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).
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 6th 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:
Rearrange the formula for resistance to make current and potential difference the subject
Apply and use the appropriate formula for calculation questions
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 colour-coded worksheet to scaffold writing word equations for displacement reactions.
The worksheet contains a description of displacement reactions, a reactivity series for reference, an example of a completed word equation, and 15 questions for students to attempt ramped in difficulty.
Eventually students should work up to writing word equations for displacement reactions without needing the colour coding.
This revision place mat was designed for a lower ability year 11 group studying the topic ‘homeostasis’.
This resources covers the following topics from AQA GCSE Combined Science:
Structure of a neurone
Reflex arc
Ruler drop test method for reaction time
Endocrine system - matching hormones to glands
Blood glucose control (foundation tier only, no glucagon)
Diabetes (type 1 vs. type 2)
This resource is based on the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus, and was designed for a lower set year 9 group.
It is useful as a support sheet throughout the topic, or as a revision tool at the end of the unit.
The resource covers the structures and properties of:
Diamond
Graphite
Graphene
Buckminsterfullerene
Carbon nanotubes
A series of 8 full 1-hour lessons designed as an introduction unit for year 7s in science.
This resource includes the following lessons, which should be delivered in the order below:
Lab safety
Scientific apparatus
Measuring
Using Bunsen burners
Writing a scientific method
Drawing results tables
Drawing line graphs
Planning an investigation
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, lab safety, scientific apparatus, and measuring
A lesson hook about fireworks
Retrieval practice - recap Bunsen burner safety
Direct instruction on how to light a Bunsen burner
A health and safety slide
An apparatus slide
Clear practical instructions on how to light a Bunsen burner
Clear practical instructions on how to do flame tests
A written plenary task
An end of year science quiz suitable for all secondary school science pupils, designed for years 7-10.
There are six rounds. Each round is in the style of a classic television game show.
The rounds are:
Round One - Who wants to be a millionaire? Students answer multiple choice questions from a range of topics (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). Students can unanimously decide to use one of the lifelines available.
Round Two - Are you smarter than a 10 year old? Students answer multiple choice questions from the primary school science curriculum, from school years 3-6.
Round Three - The price is right! Students make numerical estimates based on scientific questions, e.g. how many times your heart beats a day. The team closest to the correct answers wins. Points are deducted if students go over the correct answer.
Round Four - Wheel of fortune. Scientific key terms are displayed on the board with most of the letters missing. A short clue is given. Students have to figure out what the key terms are.
Round Five - Pointless. Students are asked a scientific question where they need to name something. Points are given for the most obscure answer.
Round Six - Countdown. Students are given eight letters in a jumble, and a brief clue. Students have until the end of the countdown clock to solve the jumbled science key word.
A resource containing:
Five A3 information sheets on giant covalent molecules / allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, Buckminsterfullerene)
A structured template for an A4 fact sheet for students to fill in
This resource works great for SEND classes that benefit from movement around the room. This is a great reading comprehension task and trains students to seek relevant information from chunks of text.
This resource was designed for a low ability year 9 class as end of unit revision.
This is a full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 11 class studying the AQA Biology syllabus. It comes with a full PowerPoint presentation and printouts.
The PowerPoint contains the following:
A 5-in-5 retrieval-style starter
Lesson hook
Embedded videos
Guided class discussions
Guided teacher model slides
Direct instruction slides (using dual coding, reduced cognitive load)
‘Check for understanding’ slides using hand signals, quizzes etc.
Independent tasks (exam questions), with answer slides
Challenge questions
A written plenary task based on an exam question
A full 1-hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 9 class studying the AQA GCSE Biology topic “Ecosystems”.
This lesson covers interdependence in communities, stable communities and competition.
This full 1-hour lesson resource contains:
A 5-in-5 retrieval style starter
An embedded YouTube video as a lesson hook
Introduction slides on interdependence (reduced cognitive load, dual coding)
Teacher model slides on interdependence in food webs
A ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ hand signals quiz, with answers
An exam question for students to practice, with answer slides
Introduction slides on competition, with pictures
An embedded YouTube video on competition in plants
A written recall task with answer slides on competition
A guided ‘turn and talk’
A written exam question on competition, with answer slides
Introduction slides on stable communities
Exam question with answer slides on stable communities
Plenary - written exam question
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 7 class introducing them to acids and alkalis.
This is an introduction lesson to “Chapter 4 - Acids and Alkalis” from Activate 1, Chemistry.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where Chemistry is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Know that alkalis are the chemical opposites of acids
Give examples of common acidic and alkaline solutions
Describe the hazards of using acids and alkalis
State how to control the risks of using acids and alkalis
Compare concentrated and dilute solutions
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
An A3 knowledge organiser on the Organic Chemistry topic from the AQA GCSE Combined Science syllabus.
Also suitable for AQA GCSE Chemistry, although does not include the ‘more organic chemistry’ topic.
The knowledge organiser includes information on:
The structure and formula of alkanes
The structure and formula of alkenes
Tests for alkenes
Complete combustion of hydrocarbons
Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons
Trends in the properties of hydrocarbons
Fractional distillation
Cracking
A full 1 hour lesson resource designed for a mixed ability year 10 class studying the AQA GCSE Chemistry specification.
This lesson is from the ‘electrolysis’ topic and guides students through the Required Practical on electrolysis.
This resource contains a guided PowerPoint (inc. a health and safety slide), and a student method sheet with a results table and application questions. The slide contains answers to the application questions.
My lesson resources always 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 6th and penultimate lesson in “Chapter 2 - Reactions” from Activate 1, Chemistry. This lesson is on ‘conservation of mass’.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where chemistry 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:
State what the law of conservation of mass is
Explain why mass is conserved during a chemical reaction (no atoms are created or destroyed, only rearranged)
Use the conservation of mass to calculate the mass of a reactant or product
Balance simple formula equations
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 1 hour lesson covers the following topics:
Causes of extinction
Evidence for extinction
The fossil record
The formation of fossils
This is designed with the GCSE AQA Combined Science specification in mind (and includes exam questions from this syllabus), but this should be fairly transferable.
This resource is a fully planned lesson with engaging lesson hooks, an embedded video, exam questions and scaffolded mark schemes, multiple choice quizzes, and a board game for students to play as a group.
A full hour lesson designed for year 7 as part of an ‘introduction to science’ unit, teaching key science skills to new students in KS3.
This full hour lesson resource contains:
A ‘5 in 5’ style retrieval starter recapping key concepts from primary school, lab safety, scientific apparatus, measuring, Bunsen burners, writing methods
A lesson hook - activity where students try to remember information from a chunk of text compared to information from a table
Direct instruction on how to draw a table
A worked example for drawing a results table
A ‘spot the mistake’ task - students find the errors in various results tables
Independent tasks with answers - students draw their own results tables
A written plenary task
A full 1 hour lesson designed for a mixed ability year 8 class.
This is the 5th lesson in “Chapter 1 - Health and Lifestyle” from Activate 2, Biology.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Biology class, even by those where Biology is not their specialism.
From this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain why bacteria cannot live in the stomach
Describe the role of gut bacteria in the body
Explain what is meant by the term ‘probiotic’
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 3rd lesson in “Chapter 1 - Particles and their behaviour” from Activate 1, Chemistry.
This lesson is on ‘density’ from pages 82 and 83.
This lesson should be suitable to teach to any KS3 Chemistry class, even by those where chemistry 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 ‘density’, ‘mass’ and ‘volume’
Explain why some solids have different densities
Explain why the same substance has different densities in different states
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 knowledge organiser / revision poster on the AQA GCSE Chemistry topic ‘electrolysis’.
The knowledge organiser covers the key information on the following:
The process of electrolysis
Oxidation and reduction
Electrolysis of aqueous solutions
Extraction of aluminium using electrolysis
Required practical on electrolysis
Half equations in electrolysis