Starters and Plenaries for AQA GCSE Psychology

Inject pace into your GCSE Psychology lessons and finish strong!

31-34 pick-up-and-teach starter and plenary activities – specifically designed for the AQA GCSE specification.

Write-on in-class activities complete with teacher's notes and instructions help consolidate and extend learning for the next generation of Psychologists!

Engaging, clear, and well thought through

A Baiden, Psychology Teacher & Peer Reviewer
Activities include:
  • Tweeting the lesson
  • Analysing studies
  • Changing mindsets
  • Discussing variables
  • ... plus many more
    • Ideal blend of individual, paired, small-group and whole-class activities – encouraging active learning!
    • Opportunity to learn sector-specific skills and develop vocational attributes
    • All answers provided - great for AfL and speedy peer-assessment

    Improves retention and recall and supports differentiation and assessment!

    What do teachers say about this resource? (10494)

    I think the range of activities and approaches not only helps students learn about Psychology but also uses research-based methods to get the information to ‘stick’ in students head. The activities are engaging, clear, and well thought through. I think students of this target age would find these activities manageable, and they could also be used as a bridge into more challenging courses too. This is partly because the resource avoids clipart that is targeted at a specific age group. I appreciate the coverage and the way the topics are clearly focused on specific aspects of the course. The templates leave enough space for students to respond, and the instructions are clear. This is brilliant for a teacher in a hurry who is looking for her next starter activity. The tasks here ask students to recall important information from the course. By having them do this in different ways, the resource uses what we know about how the brain learns to really encourage students’ understanding and recall. These tasks could be used in many ways including as independent learning, depending on how long it takes to complete each one.
    The answer key is particularly helpful for teachers unfamiliar with the course (and maybe even Psychology!). It’s clear and easy to follow. By having a clutter-free layout, there is more space for responses and fewer distractions. I think the resource is excellent.

    A Baiden, Psychology Teacher & Peer Reviewer

    Good range of activities, and linked to each area of the assessment criteria. Clear structure towards questions and use of extension activities built-in. Allows students to apply the knowledge they have learnt in a range of ways, builds upon prior learning, good to use during lessons or revision packs. Very good match to specification, good use of language that supports the language used in exam questions.

    L Davies, head of psychology & Peer Reviewer

    What do teachers say about this resource? (10317)

    The resource is very useful and can be used for a range of activities (despite being branded as starters and plenaries). It follows the specification closely and matches the papers too. It is easier for both teachers and students alike to navigate. There is a range of different activity types to keep it interesting - gap fills, models, questions, table. I liked the range of different resources which will keep it interesting to complete and to use in lessons. I like the fact most resources have a time frame (e.g. you have 6 mins to complete the task below). Contents page is useful. I like that each activity comes with instructions for students to follow. It is useful to have the answers too. It could also be used for Afl tasks within the lesson or for smaller revision style homework activities. It is useful as it follows the same wording as the specification which will help with learning.

    S Howie, Psychology Teacher & Peer Reviewer

    I think the range of activities is excellent and will be very useful for regular recall activities in the Psychology classroom. I could see myself using almost every activity in this resource. It addresses key psychological concepts in a straightforward way. Providing feedback on these activities would be clear and simple.

    A Baiden, Psychology Teacher & Peer Reviewer