unit revision.
A PowerPoint lesson resource on the structure and properties of graphene and fullerenes (Buckminsterfullerene and carbon nanotubes).
This resource was a designed for a bottom set year 9 class, so is highly scaffolded. Scaffolds can be removed to suit all sets / abilities.
This resource contains:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter on giant covalent molecules and bonding
Direct instruction on graphene
A series of checkpoints (multipe choice quizzes, cold call questions, quick written tasks) based on short exam questions on graphene
An independent written exam question on the properties of graphene, with optional scaffold
Guided self assessment / model answers
An embedded video on buckyballs
Direct instruction slides on fullerenes (Buckminsterfullerene and carbon nanotubes)
A series of checkpoints (multipe choice quizzes, cold call questions, quick written tasks) based on short exam questions on fullerenes
An independent written exam question on the properties of fullerenes, with optional scaffold
Guided self assessment / model answers
A plenary task (6 mark exam question with answers)
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
A lesson hook - activity where students try to remember information from a chunk of text compared to information from a table
Direct instruction on how to draw a table
A worked example for drawing a results table
A ‘spot the mistake’ task - students find the errors in various results tables
Independent tasks with answers - students draw their own results tables
A written plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 5th lesson in “Chapter 1 - Health and Lifestyle” from Activate 2, Biology.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Biology class, even by those where Biology is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain why bacteria cannot live in the stomach
Describe the role of gut bacteria in the body
Explain what is meant by the term ‘probiotic’
All of my lesson resources 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
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
A full 1-hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 9 class studying the AQA GCSE Biology topic “Ecosystems”.
This lesson covers interdependence in communities, stable communities and competition.
This full 1-hour lesson resource contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
An embedded YouTube video as a lesson hook
Introduction slides on interdependence (reduced cognitive load, dual coding)
Teacher model slides on interdependence in food webs
A ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ hand signals quiz, with answers
An exam question for students to practice, with answer slides
Introduction slides on competition, with pictures
An embedded YouTube video on competition in plants
A written recall task with answer slides on competition
A guided ‘turn and talk’
A written exam question on competition, with answer slides
Introduction slides on stable communities
Exam question with answer slides on stable communities
Plenary - written exam question
This is a 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mid-ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science curriculum. They were studying the topic on the digestive system and enzymes.
This lesson focuses on the function of the liver.
In this lesson, students will practice:
Labelling the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, bile duct
Describing the functions of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, bile duct
Describing the role of the bile in terms of neutralising stomach acid and emulsifying lipids
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
This resource is based on the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
It was designed for a lower set year 9 class and used as a support sheet throughout the unit.
However, it was also used successfully with a higher ability year 11 class as a revision tool for upcoming exams.
This resource is an A3 knowledge organiser that contains information about:
How ionic bonds are formed
The properties of ionic compounds (description and explanation)
How covalent bonds are formed
A brief overview of dot-and-cross diagrams
The properties of small covalent molecules (description and explanation)
A revision placemat overviewing a topic on acids and alkalis, designed for a top set year 8 class.
Could be used for a lower ability KS4 class.
The revision placemat is double sided, with trickier content on the back e.g. symbol equations - could be printed single sided if needed.
Topics covered:
Examples of acids and alkalis
pH scale
Use of universal indicator and litmus paper
Neutralisation reactions
Word equations for neutralisation reactions
Matching acids to their sources (from food and drink)
Balanced symbol equations for neutralisation reactions
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
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
This lesson is designed for a year 7 class studying the KS3 Activate curriculum in science.
This lesson is focused on contraception.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Name two methods of contraception (condoms, contraceptive pill)
Describe how each method of contraception works (barrier, contains hormones to prevent ovulation)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of contraception
All of my lesson resources 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
This resource is based on the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus, and was designed for a lower set year 9 group.
It is useful as a support sheet throughout the topic, or as a revision tool at the end of the unit.
The resource covers the structures and properties of:
Diamond
Graphite
Graphene
Buckminsterfullerene
Carbon nanotubes