Inspired by @JamieClark85 I started to create these 'practical prep mats' to provide students with more visual instructions for experiments. These mats are photocopied to A3 and laminated.
As risk assessments play a much larger role in today's practical assessments, I wanted to ensure students get used to carrying out their own risk assessment prior to the experiment so I introduced the table as the standard format to be used by all my students.
Firstly, students collect all the equipment they see on the learning mat. They then carry out the risk assessment. Before they now start the experiment they annotat the mat to remind them which chemicals go into which container. Results are also recorded onto the mat but later transferred to exercise books.
Feedback from my students has been really positive and my aim is to create one mat for every practical that I will use in class.
For a copy of different experiment mats click on the following links:
Rate of reaction and concentration: Hydrochloric acid and sodium thiosulfate
Antagonistic muscle pairs: Chicken wing dissection
Electrical circuits: Series and Parallel circuits
Working safely: Generic risk assessment template
Practical task guidance (for Entry Level Science or KS3): Practical task guidance
As risk assessments play a much larger role in today's practical assessments, I wanted to ensure students get used to carrying out their own risk assessment prior to the experiment so I introduced the table as the standard format to be used by all my students.
Firstly, students collect all the equipment they see on the learning mat. They then carry out the risk assessment. Before they now start the experiment they annotat the mat to remind them which chemicals go into which container. Results are also recorded onto the mat but later transferred to exercise books.
Feedback from my students has been really positive and my aim is to create one mat for every practical that I will use in class.
For a copy of different experiment mats click on the following links:
Rate of reaction and concentration: Hydrochloric acid and sodium thiosulfate
Antagonistic muscle pairs: Chicken wing dissection
Electrical circuits: Series and Parallel circuits
Working safely: Generic risk assessment template
Practical task guidance (for Entry Level Science or KS3): Practical task guidance