I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
I am a secondary science teacher from Plymouth, United Kingdom. I have a passion for designing interactive, engaging and well scaffolded resources that are inclusive for all pupils. I teach all years, from years 7-13. I teach KS3 Activate (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology and Chemistry), AQA GCSE Biology, AQA GCSE Chemistry, and A Level Biology (OCR A).
This resource was designed for a top set year 8 class studying an electricity topic.
This resource requires the following practical equipment:
One large rope for demo
Power packs
Crocodile clips
Wires
Bulbs
Ammeters
Resistors
This PowerPoint resource contains:
A “5 in 5” retrieval style starter on current, potential difference and insulators
A retrieval practice task on giving definitions for key terms (current, potential difference, ammeter, voltmeter, electrons)
Direct instruction on resistance with dual coding
A hand signals quiz to check for understanding
A simple ‘fill in the blanks’ task with delayed key word bank
A rope model demo for current and resistance
A discussion task about the model - what did each person represent?
A practical activity on the effect of resistors on current in a circuit (results table provided as print out)
A plenary task (writing a conclusion for the investigation)
A full 1 hour KS3 lesson on current in series and parallel circuits.
This lesson was designed for a top set year 8 class, but could be easily adapted for another KS3 class of lower or mixed ability.
This lesson involves a short practical task (could be removed if you wished). For this practical each group will need 1 cell or power pack, 1 ammeter, 2 lamps, 5 wires.
This lesson contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval starter
Retrieval practice hand signals quiz on circuit symbols
Retrieval practice written quiz on series vs. parallel circuits
Direct instruction on the rules for current in series and parallel circuits, including models
Checkpoints (for cold calling)
An independent worksheet to apply the rules on current in series / parallel circuits
Modeled answers
Practical activity with broken down instructions
Written plenary
A revision mat for a KS3 class studying electricity and magnetism.
This revision placemat is designed for a top set year 8 class.
This revision placemat covers:
Circuit symbols
The role of each component in a circuit
The rules for current in series and parallel circuits
Potential difference
Drawing voltmeters in parallel
Resistance
Static electricity in terms of electrons / distribution of charge
Magnetism - attraction and repulsion
Magnetic fields
Electromagnetism (what is it, how can the strength be changed, what are the uses)
A game of ‘grudge ball’ designed for a KS3 revision lesson on electricity and magnetism. A multiple choice quiz style game with a twist.
The topics included in this revision quiz are:
Circuit symbols
The role of each component in a circuit
Current, including rules for current in series and parallel circuits
Potential difference
Resistance
Static electricity
Magnetism
Electromagnets
Rules:
There are 7 teams.
Every team starts with 6 points.
Each team takes in turns answering a multiple choice question.
A correct answer is worth 2 points.
A correct answer means a team member can try to land the ball in the basket.
A goal is worth 1 extra point.
With their points, students can choose to:
Add points to their score
Deduct the points from another team
A mixture of both
A full 1 hour lesson based on the Biology Required Practical 6 from AQA GCSE Combined Science (reaction times). Also suitable for students studying AQA GCSE Biology.
This resource was designed for a lower ability year 11 class, but could easily be adapted for other year groups or abilities.
This resource includes:
A fully guided PowerPoint, with chunked practical instructions
A student worksheet with practical instructions, results tables, and application questions
A conversion table for reaction times
The PowerPoint includes:
A ‘5-in-5’ retrieval-style starter
A lesson hook - an online reaction time game
Chunked practical instructions (slow practical) with use of colour coding and dual coding / imagery for ease of understanding
Models (e.g. a model results table showing how to find an anomaly)
Application questions
Model answers
A written plenary (an exam question, with a scaffold, a mark scheme, and a model answer)
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 5th lesson in “Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson contains a class practical investigating how increasing the number of bulbs in a circuit affects the current flowing through the circuit.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Define the term ‘resistance’
Recall that resistance is measured in ohms and give its symbol
Explain what causes resistance in a wire
Calculate resistance using the formula: Resistance (Ω) = potential difference (V) ÷ current (A)
Investigate how increasing the number of bulbs in a circuit affects the current flowing through the circuit.
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 4th lesson in “Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson contains
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Define the term ‘potential difference’
Describe how to measure potential difference in a circuit
Recall that voltmeters must be connected to a circuit ‘in parallel’
Draw circuit diagrams and build circuits where a voltmeter is connected in parallel across a component
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 10th and final lesson in “Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Recall some uses for electromagnets
Compare permanent magnets to electromagnets
Explain why electromagnets are useful
Offer a simple explanation for how an electric motor works
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 1st lesson in “Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson includes a teacher-led practical demonstration where the magnetic field of a bar magnet is represented using iron filings, and a guided class practical where students investigate and represent the shape of a magnetic field around a bar magnet using a plotting compass.
A practical demonstration may also be used where teachers hang a bar magnet from a thread off of a clamp stand to show how it aligns with the magnetic poles of the Earth.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Describe how north and south poles of magnets interact with each other
Recall which materials are magnetic
Investigate and represent the shape of a magnetic field around a bar magnet using a plotting compass.
Describe the magnetic field of the Earth.
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 7th lesson in “Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Describe and apply the rule for current in series circuits
Describe and apply the rule for current in parallel circuits
Describe and apply the rule for potential difference in series circuits
Describe and apply the rule for potential difference in parallel circuits
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
This unit of work contains ten 1-hour lesson resources designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This unit follows "Chapter 1 - Electricity and Magnetism” from Activate 2, Physics. However, it would be suitable for any KS3 curriculum studying electricity and magnetism.
This unit of work is designed to be engaging and interactive, with plenty of practical demonstrations and class practical activities.
The lessons should be delivered in this order:
Charging up
Circuits and current
Building circuits practical
Potential difference
Resistance
Changing the subject
Series and parallel
Magnets and magnetic field
Electromagnets
Using electromagnets
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This is the second lesson in “Chapter 1 - Forces” from Activate 1, Physics. This lesson focuses on squashing and stretching.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
This lesson includes a simple practical where students investigate stretching different materials (e.g. a spring, and elastic band etc.)
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Recall that forces can compress, stretch, twist and bend objects
Describe what is meant by a normal force or reaction force
Use a model to explain why normal force / reaction force occurs
Define the terms ‘tension’, ‘extension’ and ‘elastic limit’
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This is the fifth and penultimate lesson in “Chapter 1 - Forces” from Activate 1, Physics. This lesson is on forces at a distance, and specifically focuses on mass and weight.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain the difference between mass and weight
Describe how mass and weight are measured
Recall that gravitational field strength is different on different planets
Calculate weight using the equation mass x gravitational field strength
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
This unit of work contains six 1-hour lesson resources designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This unit follows "Chapter 1 - Forces” from Activate 1, Physics.
However, it would be suitable for any KS3 curriculum studying forces.
This unit of work is designed to be engaging and interactive, with plenty of practical demonstrations and teacher models. There are a couple of class practicals too which come with risk assessments and full, chunked instructions.
The lessons are designed so that they can be delivered by any member of staff, regardless of whether physics is their specialism. They are also suitable for students working outside the classroom, e.g. in isolation.
The lessons should be delivered in this order:
Introduction to forces
Squashing and stretching
Friction
Drag forces
Forces at a distance
Balanced and unbalanced forces
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class.
This is the sixth and final lesson in “Chapter 1 - Forces” from Activate 1, Physics. This lesson is on balanced and unbalanced forces.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Physics class, even by those where physics is not their specialism.
This lesson (and all lessons in this unit) is designed to be interactive and engaging, with plenty of real world examples and independent tasks.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain what is meant by the terms ‘balanced forces’ and ‘unbalanced forces’
To draw force diagrams showing balanced and unbalanced forces acting on an object
To describe how unbalanced forces can cause objects to change motion
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task
This unit of work contains six 1-hour lesson resources designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This unit follows "Chapter 3 - Motion and pressure” from Activate 2, Physics.
However, it would be suitable for any KS3 curriculum studying physics.
This unit of work is designed to be engaging and interactive, with plenty of practical demonstrations and teacher models. There are a couple of class practicals too which come with risk assessments and full, chunked instructions.
The lessons are designed so that they can be delivered by any member of staff, regardless of whether chemistry is their specialism. They are also suitable for students working outside the classroom, e.g. in isolation.
The lessons should be delivered in this order:
Speed
Motion graphs
Gas pressure
Pressure in liquids
Pressure on solids
Turning forces
All of my lesson resources contain:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
An interesting lesson hook, careers link, or retrieval practice to start the lesson
Teacher input slides with dual coding and reduced cognitive load
Teacher models
Regular ‘check for understanding’ slides, such as hand signals quizzes
Regular student independent practice slides, with optional scaffolds, challenges and answer slides
A plenary task