Alcohols — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

Hand sanitiser, fuel, solvent and vinegar all trace back to one functional group: –OH. This 21-slide interactive lesson on alcohols takes pupils from first ideas to exam-style explanations, with 12 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Alcohols in GCSE Chemistry

Pupils identify the hydroxyl group, name methanol to butanol using CₙH₂ₙ₊₁OH and describe the reactions of alcohols with sodium, oxygen and oxidising agents such as acidified potassium dichromate. They balance the combustion of ethanol, explain why palm wine turns sour, and compare the uses and dangers of methanol and ethanol.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Identify the –OH functional group in an alcohol.
• Name and write formulae for the first four alcohols.
• Describe the reactions of alcohols with sodium, air and oxidising agents.
• Write a balanced equation for the combustion of ethanol.
• State the main uses of alcohols.

What’s Included

• 21-slide interactive lesson on alcohols
• 12 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks, drag-and-drop categorising and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Examples from both Nigeria and the UK make the chemistry feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports the organic chemistry content of UK GCSE Chemistry (AQA, Edexcel and OCR) and the Nigerian Senior Secondary Chemistry curriculum (SS2–SS3), including WAEC and NECO exam preparation.

Love this? You’ll love…

• Alkenes and the Bromine Water Test — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)
• Fermentation: Making Ethanol — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Years 10–11 (ages 14–16), and SS2–SS3 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 12 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.