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

Revision notes for A-level chemistry on cracking for the AQA A-level specification in comparison table format, and the same table but empty for students to fill in themselves. An example cracking equation is given for students to fill in and suggest names for the products and there is an emphasis on practicing the unit conversions and working out the formulas and names of products. Update for 2023: expanded resource based on student feedback, with a link to a video demonstration and bullet-point list of products.

Diagram of Born-Haber hydration, solution and lattice enthalpy laid out at a large size with a lot of space for notes and comments. Two versions, one for AQA which uses the term lattice dissociation enthalpy, the other for OCR and Edexcel which just call it the reverse of the lattice enthalpy. Specification targets include: AQA 3.1.8.1, OCR A 5.2.1, Edexcel 13.1 Changelog, September 2023: more detail on the calculations.

Diagrams showing conjugate acid-base pairs with a bold, vibrant, eye-catching design that would look good for revision notes. Suitable for courses such as the Edexcel A-level chemistry specification, section 12.1, AQA, OCR and others. Covers dissociation of strong and weak acids, and a strong acid protonating a weaker acid. Versions of the resource in colour and in black and white for better photocopying are included.

Notes with diagrams and video links on the Rutherford/Geiger/Marsden gold foil experiment. Explains the plum pudding model, why they used alpha particles, what Rutherford expected and finishes with a bullet point list of features of the modern view of the atom. Covering one page, the notes are suitable for GCSE physics and particularly targeted at AQA GCSE physics. It could also be used for OCR Gateway GCSE chemistry and physics and Edexcel 9-1 physics.

Two page set of notes in table format on intermolecular forces, listing the forces, where they come from and how strong they are: London forces, permanent dipole-dipole, hydrogen bonds. Also includes notes on which type of chemical has what forces. Page 2 explains how aldehydes and ketones and esters are hydrogen bond acceptors. Following the example of Chemguide, explains permanent dipole-dipole as more adding a bit of strength on top of London forces than making the molecule highly polar and hydrophilic like hydrogen bonding. Bold, eye-catching typography and careful design sets this lesson plan out. Special bonus! This pack contains three sets of notes depending on what your course calls London forces/van der Waals forces/instantaneous-induced dipole forces, so if you teach multiple courses you’re always covered: OCR, Edexcel, AQA, Cambridge. I sell multiple SKUs of this set of three notes to advertise at teachers searching for different courses, but they contain the same content: all three files in the same pack.

Worksheet covering wave speed, frequency, and wavelength, on two pages, targeted for Edexcel 9-1 GCSE physics. Intended to provide a graduated scheme of work from definitions of wavelength, frequency, wave speed, time period, longitudinal and transverse waves to calculations and taking in unit conversion. There’s diagrams and a power triangles for the core wave equation to practice using and a mark scheme.

Teaching AQA 9-1 GCSE photosynthesis is difficult: with its emphasis on the inverse square law and light intensity data, it’s different to other courses and standard worksheets that haven’t been targeted don’t cover these points. Two-page worksheet with answers targeted at AQA specifically, covering a range of common questions and problems. Questions consulted for research include 8464B1H 2018 Q3 and 2021 Q1 and 84652H 2021 Q7, which would make great follow-ups.

Worksheet covering the types of radioactivity over two pages. Questions on alpha, beta and gamma radiation, nuclear decay, neutron emission and half-life. There’s a wide range of pictures and diagrams to jog students’ memory and the mark scheme includes links to videos of emitters from the IOP. This worksheet is especially targeted for the OCR 9-1 21st century science physics GCSE, although it could also be used for any other physics GCSE or secondary-level course. A version converted to black and white is included. (Update, 21/2/24: a misprint for the mass of alpha particles in the mark scheme has been corrected; my apologies about this.)

Two-page link-up-the-boxes worksheet and two-page written worksheet recapping definitions of community, habitat, ecosystem and biotic/abiotic factors, along with case study questions. For the OCR 9-1 biology twenty-first century science GCSE. The link-up-the-boxes worksheet is deliberately written to be very easy for students with low knowledge and confidence with ecology. The written worksheet covers biotic factors, quadrats, transects and competition, along with a calculation question and practice identifying types of habitat. Versions for colour and black and white printing and a mark scheme are included. Could also be suitable as a quick recap exercise for A-level students. These worksheets are very similar to my set for AQA, if you tutor multiple courses you don’t really need the other version.

Notes on gas chromatography and GC-MS for the current AQA A-level specification. There’s pictures and diagrams, explanation of a calibration curve and links to three top recommended videos in this one-page resource. In preparing this set of notes, I found question 6 from the specimen paper 2 (set 2) especially useful for knowing what the current examiners are looking for, so I really recommend this for exam practice of this topic.

I’ve found respiration is one of the most important things for students to get right studying biology. The equations are so important, but many GCSE and even some weaker A-level biology students can’t instantly give them. I explain to students that they’re an instant grade boost. Here’s a worksheet and set of notes on one page on the most common respiration questions. There’s the word equations, a guide through the standard question about how your heart and breathing rate change with exercise, and there’s links to some recommended videos. Versions included for colour and black and white printing. Full mark scheme included with the worksheet. Remembering the equations for respiration is one of the last things I always go over with students just before their exams, because it’s such a morale booster to instantly get full marks on one of these questions. I will never forget what one student told me in 2021: “It came up! Exactly what you said, it came up!” This set of notes targets Edexcel 9-1 iGCSE biology and uses lactate as the standard term rather than lactic acid. I have a version targeted towards other GCSEs such as the AQA course as well. Questions consulted as models for answers included the 1B 2019 and 1BR 2020 papers and 2B 2017.

Notes on gas chromatography and GC-MS for the current Edexcel A-level specification. There’s pictures and diagrams, explanation of a calibration curve and links to three top recommended videos in this one-page resource.

A-level osmosis required practical notes, targeting courses including AQA 3.2.3 and required practicals 3 and 4 and OCR A 2.1.5. The notes include diagrams on how to plot a graph of the data and some exam technique practice on how to answer questions on getting valid data, and links to good videos. The notes are bullet point style and easy to read. This set of notes is particularly targeted towards revising the practical come exam time and doesn’t include a detailed practical methodology. NOTE: my apologies, the original uploaded version had some words missing explaining the effect of evaporation on water potential, this has now been corrected.

Two-page link-up-the-boxes worksheet and two-page written worksheet recapping definitions of community, habitat, ecosystem and biotic/abiotic factors, along with case study questions. For the AQA 9-1 biology GCSEs: based on collating past paper questions I’ve found the definitions of the terms are important for students to know, but suitable for other courses. The link-up-the-boxes worksheet is deliberately written to be very easy for students with low knowledge and confidence. The written worksheet covers biotic factors, quadrats, transects and competition, along with a calculation question and practice identifying types of habitat. Versions for colour and black and white printing and a mark scheme are included. Could also be suitable as a quick recap exercise for A-level students.

Revision notes on the Arrhenius equation for the AQA A-level chemistry specification on two pages. Includes a lot of model calculations, recap of straight line graphs and explanation of the confusing units, including a detailed explanation of the 2018 paper with T and t and how 1/t is proportional to k. A lot of students by the second year of A-level have forgotten how to do GCSE maths problems like understanding a straight line graph, so this set of notes has a lot of recap of straight line graphs. There’s also a lot of detailed breakdown of the log equation and how it’s a straight line graph. Model calculations are given for log and power of e so students can check they’re using their calculator right.

Revision notes on the Arrhenius equation for the OCR A A-level chemistry specification on two pages. A lot of students by the second year of A-level have forgotten how to do things like find the equation and intercept of a straight line graph, so this set of notes has a lot of recap. There’s also a lot of detailed breakdown of the log equation and how it’s a straight line graph. I explain what ln(A) is and how to calculate it. Includes a lot of model calculations, recap of straight line graphs and explanation of the confusing units of the H432/01 2018 paper’s graph. Update, 13/05/24: a missing 0 in the explanation of the 2018 paper’s units has been corrected, my apologies for the glitch.

Two posters for education use covering what climate change is, why it’s important, and how people can stop and slow down climate change using vivid photos from around the world. As four answers, I’ve chosen four things that children can realistically do themselves: avoiding using cars, using energy less like heating and air conditioning, recycling and eating less meat and dairy products. Could be useful for biology, geography, chemistry, other sciences and general citizenship lessons. There’s worksheet versions with blank spaces for students to fill in. If your teaching prefers the wording “global warming” rather than “climate change”, I also have teaching materials with this, content is otherwise identical.

Image on how people can stop and slow down climate change using vivid photos from around the world. As four answers, I’ve chosen four things that children can realistically do themselves: avoiding using cars, using energy less like heating and air conditioning, recycling and eating less meat and dairy products. There’s also a version with blank spaces for students to fill in their answers. Useful for geography, chemistry and science, plenary and general citizenship lessons. If your teaching prefers the wording “climate change” rather than “global warming”, I also have a poster saying this, content is otherwise identical.

You get a much better response explaining cyclic AMP when you draw it as a hat that makes enzymes happy when they wear it! One-page revision notes on cAMP for the AQA specification, with links to YouTube videos of some of the processes discussed. I am thinking of expanding this into a more full set of notes including details of the adrenaline receptor and with more diagrams-please comment if that’s something you’d want. It’s offered for free in the meantime.