This worksheet helps calculate the charge of elements ions using existing knowledge of atomic structure and atomic particle charges. My pupils struggled using group numbers to calculate charge as it didn’t seem to connect with prior learning therefore I made this worksheet which links between prior lesson on atomic structure and leads well into a following lesson on bonding. By drawing atomic diagrams in every lesson in a series it also improves this foundation scientific skill. Misconceptions addressed: atoms and ions are the same thing, all shells hold a max of 8 electrons, the number of protons can change.

This game copies the concept of guess who, where pupils are paired and given an animal to describe and their partner must guess which from a list it is. This activity features animals from 4 general ecosystems-desert, arctic, rainforest and sea to highlight the similarities of traits in species from the same geographical area due to environmental adaptation (as species from same environment should generally all remain toward the end of the game). A simplification of the game if they don’t see this themselves is to direct them to tell their partner their species habitat at the start of the game. The boards and cards can be laminated and pupils can use whiteboard pens to cross off species and then wiped off at the end to use again. Try as much as possible to explain game sing keywords: trait, variation, habitat, species, ecosystem