This resource is set in the context of soil tests in a Martian environment. Students begin by researching suitable criteria for defining the presence of life. They analyse soil samples in tests similar to the experiments on the Mars Viking Lander and use their operational definition of life to determine whether...

This resource contains the fourth session of the Active Approaches to Level Three Applied Science, produced by the Science Learning Centres and the Nuffield Foundation. The session looks at developing assignments, their learning objectives and structure and warns against malpractice and plagiarism. It also...

These resources explore the use of camouflage, colour and toxins by both predators and prey. The first activity looks at the life cycle of ladybirds and their behaviour. Students also investigate whether the colour of food or prey has a stronger effect when clumped together and whether the bright colours and...

In this resource from the SATIS Revisited collection, students learn about skin cancer and analyse data on the incidence of melanoma. They also learn about use of ultraviolet radiation index forecasts to assess risk.

Skin cancers are extremely common, with more than 75 000 new cases registered each year in...

In this practical lesson from the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), students complete a number of different tests on a selection of materials and identify each one from its particular properties. The tests include Eureka cans, electrical circuits and other...

In this activity from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, students investigate the properties of different categories of smart materials and decide which kinds of materials might offer the best prospects for a financial investment. Students work in teams and...

This activity introduces children to simulations - modelling or acting out real-world, or maybe imaginary, situations. Linking to the teaching of space, it asks what factors need to be considered when simulating the solar system. Out of these, the children then decide what the most important things to include in...

This resource provides a selection of lesson plans, worksheets and teachers notes relating to sound at Year Four. They include activities which show that sounds are made when objects vibrate and that sounds travel through solids, liquids and gases. They also look at the structure of the ear, how vibrations are...

The focus of this activity is on the principle of hydrodynamics through testing boat hull designs in a test tank.

This activity gives students the opportunity to explore and develop their critical thinking and decision making skills through a practical approach....

This Practical Action resource presents a fun hands-on and brains-on challenge for Key Stages Two to Five.

The problem:...

This is a complementary unit from the Department for Education to a suite of continuing professional development (CPD) units covering the five ‘key ideas’ at Key Stage Three (cells, interdependence, particles, forces and energy).

These technical briefs focus on low cost approaches to accessing energy. This is vital to health and well being and low costs are particularly important to poorer communities in the developing world.

One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. This reliable and enjoyable practical gives students the opportunity to observe the different pigments involved in photosynthesis using thin layer chromatography (TLC). A low-cost method to get the...