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 is a fully-resourced lesson which includes an engaging and detailed lesson presentation and differentiated worksheets that together guide students through the key details of endothermic and exothermic reactions. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but could be used with students entering this topic at A-level who are looking for a recap on the key details.
This lesson focuses on a few critical areas of these reactions and those which are often poorly understood. For example, considerable time is taken to ensure that students understand how energy is taken in to break bonds in a reaction and given out when bonds are formed. From this basis, they learn to compare the amount of energy taken in with the amount given out and ultimately determine whether it is an endothermic or exothermic reaction. The format of the lesson is that students are guided through the combustion of methane as an exothermic reaction and shown how to draw reaction profiles and calculate energy changes using the bond energies to prove it is that type of reaction. Having worked with the teacher and each other on this reaction, students are then challenged to bring their skills together to describe, explain and represent an endothermic reaction. If students feel that they will need some assistance on this task, the worksheet has been differentiated so they can still access the learning. There are a number of quick competitions written into the lesson to maintain engagement and also progress checks are found at regular intervals so students can constantly assess their understanding. The lesson finishes with a final game called The E factor which tests the students knowledge from across the whole lesson.
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)
This bundle of 20 fully-resourced lessons have been designed to allow students who are studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science course to assess their understanding of the topics found within the following units of the specification:
B1: Cell Biology
B2: Organisation
B4: Bioenergetics
B5: Homeostasis and response
B6: Inheritance, variation and evolution
B7: Ecology
C1: Atomic structure and the periodic table
C2: Bonding, structure and properties of matter
C3: Quantitative chemistry
C4: Chemical changes
C5: Energy changes
C6: The rate and extent of chemical change
C7: Organic chemistry
C8: Chemical analysis
C9: Chemistry of the atmosphere
P1: Energy
P2: Electricity
P4: Atomic structure
P5: Forces
P6: Waves
These lessons use a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to engage and motivate the students
This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within Topic C2 (Inorganic chemistry) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification which has its’ first assessment in 2019.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Group 1 (alkali metals)
Group 7 (halogens)
Gases in the atmosphere
Reactivity series
Extraction and uses of metals
Acids, alkalis and titrations
Chemical tests
Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require their further attention during general revision or during the lead up to the actual assessment. The detail of this lesson means that it could be used over a number of lessons at school so that each topic is covered in sufficient depth.
This bundle of 6 revision lessons challenges the students on their knowledge of the content of all of the topics that are detailed in the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification and can be assessed on the 6 terminal GCSE papers. Specifically, the range of tasks which include exam-style questions (with displayed answers), quiz competitions and discussion points, have been designed for students taking the FOUNDATION TIER papers but could also be used with students taking the higher tier who need to ensure that the key points are embedded on some topics.
The majority of the tasks are differentiated 2 or 3 ways so that a range of abilities can access the work whilst remaining challenged by the content.
If you would like to see the quality of these lessons, download the paper 2, 4 and 6 revision lessons as these have been shared for free
This bundle of 7 revision lessons covers the content in the following topics of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification
Topic 1: Key concepts in Chemistry
Topic 3: Chemical changes
Topic 5: Separate chemistry 1
Topic 6: Groups in the Periodic Table
Topic 7: Rates of reaction and energy changes
Topic 8: Fuels and Earth Science
Topic 9: Separate Chemistry 2
These lessons use a range of activities which include exam questions with fully explained answers, differentiated tasks and engaging quiz competitions to enable the students to assess their understanding of the different topics and crucially to recognise those areas which need further attention.
This is a fully-resourced lesson that looks at the meaning of a limiting reactant in a chemical reaction and guides students through how to apply this to a number of calculations. Step by step guides are used to go through worked examples so students are able to visualise how to set out their work.
The lesson begins with a fun analogy involving sausages and potatoes so that students can identify that the potatoes limited the sale of food. Alongside this, students will learn the key term excess. Some time is then taken to ensure that students can spot the limiting reactant and the one in excess in actual chemical reactions and method descriptions. Moving forwards, students will be guided through two calculations that involve limiting reactants - those to calculate the theoretical yield and the other to calculate a balanced symbol equation. Other skills involved in these calculations such as calculating the relative formula mass are recalled and a few examples given to ensure they are confident. The question worksheet has been differentiated two ways so that any students who need extra assistance can still access the learning.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students.
This lesson has been designed to guide GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) through the steps involved in gas calculations. As you can see in the cover image, this lesson uses a step by step guide format to go through each of the critical stages. Hints and tips are given along the way and worked examples are used so that students can visualise how to set out their working. Important terminology such as room temperature and pressure (RTP) and limiting reactant are explained so that these do not cause issues. Students are given the opportunity to test their skills against some gas calculation questions which have detailed mark schemes and explanations to enable them to fully self-assess.
A short lesson which includes a lesson presentation (27 slides) and a hint worksheet and looks at redox reactions that involve oxygen and electrons. When focussing on oxygen, the lesson uses the example of extracting metals by reacting them with carbon to show how the metal is reduced and the carbon is oxidised. Key terminology such as reducing agents are also discussed. The important topic of electrolysis is used when teaching about the redox reactions that involve electrons and students are reminded about half equations.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is suitable for other ages
An engaging lesson presentation (33 slides) which walks students through the main steps in the extraction of iron from its ore. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall the reactivity series of metals and specifically the position of iron in relation to carbon so they recognise that it can be extracted by reduction with carbon. Key skills from other Chemistry topics are tested during the lesson such as writing chemical formulae and redox reactions. The rest of the lesson involves a step-by-step guide where students are given a passage and a symbol equation with something missing which they have to complete. This task ensures that students recognise the products, formulae and state symbols at each stage. A number of quiz competitions are used during the lesson to maintain engagement and progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can assess their understanding.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students and fits in nicely with other resources that are uploaded (extracting metals and extracting aluminium).
This lesson describes an ion as an atom with a positive or negative charge, and explains how cations and anions are formed in ionic compounds. The lesson PowerPoint and accompanying worksheet have been designed to cover points 1.22 - 1.24 of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification and also covers the same points on the Combined Science course.
The first part of the lesson focuses on atoms and specifically on getting students to recall that they contain the same number of protons and electrons and this is why they have no overall charge. By ensuring that they are confident with this fact, they will be able to understand why ions have a charge. Students will learn that ions have full outer shells of electrons and this change in the number of this sub-atomic particle leads to the charge. They are shown examples with aluminium and oxide ions and then are challenged to apply this new-found knowledge to a task where they have to explain how group 1, 2, 5 and 7 atoms become ions. The final part of the lesson looks at how ion knowledge can be assessed in a question as they have to recognise the electron configuration of one and describe how many sub-atomic particles are found in different examples. 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 higher ability KS3 students who are looking to extend their knowledge past basic atomic structure
A detailed lesson which uses a step by step guide to take students through titration calculations. The lesson begins by looking at jey terminology such as the “rough” and “titre”, which are discussed and explained so that there isnt any confusion. Time is taken to go over key steps in the method, such as using the molar ratio from the equation, so that students are prepared for these if they encounter in an assessment.
This lesson has been designed primarily for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is suitable for older students covering this at A-level
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.
An engaging lesson presentation (39 slides) with associated differentiated worksheets that looks at they key differences between pure and impure substances and briefly explores how a mixture like an alloy can still be very useful.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to recognise 4 diagrams of pure substances from a selection of 5. This will lead students to the definition of pure (in Science) which is likely to be different to what they have encountered in everyday language. The next task gets the students to draw a graph showing the melting and boiling points of pure water. This will enable them to compare the melting point against that of an impure substance and therefore recognise that this difference can be used as point to decide on purity. An example of gritting is used to explain how this change in melting point can be utilised and then the students are challenged to apply this new-found knowledge to the situation of adding salt to boiling water when making pasta. The remainder of the lesson focuses on some famous mixtures. Beginning with air, students will be able to visualise how this mixture is made of a number of gases, each with different boiling points which allows them to be separated by fractional distillation. Alloys are briefly explored so that students know why these mixtures are used for certain functions over pure metals and the summary passage for this task has been differentiated two ways so that all can access the work. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can check their understanding and a range of quick quiz competitions are used to maintain engagement whilst introducing new terms in a fun manner.
If you want to look into alloys in greater detail, then this lesson could be combined with the one named “alloys” which is also uploaded.
An engaging lesson presentation (54 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within the Chemistry unit C7 (Organic chemistry) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (specification point C5.7)
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Crude oil, hydrocarbons and alkanes
Fractional distillation and petrochemicals
Properties of hydrocarbons
Cracking and alkenes
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “What FRACTION of this is correct” and “Are you on FORM” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
This is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quick differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to allow students to assess their knowledge of the topic of moles and related topics as covered in the GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Combined Science courses. An understanding of moles and their associated calculations is critical for the success of a student in these two courses.
The following topics are covered in this revision lesson:
Avogadro’s law and constant
Mole calculations involving Avogadro’s constant
Mole calculations involving the formula, moles = mass x molar mass
Mole calculations involving the constant and the formula
Moles in balanced symbol equations and identifying molar ratios of reactants or reactants to products
Calculating masses in reactions
Gas calculations (molar volume)
Concentration of solutions (in mol per decimetre cubed)
Students will be engaged through the range of activities which includes quiz competitions such as “Fill the VOID” where students have to complete some equations which have pieces missing and also “In the BALANCE” where students have to balance equations in order to work out the number of moles on each side of the reaction. This lesson can be used at any time during the year as a revision material, in the lead up to mocks or as a final revision lesson before the GCSE terminal exams.
An engaging lesson presentation (70 slides) and associated worksheets that uses a combination of exam questions, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within the Chemistry unit C1 (Atomic structure and the Periodic Table) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (specification unit C5.1).
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Mixtures
Development of the model of the atom
The subatomic particles
Electronic structure
The periodic table
Metals and non-metals
Group 0
Group 1
Group 7
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “UNLOCK the safe" whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
An engaging lesson presentation (42 slides) and associated worksheet that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and a quiz competition to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within the Chemistry unit C5 (Energy changes) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (specification point C5.5). The lesson includes useful hints and tips to encourage success in assessments. For example, students are shown how to use the energy change in a chemical reaction to work out if it is an endothermic or exothermic reaction.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Endothermic and exothermic reactions
Reaction profiles
Calculating energy changes in reactions
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including a summary round called “E NUMBERS” which requires them to use all of their knowledge to work out the type of reactions that are shown.
An informative lesson presentation (37 slides) and accompanying worksheets that guides students through the different methods that can be used to rearrange formulae as they will be required to do in the Science exams. The lessons shows them how to use traditional Maths methods involving inverse operations and also equation triangles to come to the same result. These are constantly linked to actual examples and questions to show them how this has to be applied. There are regular progress checks, with explained answers, so that students can assess their understanding.
This bundle of 8 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C6 (The rate and extent of chemical change) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Rates of reaction
Factors affecting rates of reaction
Measuring rates of reaction
Reversible reactions
Changing the position of equilibrium
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.