Used with high ability year 10 class.
Eye diagram unlabelled (blown up to A3) given to each group, with a set of label cards. First use prior knowledge to label the diagram - assessing prior knowledge.
Then move around the room collecting information on the structures of the eye, filling in the worksheet. Return to group, and use this information to have another go at labelling the diagram. Excellent means of showing progress.
Move on to each label their own diagram, and discuss rods/cones - linking back to previous lesson on the Nervous system.
Biology lesson on theme of Conservation
Starter: images printed on the tables.Students to link these to previous learning (human impact on the environment, population) and try to decipher the topic of the lesson.
True/false activity - students write 1-6 in the back of their books and decide whether each statement is true or false. At the end of the session, revisit this task and allow them to change answers. Then go through altogether and see who has improved their understanding since they first did this.Amazing way to show progress!
Main: group activity, each group given information pack on a species, and they work to answer the questions in the presentation and design a conservation program.
Comprehension activity to consolidate learning.
Plenary: conservation loop game to be completed in small groups, good competition!
This lesson was graded as OUTSTANDING.
A range of reflections of both teaching experience, and professional studies courses, to support current trainees in developing their portfolio of evidence against the teaching standards.
Lesson designed for Year 9 iGCSE class, high ability. Lesson plan and worksheets all included.
Starter: As students enter the room, pictures laid out on the tables. Can they work out the lesson topic?
Main: 4 stations set up around the room for students to consider the causes, effects, solutions to acid rain and an intro to Indicator species.
Plenary: Used a word loop on acid rain and the greenhouse effect, found on Tes.
Graded Outstanding
Series of resources I have used with my form this year during our weekly 30 min tutorial session. Some of these can be carried over several sessions if they generate excellent discussion.
Used with a high ability year 11 class.
- Covers intro to the topic, with key definitions.
- Graphs to allow some analysis (e.g. comparing the main causes of death in developed vs less developed countries, comparisons between incomes within countries, and genders --> great for developing critical analysis and reasoning).
- Case studies of Communicable diseases (including video links, and discussion of sociocultural and economic impacts)
- Introduction to immune system --> I used plasticine and got them to make stop motion videos of phagocytes and lymphocytes, using their phone (worked really well!)
Used this powerpoint with my high ability year 12 class, alongside a number of worksheets (adapted from other TES authors, or using past exam questions).
- Species and Taxonomy
- Calculating diversity
- Molecular techniques to investigate diversity
- For the slides on courtship rituals I added a sound effect (Puppy Love, by Donny Osmond). For this to work on your computer you would need to save this song as an mp3 (using a youtube converter) and add it to the slide.
Resource used over a series of lessons with a high ability class - covering adaptations of leaves, pigments, and the light dependent and independent reactions. According to the new AQA A level syllabus.
- first cover a simplified version of the Light Dependent Reaction (as per the textbook), and then went through the version no longer specified in the syllabus (photosystems and cyclic/non-cyclic) - can be tailored according to class ability.
Used over a series of lessons with a high ability year 13 class.
- Aerobic respiration including glycolysis, link reaction, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation
- Other respiratory substrates
- Anaerobic respiration
Used with high ability year 13 class.
Covers key definitions, Hardy-Weinberg, Natural selection and Speciation.
Practical activity to demonstrate the example of Peppered Moths.
I also used a circus activity with 15 questions on HW equilibrium. I laminated the questions on separate sheets, with the answer to the previous question on the back, and spread these around the room for students to have a go at.
Produced for gifted and talented KS2 students to spark aspiration, and develop skills. As this is open-ended it could be used with students of any ability, as it has scaffolds and prompts to support thinking and investigation if needed.
Could be used over a long period of time, to drop in and out of, or as holiday homework. There are 10 challenges, which can be completed individually in isolation, as a complete set, and in any order. A range of topics are included to develop a wider range of skills, and to capture student interest.