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).
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
This resource was designed for a top set year 8 class studying an electricity topic.
This resource requires the following practical equipment:
One large rope for demo
Power packs
Crocodile clips
Wires
Bulbs
Ammeters
Resistors
This PowerPoint resource contains:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter on current, potential difference and insulators
A retrieval practice task on giving definitions for key terms (current, potential difference, ammeter, voltmeter, electrons)
Direct instruction on resistance with dual coding
A hand signals quiz to check for understanding
A simple ‘fill in the blanks’ task with delayed key word bank
A rope model demo for current and resistance
A discussion task about the model - what did each person represent?
A practical activity on the effect of resistors on current in a circuit (results table provided as print out)
A plenary task (writing a conclusion for the investigation)
A knowledge organiser based on the AQA GCSE Combined Science topic ‘Chemistry of the Atmosphere’.
This knowledge organiser covers:
Chemistry of the atmosphere - early atmosphere vs. current atmosphere. How did it change over time?
Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect
Sulfur dioxide how it is formed and the problems it causes
Oxides of nitrogen how it is formed and the problems it causes
Carbon monoxide how it is formed and the problems it causes
Particulate carbon how it is formed and the problems it causes
Acid rain
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
From topic 2.1.4 Enzymes, spec point:
d) i) the effects of pH, temperature, enzyme concentration and substrate concentration on enzyme activity, to include reference to the temperature coefficient.
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 7 class.
This is the 3rd lesson in “Chapter 1 - Particles and their behaviour” from Activate 1, Chemistry.
This lesson is on ‘density’ from pages 82 and 83.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where chemistry is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain what is meant by the terms ‘density’, ‘mass’ and ‘volume’
Explain why some solids have different densities
Explain why the same substance has different densities in different states
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 full lesson resource on viral diseases from the AQA GCSE Biology specification.
This lesson was designed for a mixed ability year 9 class.
This resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ retrieval starter
Details on how viruses replicate
Direct instruction and a discussion on tobacco mosaic virus
An exam question on tobacco mosaic virus with guided self assessment
A video on HIV and AIDS
A ‘fact or fiction’ quiz about HIV and AIDS
Direct instruction on measles
A hand signal quiz on measles
An open task to design a fact sheet on either AIDS or measles for a doctors’ office
A plenary task
This 1 hour lesson covers the following topics:
Causes of extinction
Evidence for extinction
The fossil record
The formation of fossils
This is designed with the GCSE AQA Combined Science specification in mind (and includes exam questions from this syllabus), but this should be fairly transferable.
This resource is a fully planned lesson with engaging lesson hooks, an embedded video, exam questions and scaffolded mark schemes, multiple choice quizzes, and a board game for students to play as a group.
A full 1-hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 9 class studying the AQA GCSE Biology topic “Ecosystems”.
This lesson focuses on levels of organisation in an ecosystem.
This resource contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
A turn and talk task, with answer slide
Introduction slides on levels of organisation (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Checkpoints - Short written tasks in book to maintain engagement
Hand signal quizzes to check understanding (with answer slides)
Written task - matching key vocab to definitions (with answer slides)
Class discussion - link to levels of organisation in an organism
Embedded YouTube video from Amoeba sisters
Whiteboard quiz, with answer slides
Written plenary task
A knowledge organiser designed for a year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science topic on digestion and enzymes.
This knowledge organiser contains:
Diagram of the human digestive system
Function of each digestive organ
Model for enzyme action
Lock and key theory for enzyme action
Effect of temperature on enzymes (graph and explanations)
Effect of pH on enzymes (graph and explanations)
Digestive enzymes (amylase, protease, lipase) with diagrams
Food tests (iodine, Benedict’s, Biuret, Sudan III)
From topic 2.1.4 Enzymes, spec point:
c) the effects of pH, temperature, enzyme concentration and substrate concentration on enzyme activity
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 entire unit designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Chemistry topic of Electrolysis.
This unit contains the following:
Full 1 hour lesson introducing the process of electrolysis
Full 1 hour lesson on electrolysis of molten ionic compounds (predicting the product at each electrode)
Full 1 hour lesson on electrolysis of aqueous solutions (predicting the product at each electrode)
Full 1 hour lesson on extracting aluminium using electrolysis
Full1 hour lesson guiding the required practical on electrolysis, with worksheet provided
Full 1 hour lesson on writing half equations for electrolysis
Revision placemat for students to complete on electrolysis
A knowledge organiser / revision poster on the AQA GCSE Chemistry topic ‘electrolysis’.
The knowledge organiser covers the key information on the following:
The process of electrolysis
Oxidation and reduction
Electrolysis of aqueous solutions
Extraction of aluminium using electrolysis
Required practical on electrolysis
Half equations in electrolysis
This lesson is designed for a year 7 class studying the KS3 Activate curriculum.
This lesson is focused on ‘movement of substances’ (diffusion).
From this lesson, students should be able to describe the process of diffusion, using specific examples.
Students should also be able to name two substances that diffuse into cells (oxygen and glucose) and two substances that diffuse out of cells (carbon dioxide and water).
This lesson includes a demonstration of skittles in water.
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 is designed for a year 7 class studying the KS3 Activate curriculum in science.
This lesson is focused on ‘Chemical Formulae’ from ‘Chapter 2: Elements, atoms, and compounds’ from Activate 1.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Name a familiar two-element chemical compound.
Determine the chemical formula of a compound, given the relative numbers of atoms of the elements in it.
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 full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This is the third lesson in “Chapter 2 - Reactions” from Activate 1, Chemistry. This lesson is on ‘oxidation reactions’.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where chemistry is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
This lesson also involves a practical demonstration where magnesium is burnt.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
State what a fuel is
Recall that fossil fuels are non-renewable
State what a combustion reaction is
Predict the products of combustion reactions
Write word equations for combustion reactions
Recall the definition for the term ‘oxidation reaction’
Explain the difference between the terms ‘combustion’ and ‘oxidation’
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 full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This is the 6th and penultimate lesson in “Chapter 2 - Reactions” from Activate 1, Chemistry. This lesson is on ‘conservation of mass’.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where chemistry is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
State what the law of conservation of mass is
Explain why mass is conserved during a chemical reaction (no atoms are created or destroyed, only rearranged)
Use the conservation of mass to calculate the mass of a reactant or product
Balance simple formula equations
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