KS3 Activate B1.1 Cells: Microscope Practical

KS3 Science practical lesson on observing onion cells with a microscope (Activate B1.1). Editable Year 7 PowerPoint with retrieval starter and answers.

About this lesson

Lesson 3 of 6 in the Year 7 Cells unit (Activate B1.1). Pupils prepare a slide of onion cells, focus a microscope on each lens, lowest first, and draw what they see as a scientific drawing. Includes a practical: observing onion cells.

Includes an Equipment Request slide for your technician.

Includes a careers slide (Cell Biologist) with a link to the Gatsby benchmarks.

Links to interactive tools made for this lesson: an ‘Explore’ tool and a ‘Check it’ tool.

Built into every lesson

• Retrieval starter: five questions check the prior knowledge pupils need for the lesson (answers in the notes)
• A concrete, surprising hook to get pupils talking
• Learning objectives pupils can act on, each with a ‘Show it’ task
• Formative assessment throughout: checks, hinge question, plenary and exit ticket
• Common misconceptions targeted: a hidden teacher slide and hinge questions from documented KS3 misconceptions
• Command words always come with a sentence starter or writing frame
• Four Tier 3 key words, with pronunciation and warnings about everyday meanings
• Booklet task slides, each followed by an expected-answers slide, so all the answers are in this PowerPoint
• Written for KS3 reading levels: one short idea per bullet
• Fully editable PowerPoint (the lesson only: the printable workbook is a separate, paid resource)

The full series

This lesson is part of a complete KS3 Science series that follows Activate 1 and 2, covering Years 7 and 8. Lessons carry their Activate topic code. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Oxford University Press.

What is free and what is paid

• Lesson 1 (Observing Cells) is FREE. This lesson is £2.50.
• The Scheme of Work (SoW) that goes with these resources is FREE.
• The B1.1 Cells student workbook is NOT free and is NOT included in this lesson. It holds the pages pupils write in when the slides say ‘Turn to Page…’, and is sold separately for £5.00 per topic. It is designed to cut down copying from the board, so lesson time goes on checking understanding.
• A KS3 Practical Requisition Spreadsheet is sold separately for £5.00. It makes requesting practicals and demos with your technicians seamless.
• Save on the whole topic: all 6 lesson PowerPoints plus the workbook are available together as a bundle for £12.

Last updated: October 2026 (first release).