Over the last five years I have found the best way to stimulate learning is through engaging lessons. Lessons which apply scientific content to unusual, topical or popular scenarios.
I currently have a range of premium and free resources to look through. I will continue to upload these resources as and when I can.
Feel free to review, tweet or contact me regarding these resources or for ideas on current topics you are struggling to make engaging.
Over the last five years I have found the best way to stimulate learning is through engaging lessons. Lessons which apply scientific content to unusual, topical or popular scenarios.
I currently have a range of premium and free resources to look through. I will continue to upload these resources as and when I can.
Feel free to review, tweet or contact me regarding these resources or for ideas on current topics you are struggling to make engaging.
Student creatively theorise possible reasons to explain the Sphinix's damaged nose. After which students are introduced to weathering and erosion. Using this knowledge, as well as content from the rock types lessons, students can model James Hutton's rock cycle using a simple class practical experiment.
Students observe, crush, heat and melt sugar cubes to represent different parts of the rock cycle.
Santa is fed-up of crashing his sleigh due to the yearly decreases of christmas-spirit. He needs a new fuel,
The lesson is focussed around alkanes and their use as a fuel. Students are demoed a methane bottle rocket (instructions attached) and evalaute it’s effective as a fuel
Students use fuel burner to assess energy release and how clean they burn.
Students write a letter to Santa explaining what they have found out (and whether they have been naughty or nice).
Deciding which alkane would best fuel Santa’s sleigh? Calculating how many carrots reindeers would need to eat to fuel their journey? How to use electrolysis to make christmas decorations? christmas quiz? That’s you sorted for the last week of term…
The naughty elves have stolen the Christmas decorations from the "chemistree" in the classroom (oh no!)
Students follow the PowerPoint steps to copper plate a piece of aluminium to make a Christmas decoration they can take home (or decorate your chemistree).
-Students identify equipment and risks
-Remove the aluminium oxide layer using acid
-Use a simple electrolysis to plate the aluminium in copper.
This makes a great science club activity (focussing on the procedure and practical element) as well as a relevant end of term treat for KS4.
Merry Christmas!
Students use their results from a previous experiment of melting an ice cube to plot an annotated line graph.
Documents are pitched towards a first term Year 7 class. Scaffolded work can be removed and higher differentiated sheet can be used for higher ability KS3 classes who can already plot line graphs independently.
Students consolidate their understanding of melting points by applying it to unusual examples such as gallium metal.
After the results that 'sharks can smell blood from further distances in warmer oceans' tourist numbers to Australia's famous landmark 'Surfer's Paradise' has been low.
Students evaluate their conclusion from last lessons experiment to ensure their findings reflect the truth.
Students consider strengths and limitations of their method and begin to discuss ways to modify the method to further improve the strength of their results.
A full KS3 scheme of work that contains six fully resourced lessons to allow your department to complete a Science Fair project. As a school we conducted this period for a two week cycle after half term to allow students to; produce an idea, write a hypothesis, plan a method, conduct an experiment of their choice and make their project.
Class winners were chosen and then allowed to present their work in the hall for the rest of the school to see. This is the third year we have completed our science fair at my school. This year we had four entries that won prizes at the big bang fair regional competition. One of which was chosen as the Young scientist of the year regional winner and will be presenting their project nationally later next year.
This pack contains:
Assembly PowerPoint: To present to the whole school introducing the fair.
Lesson 1: Producing an idea
Lesson 2: Forming a Method
Lesson 3: Pilot experiment
Lesson 4: Experimental time
Lesson 5: Conclusion and evaluation (making project)
Lesson 6: Choosing a winner
Lesson plans, resources and example project winners also included.
I hope, if you are willing for a bit of chaos, that you see the same enthusiasm and creativity in your students as I have.
good luck!
Students are introduced to a fictional scenario applied to their school where a criminal has broken into the school allotment and stolen vegetables (outrageous!).
After a quick crash course into the types of evidence a forensic scientist could collect from the scene, students carry out an analysis on soil samples from a range of suspects to determine the identity of the vegetable thief.
Students write a letter/report to their headmaster explaining their findings.
Students have the opportunity to explore six unusual materials that will stretch and question their prior understanding in relation to solids, liquids and gases.
1) Borax slime
2) Water in a vacuum
3) Is toothpaste a solid?
4) Syphoning water
5) Is Ooblek a liquid?
6) Changing states of cream
Students use the lesson to answer an extended question
Students use their knowledge from the unit to compare a range of pH indicators in terms of effectiveness in identifying a range of pH in everyday household products.
Students compare red cabbage indicator (prepared in a previous lesson), litmus paper, universal indicator solution and pH probes to decide which one is the most accurate and easy to use.
Students have an opportunity to write an evaluation that can be levelled as part of an assessment.
Students are introduced to the "horrific", yet incredibly improbable event of three lorries each containing sand, iron fillings and salt colliding. Their loads have been perfectly mixed and need separating...
Students will work in groups to decide on how they might use their allocated equipment to separate these substances. Using content from the "ocean-clean up lesson", and "sieving for gold" lesson students will extract the iron fillings with magnets, use filtration to remove the sand filtrate and evaporation to remove the salt from the water.
Students are introduced to factors that affect melting points, focusing on how impurities can alter melting and boiling points.
Students set up an experiment testing the difference in melting point between Steric acid and Paraffin by heating two samples up in a water bath above a bunsen burner.
Students collect the data and present it in a line graph gluing text boxes to explain the plateau and increases in temperature.
Students write a description of their graph using the prompt questions.
KS3 problem solving lesson to discover what caused a train to crash. Students develop an understanding of whether or not solids, liquids and gases can be compressed using a simple experiment.
Students use the results from their experiment to explain whether air leaking into the brakes may have caused the crash.
Students are introduced to the gruesome effects of long term indigestion.
Students use their previously learnt knowledge of pH indicators to design and carry out an experiment to test which indigestion tablet is most effective in reducing the acidity of stomach acid.
Higher level students can begin to evaluate the method used to carry out the experiment as well as their conclusion in terms of validity.
Students investigate the differences in properties of iron and sulphur before completing a simple practical experiment to produce their own sample of iron sulphide.
Students are introduced to Robert Boyle's observations of Roses changing colour in different chemicals.
Students test the idea of preparing a natural substance to test acids and alkalis by planning an experiment that prepares red cabbage as an indicator.
Student complete a risk assessment and design a procedure for their experiment. Higher level students have the chance to evaluate their indicator in terms of effectiveness.
Students are introduced to the gruesome actions of John Haigh the 'Acid Bath Murder of Crawley' through video clips and photographs. Students use their previous knowledge to discuss the dangers of certain types of acid.
Students challenge their misconceptions of strength and concentration by completing a series of simple experiments dissolving magnesium in different concentrations of the same acid.
Students consolidate their understanding through a series of levelled questions.
Although designed as a final lesson to a higher level KS3 class, this could also be used as a stand alone Gifted and Talented lesson at any point in the year.
Students investigate the Hidenberg disaster and become experts in specific group 0 elements to see which gas would be more suitable than Hydrogen to prevent a repeat of the well known disaster.
This lesson is a free resource from my quantitative chemistry SOW avalaible from my shop.
All resources include a blast from the past recall starter, PowerPoints, resources, Higher tier and Foundation learning outcomes, practical experiment instructions and technician notes and exam practice with model answers.
Russell the Wilderness Explorer wants to earn his expansion and contraction badge, can you help?
Students become adventure explorers and earn badges by defining key terms from earlier on in the unit.
Students watch classic demonstrations (could be completed as class experiments) and video clips from the movie to help them explain why particles expand when heated and contract during cooling. Higher students are introduced to the idea of density before answering and evaluating an assessed question.
I used this lesson very successfully in an Ofsted observation.
Students find this lesson incredibly engaging- I thought I'd share this resource for free due to the Disney copy right issues etc.