Over the last five years I have found the best way to stimulate learning is through engaging lessons. Lessons which apply scientific content to unusual, topical or popular scenarios.
I currently have a range of premium and free resources to look through. I will continue to upload these resources as and when I can.
Feel free to review, tweet or contact me regarding these resources or for ideas on current topics you are struggling to make engaging.
Over the last five years I have found the best way to stimulate learning is through engaging lessons. Lessons which apply scientific content to unusual, topical or popular scenarios.
I currently have a range of premium and free resources to look through. I will continue to upload these resources as and when I can.
Feel free to review, tweet or contact me regarding these resources or for ideas on current topics you are struggling to make engaging.
All resources were used for a 2hr GCSE taster session.
Taster 1:
Students are introduced to psychology through the discussion of gifs to form a definition.
Students are introduced to the course and complete a diamond 9 activity designed to get students discussing their justification for their thought processes.
Taster 2: students focus on how psychologists investigate topics using different theories. students investigate the research question “What causes evil behaviour?” After discussing how ‘evil’ could be operationalised (e.g. aggression, selfish acts that lead to harm, lack of empathy), students complete a rotation task in which they are introduced to a number of theories (including milgram, conditioning, social learning, and brain scanning). The off specification topics can be used to enthuse students regarding the new subject.
Students are introduced to factors that affect melting points, focusing on how impurities can alter melting and boiling points.
Students set up an experiment testing the difference in melting point between Steric acid and Paraffin by heating two samples up in a water bath above a bunsen burner.
Students collect the data and present it in a line graph gluing text boxes to explain the plateau and increases in temperature.
Students write a description of their graph using the prompt questions.
This bundle contains four lessons to kick-start your GCSE psyhcology course. The bundle contains two taster lessons focusing on the definition of psychology and an introduction to the many approaches psychology offers. The second half of the bundle uses the stanford prison experiment to introduce and practice A01 and A02 skills.
The lessons are fully resourced with PowerPoints, information sheets, video clips, recap starter questions and exam style questions.
A full KS3 scheme of work that contains six fully resourced lessons to allow your department to complete a Science Fair project. As a school we conducted this period for a two week cycle after half term to allow students to; produce an idea, write a hypothesis, plan a method, conduct an experiment of their choice and make their project.
Class winners were chosen and then allowed to present their work in the hall for the rest of the school to see. This is the third year we have completed our science fair at my school. This year we had four entries that won prizes at the big bang fair regional competition. One of which was chosen as the Young scientist of the year regional winner and will be presenting their project nationally later next year.
This pack contains:
Assembly PowerPoint: To present to the whole school introducing the fair.
Lesson 1: Producing an idea
Lesson 2: Forming a Method
Lesson 3: Pilot experiment
Lesson 4: Experimental time
Lesson 5: Conclusion and evaluation (making project)
Lesson 6: Choosing a winner
Lesson plans, resources and example project winners also included.
I hope, if you are willing for a bit of chaos, that you see the same enthusiasm and creativity in your students as I have.
good luck!
After the results that 'sharks can smell blood from further distances in warmer oceans' tourist numbers to Australia's famous landmark 'Surfer's Paradise' has been low.
Students evaluate their conclusion from last lessons experiment to ensure their findings reflect the truth.
Students consider strengths and limitations of their method and begin to discuss ways to modify the method to further improve the strength of their results.
Students are introduced to a fictional scenario applied to their school where a criminal has broken into the school allotment and stolen vegetables (outrageous!).
After a quick crash course into the types of evidence a forensic scientist could collect from the scene, students carry out an analysis on soil samples from a range of suspects to determine the identity of the vegetable thief.
Students write a letter/report to their headmaster explaining their findings.
This bundle includes two revision powerpoints for each of the four topics in Paper 1.
They are arranged in a similar style to an exam essay and can be used in teacher lead revision sessions or for independent revision.
Each slide show includes A01 theory, research evidence and A03 evaluation points.
Relevent exam questions, research method reminder questions and student tasks are integrated throughout.
Students use their results from a previous experiment of melting an ice cube to plot an annotated line graph.
Documents are pitched towards a first term Year 7 class. Scaffolded work can be removed and higher differentiated sheet can be used for higher ability KS3 classes who can already plot line graphs independently.
Students consolidate their understanding of melting points by applying it to unusual examples such as gallium metal.
Students have the opportunity to explore six unusual materials that will stretch and question their prior understanding in relation to solids, liquids and gases.
1) Borax slime
2) Water in a vacuum
3) Is toothpaste a solid?
4) Syphoning water
5) Is Ooblek a liquid?
6) Changing states of cream
Students use the lesson to answer an extended question
Students use their knowledge from the unit to compare a range of pH indicators in terms of effectiveness in identifying a range of pH in everyday household products.
Students compare red cabbage indicator (prepared in a previous lesson), litmus paper, universal indicator solution and pH probes to decide which one is the most accurate and easy to use.
Students have an opportunity to write an evaluation that can be levelled as part of an assessment.
A complete research methods unit based around the new AQA A AS level syllabus.
Fifteen lessons including PowerPoints (with lesson instructions), class activities, worksheets, articles and homeworks.
(based around the AS complete companion AS/1 Fourth edition Cardwell & Flanagan)
1) Forming a Hypothesis (using a simple reaction time experiment)
2) Control Vs realism (introduction to the scientific method and vocabulary)
3) Experimental problems (introduction to demand characteristics and investigator effects)
4)Experimental Design (card sort of the designs and evaluations)
5) Sampling methods (class 'sampling pizza rotation task)
6) Types of experiment (Natural Vs Quasi)
7) Observation studies- Students design an observational experiment
8 + 9 ) Ethical issues (Students discuss the most unethical psychological experiments in history using a card sort)
10) Self reports (introduction to questionnaires and interviews)
11) Constructing a questionnaire
12) Central tendency (more lecture style)
13) Correlation studies (students collect data regarding themselves and spot trends)
14)Inferential testing (students practice the S-test)
15) Peer review
An Alevel SOW designed to introduce students to the AQA A specification. Students are introduced to the key skills needed to be successful in Psychology all applied to the schizophrenia unit (from Year 13). SOW includes PowerPoints, resources and assessment (to support green hair textbook). Perfect for the first two weeks of lessons.
1 introduction to the subject, course handbook and specification
L2 Academic reading and using the textbook
L3 Applying evaluation A03 skills and A02 Apply skills
L4 Mathematical skills in psychology
L5 Describing scientific theories Part 1
L6 Using scientific theories part 2
L7 Writing essays in psychology and the feedback form
L8 Independent research skills
L9 Revision skills in psychology
L10 Assessment
One of my favourite units from the GCSE course!
In this lesson students are introduced to the difference between sensation and perception through the use of optical illusions and video clips. Students complete the lesson with a range of exam style questions.
A topic students love- optical illusions will create a lot of discussion!
Students are introduced to a range of visual illusions covered in the AQA specification. Students are shown descriptions, examples and videos highlihgting Muller lyer illusion, Kaniza triangle, and the Necker cube.
Students fill in a summary table they can stick in their books. Although this lesson can work without any other resources, lower ability students may wish to supplement this resource with the AQA Psychology textbook (Red spikey haired chap).
KS3 problem solving lesson to discover what caused a train to crash. Students develop an understanding of whether or not solids, liquids and gases can be compressed using a simple experiment.
Students use the results from their experiment to explain whether air leaking into the brakes may have caused the crash.
Students are introduced to the gruesome effects of long term indigestion.
Students use their previously learnt knowledge of pH indicators to design and carry out an experiment to test which indigestion tablet is most effective in reducing the acidity of stomach acid.
Higher level students can begin to evaluate the method used to carry out the experiment as well as their conclusion in terms of validity.
Students investigate the differences in properties of iron and sulphur before completing a simple practical experiment to produce their own sample of iron sulphide.
Using a classic conduction experiment to investigate which material will prevent Gordon Ramsey burning himself in the future. Students produce a conclusion and an evaluation of their findings.
Student's use simple pieces of equipment to choose a suitable material to pad the inside of Iron man&'s armor. Students then evaluate their choice. This can be completed over two lessons to allow adequate planning time.