A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
A Science teacher by trade, I've also been known to be found teaching Maths and PE! However, strange as it may seem, my real love is designing resources that can be used by other teachers to maximise the experience of the students. I am constantly thinking of new ways to engage a student with a topic and try to implement that in the design of the lessons.
This is a detailed and engaging lesson presentation which focuses on the properties of the elements found in group 1 of the Periodic Table, the alkali metals. Students are challenged throughout the lesson to be able to link their observations of the reactions to the properties. Once they have learnt that the reactivity increases as they move down the group, time is taken to go over this in detail so that students can explain why sodium is more reactive than lithium (and so on) in terms of electron configuration. Progress checks are embedded throughout the lesson so that students have the opportunity to assess their understanding.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but is suitable for younger students who may be carrying out a project on the Periodic Table
A resourced lesson which looks at calculating acceleration using the (v-u)/t equation. This lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (26 slides) and a worksheet of questions that can be used for homework or during the lesson. The lesson begins by looking at the actual meaning of acceleration, ensuring that students understand it is a rate and therefore recognise the units as a result. A number of engaging activities are included in the lesson, such as the ACCELERATION OLYMPICS, to maintain motivation. Students are shown how to rearrange the equation to make velocity or time the subject and then challenged to apply these in a series of questions. Deceleration is briefly mentioned at the end of the lesson.
This lesson has been primarily designed for students studying GCSE (14 - 16 year olds in the UK) but it is suitable for students at KS3 too.
A resourced lesson which looks at gas exchange at the alveoli and focuses on how these structures are adapted to carry out efficient gas exchange. The lesson includes an engaging lesson presentation (21 slides) and an associated worksheet.
The lesson begins by revisiting the idea of the surface area to volume ratio of small organisms against larger organisms. This will remind students that due to the low surface area to volume ratio of a human, they need to have adaptations at the exchange surfaces to increase the surface area. Moving forwards, a range of competitions are used to introduce students to the numbers and key terms associated with the alveoli. Students will learn how the large number (700 million) of alveoli leads to a large surface area and how a permeable membrane is also essential. Time is written into the lesson to allow students to think about key features, such as the one cell thick lining, and relate this to the rate of diffusion. The lesson concludes with students completing a passage about how the respiratory and circulatory systems work together to maintain a steep concentration gradient between the alveoli and the capillaries.
There are regular progress checks throughout the lesson to allow the students to check on their understanding. As always, the lesson finishes with a slide containing advanced terminology so that students who have aspirations to take A-level Biology can extend and deepen their knowledge
A concise lesson presentation (21 slides) which uses a range of methods to allow students to discover how to draw dot and cross diagrams for covalent structures. The lesson begins by challenging the students to recall their knowledge of electronic structure to show the outer shell of two specified atoms. They will then see how it is possible for both of these atoms to get full outer shells by sharing as happens in this type of bonding. A few more examples are used to consolidate this understanding before quick competition is used to check the understanding so far. Moving forwards, a step by step guide shows students how to draw dot and cross diagrams using the same techniques as was utilised with the hulas.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with higher ability KS3 students.
A concise lesson presentation (22 slides) that looks at how catalysts affect the rate of a chemical reaction and focuses on the Science behind this topic. The lesson begins with the introduction of the key term and its definition to ensure that students are confident in the use of a catalyst in the correct context. More key terms like “activation energy” are introduced and links made to related Chemistry topics such as endothermic and exothermic reactions. Students are challenged to show how the activation energy will differ in the presence of a catalyst. The rest of the lesson involves a practical and the collection of results so that students can compare their data against the theory which was introduced earlier in the lesson.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students.
A lesson presentation (44 slides), accompanied by a question worksheet, which together looks at the reactants and products of a neutralisation reaction and challenges students to represent these reactions with equations. The lesson begins with a bit of fun as students are asked to read through a scene from the US comedy show and spot that a neutralisation reaction is hidden under the jokes. Students will use their KS3 knowledge to recall that these reactions involve acids and alkalis and moving forwards they will be introduced to a new term, base. The rest of the lesson focuses on writing word and balanced symbol equations for different neutralisation reactions. A step by step guide is used to demonstrate how to work out the name of the salt as well as writing accurate chemical formulae. Finally, students are challenged to apply their new-found knowledge and complete equations for 4 neutralisation reactions and they can assess against the displayed mark schemes. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals so that this self-assessment is constant and any misconceptions are quickly addressed.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students but could be used with younger students who are looking to extend their knowledge
An engaging and informative lesson presentation (40 slides) that looks at the different steps that have to be taken when trying to identify potential donors for organ transplants. Links are made throughout the lesson to related topics such as the human defence systems and blood groups. The lesson begins by challenging the students to use their knowledge of the body’s defences to explain why closely matching tissues is critical when choosing a donor. Moving forwards, students will see how the four blood groups in the ABO system need to receive certain bloods and can only be given to certain others. There is a brief discussion of the HLA antigens and why this needs to be matched. The remainder of the lesson focuses on immuno-suppressant drugs and the advantages and disadvantages to individuals of taking these drugs. Progress checks have been written into the lesson at regular intervals to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding and any misconceptions to be addressed.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students
A fully-resourced lesson which focuses on using the kinetic energy equation to calculate energy, mass and speed. The lesson includes a lesson presentation (23 slides) which guides students through the range of calculations and accompanying worksheets which are differentiated. The lesson begins with the students being drip fed the equation so they are clear on the different factors involved. They are challenged to predict whether increasing the mass or increasing the speed will have a greater effect on the kinetic energy before testing their mathematical skills to get results to support their prediction. Moving forwards, students are shown how to rearrange the equation to make the mass the subject of the formula so they can use their skills when asked to calculate the speed. The final task of the lesson brings all of the learning together to tackle a set of questions of increasing difficulty. These questions have been differentiated so that students who need extra assistance can still access the learning.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students
A fully-resourced lesson which includes a concise lesson presentation (16 slides) and accompanying worksheet that guides students through the use of the gravitational potential energy equation to calculate energy, mass and height. The lesson begins by challenging students to work out the factors involved in calculating gravitational potential energy having been given a scenario with some balls on shelves. The students will discover that mass and height affect the energy size and that a third factor, gravity constant, is involved. The rest of the lesson focuses on using the equation to calculate energy, mass and height. In terms of the latter, students have to carry out an engaging task to work out the height that three flags have to be hoisted to during a medal ceremony.
This lesson has been written for GCSE students.
An informative lesson which guides students through the commonly misunderstood topic of drawing free body diagrams and using them to calculate resultant forces. The lesson begins by ensuring that students understand that force is a vector quantity and therefore arrows in diagrams can be used to show the magnitude and direction. Drawing free body diagrams is poorly understood and therefore time is taken to go through the three key steps in drawing these diagrams. Each of these steps is demonstrated in a number of examples, so students are able to visualise how to construct the diagrams before they are given the opportunity to apply their new-found knowledge. The rest of the lesson focuses on calculating resultant forces when the forces act in the same plane and also when they are at angles to each other. Again, worked examples are shown before students are challenged to apply. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can constantly assess their understanding and any misconceptions can be addressed.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE students
This bundle of 14 lessons covers the majority of the content in Topic B6 (Inheritance, Variation and Evolution) of the AQA Trilogy GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
DNA
Reproduction
Meiosis
X and Y chromosomes
Genetic diagrams
Inherited disorders
Variation
Evolution
Selective breeding
Genetic engineering
Fossils
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Classification
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
A fast-paced lesson that looks at the key details of the different substances which are found along the pH scale. This lesson has been designed for GCSE students and to build on the foundation knowledge that they picked up at KS3. Along with the obvious Scientific knowledge associated with the lesson, both numeracy and literacy skills are challenged during the lesson. Time is taken to ensure that the meaning of pH is understood and new terms such as base are introduced, so that these are recognised when written in assessment questions. Students will recall the scale numbers associated with acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions and their knowledge will be extended through the introduction of hydrogen and hydroxide ions. A method for taking a pH reading using a pH probe is included which can be used should the teacher chose that it is required. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals so that students can constantly assess their understanding.
This is an engaging and practical-based lesson which uses the background idea of a man needing to make crystals for a date to engage students into understanding how the separation methods of filtration and crystallisation work. Like all of the lessons in the separation topic, a lot of the key terms sound similar and are often wrongly used by students. For this reason, time is given in the lesson to ensure that students can use them correctly, especially when describing filtration. In line with the background of the lesson, students are challenged to come up with the apparatus and substances needed to make the crystals. A method is provided so should the teacher choose, students will be able to carry out the practical and produce the copper sulphate crystals. Progress checks are written into the lesson at regular intervals, which question the students on this lesson topic and that of related ones and the final task of the lesson involves an exam question where students have to describe the method and equipment needed to make crystals.
This lesson has primarily been written for GCSE students (14 - 16 years in the UK) but is appropriate for younger students who are studying the separation topic
This bundle of 9 lessons covers the majority of the content in the sub-topic B3.2 (The endocrine system) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Biology specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Hormones
Negative feedback
The menstrual cycle
Controlling reproduction
Using hormones to treat infertility
Plant hormones
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding
This bundle of 9 lessons covers a lot of the key content in Topic P3 (Electricity and magnetism) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Current and charge
Potential difference
Electrical circuit symbols
Resistance and Resistors
Circuit devices
Series and parallel circuits
Circuit calculations
Energy and power in circuits
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This is a fully-resourced lesson that uses a variety of tasks and quick competitions to look at what happens to sound waves when they hit a boundary and how these properties are utilised for numerous functions and appliances. This lesson includes an engaging and informative lesson presentation (32 slides) and a worksheet which is differentiated two ways to enable students who are finding the topic difficult a chance to access the learning.
The lesson begins by looking at how sound waves can be reflected and how this is commonly known as an echo. Students are challenged to use a provided equation to calculate a distance by using the time that the echo of a shout takes to be heard in the Grand Canyon. Moving forwards, students will see how this idea of reflection can be used with ultrasound in the imaging of the foetus. At this stage, as the cover image shows, students are challenged to complete a doctor’s letter to an expectant mother who is concerned about the ultrasound procedure. Assistance is given in the form of a differentiated worksheet for those who find it difficult. Moving forwards, students will learn that sound waves can be refracted at a boundary, just as light waves can. Working with the teacher, they will use key terms to build up an exemplar definition to explain how this refraction occurs.
This lesson has been designed for GCSE aged students.
This bundle of 6 lessons covers all of the content in the sub-topic P6.1 (Radioactive emissions) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Physics specification. The topics covered within these lessons include:
Atoms and isotopes
The properties of alpha, beta and gamma radiation
Nuclear decay equations
Half-life
Background radiation
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This bundle of 3 lessons covers most of the content in sub-topic P6.1(Physics on the move) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science specification. The topics or specification points covered within these lessons include:
Everyday motion
Reaction time and thinking distance
Stopping distances
All of these lesson presentations and accompanying resources are detailed and engaging and contain regular progress checks to allow the students to constantly assess their understanding.
This detailed lesson describes the role of the mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and amino acids during the second stage of protein synthesis - translation. Both the PowerPoint and accompanying resources have been designed to cover the second part of point 2.1.3 (g) of the OCR A-level Biology A specification and continually links back to the previous lessons in this module on the structure of DNA and RNA and the genetic code
Translation is a topic which is often poorly understood and so this lesson has been written to enable the students to understand how to answer the different types of questions by knowing and including the key details of the structures involved. The lesson begins by challenging the students to consider why it is so important that the amino acids are assembled in the correct order during the formation of the chain. Moving forwards, a quick quiz round called “LOST IN TRANSLATION” is used to check on their prior knowledge of the mRNA strand, the tRNA molecules, the genetic code and the ribosomes. The next task involves a very detailed description of translation that has been divided into 14 statements which the students have to put into the correct order. By giving them a passage that consists of this considerable detail, they can pick out the important parts to use in the next task where they have to answer shorter questions worth between 3 and 4 marks. These types of questions are common in the assessments and by building up through the lesson, their confidence to answer this type should increase. The final two tasks of the lesson involve another quiz, where the teams compete to transcribe and translate in the quickest time before using all that they have absorbed to answer some questions which involve the genetic code and the mRNA codon table
