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 P2 1.1 unit on ‘Electricity & Magnetism’.
This lesson begins with an introduction to current & charge, students are provided with the definition for current and told that an ammeter is the component used to measure current, in amps. Students will then watch a short video on current, during which they will need to answer a couple of questions. Students can mark their work once this is complete.
Students are then told the role of the battery in the circuit, as the store of energy which provides the push which gets the current flowing, pushing the charge around the circuit.
Next, students are introduced to electrical circuit diagrams, they are firstly shown a simple circuit diagram and are asked to label the components indicated from a list of key words: switch, battery and bulb. After students have drawn the circuit and had a go at labelling it, the answers can be revealed so they can mark and assess their work.
Students are now given a set of instructions to draw 4 different circuit diagrams, the answers to this task are included in the PowerPoint so students can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Lastly, students will complete a task which requires them to match sentences starters to the correct sentence enders, to assess their knowledge of what they have learned this lessons. This task can then be either self-assessed or peer-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
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 KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the P2 1.1 unit on ‘Electricity & Magnetism’.
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 students being asked to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about whether like and unlike charges attract or repel each other. After a short class discussion, students will feed their ideas back to the class and the answers can be revealed - like charges repel each other and unlike charges repel each other.
Students are now introduced to the sub-atomic particles which make up an atom - protons, neutrons and electrons. From the description provided students will need to have a go at filling in the blanks on the diagram of the atom, once completed students can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students will complete a ‘Memory Test’ activity whereby a table of information is provided to students on the relative mass and charges of a proton, neutron and an electron. Students will be given a few minutes to observe and remember the information, then the table is taken away and students will need to recreate the table. The complete table is then shown to students so they can show mark and correct their work.
Students will now complete a mid-lesson progress check to assess their knowledge of what they have learned so far this lesson, the mark scheme for this progress check is included in the PowerPoint so students can self-assess the work once complete.
The next part of the lesson will focus on static charge, students will watch a video about this phenomenon and will need to answer a set of questions whilst watching. Once complete students can either self-assess or peer-assess their work using the answers provided.
The last task students will need to complete is a fill-in-the-blank task, students can mark this task using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary requires students to write a WhatsApp message to a friend, summarising 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 homework activity is designed for the KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P1.4 Module on ‘Space’
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 resource contains 19 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 7 Physics Units:
P1.1 Forces
P1.2 Sound
P1.3 Light
P1.4 Space
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 homework activity is designed for the KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P1.3 Module on ‘Light’
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 P1.2 Module on ‘Sound’
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 P1.1 Module on ‘Forces’
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 4 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 7 P4 ‘Space’ Unit.
Lessons include:
The Night Sky
The Solar System
The Earth
The Moon
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 Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P4 ’Space’.
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 an introduction to the phases of the Moon, students are shown a diagram which show the changing appearance of the Moon as seen by Earth as the Moon orbits the Earth.
The next task is a memory test, students will be shown images of the different phases of the Moon along with the names of these specific phases. Students will need to memorise the as many names as possible, before the names are taken away. Students will now have a few minutes to fill in their worksheet with the correct names, this task can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students will complete a worksheet which requires them to shade in circles to show the phases of the Moon at particular positions. There is an extra challenge task to add labels to show the names for each phase. The mark scheme for this task is included in the PowerPoint so students can mark and correct their work.
Next, students will watch a video on eclipses. Whilst watching the video they will answer a set of questions, once complete students can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Laslty, students will complete a ‘copy-and-complete’ task to summarise what they have learned this lesson. This work can also be marked using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
The plenary task is a ‘pick a plenary’ - either unscramble a set of anagrams to spell five key words taken from the lesson today or use a set of key words (provided) to summarise what students 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 P4 ’Space’.
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 an introduction to the idea of the Earth spinning on it’s axis, which gives us day and night. This is demonstrated to students using a diagram, they can take notes on this and also draw a sketch of the Earth spinning on it’s axis.
Students will then watch a video on Earth and the way that it moves to give day/night and the different seasons. Students will answer a set of questions whilst they are watching the video, once complete the task can then self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students are shown a diagram which demonstrates the reason why in the summer the UK is hotter and longer days, whereas in the winter the UK is older and has shorter days. Again, students could take notes on this and sketch a diagram in their books to demonstrate this process.
The next activity requires students to use an array of resources - beach ball, balloon, torch, marker pen - to demonstrate the orbit of the Earth around the Sun to explain why we have seasons.
Students will now complete a worksheet which will assess their knowledge of what they have learned so far this lesson. The mark scheme for this task is included in the PowerPoint so students cans self-assess their work once it is complete.
The last activity is a summary task, students should copy and complete the sentences to summarise what they have learned so far this lesson. The work can be self or peer assessed using the mark scheme provided once this students have completed it.
The plenary activity requires students to write a Whatsapp message to a friend 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 Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P4 ’Space’.
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 an video on the Solar System, students will watch this and whilst watching should answer a set of questions. Once students have completed this task, they can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
In the next activity, information stations will be placed around the classroom so that students can gather information and use to this to complete a worksheet. They can talk to each other to complete this task, once it is complete the work can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided. This task also includes a research project, so if students have completed the work they can use tablets/computer/laptops/phones to complete research on the Cassinni Space Probe.
The last task requires students to complete a crossword on the Solar System, using what they will have learned over the last couple of lessons.
The plenary task requires students to summarise what they have learned this lesson in three sentences, a list of key words is provided for pupils to use in their sentences.
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 P1 ’Forces’.
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 short video about light-years, students will watch the video and will need to answer to two questions whilst watching. This task can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students will now each be given a piece of information about an object which is visible in the night sky - comets, meteors, planets (some!) and satellites. Students will need to swap information with people around the room in order to complete a summary table. Once complete students can use the mark scheme provided to self-assess their work.
Next, students are introduced to the definitions for the terms ‘galaxy’ and ‘Universe’, which students could take notes on. Now students will complete a progress check, which is a set of questions aimed to assess students knowledge of what they have learned so far this lesson. This task can be either peer-assessed or self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Lastly, students will be asked to create three quiz questions (which they should know the answers too!) to test their peers knowledge of what they have learned this lesson. If there is time, students can then read some of their questions out and ask particular students in the class.
The plenary activity is an anagram challenge, students are given a set of anagrams of key words learned this lesson. The answers are provided to check they are correct!
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 bundle of resources contains 5 whole lessons, along with all additional resources, which meet all learning outcomes within the Year 7 P1 ‘Forces’ Unit.
Lessons include:
Introduction to Forces
Stretching & Squashing Forces
Friction & Drag Forces
Forces at a Distance: Non-contact Forces
Balanced & Unbalanced Forces
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 Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P1 ’Forces’.
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 ‘Think > Pair > Share’ activity which asks students to look at a photo of a tug-of-war and asks students to decide which side would win and why. After a short discussion, students will be introduced to the idea of ‘balanced’ and ‘unbalanced’ forces, including examples.
Students will now complete an investigation on ‘Forces’, this is a circus activity which requires students to decide which two forces are acting on each of the objects. Students will also need to decide if the forces are balanced or unbalanced, their results can be recorded in the table provided.
Students will be asked a series of questions on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces acting upon an object, the first questions is on a cyclist. This work can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided. The next questions are on the forces acting upon a car, this can be competed in their books and the work can be marked and corrected using the mark scheme provided.
The last part of the lesson focuses on how forces can change the direction of an object, students are shown the example of the Moon orbiting the Earth due to the pull of gravitational force acting upon the Moon.
The plenary task requires students to write down three facts, three key words and pose one question 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 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 P1 ’Forces’.
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 recap activity, students will need to sort a list of forces into two categories: contact and non-contact forces. This task can the be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students will recap on the non-contact forces that they have already learned about: gravitational forces, magnetic forces & electrostatic forces. Students will the be asked ‘What is a Force Field’ - they will then need to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas. After a short class discussion, the answer can be revealed to students and they could take notes on this in their books.
Students will carry out an investigation which helps them to visualise the force field which surrounds a magnet. Students will place small compasses at pin-point positions surrounding a bar magnet. They will need to draw an arrow to represent the direction that each compass is facing, lines can be drawn between each position which will show the overall force field of the bar magnet. This task can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint.
Next, students are told the difference between weight and mass, they are also given the calculation for the weight of an object when you are given the gravitational field strength of the planet the object is found on, plus the mass of the object. Using this calculation students will then need to complete a set of questions on weight & mass, once complete students can self-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
The last task is a ‘Progress Check’ task, whereby students will copy and compete the paragraph of information to summarise what they have learned this lesson.
The plenary task requires students to write a twitter message to sum up what the students have learned in the lesson, they will need to try to #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 P2 ’Sound’.
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 definition of ‘Friction’, students can take notes on this and then ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about how friction can be reduced. Two ideas that are then revealed are lubrication using oil/grease or smoothing surfaces down in order to reduce friction.
Students will then need to complete worksheet on frictional forces, once students have completed this task they can either self-assess or peer-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students are introduced to the idea of a ‘drag force’, including the examples of air resistance and water resistance. Students will then need to create a mind map listing the ways in which the effect of drag forces could be reduced. Once students have discussed and noted their ideas down, their answers can be checked using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
In the last activity students will be given a set of statements, they will need to sort these statements into either either a ‘True’ or ‘False’ column. Students can then self-assess or peer-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary task is a ‘Pick a Plenary’ - so students can either summarise what they have learned in three sentences, or write a definition for a list of key words that students would have learned over the course of the ‘Forces’ topic so far.
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 P1 ’Forces’.
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 recap on the differences between contact and non-contact forces. Students are given a list of forces and a variety of pictures, they need to match the correct name of the force with the correct picture and decide whether this is a contact or non-contact force. This task can self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Students are now introduced to the concept of a ‘reaction force’, with examples of a ball hitting the floor and a person walking along the ground. Students are shown a particle diagram to demonstrate what is happening. Next, students are introduced to the idea of an elastic cord or spring being affected by ‘extension’ and ‘tension’ forces. To assess students knowledge of what they have learned so far they will complete a progress check, a set of questions which students can answer in their books. This task can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
The last part of the lesson will look at Hooke’s law, students will conduct an investigation where they will investigate Hooke’s law. This practical involves students adding 1 Newton weights to a hanger which is attached to an elastic band. Every time a new weight is added, the distance between two marked point on the elastic band is measured. Students should carry out the investigation, record their results in a the table and then plot a graph of their results. Hopefully, students will draw a linear graph and be able to identify what Hooke’s law is from their results. Students can check their work against the results provided in the PowerPoint.
Finally, students are asked to complete a ‘Sentence Link-Up’ task, this is a literacy task which requires students to link three words in a summary sentence. This work can be self-assessed once it is complete using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
The plenary requires students to write three quiz questions to test their 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 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 P1 ’Forces’.
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 video which introduces students to forces, students will watch a video and will need to answer a set of questions whilst watching. This task can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Students will then be asked to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about the differences between a contact and a non-contact force. Once they have had chance to discuss their ideas and feed back to the class, the definition for both contact and non-contact forces can be revealed for students to check their answers. Students will then be shown a set of diagrams of either contact or non-contact forces, students will need to sort these into the correct columns. This work can be marked and corrected once this task is complete.
Students will now be shown how force diagrams can be drawn, to indicate the size and direction of a force acting upon an object. Students will then need to draw force diagrams for a set of objects, a worksheet for this task in provided. This work can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint.
Lastly, students will be given the definition for an ‘interaction pair’, as well as an example to help contextualise this meaning. Students will then need to complete a progress check (‘copy-and-complete’ task) to assess their knowledge of what they have learned this lesson. This work can be self or peer assessed using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
The plenary task is for students to spend a minute talking to the person next to them 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 Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 P2 ’Sound’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson starts with a definition of an ‘echo’ and how echoes can be produced by ship via sonar and by baby scanners via ultrasound. Students will then consider the ways in which echoes can be reduced and why this might be important in places such as theaters, concert walls & recording studios.
The first activity involves students using a range of materials (tissue paper, cardboard, cotton wool, bubble wrap, paper, plastic) to soundproof a margarine tub, which will hold a buzzer and a decibel meter. Each group can test how well they have soundproofed their margarine tub, perhaps a prize for the best one! Once this has been complete students can write an evaluation for their practical, they will need to consider which part of their practical were carried out well , how the findings could be improved and what they would do differently if it was done again.
Next, students will be given a piece of information on ‘Ultrasound’ - using this they will need to answer a set of questions in their books. This task can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided in the books.
The last task is a crossword on ‘Sound’, students should use knowledge of that they have learned over the course of the topic on sound to answer the clues and complete the crossword. The task can be assessed using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary requires students to complete one of the selection of sentence starters to summarise what they have learned so far 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 P2 ’Sound’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson starts with a ‘Memory’ Test, students will be shown a diagram of the ear with labels identifying the key parts that they need to know. Students can spend a few minutes looking at the diagram, the labels will then be taken away and they will need to try to annotate a copy of the diagram as best as possible. The labels will then be added to the diagram so students can mark and correct their work.
Next, students will watch a video on how the ear, and the brain, is able to detect sound. Students will be given a set of questions to answer whilst they watch the video, once this task is complete students can self-assess their work against the mark scheme provided.
The next part of the lesson focuses on the ways in which the ear can be damaged, students should firstly ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about how the ears/hearing can be damaged. The answers will then be revealed so students can assess their work and note down any they didn’t get. Students will then carry out a ‘Doctor’ role-play, where each group will have somebody with a particular problem. The students need to work out what the problem is, explain what the problem is and work out the best way to treat it. This can be acted out as a doctot-patient scene.
Lastly, students will complete a progress check to assess their understanding of what they have learned so far this lesson. This task can be completed in their books and can be self-assessed or peer-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary activity requires students to write a question about the component of the ear to test their peers understanding 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 let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)