A bonafide Science Teacher (of 13 years), and Head of Year, from Gloucestershire offering tried and tested resources to save you the time and energy when planning. There's no point reinventing the wheel!
Watch out for new resources to help you meet the demands of teaching the Science GCSE and Chemistry A-Level.
A bonafide Science Teacher (of 13 years), and Head of Year, from Gloucestershire offering tried and tested resources to save you the time and energy when planning. There's no point reinventing the wheel!
Watch out for new resources to help you meet the demands of teaching the Science GCSE and Chemistry A-Level.
Key terms and definitions which could be made into…
card sort
match 'em up activity
cut and stick activity
etc.
Includes some diagrams too. Fully editable and aimed at KS3.
This is a simple and versatile resource which could be used in a number of ways! Resource consists of two documents containing ‘patient’ statements, detailing a list of symptoms for a disease plus a matching ‘doctor’ statement to diagnose the disease. This resource could be used as a…
'match ‘em up’
Loop game
Memory game
role play
…etc.
Statements are in Word and so editable.
This blank table will allow students to organise/present information they have gathered during online research on a variety of diseases. This resource could easily be used with my ‘Doctor, Doctor!’ game/activity (also free for download).
A simple starter for students to sort pictures of different products and group them as acids or alkalis.
Students could then be challenged to predict the pH of the products too.
Totally editable if you’re not a fan of cut and stick, this could be done as a simple ‘circle the acids’ etc task.
A handful of terms relating to weathering which students can match up with their definitions. This activity is not too long and would make a good starter.
SPEC IT, REVISE IT, TEST IT. If students know EXACTLY WHAT they need to revise (using the specification checklist) it makes for smarter revision. If they can TEST THEMSELVES to measure their understanding - even better!
This resource is a comprehensive but concise knowledge organiser covering Chemical Cells, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Cells. This knowledge organiser has been made against the Edexcel specification but would easily be applicable to others. The Knowledge Organiser is applicable to students sitting standard or higher tier papers (studying Separate or Combined Science routes).
Each revision point has been written as a typical ‘stock exam answer’.
A lesson for early on in the Organic Chemistry topic of A-Level Chemistry, introducing the idea of functional groups and homologous series. Students will carry out an independent task to find out the functional groups from a given list plus the general formula and homologous series they belong to.
I have also included an exam question to assess understanding at the end of the lesson or to set as a homework for lesson follow up (answer included).
How many times do we find ourselves trying to show our students how different chemistry equations link together?! Too many. Well here is an excellent, condensed summary of all the Chemistry calculations which involve moles. My students love this sheet (if that’s possible?!) as it brings it all together. This can be used with both Standard tier or Higher Tier students (it does include the Avogadro Constant, which is found in HT).
Equations included are…
Avogadro’s constant/moles/No. of particles
concentration/moles/volume
concentration/mass/volume
moles/mass/relative mass
Molar gas volume/moles/volume
I have also included conversion of dm3 into cm3 plus a couple of extra rules/definitions taken from th specification.
This worksheet has been made using the Edexcel Specification but could absolutely be used against other specifications (including A-Level).
A five page booklet of classification activities. This booklet could be used in class or as a series of homeworks (would make a great holiday project).
Students will need to know how to classify vertebrates and invertebrates.
EDIT* Useful feedback from a review - give students page numbers to textbooks you use or websites if homework project!
Who? For students struggling to remember the difference between Ionic and Covalent bonding. An opportunity to be able to practise spotting whether a chemical is using Ionic or Covalent bonding. Including some simple rules to help remember.
What? A worksheet which can be used as a main activity or as a starter/ revision piece.
This resource has been made with the new GCSE Chemistry Specification (Edexcel) in mind.
Who? For those teaching the new Chemistry/ Combined Science GCSE (2016). Also for those of you requiring a clear and simple worksheet for your students to complete on the first 20 elements of the periodic table.
What? This worksheet requires students to look up each element (from the top 20) in the periodic table to deduce how many electrons. They will then need to apply the 2, 8, 8 rule and away they go!
A couple of bonus questions at the end… (Answers are on included on the second sheet - all electronic configurations given to save you looking them up!)
A set of cards which just need printing and snipping to provide a nice card sort activity.
Once the pros and cons have been sorted, this task could then be extended by asking students to rank effectiveness of the resource or perhaps rank how useful they might be if installed in the UK.
A great resource with lots of scope to be creative! (I’ve just saved you the time of creating all the cards!!)
Who? Those teaching the new (and old!) GCSE Physics. This worksheet would fit nicely into the P3 Edexcel specification. This is for students who are getting to grips with identifying the useful and wasted energies made by electrical devices.
What? The worksheet is a grid to be filled out after considering/discussing the different types of energy output delivered by the different electrical devices. There is also an opportunity to consider aspects of their design which have been developed to reduce wasted energy. This will extend some and deepen the thinking involved.
Answers are included on the second sheet of the resource.
A great knowledge organiser all boiled down to one sheet.
If students know EXACTLY WHAT they need to revise (using the specification checklist) it makes for smarter revision. If they can TEST THEMSELVES to measure their understanding - even better!
This resource is a comprehensive but concise knowledge organiser covering…
Electrolysis key definitions
Predicting the products of an electrolysis experiment (a great flow diagram to make this easier for students!)
Half equations
Purifying Copper
oxidation and reduction
This simple activity offers you a small data set for students to plot in as a line graph (you’ll need graph paper!). It also provides descriptions which can be ‘cut and stuck’ or annotated onto the graph to summarise the different stages of foetal growth. Once the graph and descriptions are in place there should be plenty of opportunity to question/extend your students by getting them to think about the different stages of the graph. Eg Where is growth most rapid? Why might that be? How might the woman be feeling during these stages? Why?
You get the idea!
Great or graph plotting skills development too.
This super resource will challenge your students plus help in preparing them for synoptic style questions. It is an activity which can be run in groups or individually depending on your group. It would make a great competition or equally as an exam style problem.
This will test students knowledge of qualitative tests as well as being able to read and interpret all spectra (HNMR, CNMR, Mass Spectrometry and Infrared Spectroscopy). Students will have to combine their skills to identify four unknowns given only qualitative test results and spectra. They will need to deduce the structure and name of the four unknowns with no help from you!
A full set of instructions plus all the answers/ solutions are included too, so you really don’t have to do ANY of the work!
This activity is tried and tested and well received! IT has been designed with the Edexcel Specification in mind but will apply to others. Enjoy! (Reviews welcome as I’d love to hear what your students thought).
A simple resource/worksheet to get students thinking about real life fire scenarios and how most appropriately to break the fire triangle to extinguish the fire.
Students are given four different fire scenarios. For each they need to draw the type of fire and then decide upon the best way of extinguishing it and then explain why.
My revision methods are quite simple in my lessons - SPEC IT, REVISE IT, TEST IT. If students know EXACTLY WHAT they need to revise (using the specification checklist) it makes for smarter revision. If they can TEST THEMSELVES to measure their understanding - even better!
This resource is a comprehensive but concise knowledge organiser covering Atomic Structure (including isotopes and calculating relative atomic mass). This knowledge organiser has been made against the Edexcel specification. Each revision point has been marked with the specification section (in green) and is applicable to students sitting standard or higher tier papers. Students also get to see some model exam questions so they are able to see how the specification points may be presented in exam form.
This resource consists of various fact sheets summarising methods to help with the prevention of the spread of disease. It is accompanied by a table which students can use to organise and present the key information gathered. This task could be run as a ‘circus’ whereby students visit various stations to gather information. It could also used as a marketplace type activity during which pairs/groups of students are given one of the topics and need to orchestrate a 2 minute ‘teach back’ on their topic to the rest of the group.