Skills you learn from Chemistry (Year 9)

This is one of three lesson plans designed for Year 9 Chemistry teachers:

• Jobs that use Chemistry (Year 9)
• Skills you learn from Chemistry (Year 9)
• Why study GCSE Chemistry? (Year 9)

These lesson plans will help you show students how Chemistry connects to their future careers.

We recommend using this lesson plan at the end of the autumn term. By this point students will have a term of Chemistry behind them, giving them real material to reflect on when thinking about the skills they've been building. Recognising those skills helps students see Chemistry as more than a subject to study, and sets them up for GCSE choices in the spring.

---

Learning objectives

• Students will understand that Chemistry builds a broad range of transferable skills.
• Students will be able to name 2-3 skills they've developed this term and give examples.

---

Before the lesson

• You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
• Open the What can you do with Chemistry? page and have it ready on the screen.
• Review the Skills that Chemistry builds section and think of teaching examples for each one.

---

During the lesson

1. What have we studied this term? (5 mins)

• Ask students to call out topics or activities they've done in Chemistry this term.
• Write the suggestions on the board and highlight any patterns.

2. Skills that Chemistry builds (15 mins)

• Bring up the What can you do with Chemistry? page on the classroom screen.
• Review the contents of the page with students so that they understand what it covers.
• Scroll to the Skills that Chemistry builds section and work through each skill in turn.
  • Ask students which topic or activity from the board involved that skill.
  • Share your own teaching examples if students are stuck.

3. Making it personal (10 mins)

• Ask students to pick 2-3 skills from the list they feel they've developed this term.
• Go round the class, asking each student to name one skill and give an example of when they used it.
• Close by reminding students that these are valuable skills for work and life, not just for exams.

---

After the lesson

• Share the What can you do with Chemistry? page with students and their parents/carers:
  • www.coffeewith.xyz/subjects/what-can-you-do-with-chemistry
• Encourage parents/carers to explore the page with their child and to discuss the contents.
• Use the School Tools / Activities feature to record the lesson activity:
  • Activity name: Year 09 - Skills you learn from Chemistry
  • Activity type: Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Read the follow-on lesson plan:
  • Why study GCSE Chemistry? (Year 9)