I have been teaching science and A-Level Chemistry for 13 years.
My resources are mainly for A-Level Chemistry for OCR A (the latest 2015 specification).
Most of my resources are “complete lesson” resources, consisting of a Workbook and Teacher’s PP. The Workbook structures student’s learning in each lesson. The Teacher’s PP supports the Workbook.
I update my resources often to address any new “misconceptions ” students might have that arise from Examiner’s Reports and from my own teaching.
I have been teaching science and A-Level Chemistry for 13 years.
My resources are mainly for A-Level Chemistry for OCR A (the latest 2015 specification).
Most of my resources are “complete lesson” resources, consisting of a Workbook and Teacher’s PP. The Workbook structures student’s learning in each lesson. The Teacher’s PP supports the Workbook.
I update my resources often to address any new “misconceptions ” students might have that arise from Examiner’s Reports and from my own teaching.
This bundle of resources contains material for about 10 lessons, to meet the learning outcomes within the Unit 23 Cells and Redox titrations for OCR A Level Chemistry A.
Lessons include:
23.1 Redox reactions
23.2 Manganate (VII) titration
23.3 Iodine-thiosulphate titration
23.4 Half cells, standard cell potential, electrochemical cells,
23.5 Predictions from standard electrode potentials
23.6 Storage and fuel cells
For each chapter -23.1 to 23.6, there is a workbook for students to complete and a supportive PP for teachers. For some chapters, the material could be spread over two lessons.
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A text book. Many images that appear in student workbook and on PP were taken from this book.
Some instructions in the workbooks or the Summary questions (in assessment part of the booklets) refer to the above book.
Teacher PP for OCR A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy, Chapter 29.2 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ; (NMR) spectroscopy.
The PP addresses the following:
• Identify the key principles in NMR spectroscopy.
(key terms: nuclear spin, nuclear magnetic resonance, radio frequency photons, chemical shift, NMR spectra, Proton NMR, C-13 NMR, chemical environment, shielding).
• Describe the use of tetramethylsilane, TMS, as the standard for chemical shift measurement.
• Explain the need for deuterated solvents, e.g., CDCl3, when running a NMR spectrum.
• Describe the steps in running a NMR spectrum.
The resource was prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook.
Some diagrams that appear on the PP are from this book.
Student workbook and teacher PP for OCR Y1- Introduction to rection mechanisms - 4.1.1 Basic concepts of organic chemistry.
The resource defines and uses such key terms as:
Homolytic bond fission, heterolytic bond fission, radical, curly arrows,
reaction mechanism, nucleophile, electrophile, addition, substitution, elimination.
The workbook is for students to complete. Teacher PP is supporting the workbook and contains answers / explanations of concepts covered.
The resource was prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook. Some diagrams and some questions refer to this book.
This resource can be used for GCSE or for A level Chemistry (as a revision of tests learnt at GCSE).
It is a PP intended for a revision of qualitative analysis of positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions) from GCSE. The first few slides review the tests and the second part of PP contains many exam questions (with answers).
The main areas covered in this resource (review and assessment) are:
• Making and testing gases; hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, and carbon dioxide (including balanced equations)
• Testing for positive metal – Cu 2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Mg2+ and Ca2+, ions using sodium hydroxide solution (including balanced symbol equations and ionic equations)
• Flame tests for metal ions
• Testing for anions (sulphates, carbonates, and halides)
This resource is for Combined science and GCSE Chemistry. It is a PP* intended for a revision lesson on Chemical Analysis but not only; the content can be extracted for teaching lessons on Chemical Analysis (e.g., for starters, plenaries, homework or summary of main concepts for notes for students) or for catching up when students miss a lesson.
The first few slides contain different types of questions (& answers) -(matching up, application questions, past exam questions and challenge questions) that will allow to assess students’ knowledge up to Grade 9 and above. The slides with the questions could be printed for students.
I have also just created a broadsheet * with the questions from the PP. There are 6, A3 pages which can be printed for students.
Teachers can select questions suitable for students in their class.
The second part of the PP contains slides that review the key concepts for Chemical Analysis in the GCSE Chemistry 2015 specification. Again, the review is suitable for up to Grade 9.
The main areas covered in this resource (review and assessment) are:
• Purity
• Paper Chromatography
• Making and testing common gases; hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, and carbon dioxide (including balanced equations)
• Testing for positive metal ions using sodium hydroxide solution (including balanced symbol equations and ionic equations)
• Flame tests for metal ions
• Testing for anions (sulphates, carbonates, and halides) with an extension for the order of tests if the analysis is being carried out on the same solution)
• Instrumental analysis- flame emission spectroscopy
Student workbook and teacher PP for OCR A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 24 Transition elements, Chapter 24.5 Redox and qualitative analysis.
The following redox reactions are explained using the standard redox potentials:
iron (III) ions with iodide ions; iron (II) with manganate (VII) ions ; zinc with dichromate (VI)ions. The accompany colour changes are described.
Reaction of Copper (I) oxide with sulphuric acid is described and explained as a disproportionation reaction.
The reaction of copper (I) oxide with sulphuric acid and the reaction of copper (II) oxide are compared.
A short review of chemical tests for anions and cations is included on the PP.
The Student workbook contains lesson objectives, different type of tasks and assessment questions.
The PP for teachers supports the workbook and contains the answers to Tasks in the Student Workbook. The answers / explanations are revealed in steps.
This resource could present a valuable solution in case when students cannot attend the lesson and need to catch up with the missed work.
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook. Some images /diagrams that appear in student workbook and on PP are from this book.
Some instructions in the workbook and the Summary questions (in assessment part of the booklet) refer to the above book.
After this lesson, students should be able to write and balance an equation being given the masses of reactants and products.
The starter questions review working out the number of moles of a substance in its mass. The key definitions such as, relative atomic mass, Ar; relative molecular mass, Mr; relative formula mass, Mr; and molar mass, M are revisited.
The method in calculating the balancing numbers in a balanced equations from masses of reactants and products is outlined in steps (the masses of reactants and products in grams converted to–> amounts in moles converted to --> simplest whole number ratio) before moving to a workout example.
Subsequently, students apply the method to complete questions and check / assess their learning and understanding.
Teacher PP supports the workbook; it contains the answers (revealed in steps) to all activities.
Student workbook and teacher PP for OCR A Level Chemistry Unit 29 Analysis, Chapter 29.6 Combined techniques and an extra PP with some past exam questions related to this topic.
As this lesson is a review of concepts studied before, the resource could be used as revision material to review : tests for functional groups, IR spectroscopy, Mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis and NMR.
The following concepts are being covered:
Review of the qualitative tests for the following functional groups: alkene, phenol, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, ester.
Review of IR spectroscopy- how does it work; use of infrared spectrum
to identify the presence of functional groups in an organic compound.
Review of Mass spectroscopy – how does it work; use of molecular ion peak and fragmentation peaks in a mass spectrum to find the molecular mass and to identify parts of an organic structures.
Combine evidence from IR and mass spectra to deduce isomers of organic structures- various questions to complete.
Elemental analysis - to deduce the empirical formula of a compound from its mass composition.
Combine evidence from elemental analysis, IR spectra, mass spectra
and NMR spectra, to deduce structures of organic structures- many exam questions to select from.
The workbook is for the students to complete. It contains varies activities to achieve the learning outcomes for Combined Techniques.
Teacher PP supports the workbook- contain support / answers to the tasks. The answers, in most cases, are revealed showing the solutions to tasks in steps.
The PP has many slides but it contains a detailed review of different techniques studied earlier.
The resource was prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbooks.
Some diagrams and some questions were taken from this book.
Student workbooks and teacher PPs for about 9 lessons (depending on time available) to cover the concepts of Chapter 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy of OCR A Level chemistry.
The following concepts are being covered:
29.1 Thin layer chromatography
Gas chromatograhy and GC-MS & additional various questions on Mass spectroscopy (with answers).
29.2 Introduction to NMR- PP only.
29.3 Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy.
29.4 / 29.5 Proton NMR spectroscopy -low and high resolution.
29.6 Combined techniques (review of chemical tests, IR and Mass spectroscopy) with various questions that bring together knowledge of Elemental analysis, IR spectra, Mass spectra and NMR spectra in determination of the structures of organic molecules.
Student workbook and teacher PP.
The following concepts are being covered:
Pollutants from using fossil fuels- review.
Primary cells – description, examples – Zinc cells, deducing the overall cell reaction.
Secondary cells -description, examples- lithium ion and lithium -ion polymer cell, deducing the overall cell reaction when the cell is discharging and when being charged.
Fuel cells – description, structure and reactions for an alkali hydrogen cell and an acid hydrogen cell.
Teacher PP supports the workbook and contains answers to all questions. The answers are revealed in steps. There are many activites to allow the students to achieve the learning outcomes for this topic.
The resource was prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbooks.
Some diagrams and some questions were taken from this book.
Student workbooks and teacher PPs for about 10 lessons (depending on time available) to cover the concepts of Chapter 24 Transition metals of OCR A Level chemistry.
The following concepts are being covered:
The d-block elements and their electronic configuration.
Properties of transition metals and their compounds e.g., variable oxidation states, catalytic properties.
Formation of complex ions; types of ligands.
Shapes of complex ions.
Stereoisomerism in complexes -types and conditions
a) Cis-trans isomerism
b) Optical isomerism
Precipitation reactions of transition metal ions with aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous ammonia.
Ligand substitution reactions of copper (II) complexes and chromium (III) complexes.
Using electrode potential to explain Redox reactions involving transition metals ions.
Qualitative analysis -review from Y1
a) Identifying transition metal ions and ammonium ions
b) Identifying negative ions (anions); carbonate, sulphate (VI), halide ions
c) The correct sequence of tests needed to be carried out to identify anions if the tests are carried out on the same solution.
The workbooks are for the students to complete. They contain various activities to achieve the learning outcomes for Transition metals and give opportunities for challenge and stretch.
Teacher PPs support the workbooks- and contain support / answers to the tasks. The answers, in most cases, are revealed showing the solutions to tasks in steps.
KS 5 Chemistry - Organic chemistry and analysis – Qualitative analysis of functional groups (student workbook & teacher power point). This resource could be best used in a revision when teaching Chromatography and functional group analysis -29.1 Unit or used as a revision after teaching unit 25 and 26 .
This work covered should allow students to review/ assess/ evaluate their learning on the following:
• Identify functional groups in given organic compounds
• Show the structure and formulae of different functional groups
• Describe chemical tests and state the observations for the following compounds:
alkene, carbonyl, aldehyde, alcohols, carboxylic acid, phenol and haloalkane
• Explain how the ester group can be identified
• Describe the reactions of -OH group in alcohols, phenols and in -COOH in carboxylic acids (reactions with sodium, sodium hydroxide solution and sodium carbonate solution)
• Describe a sequence of tests that could be carry out on given organic compounds (containing one functional group) to identify the functional group in each
• Describe a procedure that will allow to confirm identity of a carbonyl compound (formed in the reaction with 2,4-DNP)
• Draw the structure of organic products formed when different reagents are added to compounds containing more than one functional group
The activities in the workbook start with recall questions / review of chemical tests for organic functional groups and are followed by multiple application questions (including stretch and challenge questions) to give students plenty of practice.
The PP for teachers / students supports the Activities in the workbook and contains the answers to exam questions in the Workbook.
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry A for OCR A textbook, (2016 A-level Chemistry specification ), some questions are OCR past exam questions, some have been taken from Evaluative Tasks (previous specification) and some are from OCR Stretch and Challenge material.
Student workbook, teacher PP -for A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy, Chapter 29.2 Gas chromatography and GC-MS.
This resource contains material for two lessons. The first lesson covers Gas chromatography; the second, covers GC-MS and contains many questions for students to complete.
The workbook contains notes / different types of tasks and assessment tasks/exam questions that will allow students to gain the knowledge / develop skills and apply them to check / assess their learning on the following:
• Describe gas chromatography, GLC and Mass spectrometry, MS
• Interpret gas chromatograms in terms of retention times and the approximate proportions of the components of a mixture.
• Interpret mass spectra
• Calculate the percentage composition of a mixture from the relative peak areas in a gas chromatogram
• Draw and use a calibration curve to calculate the amount of a substance in a mixture from a gas chromatogram
• Explain how mass spectrometry can be combined with gas chromatography
in GC–MS to provide a far more powerful analytical tool than gas chromatography alone
• Discuss limitations and strengths of GC and MS as separate tools of analysis.
The PP for teachers supports the workbook and contains the answers to Tasks and exam questions in the Workbook. Most answers are revealed in steps .
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook and some diagrams and questions used in this lesson have been taken this book.
This resource could be used in home learning or when students cannot attend the lesson and need to catch up with the missed work.
Student workbook and teacher PP for A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy, Chapter 29.1 Separation by Thin Layer Chromatography.
The workbook contains notes / different types of tasks and assessment tasks that will allow students to gain the knowledge and apply it to check / assess their learning on the following:
• Recall what is meant by chromatography and list the main types
• Describe the stationary phase, the mobile phase and describe how to carry out TLC
• Explain the principles behind the separation process in one-way TLC chromatography
• Interpret a TLC plates in terms of Rf values.
• Evaluate TLC
The PP for teachers supports the workbook and contains the explanation and answers to Activities and exam questions in the Workbook.
This resource was prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook and many diagrams / questions were taken from this book.
This resource is suitable for all students learning about the TLC.
This resource could present a valuable solution in home learning .
The workbook contains step by step activities to develop students confidence at the following:
How to decide what type of ions do elements form depending on their position in the periodic table.
How to work out the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in atoms and their ions.
How to work out the charges on ions, considering the number of sub-atomic particles.
How to describe the link between electron structures of ions and Group 0 elements.
Teacher PP contains all the activities on the student worksheet and the answers which are, in most cases, revealed in steps.
The work sheet also has an extensive starter activity to revisit the knowledge on the periodic table which students need to be familiar with.
Some of the questions used here are Chemsheet questions.
Student workbook (with available answers) and PP -review of tests for anions from Y1 - for OCR A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 24 Transition elements, Chapter 24.5 Redox and qualitative analysis. The workbook contains the information on chemical tests to identify the following cations: NH4+; Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Cr3+and anions: CO32–, Cl -, Br–, I–, SO42. The order for carrying the tests on anions is explained.
The test for identification of Cu2O and CuO is also covered in this workbook. This workbook can be used as a revision task as most of the tests were cover in Y1. It could be given as a homework. The second copy of the workbook contains the answers to the questions with detailed explanations .
The PP contains detailed information (with equations) on tests for anions and additional questions to assess students knowledge.
Some of the of the questions in the workbook are from OCR A level kerboodle resources.
Student workbook and teacher PP for investigating and explaining the trends in Group 7 -Halogens. Could be used for GCSE and AS level (&extension for KS3).
The workbook captures the key points on the physical and chemical properties of G 7 elements, including the displacement reactions of the halogens.
At the end of these lesson students should be able to:
a) Describe the characteristics of G7 elements
b) Describe the trends in melting, boiling points of G7
c) Describe the reactions of G7 with hydrogen and metals (observations- video)
d) Describe the trend in reactivity of G7
e) Explain the trend in reactivity of G7 in terms of how easily the atom gains an extra electron to obtain a stable electronic configuration (size of atoms- distance of the outer shell from the nucleus, shielding of the nuclear charge, nuclear attraction for the outer shell - are considered).
f) Describe and explain the Displacement reactions of the halogens.
g) Compare and contrast the trends in the properties of G1 &G7.
The workbook contains different types of activities and assessment questions (recall and application questions) that will allow students to gain the knowledge and apply it to check / assess their learning. The PP supports the workbook.
Student workbook and teacher PP for investigating and explaining the trends in Group 1- Alkali Metals.
The workbook captures the key points on the physical and chemical properties of G 1 elements. The PP supports the workbook and contain the answers to the the activities in the workbook.
At the end of these lesson students should be able to:
a) Describe the characteristics of G1 -Alkali metals.
b) Describe the trends in melting, boiling points and densities of G1
c) Describe the reactions of G1 with oxygen and water (observations, word and symbol equations)
d) Describe the trend in reactivity of G1
e) Explain the trend in reactivity of G1 in reference to electronic structure of their atoms
(size of atoms; shielding of the nuclear charge; nuclear attraction for the outer electron are considered).
The worksheet contains different types of activities and assessment questions that will allow students to gain the knowledge and apply it to check / assess their learning and understanding.
Student workbook and teacher PP for OCR A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy, Chapter 29.4 Proton NMR spectroscopy. The workbook captures the key points on High resolution Proton NMR spectroscopy; spin-spin splitting, interpreting high resolution proton NMR spectra, predicting high resolution proton NMR spectra for different compounds.
The workbook contains different types of tasks and assessment tasks that will allow students to gain the knowledge and apply it to check / assess their learning.
The PP for teachers supports the workbook and contains the answers (revealed in steps) to Tasks and questions in the Workbook.
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook. Some diagrams and questions that appear in student workbook and on PP are from this book.
My students find the booklets very useful; they structure their work in each lesson, allow differentiation and help to keep their work organised.
Student workbook and teacher PP for OCR A Level Chemistry A Year 2 Unit 29 Chromatography and Spectroscopy, Chapter 29.4 Proton NMR spectroscopy. The workbook captures the key points on low resolution of Proton NMR spectroscopy; Proton NMR technique, proton NMR chemical shift, equivalent and non-equivalent protons, integration trace, identification of O-H and N-H protons.
At the end of this lesson students should be able to predict (for a given compound) the following:
d) the number of peaks in NMR spectra
e) the type of proton and chemical shift for each peak
f) the relative peaks area
g) explain the difference in NMR spectra run without and with D2O
The workbook contains different types of tasks and assessment tasks that will allow students to gain the knowledge and apply it to check / assess their learning.
My students find the booklets very useful; they structure their work in each lesson, allow differentiation and help to keep their work organised.
The PP for teachers supports the workbook and contains answers (revealed in steps) to Tasks and questions in the Workbook.
The resources were prepared with the use of A Level Chemistry for OCR A textbook. Many images /diagrams that appear in student workbook and on PP are from this book.
This resource could present a valuable solution when students can not attend the lesson and need to catch up with the missed work. They could use the PP to support their learning.