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 bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C7 (Chemical reactions) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Describe practical methods for investigating the rate of a reaction which produces a gas
Describe the effect of concentration, catalysts, particle size and temperature on the rate of reaction
Explain the effect of changing concentration, catalysts, particle size and temperature in terms of collisions between reacting particles and activation energy
Describe redox reactions in terms of the gain/loss of oxygen or electrons
Use the terms oxidising and reducing agents
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
This bundle of 6 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C10 (Metals) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Describe the general properties of metals
Describe metallic bonding in terms of the lattice and electrons and use this to explain malleability and conductivity
Describe alloys as a mixture of a metal with another element
Explain why alloys are used instead of pure metals
The reactivity series
The use of carbon for the extraction of metals from their ores
The series of reactions in the extraction of iron
Extraction of aluminium
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
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C14 (Organic Chemistry) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Name and draw the structures of the alkanes and alkenes
Separation by fractional distillation
The names of the fractions and the properties of molecules within a fraction
The properties and reactions of the alkanes
Alkenes as unsaturated hydrocarbons
The cracking reaction to produce alkenes
Recognising saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons
The formation of ethanol by fermentation or hydration of ethene
Complete combustion of ethanol
Polymers
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
This bundle of 5 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C2 (Experimental techniques) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Understand the use of paper chromatography
Interpreting paper chromatograms
Pure and impure substances
Separation methods including filtration, crystallisation, distillation, fractional distillation and paper chromatography
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
This bundle of 3 lessons covers a lot of the content in Topic C5 (Electricity and chemistry) of the core and supplement sections of the Cambridge iGCSE Science Double Award specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Be able to describe electrolysis as the breakdown of an ionic compound when in molten form or in solution
Know the products at the electrodes for the electrolysis of molten salts and solutions
Be able to construct half-equations for the formation of elements at the electrodes
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
This is a fast-paced lesson that looks at how particle size affects the rate of reaction and challenges the students to carry out a practical to obtain valid results to back up the theory. It is a fully-resourced lesson that consists of an engaging lesson presentation (19 slides) and a calculation worksheet which is differentiated two ways to enable those students who find the maths hard to have a way to access the learning. Students are guided through a method of calculating the surface area and volume of the object and calculating the surface area to volume ratio. Using the answers to their calculations, they will complete a summary passage which explains why having more exposed reacting particles leads to an increased rate of reaction. Students will then carry out a practical where they have to determine which cube of jelly to use to make jelly the fastest in order to test their summary passage is valid.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but could be used with younger students looking at chemical reactions and investigating the factors that affect the rate.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers most of the content in sub-topic P4.3 (Radioactivity) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics or specification points covered within these lessons include:
Atomic nuclei
Isotopes
Unstable nuclei and emitting particles or gamma rays
Writing balanced equations to represent decay
The concept of the half-life
The different penetrating powers of alpha, beta and gamma
Recall the differences between irradiation and contamination
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.
This detailed and engaging lesson uses a range of tasks, discussion points and quick competitions to explore how the structure of metals is related to their properties. The lesson begins by providing the melting points for four metals and challenging the students to work out why mercury would be considered to be the odd one out. This task enables students to recognise that most metals are solid at room temperature and then the next part of the lesson guides students through explaining how this is related to the structure. The range of quick competitions are used to maintain engagement but also to introduce new terms such as lattice and delocalised so that students can recognise these in descriptions and use them accurately in their own. Students will recall that metals are good conductors of electricity and heat and now will be able to explain this with reference to the free electrons. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so understanding can be checked at critical points and misconceptions addressed. The final part of the lesson makes link to related topics such as alloys and naming compounds.
This lesson has been written for GCSE aged students.
This bundle of 6 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic C1.2 (The Periodic Table) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
The arrangement of the Periodic Table by atomic number and electron configuration
Development of the Periodic Table
Metals and non-metals
Group 0
Group 1
Group 7
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.
This is a fully-resourced lesson that looks at how the atomic number and electron configuration of an atom can be used to place an element in the Periodic Table. This lesson has primarily been designed for GCSE-aged students but can be used with younger students who are studying the Table and know about electron configurations.
The lesson begins by looking at the atomic number and ensuring that students recall how this number can be used to identify the number of protons (and electrons) in an atom. Time is taken to link to Dmitri Mendeleev and how he used the atomic number in his original formatting. Moving forwards, students will be challenged to write the electron configurations for a number of atoms from group 2 and then to identify the connection between the number of electrons in the outer shell and the group number. Again, time is taken to make links to other related topics such as the alkali metals, halogens and noble gases and how their chemical properties are similar based on this outer shell number. Students will discover how the period number is linked to the number of occupied shells. The remainder of the lesson uses two understanding checks to challenge the students to bring together their knowledge to place an element in the correct place in a blank Periodic Table when given information about the atomic number or electron configuration.
This bundle of 7 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C1b (Elements, compounds and mixtures) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Understand how to classify a substance as an element, compound and mixture
Understand that a pure substance has a fixed melting and boiling point
Separating mixtures by simple distillation
Separating mixtures by fractional distillation
Separating mixtures by filtration and crystallisation
Separating mixtures by paper chromatography
Interpreting and analysing chromatograms
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.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C1d (The Periodic Table) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Understand how elements are arranged in the Periodic Table
Deduce the electron configurations of the first 20 elements
Identify elements as metals and non-metals according to their properties and position in the Periodic Table
Understand why the Noble gases do not readily react
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.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C1g (Covalent bonding) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Know that covalent bonding involves the sharing of electrons
Be able to draw dot and cross diagrams for a range of structures involving covalent bonds
Describe the structure of simple covalent substances and relate this to their properties
Explain why substances with giant covalent structures are solids with high melting and boiling points
Explain how the structures of diamond, graphite and buckminsterfullerene affects their physical properties
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.
This bundle of 4 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic C2f (Acids, alkalis and titrations) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Describe the use of indicators to distinguish between acidic and alkaline solutions
Understand how to use the pH scale
Know that alkalis can neutralise acids
Describe how to carry out an acid-alkali titration
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.
This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the topics found within Topic C4 (Organic chemistry) of the Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry specification which has its’ first assessment in 2019.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Crude oil
Alkanes
Alkenes
Alcohols
Carboxylic acids
Polymers
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.
This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the sub-topics found within Topic C9 (Separate chemistry 2) of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification.
The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include:
Describe flame tests to identify cations in solids or solutions
Describe tests and identify anions in solids or solutions
Recall the formulae of the molecules of alkanes and alkenes
Explain why the alkanes and alkenes are described as the saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons respectively
Explain how bromine water is used to distinguish between alkanes and alkenes
Describe how the complete combustion of alkanes and alkenes leads to the production of carbon dioxide and water
Recall that a polymer is made up of repeating units
Recall the formulae of the carboxylic acids and alcohols
Know the functional groups of these homologous series
Compare the sizes of nanoparticles with atoms and molecules
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 GCSE terminal exams
This is a fully-resourced revision lesson that uses a combination of exam questions, understanding checks, quick tasks and quiz competitions to help the students to assess their understanding of the sub-topics found within Topic C6 (Groups in the Periodic table) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification.
The sub-topics and specification points that are tested within the lesson include:
Describe the reactions of lithium, sodium and potassium with water
Describe the pattern of reactivity in the alkali metals and explain this pattern in terms of electronic configurations
Describe the reactions of the halogens to form metal halides
Explain the reactivity of the halogens in terms of electronic configurations
Explain why the noble gases are chemically inert
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 GCSE terminal exams
This is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quiz tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 5 (Electricity and Chemistry) of the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) specification. The lesson covers the content in both the core and supplement sections of the specification and therefore can be used with students who will be taking the extended papers as well as the core papers.
The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include:
CORE
Define electrolysis as the breakdown of an ionic compound, molten or in aqueous solution, by the passage of electricity
Describe the electrode products and the observations made during the electrolysis of a range of electrolytes
State the general principle that metals or hydrogen are formed at the negative electrode (cathode), and that non-metals (other than hydrogen) are formed at the positive electrode (anode)
Predict the products of the electrolysis of a specified binary compound in the molten state
Describe the reasons for the use of copper and (steel-cored) aluminium in cables,
SUPPLEMENT
Relate the products of electrolysis to the electrolyte and electrodes used
Describe electrolysis in terms of the ions present and reactions at the electrodes in the examples given
Predict the products of electrolysis of a specified halide in dilute or concentrated aqueous solution
Construct ionic half-equations for reactions at the cathode
Describe, in outline, the manufacture of aluminium from pure aluminium oxide in molten cryolite and chlorine, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide from concentrated aqueous sodium chloride
The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “Have you got the SOLUTION” where they have to compete to be the 1st to name the products at the electrodes 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 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 3 (Atoms, elements and compounds) of the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) specification. The lesson covers the content in both the core and supplement sections of the specification and therefore can be used with students who will be taking the extended papers as well as the core papers.
The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include:
CORE
State the relative charges and approximate relative masses of protons, neutrons and electrons
Define proton number (atomic number) as the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Define nucleon number (mass number) as the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
Define isotopes as atoms of the same element which have the same proton number but a different nucleon number
Describe the build-up of electrons in ‘shells’ and understand the significance of the noble gas electronic structures and of the outer shell electrons.
Describe an alloy, such as brass, as a mixture of a metal with other elements
Describe the formation of ions by electron loss or gain
Describe the formation of ionic bonds between elements from Groups I and VII
Describe the giant covalent structures of graphite and diamond
Relate their structures to their uses, e.g. graphite as a lubricant and a conductor, and diamond in cutting tools
SUPPLEMENT
Describe the formation of ionic bonds between metallic and non-metallic elements
Explain the differences in melting point and boiling point of ionic and covalent compounds in terms of attractive forces
The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “The name’s BOND” where they compete to be the 1st to name the type of bond being described 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 is an engaging revision lesson which uses a range of exam questions, understanding checks, quiz tasks and quiz competitions to enable students to assess their understanding of the content within topic 14 (Organic chemistry) of the CIE IGCSE Chemistry (0620) specification. The lesson covers the content in both the core and supplement sections of the specification and therefore can be used with students who will be taking the extended papers as well as the core papers.
The specification points that are covered in this revision lesson include:
CORE
Name and draw the structures of methane, ethane, ethene, ethanol, ethanoic acid and the products of their reactions
State the type of compound present, given a chemical name ending in -ane, -ene, -ol, or -oic acid or a molecular structure
Describe petroleum as a mixture of hydrocarbons and its separation into useful fractions by fractional distillation
Describe the properties of molecules within a fraction
Describe the concept of homologous series as a ‘family’ of similar compounds with similar chemical properties due to the presence of the same functional group
Describe the properties of alkanes
Describe the bonding in alkanes
Describe the manufacture of alkenes and of hydrogen by cracking
Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons:
Define polymers as large molecules built up from small units (monomers)
SUPPLEMENT
Name and draw the structures of the unbranched alkanes, alkenes (not cis-trans), alcohols and acids containing up to four carbon atoms per molecule
Name and draw the structural formulae of the esters which can be made from unbranched alcohols and carboxylic acids, each containing up to four carbon atoms
Recall that the compounds in a homologous series have the same general formula
Understand that different polymers have different units and/or different linkages
Describe the structure of proteins
The students will thoroughly enjoy the range of activities, which include quiz competitions such as “Are you on FORM” where they compete to be the 1st to name an organic compound from its formula 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