This resource contains a series of lessons which are designed to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of plastics and plastic waste on a global scale. Linking to materials and their properties, the environment, recycling and design and technology, they contain investigations and activities aimed at both...

In this project, students use Autodesk Homestyler to design a living space for a disabled client. The design must include a ground floor living space with outdoor landscape. The overall plot must not exceed 25m x 60m and the living space must not exceed 10m x 40m. Students create a customer profile to base their...

This resource from Practical Action includes a presentation and worksheets which give Key Stage Three and Four students opportunities to understand more about the impact of existing and new products on people and the environment. The presentation is packed with useful activities to reinforce students' learning. The...

Produced by Practical Action, these materials help students to consider the impacts of a product through its whole life cycle. A presentation describes the concept of lifecycle analysis (LCA) and gives some examples. Students are then challenged to consider the life cycle of familiar products, from raw materials,...

This classroom presentation supports the teaching of planned obsolescence and a product lifecycle. Using the example of a mobile phone, students explore the volume of phone sales over time and discuss how manufacturers can plan a product's lifespan, looking at product growth, maturity of sales and decline over time...

In this lesson students will understand the life cycle of a product through studying a graph. Students will understand the five stages of the life cycle assessment graph and the role planned obsolesce has in relation to the benefit of the manufacturer and not necessarily the consumer. Through case studies and...

Produced by Practical Action, this short activity introduces the various factors that influence the choice of consumers. Students consider different products and the reasons behind why they would or would not purchase them. The activity is a perfect introduction to sustainability and aims to help students think...

This Practical Action resource enables students to consider the need to reduce the negative impacts of  products on the environment and people. It enables students to evaluate products throughout their lifecycle and learn about inspirational products, companies and access to sustainable design briefs. The...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). ‘Sustainability’ is about using resources in a way that does not deplete them. An increased emphasis on renewable energy is part of the move to greater sustainability, but so is the idea...

Together with related activities from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), this resource allows students to investigate the wide range of sophisticated imaging technology available in modern hospitals, and to explore the latest ideas in search-and-rescue...

This resource supports students to research and discuss the field of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). The resource provides a series of student tasks that explore the topic of whether robots are a threat to humanity. This resource would work well as a research topic for students undertaking projects in...

From NASA, these activities look at the scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical foundations of rocketry to provide exciting classroom opportunities for authentic hands-on experimentation. Rockets have formed the basis of space exploration.

Extensive teachers' notes, guidance and lesson plans...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), introduces students to a mathematical solution to code breaking using a simple substitution code. Students make a survey using the frequency of letters in English sentences, match up an encoded...

In this project students design a school of the future for their local community using Autodesk Revit software. The first six lessons in the series are research based where students look at sustainability, the needs of their client (their community), green materials and green building principals. They use this...