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Outstanding GCSE and A level chemistry resources

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Having taught GCSE and A level chemistry for 6 years and being an examiner I have developed a solid understanding of what makes a lesson outstanding and seek to share this with other teachers.

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Having taught GCSE and A level chemistry for 6 years and being an examiner I have developed a solid understanding of what makes a lesson outstanding and seek to share this with other teachers.
Carbonyl reduction - Senior High School Chemistry
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Carbonyl reduction - Senior High School Chemistry

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These are thoroughly differentiated resources designed for a Senior High School Chemistry lesson on reduction of carbonyl compounds. Objectives are framed as learning questions and graded C to A. There are clear AFL plenaries using mark schemes. There is a graded Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz for an end plenary. The starter is an engaging scents demo using butanal (pleasant) and butanoic acid (rancid butter). Pace and student effort is the key to delivering an outstanding lesson using these resources. Mark schemes can be printed.
Enthalpy changes - covers bond enthalpy, energy-level diagrams, calculations - Senior High School
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Enthalpy changes - covers bond enthalpy, energy-level diagrams, calculations - Senior High School

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This is a comprehensive lesson that provides an introduction to enthalpy changes and serves as the first lesson in a scheme of work on energetics for Senior High School Chemistry. The lesson starts with a recap of GCSE chemistry then moves on to defining enthalpy changes. Students learn the definitions of each type of enthalpy change for homework due in the following lesson. Students then consider energy level diagrams for the grade C task. For the grade B task students predict enthalpy changes using bond dissociation data. There is a worked example of this using the Haber process. The grade A task involves converting enthalpy change values into Joules per gram values that might be used in calorimetry. Scaffolded resources and a markscheme are provided. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Personal learning checklists as a means of boosting exam grades
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Personal learning checklists as a means of boosting exam grades

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This is a copy of a 10 minute presentation on personal learning checklists that I gave at the Science Done Right conference at the Open University in Milton Keynes in March 2017. The presentation starts by talking about a 2014 OECD report on teaching that shows that 20% of teachers in the UK work over 60 hours per week and yet schools can still be improved. It moves on to talk about the Shanghai mastery method of teaching Mathematics where all students understand a topic before a class moves on. Personal learning checklists allow teachers to check that students thoroughly understand a topic before sitting an exam. The Excel document is for teachers to use to check that students understand a topic. The Word document is handed out to students so that they can check their own understanding as they progress through a topic. These can easily be modified. The names in the Excel document are fictional but the results are real.
Equilibrium -  A level chemistry - writing an expression for Kc - 2016 specification onwards
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Equilibrium - A level chemistry - writing an expression for Kc - 2016 specification onwards

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This is a thoroughly planned A level lesson writing an expression for the equilibrium constant Kc. The 2016 specification DOES NOT include Kp - partial pressures and thus students must ALWAYS write their expressions using SQUARE brackets (Kp uses curved brackets). The lesson starts with a recap of equilibrium then moves on to heterogeneous and homogeneous reaction systems. The lesson then moves to students writing expressions for Kc for a variety of reactions. Note that solids are left out of the expression for Kc as their concentration hardly changes during at equilibrium (they occupy a small volume). Answers are provided. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Fuel cells - A level chemistry - includes combining fuel cell half equations
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Fuel cells - A level chemistry - includes combining fuel cell half equations

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This is a lesson for A level chemistry on fuel cells. It begins with getting students to consider whether hydrogen would be a good source of energy to power cars for the future. Required learning from previous lessons is electrode potentials and half cells. The hydrogen balloon demo could be shown at the start to get students to appreciate that a lot of energy is released in a short amount of time from a small amount of fuel. Hydrogen produces the most amount of energy per gram for any chemical fuel. Students then draw a diagram to show how the standard electrode potential of an oxygen half cell could be determined - i.e. use a H+ reference electrode in one beaker and connect using a salt bridge to another beaker with O2- ions and O2 gas being bubbled through and using platinum as the electrode. Students then learn that O2 gas is reduced in the presence of H2O (i.e. bubbled through water) to OH- ions not O2- ions. This forms the basis of the hydrogen fuel cell where oxygen is bubbled in to one beaker with a platinum (or carbon) electrode, hydrogen is bubbled into another beaker with a platinum (or carbon) electrode and a salt bridge is attached between the beakers. Students could carry out this practical in pairs by using balloons filled with hydrogen and oxygen and allowing the gases to escape under water in the 250ml beakers. Filter paper soaked in sodium hydroxide could act as the salt bridge. Students then compare different types of fuel cell and write overall equations. There is a 5 mark exam question that can be used as an end of lesson plenary or homework. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Group 2 nitrates and carbonates - AS Chemistry
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Group 2 nitrates and carbonates - AS Chemistry

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This is an engaging AS Chemistry lesson on the group 1 and 2 nitrate and carbonate decompositions and has grades C to A. The starter is fire writing using sodium nitrate solution. Please read CLEAPPS safety and Royal Society of Chemistry advice on this compound and the practical. For grade C students describe the reactions. For grade B students explain the decompositions and for grade A they evaluate their answers. An extra activity such a diamond 4 could be included for students to rank their answers. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Designing cars for the future level assessed task
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Designing cars for the future level assessed task

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This is a how science works level assessed task aimed at levels KS3 levels 3 to 7. This assesses the learning of global warming and renewable resources by getting students to design a car for the future that reduces carbon dioxide emissions. I use this as part of a year 8 scheme of work. The word document can be used to edit the LAT and then save it as a JPEG file that is pasted into PowerPoint. The PowerPoint is the A4 document that is printed for students. The video shows a very cool solar road car driving at 10% max speed for testing. Feedback to my TES inbox please.
Organ transplants
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Organ transplants

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This is a lesson that was observed and rated outstanding by OFSTED criteria. Lesson menus in the main ppt are printed on 2 slide handouts then cut out. LO are printed on 6 slide handouts and then cut. The patient slides are are also printed on handouts and used as cards. Use patient 1 to start with. A practical can be used also and a transplant shown by removing a torso heart and replacing it with a free-standing plastic model.
Socrative quiz - GCSE balancing half equations - high ability
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Socrative quiz - GCSE balancing half equations - high ability

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In this lesson plan you will find the SOC codes to import our quiz and our short answer task to your Socrative room. These great revision activities that you can use with the whole class as starters, plenaries, or to consolidate learning. This links to the GCSE Chemistry topic of electrolysis.
Literacy - Instant determination of reading age
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Literacy - Instant determination of reading age

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The website Read-able is an outstanding literacy resource providing instant determination of the reading content of material. You paste a website URL or a text (e.g. copied from a PDF or Word doc) and instantly get a range of data including reading and grade (US year group). Add 1 to the US grade to get the UK year group. An example analysis is attached of differentiated websites for a science graded task that I produced for GCSE. This will help in determining the correct level of challenge for students in lesson. Please share this with other teachers, SENCO and teaching assistants.
Acids and alkalis word and symbol equations from pictures KS3
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Acids and alkalis word and symbol equations from pictures KS3

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This is a lesson on word and symbol equations for the KS3 acids and bases topic. Levels 4 to high level 6 are covered. This would also suit GCSE classes. Students replace pictures with words to write word equations in their books or on whiteboards. The level 6 task is writing symbol equations where the formulae of salts is provided. There are a variety of differentiated worksheets. There are acids and bases labels than be cut and laminated for a kinesthetic activity. They need to add water. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Redox lesson plan and activities A2 OCR A Chem
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Redox lesson plan and activities A2 OCR A Chem

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This is a lesson on redox for OCR A chemistry F325 module 2. The main skill developed is writing and balancing half equations. The lesson that follows is on cells and uses half equations. Slide 9 is a tarsia that is printed and cut out. The youtube clip is a 3 minute periodic table timer for the starter activity. The practical is OCR A practical 23 on redox reactions. Plenarising is thorugh mini whiteboards for equations and scores on tarsia and plenary exam q. This observed lesson was a 2 but has potential to be a 1 if there is sufficient student engagement. Feedback to my TES inbox please.
pH acids, bases and ka calculations loop game A2
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pH acids, bases and ka calculations loop game A2

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This is a loop game made of 18 separate questions to help revise and understand acid, base and pH calculations as part of A level chemistry - for example in OCR A Chemistry module F325. This makes for an engaging plenary in lesson. I write the equations up on the left of the white board as they are read out and refer back to them in lesson. If there are any suggestions for improvement or general comments please leave them.
Dative covalent bonding lesson AS Chemistry KS5
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Dative covalent bonding lesson AS Chemistry KS5

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This is a lesson on dative covalent bonding. Included is a lesson plan with answers, a student handout and practice exam questions for homework or for revision. For the handout print slides 2 to 13 as 6 slides per page. Print slides 14 and 15 as 2 slides per page. Print slide 17 as one slide. Print slides 18 to 21 two slides per page. The main task is designed to allow students to reach up to grade A and involves teamwork and peer assessment. I suggest students carry out the main task on A3 paper in pairs. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Electromagnetic Spectrum level assessed task
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Electromagnetic Spectrum level assessed task

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This is am ICT research level assessed task that has been designed for key stage 3 levels 5 to 7. It would also work well as a GCSE task for a middle ability group grades D to B. The starter is the fun YouTube video that gets students discussing and explaining what light is. Differentiation is through keyword, website and level. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Greenhouse effect GCSE - The importance of infra-red radiation  - 2016 AQA specification
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Greenhouse effect GCSE - The importance of infra-red radiation - 2016 AQA specification

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This is a lesson on the greenhouse effect for the 2016 AQA specification. The lesson starter is a matchup activity that is printed and handed to students as they enter the classroom. Required learning for this activity is knowing the percentage of gases in the atmosphere and an overview what the greenhouse effect is from KS3 science or geography. More able students will know for the starter that UV is produced from the Sun and the earth emits IR. The lesson then discusses what IR radiation is using an exam of hair curlers. Students then use PHET simulation laminates to compare how greenhouse gases affect the amount of IR being 'trapped' (absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-emitted back to space and the surface of the Earth). They count the number of yellow dots (representing photons of UV light) and red dots (representing photons of IR light). The laminates could be colour printed and laminated in A4 with each table (4 to 6 students) receiving one complete set of laminates. The amount of UV photons remains fairly constant but the amount of IR photons increases as the amount of greenhouse gases increases. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Solutions particle theory - covers solubility, solute, solvent
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Solutions particle theory - covers solubility, solute, solvent

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This is a lesson designed for higher ability Key Stage 3 students on solubility. The lesson starts off with a key a question about how much sugar is in coffee. This linked to a news item about a famous coffee brand that has up to 25 teaspoons (100g) of sugar in one cup of coffee. Students then consider what a concentrated an dilute solution looks like in terms of the arrangement of their particles. Finally students need to use the printed spreadsheet to calculate the concentration of various drinks and suggest what could be done to dilute them. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Constructing Born Haber cycles - AS Chemistry
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Constructing Born Haber cycles - AS Chemistry

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This is an AS Chemistry lesson on constructing Born Haber cycles in order to calculate lattice enthalpy for ionic compounds. Students do not calculate lattice enthalpies in this lesson but rather consider using a diamond nine how various factors affect how exothermic the lattice enthalpy value is. I suggest printing the diamond nine on slide 23 and using it as a kinesthetic activity. Please rate this resource and leave feedback