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Outstanding GCSE and A level chemistry resources

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(based on 460 reviews)

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.
Group 1 metals GCSE tarsia - differentiated - covers ions, protons, flame colours, reactivity
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Group 1 metals GCSE tarsia - differentiated - covers ions, protons, flame colours, reactivity

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This is a fully differentiated tarsia puzzle for GCSE alkali metals. It is a fun kinesthetic way of revising the alkali metals. This sort of revision activity is particularly useful for boys. Answers are provided as well an 'easy start' that provides 4 of the 16 triangles as a starting point for weaker students. The 'group 1 metals A4 2 page' is an A4 tarsia that has 8 triangles per page. I suggest that these are printed on card and students cut them out. They are great for AFL. end of lesson plenary or plenary. If the writing of the A4 tarsia is too small then use the medium version. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Fossil fuels lessons GCSE - outstanding lessons that provide support and challenge, recap prior learning, demonstrate progress
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Fossil fuels lessons GCSE - outstanding lessons that provide support and challenge, recap prior learning, demonstrate progress

13 Resources
This is a set of 10 lessons including a revision lesson on fossil fuels. Included are lessons on combustion, formation of crude oil, fractional distillation, fermentation, alkanes, alkenes, calorimetry, bond enthalpy (advanced lesson for more able students) and alternatives to crude oil. Please take the opportunity to look at each of these lessons to find out more information and comment on them.
Chemistry science club for KS4 and A level - Ethanol as an alternative fuel source
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Chemistry science club for KS4 and A level - Ethanol as an alternative fuel source

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This is a planned lesson sequence for delivering an 18 lesson science club for older students. They investigate ethanol as an alternative fuel source to petrol. The lessons cover: the ethanol rocket demo, making ethanol by fermentation from sucrose (sugar) then filtration and distillation, making ethanol from glucose produced by cellulase digestion of cellulose (mashed up filter paper) then filtration and distillation. basic titration, advanced titration of ethanol to calculate concentration, calorimetry, comparison of the different methods of ethanol production. Links to RSC practicals are provided for all of the demo and practicals and a total of 8 risk assessments have been written for all of the practicals with links to CLEAPPS. Calorimetry lessons are available from my other resources. Please rate these resources and leave feedback.
Conservation of mass, formula mass and percentage composition GCSE Chemistry
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Conservation of mass, formula mass and percentage composition GCSE Chemistry

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This is a thoroughly differentiated lesson that begins by introducing students to conservation of mass and why this law makes sense. This is then related to balancing equations and there is the opportunity for students to practice this skill. Students then calculate the formula mass of the compounds around the room. More able students have some percentage mass questions to work through. Answers are provided for all questions. The lesson finishes with GCSE exam questions. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Equilibrium A level chemistry - rate and yield
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Equilibrium A level chemistry - rate and yield

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This lesson forms part of an AS chemistry equilibrium scheme of work and follows on from two lessons on equilibrium reactions and writing expressions for Kc. The lesson starts with a recap of Kc. Students then learn how to work out the units for Kc. Please note that from experience I have found that weaker students (grade C downwards) struggle with this so please take a lot of time to check that students feel comfortable and confident. A GSCE indices questions worksheet has been provided to support weaker students. The lesson then moves on to explaining the compromise conditions used to make ammonia in the Haber process. I show the Daniel D Dulek TED talk video here. It is absolutely excellent and stretches the students. Video questions are provided. The lesson concludes with students calculating Kc. The video is YouTube embedded so please download this video before the lesson as many schools do not allow staff access to YouTube from a school computer. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
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.
Organic Chemistry GCSE complete scheme of work - 2016 Specification - includes carboxylic acids, alcohols, condensation polymers, biological molecules -
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Organic Chemistry GCSE complete scheme of work - 2016 Specification - includes carboxylic acids, alcohols, condensation polymers, biological molecules -

17 Resources
This is a very comprehensive set of resources that has been planned specifically for the 2016 specification - AQA topic 4.7 organic chemistry. The teaching sequence is: crude oil, alternatives to crude oil (includes combustion), fraction properties (practical + homework set), alkanes, fractional distillation (practical + homework due), cracking (demo), alkenes, addition polymerisation, alcohols, carboxylic acids, condensation polymerisation (practical) and biological polymers (practical). There is thorough differentiation and the varied starter activities recap prior learning. There are lots of exam questions to check progress.
Biological polymers - GCSE chemistry
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Biological polymers - GCSE chemistry

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This GCSE chemistry lesson has been designed for the 2016 specification for AQA. The lesson begins with a recap of addition and condensation polymers. It then moves on to covering the key biochemical points that students need to know for GCSE chemistry and deliberately leaves out GCSE biology content. The lesson then moves on to students comparing the strength of their own bioplastics from the previous lesson with nylon. If students make the bioplastics in this lesson then allow at least 2 days for the bioplastic to dry before testing it. The lesson concludes with students analysing their data. Please rate this resource leave feedback.
Condensation polymers GCSE - 2016 specification - includes bioplastics class practical
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Condensation polymers GCSE - 2016 specification - includes bioplastics class practical

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This is chemistry lesson designed for the 2016 specification for the exam board AQA and topic 4.7 organic chemistry. This lesson covers content that is new to GCSE and was previously covered only in A level chemistry. The challenge with planning this is that students are greatly limited by what they learn at GCSE. For example they do not learn about terms such as 'arene', 'carbonyl', 'amine' and do not recognise that (CH2)6 = CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2. The lesson recaps addition polymers then introduces condensation polymers as polymers that are found in nature as well being man-made. There is an exam of an easier A level past paper question on identifying the monomers. Most A level questions on this topic are far too challenging to be put into the 2016 GCSE specification. Students then compare the environmental impact of natural vs manmade polymers (RSC paper cups activity - link has been provided) and answer a 6 mark exam question. They then peer mark the exam question using a student friendly marking grid. There is the option of carrying out a bioplastics practical that I have created - note that the bioplastics take at least 2 days to dry out. Please rate these resources and leave feedback.
Alcohols GCSE - includes dot and cross digram, fermentation vs hydration, displayed formulae
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Alcohols GCSE - includes dot and cross digram, fermentation vs hydration, displayed formulae

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This is a thoroughly differentiated GSCE chemistry lesson on alcohols for the 2016 GCSE chemistry specification. It forms part of the AQA organic chemistry scheme of work, topic 4.7. The lesson starts with students recapping prior learning on molecular formulae. Students are then introduced to the idea that the substance in alcohol is ethanol and that there are 2 main ways of making ethanol. They write word and symbol equations for these 2 methods. More able students draw the displayed formula and dot and cross diagram of ethanol (2016 specification requirement) whilst weaker students complete the equations activity. Students then compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods of making ethanol. The lesson concludes with an exam question plenary. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Fractional distillation of crude oil GCSE - includes distillation, RSC practical, exam questions
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Fractional distillation of crude oil GCSE - includes distillation, RSC practical, exam questions

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This is a thoroughly differentiated GCSE chemistry lesson on differentiation that forms part of the AQA 2016 specification 4.7 organic chemistry scheme of work. The internet research homework should be set in advance so that students bring it to the lesson. A website is provided for them on the sheet. The match up starter checks their understanding from the fraction uses homework. This could be printed. For a very able class the fractional distillation mat could be used as the starter. The lesson then goes over what distillation is and then introduces fractional distillation. It is absolutely essential that students understand that distillation separates two substances based on their boiling points and that fractional distillation applies to two or miscible liquids (liquids that do not separate into layers and dissolve instead). They need to know that vaporisation and condensation are the two main steps of distillation. There are plenty of exam questions to demonstrate progress. A RSC practical is included. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Student friendly marking grid - great for AFL, marking 6 mark questions and demonstrating progress
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Student friendly marking grid - great for AFL, marking 6 mark questions and demonstrating progress

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This is a student friendly marking grid that was designed following a staff CPD session that I attended where an art teacher related how she provided students with specific pre-written assessment points that were numbered to reduce copying out. There are 6 marking points. I make the first 3 easier points for weaker students to meet and the last 3 more challenging points to stretch the students and provide evidence of progress. The grid can then be copied to a word document and printed two grids to one A4 page. An example lesson is provided (alternatives to fossil fuels) to see how this can be used in lesson. The students reply to their EBI in their books. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.
Alkanes GCSE - includes description and explanation of boiling, molymods, three types of formula
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Alkanes GCSE - includes description and explanation of boiling, molymods, three types of formula

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This is a lesson designed for the 2016 AQA GCSE chemistry specification. In my scheme of work it follows the topics of crude oil and properties of different fractions. Students are introduced to the terms 'homologous series' and 'functional group'. These terms are clearly mentioned in the specification. Students learn about these formulae: molecular, displayed and skeletal. Students make ethene using plastic molymods or they could use the paper molymods supplied. They will need paper fasteners to attach the atoms and the bonds. They then complete the formula worksheet then describe then explain the trend with reference to intermolecular forces. The lesson ends with an exam question plenary. Please rate this resource and leave feedback.