Preparing students for the new GCSE assessment requirements - quantitative questions.
From September 2011 the GCSE assessment requirements changed. There will be more quantitative assessment questions, but not "maths for math's sake". Students are required to analyse and evaluate data. As a starting point, this list of resources offers a variety of curriculum-linked opportunities for students to practice quantitative skills.
Practical Biology - Evaluating methods of pest control
The 'Practical Biology' section of the Nuffield Foundation website contains links to many excellent teaching and learning resources. This activity allows students to analyse data from an investigation of methods of pest control, and use the data to evaluate the investigation
and to consider the advantages and disadvantages of biological control
AS Data and their Limitations - Activities and Weblinks
A selection of activities to develop ideas about Data and their limitations
Can We Believe the Claims?
This GCSE level student worksheet, with accompanying teacher's notes, encourages students to consider how scientific research may be seriously biased and flawed if the researchers have got something to gain. Students are presented with some data from a scientist who is working for a company making a spread, claiming the spread reduces cholesterol, and are asked to develop their opinion of the repeatability, reproducibility, validity and bias of the study.
The resource is particularly suitable for AQA Unit B1.1; 21st Century Unit B2.3 or Gateway Unit B1a
Disinfectant Concentration and Effectiveness
This data analysis activity could be given out to follow on from a class practical on growing bacteria or as homework in units such as AQA B1, 21st Century B2, Gateway B6 and Edexcel B1. Students are given the results of an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of different concentrations of disinfectant and are asked to suggest a prediction, draw a table and a line graph and answer some questions regarding the data
Establishing Causal Links - Measuring Health
This activity looks at ways of measuring the health of a population. Students learn how to use scattergraphs to investigate correlations between health indicators and other factors that may affect health. There is also a very useful set of web links.
How the Peppered Moth Changed Colour
In this activity students are presented with raw data from a natural selection simulation and need to record it in a suitable format, draw an appropriate graph and make a conclusion linked to their understanding of the concepts of natural selection and evolution. They also need to suggest a way of making the results more reliable. The activity could also be used as a homework.
Pesticides and Food
In this activity students examine data, perform a risk assessment, and see how risks are sometimes reported in the media. This resource for teachers consists of an overview of the topic of pesticide residues in food, teacher guidance, a presentation and student activity sheets. It is aimed at GCSE students and allows them to use data to evaluate risk
Practical Biology - Selection in Action
Students are asked to interpret data, presented in the form of a table and graph, about changing populations using ideas about natural selection. This activity would make a good homework following work on natural selection or evolution. The resources also provide a link to 'Evolution Megalab' - a project which is collating a survey on snail populations in the UK. Your students' data will be collated with data from other participants if they take part in the survey