English National Curriculum - Science

Rate of decay

Mission Objectives

Apply factors that affect the rate of decay to real life situations

Explain why factors speed up or slow down decay

Investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk

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Keywords

Words and meanings to learn

anaerobic

refers to processes or organisms that occur or live in environments without oxygen.

aerobic

refers to processes or organisms that require oxygen to survive and function.

temperature

a measure of the warmth or coldness of an environment or substance, typically expressed in degrees Celsius (°C)

moisture

the presence of water, often in the form of humidity or dampness, within a substance or environment.

decomposition

the process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler organ

This lesson has been written by

Samantha Batch

Samantha is an accomplished science educator whose current work centres on curriculum design and professional development, supporting teachers to deliver high-quality science education through evidence-informed approaches. She is a former Head of Chemistry and Sixth Form Tutor with extensive Key Stage 4 and 5 experience, and has worked as an AQA examiner, giving her valuable insight into assessment standards and what students need to succeed.

Samantha has written the complete KS4 Science curriculum, fully aligned with the AQA GCSE Science: Trilogy specification. Covering biology, chemistry and physics, the curriculum is carefully sequenced so that students build knowledge cumulatively and see clear connections between concepts across the three sciences. Drawing on her experience as an examiner and on research into effective teaching, she has designed it to embed retrieval practice, clear explanation, worked examples and the required practicals throughout, preparing students for the demands of the GCSE exams. Grounded in the realities of the classroom, the curriculum is rigorous for students and manageable for busy teachers.

In her spare time, Samantha enjoys playing the accordion with her local orchestra and has recently taken up cricket. 

Required Resources

Handouts 

Per group: A small beaker containing single cream (dilute a little bit with milk to make it a little easier to pipette)(not UHT)

  • A small beaker containing sodium carbonate solution (0.05 mol dm−3 : 5g sodium carbonate in 1litre of water))
  • A small beaker containing 5% lipase solution
  • 3 Water baths at 30, 40, 50C.

      And test at Room temperature

  • Test tubes
  • Test tube rack
  • Marker pen
  • 1, 3 and 5 ml plastic pipettes
  • thermometers
  • Stop clock 
  • Cresol red
  • An electric kettle, for heating water
  • Ice, for investigating temperatures below room temperature.
  • pH meter for demo
  • Stirrers

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