I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
This is a full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Biology syllabus.
This lesson covers the definition of a species, and the theory of speciation.
This lesson PowerPoint contains:
A “5-in-5” retrieval-style starter
A lesson hook
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
An embedded youtube video on speciation
Guided class discussions
Regular checks for understanding (hand signals, true/false quizzes etc.)
A guided teacher model of the theory of speciation
An independent task for students (cut and stick flow chart / story board on speciation)
An exam question with mark scheme included
Worksheets included for the flow chart and exam question.
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This lesson covers the three main factors affecting the rate of diffusion (temperature, surface area and concentration gradient). It includes a practical investigating temperature on the rate of diffusion in potassium permanganate crystals. Equipment list and method included on the slides.
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
A class practical
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
A written plenary task
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This lesson is an overview of the three types of cell transport, and uses movement of substances across a root hair cell as a specific example.
This resource includes:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A written plenary task
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 11 class studying the AQA Biology syllabus. It comes with a full PowerPoint presentation and printouts.
The PowerPoint contains the following:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Lesson hook
Direct instruction slides (using dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
‘Check for understanding’ slides using hand signals, quizzes etc.
Independent tasks, with answer slides
Challenge questions
A written plenary task
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 11 class studying the AQA Biology syllabus. It comes with a full PowerPoint presentation and printouts.
The PowerPoint contains the following:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Lesson hook (embedded video from Operation Ouch)
Guided class discussions
Direct instruction slides (using dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
‘Check for understanding’ slides using hand signals, quizzes etc.
Independent tasks (exam questions), with answer slides
Challenge questions
A written plenary task based on an exam question
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 11 class studying the AQA Biology syllabus. It comes with a full PowerPoint presentation and printouts.
The PowerPoint contains the following:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Lesson hook
Embedded videos
Guided class discussions
Guided teacher model slides
Direct instruction slides (using dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
‘Check for understanding’ slides using hand signals, quizzes etc.
Independent tasks (exam questions), with answer slides
Challenge questions
A written plenary task based on an exam question
These lessons were designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This resource includes two PowerPoints, each one hour, guiding students through the Required Practical on osmosis in potatoes.
The first PowerPoint guides students through completing the practical.
The second PowerPoint is a theory-based lesson, which gets students to think about what happened and why. It also talks them through writing a conclusion, analysing their data etc.
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This lesson is an overview of active transport, also discussing adaptations of the intestinal epithelial cells.
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A game ‘Articulate’
A written plenary task
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This lesson looks at gas exchange in the gills, the structure of the gills, ram ventilation and the adaptations of the gills.
This resource includes:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
A lesson hook
A demo (fish head dissection)
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A written plenary task
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This lesson is an overview of the three types of cell transport, and uses movement of substances across a root hair cell as a specific example.
This resource includes:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A written plenary task
This lesson was designed for a higher ability year 11 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus, Biology.
This lesson teaches students how to calculate surface area to volume ratio in simple steps, then links this to exchange surfaces / the size of organisms.
This resource includes:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Retrieval practice
Direct instruction slides (dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
Guided ‘worked examples’ (teacher models)
Regular checks for understanding (quizzes)
Guided ‘turn and talk’
Independent practice tasks, with answer slides
Exam questions with scaffolds provided and answer slides
A written plenary task
This lesson was designed for a lower ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification.
This lesson covers the Linnaean classification system, the binomial naming system, and the three-domain system of classification.
This is a full 1 hour lesson which contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
A lesson hook
Direct instruction slides on classification
An embedded video (catchy song!)
Guided student discussions
Plenty of checkpoints (e.g. multiple choice hand signal questions)
Visual teacher-led models
Student written tasks
Exam questions with scaffolds, and modeled answers
A written plenary
This 1 hour lesson covers the following topics:
Causes of extinction
Evidence for extinction
The fossil record
The formation of fossils
This is designed with the GCSE AQA Combined Science specification in mind (and includes exam questions from this syllabus), but this should be fairly transferable.
This resource is a fully planned lesson with engaging lesson hooks, an embedded video, exam questions and scaffolded mark schemes, multiple choice quizzes, and a board game for students to play as a group.
A full 1 hour lesson on fungal diseases from the AQA GCSE Biology syllabus. Also suitable for AQA GCSE Combined Science.
This resource contains:
A 5 in 5 style retrieval starter
A lesson hook on parasitic fungi in ants
A hook / discussion on making links between athlete’s foot and mushrooms
Direct instruction on athlete’s foot - causes, methods of spread, prevention
A choice task ‘choose the difficulty’ - three deliberate practice questions on athlete’s foot (with answers)
Retrieval practice linking tobacco mosaic virus to photosynthesis topic
Direct instruction on rose black spot
Lightning questions on rose black spot
A practice exam-style question on rose black spot with guided peer assessment
A ‘question olympics’ game - retrieval from this topic
A plenary task
This lesson was designed for a lower ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
This is a full 1 hour lesson which contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
A discussion and video as a lesson hook
Direct instruction slides on selective breeding
Guided student discussions with feedback
A visual, step-by-step instruction of selectively breeding flowers
A ‘teacher model’ slide which models how to answer exam questions on selective breeding
Written exam questions (with scaffolds) for students to complete independently
A printout for students to respond to exam questions on
A written plenary task (exam question) with feedback
This lesson was designed for a lower ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Combined Science specification.
This lesson covers:
What is variation?
What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous variation?
What are examples of continuous and discontinuous variation?
Which examples of variation are controlled by genetic or environmental factors?
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource which contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
A lesson hook
Direct instruction slides (low cognitive load, dual coding)
Guided student discussions
Teacher models
Frequent checkpoints (quizzes, multiple choice hand signals)
A Venn diagram with answers
Written student responses
Modeled answers
A student group activity
A written plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson on food chains designed for a higher ability year 7 class.
This could be taught to any KS3 class, of any ability, with minor tweaks.
This lesson contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
An embedded video clip from Zootopia
A retrieval practice from primary school - matching key terms e.g. predator/prey to their definitions
A directed student discussion on food chains
Direct instruction slides on food chains
Checkpoints
Student independent tasks writing simple food chains
Direct instruction on trophic levels
A true or false quiz on food chains and trophic levels
An independent task with a printable worksheet - drawing a food chain and naming the trophic levels
A whiteboard quiz
A written plenary task
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource on static electricity. This was originally designed for a top set year 8 class.
This lesson involves practical demonstrations and activities.
The following equipment will be needed:
A comb and a tap (for demo)
Balloons (for demo)
Empty can (for demo)
Plastic rods, cloth and small pieces of paper (for class practical)
The PowerPoint contains:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter based on the electricity topic, with answers
Retrieval practice on the structure of an atom and subatomic particles
A practical demo bending water using a comb
Direct instruction on static electricity (using comb and water as an example)
A hand signals ‘thumbs up’ true or false quiz
A practical demo making hair stand up using a balloon
A practical demo making an empty can roll using a balloon
A guided conservation on why this happens
A deliberate practice written task on static electricity, with guided self assessment
A class practical on picking up paper using static electricity
A deliberate practice written task on this practical, with guided self assessment
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson resource on puberty for a KS3 Biology class.
This resource was originally designed for a mid-set year 7 class, girls only. However, this would be suitable to deliver to any KS3 class of any ability or gender.
This PowerPoint involves:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter
A group activity annotating an outline of a female’s body to show the changes that occur during puberty
An embedded video on the changes in males during puberty
Direct instruction on the effects of hormones on starting puberty
A multiple choice hand signal quiz
A ‘choose the word’ written task, with guided self assessment
A written true or false quiz to address misconceptions about puberty
A T-table task sorting changes in puberty into males only, females only, or both males and females
A homework task to write a response to an agony aunt letter
A written plenary task
A PowerPoint presentation (1 hour) designed for a higher ability year 8 class.
Mainly focuses on the different adaptations of wind-pollinated vs. insect-pollinated flowers.
Resource also contains a differentiated reading comprehension task on fertilisation in flowers.
This resource contains:
5-in-5 style retrieval starter
Lesson hook
Class discussion on pollen grains
Embedded video on insect pollination
Direct instruction slides on insect pollination / wind pollination
A 5-question quiz as a CFU
An independent writing task comparing insect and wind pollination, with model paragraphs for self assessment
A reading comprehension task - differentiated (colour coded or not)
Comprehension questions based on reading task - differentiated (colour coded or not) - followed by answers.
A plenary task