In this resource students will carry out experiments with prisms, polarising film and 3D cinema glasses to explain some of the interesting properties of light and their applications.

Curriculum links include refractive index, total internal reflection, polarisation

In this activity students literally form a line to demonstrate their understanding of  the environmental, economic and social impact of everyday products, then discuss and debate.  The activity helps them understand the impact of everyday products throughout their life cycle from manufacturing to disposal.

These activities use the challenge of finding a suitable geographical location for the BLOODHOUND SSC world land-speed record attempt as a context for teaching about interpreting graphs and diagrams.

The attempt aims...

A National STEM Learning Centre and Network Engineering Case Studies resource investigating the super magnets used in MRI scanning machines.

Can MRI scans discover if you're telling lies?

In this activity students make their own zoetrope, which creates the illusion of a moving pictures by rapidly spinning individual static pictures. A movie is traditionally made from 24 frames of individual images played per second to create the moving picture.  Originally a vintage toy from the 1830s, a zoetrope (...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), looks at the properties and applications of waves in general, and the electromagnetic spectrum in particular. Students are asked to work out the type of electromagnetic radiation used in different...

One of a set of resources from the IET that uses the theme of the Chinese and Lunar New Year to help pupils develop their knowledge and skills in design and technology, and engineering...

In this activity, students create musical instruments using recycled materials.  They are then asked to analyse the musical notes their instruments produce using free-to-download software.  The challenge is for the students to see how close the notes their instruments make can get to those produced by real...

These resources explores how engineers have used their knowledge of waves to improve lives.  The activities include:

• Using the reflection of light to create a floating image
• Investigating the best material for thermal resistance (insulation) in a survival suit

Curriculum links...

This challenge asks teams of students to plan a major sporting event in their local area. The resource provides an opportunity for students to explore their ideas in a creative environment. Teams can define their own goals and priorities, but may want to focus on three main areas of planning an event:

•...

This resource gives a very practical use of basic mathematics that might be used by a trades person in their work. The activity is based around carpeting and flooring rooms. It involves the use of area and lots of calculations which resemble the functional skills questions in GCSE maths exams.

No specialist...

Mechathlon, from the Centre for Science Education, is a set of teaching materials which offer a cross-curricular approach to learning about engineering. The context for this case study is designing a multipurpose vehicle which could aid recovery following a devastating...

In this DIY Faraday Challenge, students are asked to work in teams to design and construct the rocket which will transport supplies via Earth orbit to the astronauts on Mars. They are also required to build a system to transport the rocket to the...

This resource investigates modelling and constructing pulley systems designed to lift loads.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To be able to recognise and describe the main parts of a pulley system.
• To understand how a pulley system can reduce the effort needed to lift a load.
...

This resource is based around the subject of nets to protect people from mosquitos which spread malaria. It includes various mathematical, discussion and design based exercises. The maths topics covered include nets, area, angles and scale.

Equipment required for the main challenge includes plastic straws...