Chemistry teacher
Prediction gives us a useful place to begin: what should happen, why do we expect it and what evidence would help us check?
Explore the collectionI teach Chemistry from Year 9 to A Level. Laboratory conduct matters because it makes practical work possible and gives pupils confidence to handle more demanding tasks responsibly. Clear expectations are part of the preparation, not a barrier to investigation.
I want pupils to reason about mechanisms rather than rely only on remembering them. Prediction gives us a useful place to begin: what should happen, why do we expect it and what evidence would help us check? Practical work can then prompt pupils to compare their model with what they observe.
I look for resources that make a chemical process understandable and leave room for pupils to explain their reasoning. A diagram or sequence can support recall, but I want pupils to use it to anticipate what happens next. Safety and subject understanding belong together, with preparation and observation guiding each practical decision.
Set laboratory expectations before practical work begins.
Ask pupils to predict what a mechanism will do.
Compare the prediction with observations and explain any difference.
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Science
Pupils should identify omitted atoms, an incorrect calculation operation and a misread reaction ratio, then show corrected working with appropriate units. They should distinguish a valid mean from a possible anomaly and create one explainable error for a partner.
Science
Use mass concentration = solute mass / solution volume and convert cm3 to dm3 before calculating.
Science
Pupils should account for eight valence electrons in methane and ammonia, draw bonds and lone pairs, and identify their shapes. They should explain the water-methane comparison in terms of interactions between molecules, while recognising that all four examples also have dispersion forces.
Science
Pupils should specify a repeatable fair test, record all raw readings with units, calculate means and represent their actual data. Their conclusion should cite two results and their evaluation should connect two specific limitations with practical improvements.
Science
Sort physical and chemical changes, elements, compounds and mixtures, giving a reason based on the supplied definitions.
Science
Connect the heating curve with particle descriptions, distinguishing water molecules, intermolecular attractions and a phase-change plateau.
