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.
A fully-resourced lesson which looks at the chemical reaction that is aerobic respiration and ensures that students can apply their knowledge to application questions which challenge them to make links to related topics. The lesson includes a practical-based lesson presentation (19 slides) and associated worksheets containing differentiated questions.
The aim of the beginning of the lesson involves getting students to understand the term, concentration, so that they are able to use it accurately in their descriptions. This is a term which is commonly wrongly used by students. Moving forwards, students will carry out a practical to collect valid results so that they can apply their knowledge of concentration to explain a trend. Certain practical skills are challenged during the lesson such as the drawing of a results table to display the results. A worksheet containing questions on the practical is differentiated so that students who need assistance are still able to access the learning.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but can be used with KS3 students who are learning about chemical reactions.
This revision resource includes exam questions, understanding checks and quiz competitions, all of which have been designed with the aim of motivating and engaging the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content found in topic 10 (Diseases and immunity) of the CIE IGCSE Biology specification for examination in June and November 2020 and 2021. This revision resource contains an engaging PowerPoint (37 slides) and associated worksheets, some of which have been differentiated to help and challenge differing abilities.
The range of activities have been designed to cover as much of the Core and Supplement content as possible but the following sub-topics have been given particular attention:
Pathogens as disease causing microorganisms that cause transmissible diseases when they are spread
Pathogens can be spread through direct or indirect contact
Vaccinations as a form of active immunity that leads to the production of memory cells
Examples of passive immunity
The human body’s defence systems to include the white blood cells
Diabetes type I as an example of an autoimmune disease
This is a fully-resourced REVISION lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 7 (Magnetism and electromagnetism) of the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification.
The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include:
Poles of a magnet
Electromagnetism
Fleming’s left hand rule
Electric motors
Loudspeakers
Transformers
Of all of the Physics topics, this one tends to be one of the least well understood. Therefore, time has been taken to not only make this an engaging revision lesson but to go into detail on some of the topics which are commonly assessed in the exams.
This lesson can be used as revision resource at the end of the topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams
A fun and engaging lesson presentation (90 slides) and associated worksheets that uses exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to allow students to assess their understanding of the topic of transport in plants, which is module 3.1.3 on the OCR A-Level Biology A specification. Competition rounds include “Keyword BINGO”, “Crack the Code” and “Make the Link” and students will enjoy being able to identify areas that require further attention. All exam questions have mark schemes.
This lesson is designed for A-level students
A practical based lesson presentation (26 slides) that investigates how increasing the temperature affects the rate of reaction and helps students to explain the trend in the results. Students can either carry out the reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid or use the results which are provided. The equation to work out the rate of reaction is introduced to the students and they are challenged to plot the results on a line graph. A key term to be used in the explanation is introduced through a quick competition and then students are challenged to explain the trend
This lesson looks at the two stages of protein synthesis, transcription and translation, and focuses on the key details that students need to understand this potentially difficult topic. The lesson presentation has been deliberately written in a concise way to encourage the students to summarise the two stages and pick out the key points which will enable them to form longer answers when necessary. The lesson begins by introducing the students to RNA, and a quick check is done to see how much they can recall about the other nucleic acid, DNA. Moving forwards, students are challenged to study the structure of DNA and RNA in SPOT THE DIFFERENCE before being challenged to explain why RNA is necessary in this process. Time is taken to look at important sections such as complimentary base pairing and the identification of amino acids from the codon. A number of quick competitions have been written into the lesson to maintain engagement and the progress checks are regular so that students assess their understanding and any misconceptions can be quickly identified and addressed.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but should a teacher want to teach an introduction lesson on protein synthesis before going into more detail at a later date, then this would be suitable.
This is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 7 (Rates of reaction and energy changes) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification.
The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include:
Suggest practical methods for determining the rate of a given reaction
Explain how reactions occur when particles collide and that rates of reaction are increased when the frequency and/or energy of collisions is increased
Explain the effects on rates of reaction of changes in temperature, concentration, surface area to volume ratio of a solid and pressure (on reactions involving gases) in terms of frequency and/or energy of collisions between particles
Describe a catalyst as a substance that speeds up the rate of a reaction without altering the products of the reaction, being itself unchanged chemically and in mass at the end of the reaction
Explain how the addition of a catalyst increases the rate of a reaction in terms of activation energy
Describe an exothermic change or reaction as one in which heat energy is given out
Describe an endothermic change or reaction as one in which heat energy is taken in
Recall that the breaking of bonds is endothermic and the making of bonds is exothermic
Recall that the overall heat energy change for a reaction is: a exothermic if more heat energy is released in forming bonds in the products than is required in breaking bonds in the reactants b endothermic if less heat energy is released in forming bonds in the products than is required in breaking bonds in the reactants
Calculate the energy change in a reaction given the energies of bonds (in kJ mol–1)
Explain the term activation energy
Draw and label reaction profiles for endothermic and exothermic reactions, identifying activation energy
The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which includes a quiz competition called “E NUMBERS” where they have to recognise the differences between endothermic and exothermic reactions whilst crucially being able to recognise the areas of this topic which need their further attention. This lesson can be used as revision resource at the end of the topic or in the lead up to mocks or the actual GCSE exams
This concise lesson presentation (20 slides) guides students through the effect of changing pressure on the position of the equilibrium. The key skill to this topic involves recalling the rule of increasing pressure and being able to recognise how many moles are on each side of the reaction. For this reason, time is taken to remind the students of the meaning of the mole numbers in a reaction and working through an example together so they can see which side will be favoured. The final part of the lesson involves a game called “The PRESSURE is on” where students are in a race against the clock to balance an equation and then work out which way the equilibrium will shift when either the pressure is increased or decreased.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students.
A resourced lesson which looks at the key details of a titration to enable students to generate results which could be used in a titration calculation. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (29 slides) and an associated worksheet.
The lesson begins with a spot of fun as students are challenged to read the script of a scene from Friends to identify a neutralisation reaction. Students will learn that a method called a titration can use the results of an acid-base neutralisation to work out the concentration of an unknown. Students will learn the names of the equipment involved through a quiz competition and will then be shown how to set up a table to collect the results. Key terms such as titre, rough and end-point are explained. The lesson finishes with one further round of the competition called “Take the HOTSEAT” so that the knowledge of the key terminology from today’s lesson can be checked. The lesson has been designed with regular progress checks throughout so that students can check their understanding.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students.
A concise lesson presentation (21 slides) which uses a range of methods to allow students to discover how to draw dot and cross diagrams for covalent structures. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall their knowledge of electronic structure to show the outer shell of two specified atoms. They will then see how it is possible for both of these atoms to get full outer shells by sharing as happens in this type of bonding. A few more examples are used to consolidate this understanding before quick competition is used to check the understanding so far. Moving forwards, a step by step guide shows students how to draw dot and cross diagrams using the same techniques as was utilised with the hulas.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students.
An informative lesson presentation (20 slides) and associated worksheet that looks at how negative feedback loops act as a final control in homeostatic mechanisms. This is a topic which is poorly understood by students at both GCSE and even A-level, so whilst designing this lesson, the focus was on a few key points and applying it to a range of actual examples. Students will see how a negative feedback loop is used in the control of adrenaline release and temperature regulation and they will also be shown what would happen if this loop didn’t exist. Students are then challenged to apply their knowledge by putting the order of the regulation of metabolic rate into the correct order. The final part of the lesson briefly looks at how positive feedback loops also exist by using the example of the release of oxytocin during birth.
This lesson has primarily been designed for GCSE students but is suitable for A-level Biology students too.
A fast-paced lesson that explores the meaning of “health” and introduces the idea of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The lesson begins by showing the students an example of a health survey so they can complete a definition of the meaning of this term. Despite being widely used in the English language, the actual Scientific definition is not always well known by students so this 1st task is an important one. Moving forwards, students are given 5 minutes to see if they can fill an A-Z with the names of different diseases. Students will learn that diseases can be grouped as communicable or non-communicable and will be encouraged to discuss what the determining factor is on this classification. A quiz competition called “TO COM or NOT TO COM” is a play on words of Shakespeare’s famous saying but acts to test whether the students can distinguish a number of diseases as being spread by pathogens or not. After each disease is revealed, time is taken to look at the details of some of them like cystic fibrosis and the zika virus. The lesson concludes with the example of the human-papilloma virus and the connection between this and cervical cancer so that students can recognise that sometimes both types of disease are involved.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but could be used with younger students who are looking at the healthy living topic.
This lesson explores how the temperature affects the position of equilibrium in a reversible reaction. This can be a difficult topic for students to understand and therefore the aim has been on the key details.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall the rules of a dynamic equilibrium in order to recognise how if the equilibrium position changes then so do the concentrations. Links are made during the lesson to related topics such as endothermic and exothermic reactions and some time is taken to go back over calculating energy changes so that the type of reaction can be determined. The forward reaction in the Haber process is used as the example so students can see how an increase in temperature in this exothermic reaction would lead to a decrease in the yield of ammonia. Students are then challenged to use this example to explain how a decrease in temperature would affect the production of methanol. This worksheet is differentiated so students who need extra assistance can still access the learning.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students.
This fully-resourced REVISION lesson has been written to challenge the students on their knowledge of the content of topic 6 (Magnetism and electromagnetism) of the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Physics specification. The engaging PowerPoint and accompanying resources will motivate the students whilst they assess their understanding of the content and identify any areas which may require further attention.
The wide range of activities have been written to cover as much of the topic as possible but the following specification points have been given particular focus:
Magnets attract and repel other magnets and attract magnetic materials
Magnetism is induced in some materials when they are placed in a magnetic field
The construction of an electromagnet
Use of the left-hand rule to predict the direction of the resulting force in a motor
How the motor effect is applied in a loudspeaker
The structure and function of a transformer
Know and use the relationship between input and output voltages and the turns ratio
Know and use the relationship between input and output power for 100% efficient transformer
Explain the use of a step-up transformer in the transmission of electrical energy
Quiz rounds such as “THE BIG REVEAL” and “WHAT EXACTLY AM I” are used to test the students on their knowledge of key terms and structures and all of the tasks are differentiated to allow students of differing abilities to access the work
This revision lesson contains a wide range of activities that will challenge the students on their knowledge and understanding of the content detailed in topic 3 (Conservation of energy) of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics specification. These activities include exam style questions which will allow the students to assess their progress against the clearly explained answer. There is also a quiz that runs throughout the course of the lesson and this has been designed to maintain engagement and motivation.
The following specification points have been covered in this lesson:
Recall and use the equation to calculate the gravitational potential energy
Recall and use the equation to calculate the kinetic energy
Explain what is meant by the conservation of energy
Explain that mechanical transfers become wasteful when energy is dissipated to the surroundings
Explain ways of reducing unwanted energy transfers
Recall and use the equation to calculate efficiency
Describe the main energy sources available for use on Earth and explain their patterns and trends in the use of energy resources
A concise lesson presentation (27 slides) that looks at the key details of the sub-atomic particles and briefly explores how the atomic and mass numbers of the Periodic Table can be used to calculate the numbers of these particles in different atoms. The lesson begins with a Mathematical link as students are challenged to convert the size of an atom from standard form into a real number. Moving forwards, students will meet the three sub-atomic particles and be asked to predict which one is positive, neutral and negative in charge. The relative mass of a proton is shown and then students are asked to work out the mass of a neutron and an electron by observing some experimental results with a scales. Finally, the students are shown how to use the atomic number to work out the number of protons (and electrons) in an atom and how to work out the number of neutrons. This lesson has been designed to act as a knowledge recall and top-up as this should have already been learnt at KS3.
A quick, concise lesson presentation (15 slides) which together with a question worksheet focuses on ensuring that students can define an isotope and pick these substances out from a selection of substances. The lesson begins by looking at the number of sub-atomic particles in an aluminium atom so that students can recall what is shown by the atomic and mass numbers. This will enable students to calculate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in three given isotopes and as a result, complete a definition of these substances. The remainder of this short lesson involves 4 application questions where students either have to recognise isotopes from a table or from a diagram and also are asked to write out the formula of an isotope. Ideally this lesson will be taught in conjunction with a lesson on atomic structure.
A fully-resourced lesson that includes a lesson presentation (20 slides) and a differentiated worksheet. The lesson uses a step-by-step method to guide students through the process of writing net ionic equations. Students will learn the meaning of a spectator ion and be able to identify them within an equation so that they can be removed when writing the final net ionic equation. The lesson focuses on writing these equations for neutralisation and precipitation reactions, with the former being a very common question in assessments.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds)
A thought-provoking lesson presentation (34 slides) that looks at each of the stages in the development of drugs and considers the potential issues that arise at each of the stages.
The lesson begins by ensuring that the students know the scientific definition of a drug and then they will be told how much is spent by the NHS alone each year on medicinal drugs so they can recognise the importance of this topic. Moving forwards, each stage in the development is considered in the appropriate detail. Students are challenged to consider some stages from both a scientific angle and a business angle so they can understand why certain animals are chosen for the testing. Key terms such as placebo and double blind trial are introduced and discussion time is written into the lesson so that insightful questions can be posed by all. There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with KS3 students who might be carrying out research or a project on the topic of drugs.
This lesson has been designed to help students to explain the relationship between current and resistance in thermistors and LDRs. This can be a topic which students do not engage with or understand well, so this lesson has tried to add engagement with useful tips to deepen their knowledge. A number of quick competitions are used to introduce key terms such as semiconductor and then the key points explained. Students are given an exemplary answer for the thermistor so they can see how their work should be set out when trying to explain the graph produced by a LDR. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can assess their understanding and any misconceptions can be addressed.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students.