Watch video (find on YouTube) whilst answering questions. Approx. 20 mins video, so 20 questions roughly one a minute. Can be answered on the sheet with (mostly) single word answers.

Watch video ‘Hearing the sound’ (find on YouTube) whilst answering questions. Approx. 20 mins video, so 20 questions roughly one a minute. Can be answered on the sheet with (mostly) single word answers.

This is my mindmap of the AQA Biology GCSE specification Section 6 Inheritance, Variation and Evolution. I did it for myself when the new spec. 9-1 levels came out. It was my way of identifying how this spec. was structured. It can also be used for the Biology section of Trilogy, although the numbers may not match, the headings will. If a section is in higher tier only it is labelled with (H) and if it is only on the Biology and not the Trilogy it is labelled with (B). Although I did this primarily for myself, some of my colleagues are also using them and when I left my folder open on the desk I found students asking me for copies. I do not claim that they would suit everyone but if you have that sort of need for a complete overview, in a non-linear format, it might suit you. I have some students using it as a tick list, others highlighting the sections they want to cover for revision. I have even offered it at the start of a topic to certain students. Some would be frightened off by it, so you have to be selective. Each mindmap also contains the keywords and their definitions that now need to be learned in the relevant section. There is also a free resource that is a summary of the whole Biology specification.

(Directed Activity Relating to Text) Would suit anyone studying cells. Could be used to assess prior knowledge at the start of a topic on cells with older students or as a plenary activity to assess learning at the end of a cells topic. I have given you an answer sheet for yourself (in case you couldn’t find all 20 errors). Two differentiated worksheets. The one with red words (errors) is the less demanding sheet. On the other one you have to find the errors first before you can correct them. Best not to give different sheets to students sitting next to each other.

KS3 Science worksheet. Fill in the gaps. Missing words at bottom of sheet could be cut off to differentiate.

Pairs of words that students might confuse, in meaning and/or spelling. Pick a specific slide to use in a lesson or pick one at random to fill a few spare minutes at the start or end of a lesson.

Pairs of words that students might confuse, in meaning and/or spelling. Pick a specific slide to use in a lesson or pick one at random to fill a few spare minutes at the start or end of a lesson.

This could be done as a revision task to assess understanding of concepts. I have found it most useful as an alternative homework task. Students either love it or hate it. Those that love doing these want to do more. Some just don’t get it. I have always found that more students do the homework if they have a choice of activities. Consider this as one alternative. I usually print off 4 slides to a page. Slides 1-3 and one other. Print off landscape so that each slide is easier to read.

Four different organisms and some of their various adaptations. Cut out, match up and stick in exercise book. Could also be done as a card sort (starter or plenary) Easy to differentiate LAPS - cut off bottom 4 boxes. Aimed at KS3 and GCSE.

Aimed at GCSE Trilogy AQA.

Powerpoint presentation with lesson on microscopes and a video link to clip explaining light, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Then activity to sort sizes and link to type of microscopes needed to see things. Answers are on the presentation. There is a worksheet for students to fill in as they go around the room to look at the lists of mis-ordered words. This always takes longer than I expect. It is worth putting a time limit on time spent at each list. Leave plenty of time to go through answer slides so that you can discuss any disagreements. It is worth having some electron microscope images for students to guess at as a plenary. The one I use was not done by me so I haven’t included it but I am fairly sure I downloaded it from TES resources. It is called ‘Amazing images through the eyes of the electron microscope’ and the author is Craig Prestidge.

This is just four slides so not a whole lesson but hopefully you will be able to copy them into your own lessons and I have done the fiddly work for you. This could be used as a plenary to apply learning to a new situation i.e. labelling a real micrograph of a plant cell. The first two slides show the cell labelled and unlabelled. You need to show this in slideshow in order to label the cell one sub-cellular structure at a time. The second two slides are a cloze activity. Again answers will fill in one at a time in slideshow. I print off the cells onto label sheets, 4 to a page. I’ve supplied these. Stick into centre of the page so that you can add labels around it. Some of my students need missing words on the table in front of them, so I have supplied these. Some also need to fill in gaps on a sheet due to time constraints or poor/slow handwriting, so I’ve supplied these as well.

This is preparation for the Reaction time required practical in AQA GCSE Trilogy. Slide 1 is a learning framework for the lesson. Slide 2 provides the key words for the lesson. Can simply be a visual aid to introduce the vocabulary. I tend to print this slide off for individuals in the class who would benefit from their own copy and for TAs. More able students use this as a basis for a mind map to make links between key words. Slide 3-5 are pictures of root hairs Slide 6-7 describe transpiration Slide 8-10 show how stomata work Slide 11 has a link to a YouTube video on 'sticky water’ Slide 12 explains transpiration in more detail Slide 13 Questions Slide 14 diagram of a potometer -need to explain how it works Slide 15 gives a method for setting up a practical on surface area of leaves and rate of transpiration. Two sheets supplied one has diagrams of transpiration to go with slide 12 and the other has diagrams of open and closed stomata to go with slides 9-10. I include these simply because I find them useful for particular students with my mixed ability classes. If I know a particular student makes a meal of using glue, I will print directly onto labels for them. I keep a supply of 4 labels to a page for this purpose.

This is preparation for the Reaction time required practical in AQA GCSE Trilogy. Slide 2 is a learning framework for the lesson. Slide 3 provides the key words for the lesson. Can simply be a visual aid to introduce the vocabulary. I tend to print this slide off for individuals in the class who would benefit from their own copy and for TAs. More able students use this as a basis for a mind map to make links between key words. Slide 4 is a picture diagram of a reflex arc. Slide 5 shows a simplified version of previous slide with questions to answer. Differentiate by number of examples given in Q4. Slide 6 is a fill in the gaps cloze. Slide 7 inserts the answers to slide 6. Slide 8 shows a synapse. Slide 9 gives details of each neurone. Slide 10 is a literacy activity. Slide 11 - instructions for a simple ruler drop test. This is a short practical so that students understand what to do for the Required practical next lesson. Slide 12 - Plenary Two sheets supplied one has the diagrams and the other has the questions and cloze. I include these simply because I find them useful for particular students with my mixed ability classes. If I know a particular student makes a meal of using glue, I will print directly onto labels for them. I keep a supply of 4 labels to a page for this purpose.

Consolidation of scientific vocabulary. GCSE written for AQA Trilogy. Will fit onto a single page in an A4 exercise book. Answer sheet also included.

Consolidation of scientific vocabulary. GCSE written for AQA Trilogy. Will fit onto a single page in an A4 exercise book. Answer sheet also included.

Watch video (find on YouTube) whilst answering questions. Approx. 20 mins video. Can be answered on the sheet with (mostly) single word answers.

Print as 2 to 1 page to get 2xA5 copies or print as is which will give you 2xA4 copies. You can change the heading to suit any purpose. With this heading I get students to draw onto the body all the ways they can think off for pathogens to enter the body. Inevitably some will draw penises (of varying sizes) onto their body. Rather than making a big deal of it, embrace it! Responses like, “Excellent I can see that your body is male. How do pathogens enter a penis?” This usually stumps those trying to shock their female teachers. It can also be a lead into a useful conversation about sexually transmitted infections STI’s.

Powerpoint slide to add into any lesson presentation on scale / microscopy / orders of magnitude / standard form. Also 4 on a page to print off on labels to be stuck inside exercise books for easy reference. Formatting looks a bit off on the preview but it prints off fine.

I wrote this song in the shower one morning. It just came to me. (Sing to the tune of Frere Jacques.) At that time I had a particularly joyful class who I thought would like it, as a bit of fun. However I have since used it with classes of all ages and all abilities. We have also done very simple actions. ( Not as popular with the older ones.) I have even witnessed students mouthing the words during an exam! I hope you have as much fun with it as I have done over the years.