I am a secondary school & A-level Science teacher, specialising in Biology. I am also an experienced AQA GCSE Biology Examiner. My resources contain a mix of Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons aimed at meeting specification points for the new AQA Trilogy GCSE course and KS3 Activate course.
All of my lessons include at least one opportunity for self-assessment, a range of activities to suit students of all abilities, a set of differentiated starter questions and a plenary.
I am a secondary school & A-level Science teacher, specialising in Biology. I am also an experienced AQA GCSE Biology Examiner. My resources contain a mix of Biology, Chemistry and Physics lessons aimed at meeting specification points for the new AQA Trilogy GCSE course and KS3 Activate course.
All of my lessons include at least one opportunity for self-assessment, a range of activities to suit students of all abilities, a set of differentiated starter questions and a plenary.
This task is designed for the NEW AQA A-Level Biology, particularly the ‘Cells’ unit.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA A-Level specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the ‘Cells’ unit, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (like dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity, I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This task is designed for the NEW AQA A-Level Biology, particularly the ‘Cells’ unit.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA A-Level specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the ‘Cells’ unit, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (like dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity, I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This task is designed for the NEW AQA A-Level Biology, particularly the ‘Cells’ unit.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA A-Level specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the ‘Cells’ unit, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (like dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity, I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This task is designed for the NEW AQA A-Level Biology, particularly the ‘Biological Molecules’ unit.
For more resources designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA A-Level specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This activity is a revision activity for the ‘Biological Molecules’ unit, students can either have a card each and the task can be completed as a card loop activity with the whole class.
Alternatively, students could work in pairs and be given a set of the shuffled cards, they will then need to arrange the cards into the correct sequence so that the sentences make sense (like dominoes tiles). When students carry out this version of the activity, I often have a prize for the students who complete the task in the fastest time!
The solution for this activity is included so you can check their answers.
Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This is a resource for the new AQA GCSE Biology ‘Infection and Response’ module.
The lesson begins with an introduction to the structure of fungi and protists and some of the diseases they can cause in plants and animals.
Pupils can then stick a piece of information in their books which outlines the rose black spot fungal disease of plants and the protist disease of malaria in humans. Pupils should use this information to work their way through the levelled tasks on the board. You can then go through the answers to these questions and pupils can self-assess or peer-asses their work.
The mid-lesson progress check is an activity where pupils match definitions to the correct key words, pupils can self-assess their work.
In the next activity pupils can create a pamphlet/poster aimed at patients going abroad to a country where they could be at risk of contracting malaria. Pupils can work through the tasks for each of the parts of the ABCD approach in order to complete this poster. Pupils can then peer-assess their work.
Plenary is a quick quiz pupils can complete at the back of their books.
Other lessons from the ‘Infection and Response’ unit can be found in my TES shop.
Thanks :)
This a resource aimed at the new AQA GCSE Biology specification as part of the 'infection & response' unit.
This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for the NEW 'Infection & Response' Unit, found in my TES shop - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins with a recap of what makes a good medicine. Pupils are then given a scenario where they have to read some information cards on different medicines and using the information they need to decide which medicine would be the best to treat a bacterial infection.
The next PowerPoint slide will go through the difference between antibiotics and painkillers and hopefully students should have chosen the antibiotic as the drug to treat bacterial infections in the previous activity.
Next is an introduction to Alexander Fleming, the scientist who first discovered penicillin. Pupils can watch a video on his work and answer questions on a worksheet. Pupils can then peer-assess their work.
The next few slides focus on how the growth of bacteria are affected by antibiotics, pupils can then use some data on the growth of bacteria to answer some questions.
For the plenary pupils need to choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
Other lessons for the NEW AQA 'Infection & Response' unit can be found in my TES shop.
Thanks :)
This resource includes PowerPoint presentations for two lessons and it covers all of the specification points for the NEW AQA Infection and Response unit.
The first lesson identifies the difference between health and wellness. Pupils will then be introduced to the idea of communicable and non-communicable diseases, they will then determine whether different diseases are either communicable or non-communicable and consider the similarities/differences of the disease within each category.
The last activity of the lesson is to produce a mind map of risk factors which could increase the chance of a non-communicable disease.
The second lesson will start with recapping on the risk factors which can increase the likelihood of non-communicable diseases and students will need to think about whether specific risk-factors relate to specific diseases. We will also analyse the most preventable threats to health globally.
Pupils then answer then ‘Think, Pair’ Share’ on why governments might run ‘keep healthy’ campaigns, what benefit might that be to the government and to it’s citizens. Pupils discuss and then answer questions on this topic.
Plenary - recapping on the key words related to these two lessons.
This resource is for the NEW AQA GCSE specification on preventing infections, it meets specification points within the 'Infection & Response' module.
This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation and all the resources needed for the lesson.
This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for the NEW 'Infection & Response' Unit, found in my TES shop - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins by pupils considering what a communicable disease is, the differences between bacteria and viruses and the mechanisms by which these pathogens spread disease.
The next part will be a brief introduction to the work of Ignaz Semmelweis, Joseph Lister and Louis Pasteur and how they have improved our knowledge of pathogens and contributed to the development of methods to stop the spread of infection.
Pupils will then focus on the work of Ignaz Semmelweis by writing out some sentence starters, watching a video on his work in hospitals in order to finish the sentences off. Pupils can then assess their work using red pens.
The next activity pupils will need to read some information on different disease prevention methods and will need to copy and complete the table shown on the PowerPoint slide. This could be achieved using a circus activity, whereby poster so the information are made and placed around the room for pupils to access.
Finally, pupils will then consider some data on the board and use this to explain the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic.
All of the resources you need for this lesson are included on the PowerPoint slide, there is also an additional resource of a newspaper article activity on Semmelweis which could be used as a homework activity.
This is a lesson from the NEW AQA specification on defence mechanisms of the body, from the ‘Infection and Response’ module.
This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for the NEW ‘Infection & Response’ Unit, found in my TES shop - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins by recapping on what a communicable disease is and what risk factors can increase the likelihood of a communicable disease spreading from person to person.
Students are then given an outline of a human body, they will need to label it with the various different ways pathogens can enter the body. Pupils can then mark and check their work against the examples on the PowerPoint slide. Students then discuss how your body may stop pathogens entering via these various different entry routes and you can use the information on the PowerPoint slide to highlight these various defence mechanisms. Pupils can spend time annotating their diagram to display these defences and peer-assess their work - R/A/G.
Next, is the introduction of white blood cells, you can explain their different roles using the diagrams on the PowerPoint slide and by use of the video/animation links. Pupils should then fill in a table of information using as many key words as possible, pupils should self-assess their work to check for the correct use of the key terms.
Plenary - past-paper question which I get pupils to complete in silence and hand to me as they leave (exit card). I will then mark and grade it for the next lesson, but equally they could complete and mark within the lesson.
All resources are included within the PowerPoint presentation.
Enjoy :)
This is a lesson for the new AQA GCSE Biology Specification, it particularly meets specification points from the 'Infection & Response' unit.
This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for the NEW 'Infection & Response' Unit, found in my TES shop - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins by pupils thinking about the type of risk-factors that increases someone's chances of developing cancer. The lesson then goes on to introduce the definition of cancer and identifies some of the parts of the body that cancer can most commonly affect.
Pupils are then given, in pairs, the definition of malignant and benign tumours, they will need to teach their peer the definition of this word for their peer to write down - not just read it and copy it from the piece of paper!
The slide will outline what happens if the cancer metastasises, there is a video demonstrating how cancer can spread from one part of the body to another.
The next activity pupils are given a grid with symbols/diagrams on, pupils will need to identify the risk-factors of cancer that these diagrams represent. Some are a little more difficult than others, I have included the names of the more difficult ones on the board but you can it more/less challenging to suit the ability of your class. Once finished pupils can self-assess their work using red pens.
For the plenary pupils will answer a past-paper question and then peer-assess their work.
This is a resource aimed at the NEW AQA GCSE Biology specification, developed to meet learning outcomes within the 'Infection & Response' unit.
This lesson is part of a 12 lesson bundle for the NEW 'Infection & Response' Unit, found in my TES shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
The lesson begins by describing the process by which a bacteria may become resistant to an antibiotic.
Pupils will then watch a storyboard animation which demonstrates this process visually. Pupils can then use this animation to create their own storyboard, including diagrams and captions, to represent the process of natural selection in bacteria which leads to antibiotic resistance.
The focus of the lesson is then on MRSA, a few real-life headlines are given as an example of an antibiotic resistant bacteria. Pupils will brainstorm what sorts of methods hospitals employ to reduce the spread of such 'super bugs'.
The final activity is for pupils to completed questions on antibiotic resistance and how to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria such as MRSA. The mark scheme for the questions are included on the Power Point presentation for students to mark their own work or peer-assess.
The plenary is a recap on the learning outcomes, pupils will need to assess whether they are R/A/G.
This is a lesson which meets specification points in the NEW AQA GCSE (2016) 'Cells' SoW.
Other lessons from this SoW and other AQA GCSE Trilogy Sow for the new specification can be found in my TES shop.
This lesson begins by watching a video about the structure of cells and where to find the genetic information, pupils will watch the video and answer questions (provided in the PowerPoint presentation.)
Pupils will then be presented with a labelled diagram of a cell, nucleus, chromosome and gene. Pupils will be required to analyse the diagram for a few minutes (you can include a stop clock on the board). The screen will then be changed and pupils will be given a blank copy of the diagram which they will need to complete from memory - pupils can then peer-assess their work.
In the next activity, pupils are shown diagrams of a cell with a nucleus visible, DNA, a gene and a chromosome. Pupils can either create a flow chart by cutting and sticking the diagrams in order from largest to smallest and then labelling them. Alternatively, they could draw their own diagrams and label them. Pupils can then self-assess their work using red pens.
The next activity, pupils are given a series of words and definitions, they will need to match the key words up to the correct definition. Pupils then self-assess their work.
Their are two option for the plenary activity, for lower ability classes pupils will be required to fill in the blanks in a paragraph describing the structure and function of genetic information and where it is found within the cell. The second plenary is a past-paper question, pupils can answer this in their books and then peer-assess using red pens.
All resources are included, please leave a review with feedback :). Thanks!
This is a resource for the NEW AQA GCSE Biology specification, covering specification points within the ‘Infection and Response’ module.
For more resources aimed at the NEW AQA GCSE specifications please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience
This resource contains the PowerPoint for the lesson, the resources are found at the end of the PowerPoint.
The lesson begins with considering what is important in a new medicine and what scientists need to think about when developing new medicines. This goes on to define some of the key factors such as safety, efficacy & stability.
Next, is an introduction of how a vaccination works, pupils will watch a video and answer questions on a worksheet. Pupils will self-asses their work.
Pupils will then complete a cartoon strip of how a vaccination works, trying to use as many key words as possible. Pupils should self-assess their work against correct use of key terminology.
The plenary will test the pupils knowledge of their ability to describe how a vaccine works. They will need to turn to the back of their books and describe how a vaccine works, using as many of the key terms as possible.
Resources are all found at the end of the PowerPoint.
Enjoy :)
This resource was produced for the AQA B2 Cells topic. It highlights the different organelles found in animal, plant, yeast and bacteria cells and the functions of each them.
Students will observe posters of information, which I placed around the room, that they can then use to complete a levelled worksheet.
Students then peer-assess their work and then complete a past-paper question on the subject.
A PowerPoint presentation and resources tailored for the AQA B2 specification whereby students firstly need to analyse their daily energy intake and expenditure and then complete a levelled worksheet by looking at information cards on the ways in which animals and plants can use energy.
Students then complete a past-paper question and peer-asses their work.
The worksheet for the lesson is attached and the other resources are at the end of the PowerPoint. I laminated these resources to re-use.
This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the B2 1.2 Ecosystem Processes.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
This lesson begins with a ‘Think, Pair, Share’ task for students to discuss amongst themselves - ‘Why can’t muscles continiously carry out aerobic respiration?’ After a short class discussion, the answer to this questions can be revealed to the class. Students will then complete a fill-in-the-blank task to summarise what they have learned about anaerobic respiration so far, this work can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Students will now watch a video on anaerobic respiration, whilst students are watching this video they will need to answer a set of questions. This task can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided on the PowerPoint presentation.
Students will now look at how anaerobic respiration is carried in different organisms, particularly plants and yeast, focusing on the importance of anaerobic respiration in yeast for food production.
Next, students knowledge of aerobic and anaerobic respiration is assessed using a true or false activity, this task can be marked and corrected using the answers provided on the PowerPoint.
The last activity is a set of exam-style questions, students can use their knowledge from this lesson to answer this set of questions in their books. This work can then be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
The plenary activity requires students to come up with a list of questions for a list of answers which are provided for them in the plenary.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the B2 1.3 unit on Adaptation & Inheritance.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson begins with a ‘Think > Pair > Share’ activity which requires students to consider the definition for the term ‘evolution’. After students have had some time to talk about this, their ideas can be shared with the class and the answer can be revealed for students to check and correct their work.
This leads into an introduction to the fossil record as means of evidence for evolution, students will then need watch a video on the formation of fossils - during which they will answer a set of questions. Students can now mark and assess their work using the mark scheme provided.
Students will now be introduced to the idea of ‘Natural Selection’, they will be told the mechanism by which this works by using the example of girraffes with longer and shorter necks. Students will now be asked to complete a cartoon strip to summarise this process, once this task has been completed students will be able to mark and assess their work using the answers provided in the PowerPoint presentation.
The last part of the lesson students will be shown a video on examples of natural selection in action. Whilst watching this video, students will need to answer a set of questions, once this has been completed students can self-assess their work using the answers provided.
The plenary task requires students to write three quiz questions to test their peers on what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the KS3 Year 8 Science course, specifically the B2 1.1 Health & Lifestyle.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson begins with an introduction into what happens to your food during the process of digestion, students are shown a diagram which demonstrates how large, insoluble food molecules are broken down into small, soluble ones. This follows into the definition and role of the human digestive system, students now need to discuss their ideas of the names of organs present in the digestive system.
After a short class discussion, students will now complete a ‘Memory Test’ task. Students will need be shown a diagram of the human digestive system with organs labelled. They will have a few minutes to memorise the names of the organs of the digestive system, the labels will be taken away and then students need to try to remember as many of them as possible, by labelling their own digestive system worksheet. This task can be self-assessed once it is competed.
Next, students will be given an information sheet in pairs. Students will need to read the information sheet and using this write a description of the roles of a set of organs present in the digestive system. Once complete, students can mark and correct their work using the answers provided in the PowerPoint.
Lastly, students are shown a diagram of the villi which are present in the small intestine. Students will need to describe the adaptations of the villi which aid the role of absorption of small molecules into the bloodstream. The final activity requires students to find ten word, all related to the digestive system, in a word search.
The plenary activity is a set of answers, students will need to write the questions which match up these answers.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 B1.1 Module on ‘Cells’
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson begins with an introduction to cells as the building blocks of life and the smallest units found in living organisms, this is demonstrated with diagrams of animal and plant cells.
The scientist Robert Hooke is then introduced as someone who firstly coined the phrase ‘cell’ after observing plant tissue down a microscope, this leads into the main part of the lesson which is on microscopes.
Students will be shown a diagram of a microscope and are told some details of factors which should be considered when observing a specimen using a microscope. A video is then played which students need to watch in order to complete a ‘fill-in-the-blank’ task which summarises how to use a microscope and the main parts of the structure of a microscope. This task can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided. Once this task has been completed it can be self-assessed using the mark scheme provided.
Next, students are shown how to calculate the total magnification of a microscope using the magnification of the objective lens and the eyepiece lens. Students will then need to work their way through a set of problems using this calculation. The answers to this task is included in the PowerPoint so students can mark and correct their work.
The last part of the lesson requires pupils to follow the instructions included in the PowerPoint to prepare an onion slide to then observe plant cells under the microscope. Once students have carefully prepared their slide they should observe the plant cells at a range of magnifications, sketching a diagram of their observations onto the worksheet provided
The plenary requires pupils to copy and complete sentences which summarise what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)
This lesson is designed for the Activate KS3 Science Course, specifically Year 7 B1.3 Module on ‘Reproduction’.
For more lessons designed for KS3 and KS4 please visit my shop at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience.
The lesson begins with a ‘Think > Pair > Share’ task, asking students to consider why flowers are so important, they can discuss their ideas in pairs before feeding back to the class.
The next activity involves students learning about the anatomy of a flower. Information sheets are firstly placed around the room, using these studenst will need to complete a worksheet which included labelling a cross-sectional diagram of a flower and completing a table to outline the functions of each of the structural features. The mark scheme for this task is included in the PowerPoint so students can assess their own work once they have completed the task.
The latter part of the lesson focuses on pollination, students will firsty watch a video and during this they should come up with a definition of ‘pollination’. Their answers can be checked against the definition provided on the PowerPoint, any corrections can be made.
Students are introduced to the idea of cross-pollination and self-pollination, as well as the idea that plants can either be cross-pollinated by wind or by insects. Students are then shown two plants - Himalayan Balsam and a Dandelion - and are asked to consider which may be pollinated by wind and which by insects, try to encourage them to use a description of the flowers structure in their answers.
Lastly, students will need to use a set of statements to complete a table outlining the structural features of insect-pollinated plants vs. wind-pollinated plants. The answers to this task are included in the PowerPoint so students can self-assess their work once it is complete.
The plenary requires students to finish off one of the sentence starters provided, summarising what they have learned this lesson.
All resources are included at the end of the presentation. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated :)