I am a secondary school & A-level Science teacher, specialising in Biology. I am also an experienced AQA GCSE Biology Examiner. My resources contain a mix of Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons aimed at meeting specification points for the new AQA Trilogy GCSE course and KS3 Activate course.
All of my lessons include at least one opportunity for self-assessment, a range of activities to suit students of all abilities, a set of differentiated starter questions and a plenary.
I am a secondary school & A-level Science teacher, specialising in Biology. I am also an experienced AQA GCSE Biology Examiner. My resources contain a mix of Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons aimed at meeting specification points for the new AQA Trilogy GCSE course and KS3 Activate course.
All of my lessons include at least one opportunity for self-assessment, a range of activities to suit students of all abilities, a set of differentiated starter questions and a plenary.
This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the C2 1.3 unit on ‘Separation Techniques.
More Biology, Chemistry and Physics resources can be found in my TES Shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins with an introduction to chromatogrpahy, students are shown a diagram to demonstrate this process, they can also take additional notes in their books.
Students will now watch a video on chromatography, whilst watching this video they will need to arrange a set of statements in order to correctly describe the process of chromatography. Students can then self-assess their work once it is complete, using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint
presentation.
Next, students will follow the method the have just arranged in their books to carry out their own chromatography practical. This can be completed in groups of 2 or 3, their chromatogram can then be stuck in their books once complete with their conclusion and evaluation completed underneath.
Students will now complete a ‘Quick Check’ task, this is a couple of questions to assess students knowledge of what they have learned so far this lesson, the answers to which are included so students can self-assess their work.
The last part of the lesson focuses on why chromatography is useful, each students will be given an information card which has a description of one use of chromatography. Students will need to walk around the room, sharing information with each other to complete the summary table. Once this task is complete, students can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided in the PowerPoint.
The plenary task requires students to write a list of key words that they have learned from this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation, thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated
his lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 C1.1 ’Particles & their Behaviour’
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This lesson starts with the collapsing can demonstration, students are asked to watch the demonstration (either completed by the class teacher or use the video included) and come with with an explanation of what is happening.
This activity leads onto a definition for gas pressure, students are given the definition which is explained using the diagram included. Students can take notes of this process in their books, drawing the diagram would also be helpful.
Students are now asked to consider whether the factors which may lead to an increase in pressure, students will need to discuss with their partner and come up with some ideas. This leads onto the next PowerPoint slide which outlines three factors - an increase in the number of particles, an increase in temperature or a decrease in the size of the container. All would lead to an increase in the frequency of collisions the particles have with the sides of the container.
Students will now complete a worksheet to assess their knowledge of what they have learned so far this lesson. This work can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students are asked to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas of why an increase in temperature leads to an increase in pressure. Students should try to explain their answer using the particle. model, students can discuss in pairs before writing their thoughts down and then feeding back to the class as group discussion. The answer to this task can then be revealed, students can check and correct their work.
Lastly, students will complete a ‘Teach me, tell me’ task - students will be given a Q&A card, as well as a worksheet of questions. They will need to share the answer to their question with other students in the classroom in order to complete the worksheet of questions on gases & pressure.
The plenary task requires students to write a Whatsapp message on what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 C3 ’Reactions’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This lesson starts with a video on decomposition reactions, students will be given a set of questions which they will need to answer whilst watching the video. The mark scheme to this task is included in the PowerPoint, so students can self-assess their work once it is complete.
Students now know what a decomposition reaction is, they are now asked to consider what they think a thermal decomposition reaction might be. Students ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas, eventually feeding their ideas back to a class discussion and the answer can be revealed using the PowerPoint so students can check their answers.
Next, students will complete an investigation to determine which metal carbonate will decompose the quickest. Students will be given a practical worksheet, they can work their way through the steps and write their results in the results table provided.
Once students have collected their results, they are asked which type of graph would be most suitable to present their results. Students can discuss their ideas before feeding back into a class discussion, the answer is then revealed as a bar chart as we are dealing with discrete data. Students can then plot their results onto a graph.
The plenary task is a ‘pick a plenary’ activity - students will either summarise what they have learned in three sentences or they can write a definition for a list of key words from the last few lessons.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the 'Earth’s Resources’ SoW.
For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins with a ‘Think > Pair > Share’ task, pupils will need to consider the definitions of the terms ‘Finite’ and ‘Renewable’. After a discussion in pairs and as a class, the definitions for these words can be revealed which pupils can write in their books.
Next, pupils will watch a video on the availability and sustainable use of Earth’s resources, pupils will need to answer a set of questions whilst watching these videos and can self-assess their work once finished.
Pupils are now introduced to a variety of natural resources which are getting used up by the chemical industry, students are given a list of these raw materials and are then asked to consider what factors might determine how quickly they may run out and the uncertainties surrounding estimates of how long they will last. After a discussion pupils can mind map their ideas, before the answers revealed and students can self-assess their work.
Next, pupils are shown how to calculate orders of magnitude - the skill is demonstrated and then pupils need to have a go at tackling a problem.
The next part of the lesson focuses on renewable resources, some examples of renewable energy sources are introduced and then students need to complete a task whereby they read information about different renewable fuel sources and have to sum up the advantages and disadvantages for each. Students can complete a table of their ideas in their books, this task can be self-assessed using the mark scheme.
Finally, pupils complete an exam-style question on this topic and self-assess their work.
The plenary task requires pupils to summarise what they have learned in the lesson using one of the sentence starters.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please email me at swift.education.uk@gmail.com and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the 'Earth’s Resources’ SoW.
For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This lesson starts with an introduction to a Life Cycle Assessment, what it is, how it is carried out and the reasons behind conducting them. Next, pupils will watch a video on the process and importance of carrying out an LCA - pupils can answer a set of questions whilst watching this and when finished they can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Pupils are then shown a diagram which outlines the input and output of an LCA, including all of the processes which occur in between.
Pupils will now consider the overall environmental impact of the production of a paper bag compared to the production of a carrier bag. Pupils can discuss their ideas of which may make the larger impact on the environment. Next, pupils will be given a set of information about the extraction of raw materials, manufacture, use and reuse and disposal of these two bags - using this information they will need to conduct an LCA for each bag. To do this they have been provided with a table to fill in, for each factor they will need to score the environmental impact from 1-10. At the end they will have a score out of 40, the higher the score the larger the environmental impact.
The last part of the lesson requires pupils to consider the problems of conducting a life cycle assessment, they can mind map their ideas as a pair and then share as part of a class discussion. The teacher can then reveal some of the issues with LCA’s, pupils can check their work against these answers.
The plenary task is for pupils to write three quiz questions to test their peers knowledge of what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please email me at swift.education.uk@gmail.com and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the ‘Pure substances and mixtures’ SoW.
This lesson starts with a ‘Think > Pair > Share’ task on the differences between an element, compound and a mixture. Pupils will share their ideas as a class before definitions and a diagram for each is revealed on the PowerPoint presentation. The next task requires pupils to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about what it means for a substance to be ‘pure’. Again, their ideas can be shared with the class before a definition of purity is revealed.
Next, pupils will complete an investigation into the purity of water - they will be provided with three unknown liquids and conducting a range of tests they will need to determine which one is pure water, which is sea water and which is mineral water. They will record their results in a table and then present their findings to the class.
Next, students are shown how chemists are able to analyse substances and determine whether they are pure or whether they are a mixture by determining their melting/boiling points, to see if it is at a fixed point or not. Pupils will then watch a video on this topic and will need to answer a set of questions, they can mark this work using the answers provided.
Pupils will then be shown two examples of common formulations - paint and cleaning product. Lastly, pupils will then complete a ‘Quick Check’ task - answering a set of questions on what they have learned this lesson. They will then mark their work using the answers provided.
The plenary task is for pupils to complete one of the sentence starters provided to summarise what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This is a homeschool pack designed for the KS3 Year 7 Science course, specifically the ‘C1.2 Particles & Their Behaviour’ unit of work.
For more lessons & homeschool packs designed for KS3 and KS4, please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This comprehensive pack contains six pages of information, to meet learning objectives within the Year 7 ‘Particles & Their Behaviour’ unit of work. This is followed by three pages of questions, differentiated to suit a range of abilities, as well as a detailed mark scheme for students/parents to mark and correct answers.
The pack covers the following topics:
The particle model & changes of state
Melting & Freezing
Boiling
More changes of state
Diffusion
Gas Pressure
Thanks for looking :), if you have any questions please email me at swift.education.uk@gmail.com.
This resource contains 19 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 7 Chemistry Units:
C.1 Particles & Their Behaviour
C.2 Elements, Atoms & Compounds
C1.3 Chemical Reactions
C1.4 Acids & Alkalis
The resources were designed with the Year 7 Activate course in mind, it contains 6-8 weeks worth of lesson content!! You can find more lesson bundles aimed for the KS3 and KS4 science curriculum at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
All lessons contain a mix of differentiated activities, videos & animations, progress checks and more than two opportunities, per lesson, for self/peer red-pen assessment of tasks.
This task is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the ‘Structure & Bonding’ SoW.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the 'Structure & Bonding’ SoW, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (as dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This task is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the ‘Atomic Structure & Periodic Table’ SoW.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the 'Atomic Structure & Periodic Table’ SoW, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (as dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This task is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the 'Chemical Changes’ SoW.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity contains a set of differentiated questions worth 20 marks in total, it also includes additional extra challenge tasks for higher ability students to complete. This worksheet could be used as a homework or as an extension or revision activity in class.
I have included a comprehensive mark scheme for teacher or self-assessment of the work, there are also details of grade boundaries which I use to RAG pupils work against their target grades, a full explanation of how I do this is included.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This homework activity is designed for the KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 8 B2.1 Module on ‘The Periodic Table’
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This activity contains a set of differentiated questions, it also includes additional extra challenge tasks for higher ability students to complete. This worksheet could be used as a homework or as an extension/revision activity in class.
I have included a comprehensive mark scheme for teacher or self-assessment of the work, there are also details of grade boundaries which I use to RAG pupils work, a full explanation of how I do this is included.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know @swift_science_education or swift.education.uk@gmail.com, any feedback would be appreciated :)
This homework activity is designed for the KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 C1.3
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This activity contains a set of differentiated questions, it also includes additional extra challenge tasks for higher ability students to complete. This worksheet could be used as a homework or as an extension/revision activity in class.
I have included a comprehensive mark scheme for teacher or self-assessment of the work, there are also details of grade boundaries which I use to RAG pupils work, a full explanation of how I do this is included.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know @swift_science_education or swift.education.uk@gmail.com, any feedback would be appreciated :)
This bundle of resources contains 5 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 8 ‘Separating Techniques’ Unit.
Lessons include:
Mixtures
Solutions
Solubility
Filtration, evaporation & distillation
Chromatography
The lessons contain a mix of differentiated activities, videos & animations, progress checks and more than two opportunities, per lesson, for self/peer red-pen assessment of tasks.
This bundle of resources contains 7 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 8 C2 1.3 'Metals & Other Materials’ Unit.
Lessons include:
Metal & Acid Reactions
Metal & Oxygen Reactions
Metal & Water Reactions
Metal Displacement Reactions
Extracting Metals
Ceramics
Composite Materials
The lessons contain a mix of differentiated activities, videos & animations, progress checks and more than two opportunities, per lesson, for self/peer red-pen assessment of tasks.
This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the C2 1.2 unit on ‘Metals & Other Materials’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson begins with a task whereby students will walk around the room looking at different objects, as a circus activity. Students need to use the key words included on the board to describe these objects, there work can be marked and assessed once it is complete.
Now, students are introduced to ‘ceramics’ as a material, they are given examples of objects which are made out of ceramic material and are asked to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas over what physical properties they may have. Once this task is complete, the physical properties and chemical properties of ceramics will be given to students to make a note of.
Students now each be given a piece of information on a ceramic material and its uses, they will need to walk around the room and share information with each other to complete a summary table of information. This can then be marked and assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Students will now be shown a diagram which demonstrates the structural qualities of ceramic materials, this explains why they have such high melting points. Students can sketch the diagram into their books and make a note of the details provided.
Lastly, students will be need to complete a ‘copy and correct’ task. This requires students to copy out a piece of text, making any amendments they deem necessary so that the paragraph makes sense. This work can the be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary task is for students to spend a minute talking to each other about what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Physics GCSE, particularly the 'Electricity’ SoW.
For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins with an introduction into how to draw electrical circuit diagrams, a diagram is shown and students need to identify the correct components using the labels provided.
The next part of the lesson focuses on the roles of different electrical components, students will each be given a different piece of information about a component. They can then walk around the room, sharing information with each other in order to complete a table on the components and their roles. This work can then be self-assessed once students have completed it.
The next task will assess students understanding of these components in a ‘Quick Check - Who am I ?’ task. Pupils will need to identify the component from the description given, they can write their answers in their books and then check their work against the answers when they are revealed.
Pupils will the be reminded of the rules on how to draw a circuit diagram, before being given a list of descriptions of different circuits. Students need to draw the circuits that are being described, the answers to this task can then be revealed using the mark scheme in the PowerPoint presentation.
The last part of the lesson will require pupils to construct electrical circuits using electrical equipment, three diagrams of electrical circuits are provided to students, they need to use these to construct their own circuits.
The plenary task requires pupils to complete a word search, once the words have been found they should write a definition of each of them
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Trilogy Chemistry GCSE, particularly the ‘Chemical calculations’ SoW, specifically designed for higher tier ‘chemistry only’ students.
For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins with a video on atom economy, pupils will answer a set of questions whilst watching the video which can be assessed using the answers provided.
Pupils will then be taken through a worked example, step-by-step, to show how you are able to calculate atom economy once you know the desired product of a given reaction. Pupils will then need to use this worked example to come up with their own step-by-step checklist of tasks which need to be completed to work out the atom economy of a reaction. This can be checked against a list provided on the following PowerPoint slide.
Pupils will then be given a list of questions on atom economy, they will need to show their working for each of the problems. Once the task has been completed pupils can check their work against the answers provided on the PowerPoint presentation.
The next task is an exam-style question on atom economy, pupils should complete this in their books (and on their own, in silence for those higher ability classes), once complete this can be assessed against the mark scheme.
The last task is for pupils to come up with five exam questions on atom economy, including a mark scheme for each question.
The plenary task is for pupils to complete one of the example sentences, e.g. ‘I have understood this…’, ‘I still don’t understand…’.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 C3 ’Reactions’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This lesson begins with a recap on the differences between elements, compounds and mixtures. Students will be given a set of diagrams and will need to decide which is which, they could write their answers down in their books or use mini white boards and complete as a class. The answers can then be revealed using the mark scheme provided and students can check their answers.
Students are then given an explanation of what happens to substances during a chemical reaction, atoms rearrange and new bonds form new substances with different properties. The example of iron sulphide is used, a demonstration could also be carried out to show that iron (in a mixture of iron and sulphur) is magnetic before it is heated. Once iron and sulphur are heated to form iron sulphide, the magnetic properties are now lost.
Students are now shown the basis of a word equation and the difference between reactants and products. They will then be given two word equations and will need to determine which are the reactants and which are the products, the answers will then be revealed. They will then be given four more reactions, students will need to identify the reactants and products of these reactions. Students can then self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Students will now try writing their own word equations using a description provided, students will need to complete a worksheet of these tasks. The answers to these questions are included in the PowerPoint for students to self-assess their work.
Lastly, students will complete an investigation to observe what happens during three chemical reactions. Students will be given the practical worksheet, they can complete the investigation as a group and note down their observations from the reactions. Once the investigation is complete, students will then need to match the reactants from the reactions they carried out with the correct products. This work can then be marked and corrected using the answers provided.
The plenary task requires students to write a twitter message summarising what they have learned today, students should #keywords!
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 C4 ’Acids & Alkalis’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
Students will firstly compare some examples of acids to alkalis, including a description of the feel and taste of some acidic and alkaline substances. Next, students will read some information about acids and alkalis on an information sheet. Using this information they will answer a set of questions in their books, this work can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint.
Next, students are introduced to Hazard symbols - these will be important within the topics of acids and alkalis for students to determine how hazardous different chemicals might be. Students will play a game of ‘Haz-Splat’ whereby they will be given a choice of two different Hazard Symbols. They will need to come up to the board in pairs, the name of the hazard symbol is read out and students will try to ‘splat’ the correct hazard symbol before their opponent! This activity will familiarise students with the following hazards - irritant, corrosive, flammable & toxic.
Next, students will be introduced to the idea of a concentrated or dilute acid, as well as the definition for concentration. Students will then work their way through a set of activities to assess their knowledge of concentration, this work can be self-assessed using the mark schemes provided.
Lastly, students are shown how to calculate the concentration of a solution given the mass of solute and the volume of the solution. Students will need to use this calculation to work through a set of problems, this task can also be marked and corrected using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
The plenary task requires students to spend a minute or two talking about what they have learned during the lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)