A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C1d (The Periodic Table) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Understand how elements are arranged in the Periodic Table
Deduce the electron configurations of the first 20 elements
Identify elements as metals and non-metals according to their properties and position in the Periodic Table
Understand why the Noble gases do not readily react
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C1b (Elements, compounds and mixtures) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Understand how to classify a substance as an element, compound and mixture
Understand that a pure substance has a fixed melting and boiling point
Separating mixtures by simple distillation
Separating mixtures by fractional distillation
Separating mixtures by filtration and crystallisation
Separating mixtures by paper chromatography
Interpreting and analysing chromatograms
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This is a concise, fast-paced lesson that has been designed to enable students to discover the key structural features of a synapse and be able to write accurate descriptions of the sequence of events that occur at these structures. The neurotransmitter involved is acetyl choline and therefore this is specifically a lesson about cholinergic synapses.
The lesson begins by going through the terminology associated with synapses which includes pre-synaptic terminal or knob, synaptic cleft and post-synaptic neurone. Then time is taken to look at each of the two neurones and the structures found inside the terminal or on the membranes. The main task of the lesson involves a step by step guide through the sequence of events at the synapse. This guide has been written in a bullet point format and students are challenged to use the features they have met and their own Biological knowledge to complete each point. The final part of the lesson looks at how the enzyme acetylcholinesterase is involved in the breakdown and then how the neurotransmitter is re-formed using the ATP generated in the mitochondria
This lesson is written for A-level students
This bundle of 11 lessons covers the key details about electrical circuits that students need to know for their GCSE studies. It could also be used with younger students at KS3 who are studying this topic.
All aspects of the topic are covered such as series and parallel circuits, electrical current, resistance and potential difference and the components found in these circuits. In addition, there are lessons on plugs, mains electricity and the National Grid so that students can make links between these topics.
All of the lessons are detailed and engaging and students will contain regular progress checks so that students can assess their understanding
This bundle of 7 lessons is ideal for students who are learning about the Periodic Table as part of KS3 or for their GCSE studies. The lessons include details of how the early Periodic Table was formed by Dmitri Mendeleev and how electron configurations relate to the position of elements in the Table and there are detailed lessons about the properties of group 1, 7 and 0 and the transition metals.
This is a fully-resourced lesson that looks at how the atomic number and electron configuration of an atom can be used to place an element in the Periodic Table. This lesson has primarily been designed for GCSE-aged students but can be used with younger students who are studying the Table and know about electron configurations.
The lesson begins by looking at the atomic number and ensuring that students recall how this number can be used to identify the number of protons (and electrons) in an atom. Time is taken to link to Dmitri Mendeleev and how he used the atomic number in his original formatting. Moving forwards, students will be challenged to write the electron configurations for a number of atoms from group 2 and then to identify the connection between the number of electrons in the outer shell and the group number. Again, time is taken to make links to other related topics such as the alkali metals, halogens and noble gases and how their chemical properties are similar based on this outer shell number. Students will discover how the period number is linked to the number of occupied shells. The remainder of the lesson uses two understanding checks to challenge the students to bring together their knowledge to place an element in the correct place in a blank Periodic Table when given information about the atomic number or electron configuration.
This bundle of 6 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic C1.2 (The Periodic Table) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
The arrangement of the Periodic Table by atomic number and electron configuration
Development of the Periodic Table
Metals and non-metals
Group 0
Group 1
Group 7
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic C2.1 (Chemical bonds) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Chemical bonds
Ionic bonding
Ionic compounds
Covalent bonding
Metallic bonding
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic B1.3 (Transport in cells) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Diffusion
Examples of diffusion in organisms
Factors that affect the rate of diffusion
SA:V ratio and the need for exchange surfaces
Osmosis
Active transport
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 3 lessons looks at the different methods by which molecules move across cell membranes. These lessons have been written for GCSE aged students, but could be used with younger students who are studying this topic and want to be challenged. Students will understand how the passive processes of diffusion and osmosis move molecules with the concentration gradient whilst active transport moves them against the gradient and therefore requires energy in the form of ATP. Time is taken to go through the factors that increase the rate of diffusion as well as relating this to the living organism with examples in the body.
This bundle of 4 lessons goes through the key details of ionic, covalent and metallic bonding. All of the lessons are detailed and focus on guiding students through the explanations of how the structure of these bonds is related to the properties of the substances. Students are shown how to draw dot and cross diagrams for both ionic and covalent substances and there is a focus on key terminology in all of them, such as delocalised electrons and electrostatic forces
This detailed and engaging lesson uses a range of tasks, discussion points and quick competitions to explore how the structure of metals is related to their properties. The lesson begins by providing the melting points for four metals and challenging the students to work out why mercury would be considered to be the odd one out. This task enables students to recognise that most metals are solid at room temperature and then the next part of the lesson guides students through explaining how this is related to the structure. The range of quick competitions are used to maintain engagement but also to introduce new terms such as lattice and delocalised so that students can recognise these in descriptions and use them accurately in their own. Students will recall that metals are good conductors of electricity and heat and now will be able to explain this with reference to the free electrons. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so understanding can be checked at critical points and misconceptions addressed. The final part of the lesson makes link to related topics such as alloys and naming compounds.
This lesson has been written for GCSE aged students.
This is a detailed and engaging lesson that looks at how molecules move between areas of differing concentrations by diffusion and then explores how this occurs across cell membranes and focuses on the alveoli.
The lesson begins by using a step by step format to write the definition for diffusion so that key terms such as concentration gradient are understood. Students will be introduced to this as a passive process so that they can understand how active transport differs when this is met in another lesson. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can assess their understanding against a displayed answer. Moving forwards, the lesson focuses on diffusion across cell membranes and uses the example of the exchange surface of the alveoli and blood capillaries to explore the different features which act to increase the rate of diffusion. The final part of the lesson briefly looks at how the villi in the small intestine increase the rate of diffusion.
This lesson has been written for GCSE aged students. If you’re looking for a lesson on this topic but for older students, then my alternative upload “Simple diffusion” will be more suitable
This is a fully-resourced lesson that looks at how pressure can be calculated using force and area and then explores how hydraulics are used to transmit a force through a fluid and challenges the students to apply the given equation to calculate the force or area. The lesson includes a lesson presentation (18 slides) and a question worksheet which has been differentiated two ways.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to use an answer to a calculation question to work out the equation that links pressure, force and area. A range of mathematical skills are tested throughout the lesson, such as converting between units and rearranging formula, and then the answers are fully explained so any student who was unable to move through the question can visualise the method. Moving forwards, students will be introduced to a hydraulics system and the equation which they will be given on the sheet in the exam. Students will use the equation to calculate the force or area at the second point of the system. This task has been differentiated so that students who find it difficult are still able to access the learning.
This lesson has been written for GCSE aged students
This is a concise lesson that looks at Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table, the changes and tweaks that he made and compares it against the modern day version of the table. The aim of the lesson is to show students how accurate Mendeleev was with his table, even with those elements that had not yet been discovered. They will work through some examples with eka-silicon and eka-manganese and also compare eka-aluminium’s predictions against those of gallium. Links are made to the development of the atom so students can understand how the atomic number was used by Mendeleev and how it is used now.
Students are set homework to look at the developments that were made by other scientists as homework and this is not covered in this lesson.
This bundle of 4 lesson presentations and associated resources cover a lot of the mathematical skills that can be tested in Science. Since the move to the new GCSE specifications, the mathematical element has increased significantly and these lessons act to guide students through these skills. Students are shown how to convert between units, rearrange to change the subject of the formula and to use significant figures and standard form.
This bundle of 5 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B3 (Infection and response) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Communicable (infectious diseases)
Viral diseases
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Protist diseases
Human defence systems
Vaccination
Antibiotics
Discovery and development of drugs
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 11 lessons covers the majority of the content in the sub-topic B6.3 (Monitoring and maintaining health) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
The relationship between health and disease
Different types of diseases
The interactions between different types of diseases
The spread of communicable diseases
Reducing and preventing the spread of communicable diseases
The role of white blood cells and platelets in defence
The non-specific defence systems
The role of the immune system in the defence against disease
The use of vaccines and medicines in the prevention and treatment of disease
The discovery and development of potential new medicines
Risk factors and non-communicable diseases
Treatments for CVD
Stem cells in medicine
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This is a concise, fast-paced lesson that introduces students to addition polymers and guides them through drawing displayed formulae to represent both the monomers and polymers involved in these reactions. Students will learn the conditions needed for these reactions and that the polymers produced by addition reactions are the only products. The main part of the lesson involves a step by step guide to show students how to draw displayed formulae. Hints are given throughout the process so that students can remember the key ideas and are able to represent these substances accurately. A number of progress checks have been written into the lesson so that students can assess their understanding any misconceptions can be addressed.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students
This is an engaging lesson that looks at how vaccinations are used in medicine and considers how the introduction of these preventative measures has reduced the incidence of disease.
The lesson begins by introducing vaccinations as the deliberate exposure to antigenic material and then reminds students of the meaning of the term, antigen, so that they understand how this will elicit the desired immune response. Lots of opportunities for discussion have been written into the lesson so that key points such as how the vaccination is altered so that isn’t harmful and how memory cells work can be discussed amongst students before being clarified by the teacher and the lesson content. Moving forwards, students will be given some figures on child mortality rate in 1900 and 2000. They are shown how to manipulate this data in order to work out the percentage change. Students are then challenged to use these skills when comparing the children that were vaccinated for whooping cough in 1968 and 1995 and to make a link between vaccinations and mortality rates. These mathematical skills are being tested more and more in Biology so this guidance will help students to understand how to manipulate data when required. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can constantly assess their understanding.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE aged students. If you’re looking for a lesson on this same topic but for older students at A-level, then my upload “Vaccinations (A-level)” will be more suitable
