this shows different types of weathering on gravestones, useful for year 9 allows for a little bit of emapthy in discussions about weathering as well

a simple starter for lower ability students, where they use dictionaries to find definitions of solubility keywords

a research worksheet i made for pupils to find out information about different kinds of intelligent packaging, quite simple so may be good with a lower ability group

if you drop raisins in lemonade they sink to the bottom, then float and then sink again. this sheet contains six theories that can be photocopied and then stuck around the room, i demonstrated the experiment and then got pupils to move to the theory they thought best described what happened and told them to be prepared to defend their ideas

a set of worksheets to go with a simple mystery powders investigation, where you give pupils a set of five white powders, one of which is unidentified (use simple safe powders, such as calcium carbonate etc) and get them to carry out a range of tests to work out what the mystery powder is

Top trumps of the elements.

Two powerpoints, one on sources of electricity (including renewable sources) with a picture of the blue lagoon in Iceland, which is geothermal, and another about showing tectonic plates pulling apart in Pingvellir national park, a volcanic crater and geyser along with the beautiful Gulfloss waterfall and the blue lagoon

simple hydrocarbon element cards that can be used with pupils to make simple hydrocarbons, good kinaesthetic activity for low ability pupils

Planning and activity book for alchemy module, I use this with year 7/8. Pupils start by looking at the core alchemical idea of the great work which is broken into four stages that they can draw pictures to describe. Then they look at the developing theory of the elements (I do flame tests here too), transmutation (changing one thing to another; I let pupils decide their own experiment to carry out so long as it is safe and involves a change), immortality and cosmetics, nuclear transmutation can be covered but I haven't planned it in yet, the big booklet may take some finishing or adapting.

A worksheet and activity that uses coloured playballs to help pupils visualise balanced equations, they use the attached key to build the reactions on the worksheet and balance them

To get the pupils to learn atomic structure we made models of atoms using sweets if they make them on paper with clean hands they can eat them afterwards. We used white and milk chocolate buttons as the protons and neutrons and martians as the electrons with strawberry bootlaces to show the outer elcetron shells, the pupils understood the concept so well we went on to building atoms of oxygen and berylium as well to discuss how the shells fill up, a picture of their models is included and then we evaluated their models and the effectiveness of the model using the sheet attached

I have used the level 3 - 5 science APP statements to make an Xbox achievment assessment for the pupils called science live. It works like the achievements on xbox pupils get the black and white sheet for their books then get the coloured stickers when they unlock the achievement it is an easy skill tracker and really hooks the pupils in small prizes can be given for every 200 points unlocked to link in to your schools reward policy.