GCSE Physics: Waves | Full Unit + Required Practical (AQA)

A no-prep, 6-lesson science unit on GCSE Physics (AQA 4.6): wave properties; transverse and longitudinal waves; the electromagnetic spectrum; reflection and refraction; (Triple) sound and ultrasound; lenses; black-body radiation, written for Key Stage 4 / GCSE (ages 14-16). Phenomenon-first and three-dimensional: every lesson opens with something to wonder about and builds toward the unit’s big question. Open and teach — full teacher plans, projectable slides, three differentiated pupil worksheets per lesson, a complete printable lab pack, a knowledge organiser, and a baseline + end-of-unit assessment.

Big question: How do waves carry energy and information across the universe — from the Sun’s warmth to a medical X-ray?

What’s included

• 6 × Teacher lesson plans (Word) on the 5E spine (Engage · Explore · Explain · Elaborate · Evaluate)
• 6 × Pupil worksheets in 3 differentiated tiers (Support / Core / Stretch — mapped to Foundation Higher)
• 6 × Projectable slide decks (PowerPoint, 16:9 widescreen)
• 1 × Full required-practical lab pack (Word) — AQA RP: waves — method, fair-test variables, household and lab equipment lists, a real risk assessment, a blank results table, and analysis + conclusion scaffolds
• 1 × Knowledge organiser (Word, A4 landscape)
• 1 × Baseline + end-of-unit assessment with a teacher answer key — plus 6 original exam-style questions with full mark schemes and command words (describe / explain / evaluate / calculate)
• Hand-coded diagrams with clear labels for the unit’s key ideas — never AI-generated
• Original illustrations for every phenomenon hook

Lesson outline

1. Transverse and longitudinal waves
2. Wave properties and the wave equation
3. Reflection and refraction of waves
4. The electromagnetic spectrum
5. Sound, ultrasound, lenses and black-body radiation
6. Waves: review, exam practice and the big question