GCSE chemistry on one page notes

Helping students understand chemistry, I’ve realised you have to hold a lot of things in your head to even know what a chemistry textbook is talking about. A lot of students find they just can’t hold together all the things they have to know at once.

Back in 2015, I realised what students can benefit from is a concentrated set of notes, like a dictionary or a glossary but in full sentences, that fits as much of chemistry as you can on a single page that you can keep referring back to to decode what’s going on.

My students liked it, and I’ve worked to create definitions that are concise and clear to fit as much as possible on one page.

It’s helpful for giving students just starting the course to have to refer to every now and then, and for students who need remedial help because the concepts are slipping out of reach.

The notes include quick basic definitions of:

• structure of an atom
• how to read the periodic table
• ionic, covalent and metallic bonding
• properties of ionic chemicals
• oxidation and reduction
• properties of ionic chemicals
• acids, bases and alkalis
• the idea that in neutralisation the salt name depends on the acid