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.
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.
This lesson uses 17 multiple-choice questions to challenge students to apply their understanding to the calculation sections of the course. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are designed to act as revision during the final weeks leading up to the AQA GCSE Combined chemistry exams and the following topics are covered:
Atoms and ions
Isotopes
Concentration of solutions
Mole calculations using Avogadro’s constant
Calculating relative formula mass
Mole calculations using mass and relative formula mass
Calculating masses in reactions
Calculating energy changes in reactions
Calculating the mean rate of reaction
All 17 questions have answers embedded into the PowerPoint along with explanations and are followed by additional tasks to further check understanding if it was initially limited.
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 fully-resourced lesson which includes a lesson presentation (24 slides) and a worksheet which is differentiated so that students can judge their understanding of the topic of writing half equations for electrolysis and access the work accordingly. The lesson uses worked examples and helpful hints to show the students how to write half equations at both the cathode and anode. Time is taken to remind students about the rules at the electrodes when the electrolyte is in solution so that they can work out the products before writing the equations.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 years old in the UK) but could be used with older students.
A concise lesson presentation (22 slides) that looks at how catalysts affect the rate of a chemical reaction and focuses on the Science behind this topic. The lesson begins with the introduction of the key term and its definition to ensure that students are confident in the use of a catalyst in the correct context. More key terms like “activation energy” are introduced and links made to related Chemistry topics such as endothermic and exothermic reactions. Students are challenged to show how the activation energy will differ in the presence of a catalyst. The rest of the lesson involves a practical and the collection of results so that students can compare their data against the theory which was introduced earlier in the lesson.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students.
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.
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 unit C9 (Chemistry of the atmosphere) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (specification point C5.9).
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
The proportion of different gases in the atmosphere
The Earth’s early atmosphere
Greenhouse gases
Atmospheric pollutants
Students will be engaged through the numerous quiz rounds whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which require further attention
This bundle of 3 lessons covers the majority of the content in the sub-topic C3.4 (Electrolysis) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics and specification points covered within these lessons include:
Recall that metals are formed at the cathode and non-metals are formed at the anode
Predict the products of the electrolysis of ionic compounds in molten state
Describe competing reactions in the electrolysis of aqueous solutions
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.
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.
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).
A fully-resourced lesson which explores how the composition of different alloys is related to their properties and their uses. The lesson includes an engaging and informative lesson presentation (38 slides) and an associated differentiated worksheet.
The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their Chemistry knowledge of numbers to come up with the letters of the word alloy. Students are introduced to the definition of this key term and then use a wordsearch to find both the names of the alloys but also the metals that are found in these mixtures. The main aim of this lesson is to get students to understand why alloys are chosen for jobs rather than pure metals and there is a focus on atoms and their arrangement. Students are challenged to use the example of copper and brass to complete a summary passage which is differentiated so that those who need more assistance are still able to access the work. The remainder of the lesson focuses on steel and solder, again exploring how their different features are related to how they are used in modern day life. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals to allow the students to check their understanding and a range of quick quiz competitions will aid engagement.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students but could be used with KS3 students who are looking at mixtures within the atoms and elements topic.
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.
Each of the 9 revision lessons included in this bundle are fully-resourced and have been designed to engage and motivate the students whilst they assess their knowledge of the CIE IGCSE Chemistry specification. The PowerPoints and accompanying resources use a range of activities which include exam-style questions with fully explained answers, differentiated tasks and quiz competitions to challenge the students on the following topics:
Topic 2: Experimental techniques
Topic 3: Atoms, elements and compounds
Topic 4: Stoichiometry
Topic 5: Electricity and Chemistry
Topic 6: Chemical energetics
Topic 7: Chemical reactions
Topic 9: The Periodic Table
Topic 11: Air and water
Topic 14: Organic Chemistry
The lessons will keep students thoroughly engaged during revision periods whilst enabling them to identify the areas of the specification which require further attention.
If you would like to see the quality of the lessons, download the topic 4 and 9 lessons as these have been shared for free
An engaging lesson presentation (64 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 unit C2 (Elements, compounds and mixtures) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Chemistry specification.
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Relative formula mass
Empirical formula
Pure and impure substances
Separation methods
Electronic structures
Forming ions
Ionic compounds
Simple molecules
Giant covalent substances
Carbon
Nanoparticles
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “SEPARATE the fact from the fiction” and “Higher or Lower” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
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 unit C2 (Bonding, structure and properties of matter) of the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification (specification point C5.2)
The topics that are tested within the lesson include:
Chemical bonds
Ionic bonding
Ionic compounds
Properties of ionic compounds
Covalent bonding
Metallic bonding
Properties of metals and alloys
The three states of matter
State symbols
Structure and bonding of carbon
Students will be engaged through the numerous activities including quiz rounds like “The name’s BOND…” whilst crucially being able to recognise those areas which need further attention
Each of the 11 revision lessons included in this bundle are detailed and engaging and provide the students with multiple opportunities to check their understanding of the following topics in the AQA Combined Science course:
Random and systematic errors
Independent, dependent and control variables
Pathogens
Viral, bacterial, fungal and protist diseases
The movement of water molecules by osmosis
Calculating acceleration from a velocity-time graph
Using resultant force and F=ma
Reactions of acids with metals
Redox reactions and the loss and gain of electrons
The properties of waves
Refraction
Control systems in homeostasis
The regulation of blood glucose concentration
Properties of ionising radiation
Detecting radiation based on penetrating power
Half-life
Decay equations
Classification system using kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
The binomial naming system
The three-domain system
Chromosomes
The 3 stages of the cell cycle including mitosis
The formation of gametes by meiosis
Mole calculations
Concentration of solutions
Protons, electrons, and neutrons in atoms, ions and isotopes
Bond energy calculations
The rate of photosynthesis and limiting factors
These resources can be used in the final weeks and months before the GCSE examinations or for revision before end of topic tests or mocks.
If you want to view the quality of these resources, download the control of blood glucose, reactions of acids with metals, mitosis and meiosis and radiation resources as these have been shared for free.
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 REVISION resource has been written with the aim of motivating the students whilst they are challenged on their knowledge of the content in Chemistry TOPIC 2 (States of matter and mixtures) of the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification. The resource contains an engaging and detailed PowerPoint (65 slides) and accompanying worksheets, most of which are differentiated to allow a range of abilities to access the work.
The wide range of activities, which include exam questions and quiz competitions, have been designed to cover as much of topic 2 as possible but the following sub-topics have been given a particular focus:
Pure substances in Science
Using melting and boiling points to distinguish between pure and impure
Separating mixtures using simple and fractional distillation
Determining a state of matter using data
Physical changes
Crystallisation
The mobile and stationary phases of paper chromatography
Calculating the retention factor
The treatment of water to make potable water
This resource is suitable for use at the end of topic 2, in the lead up to mocks or in the preparation for the final GCSE exams.
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.