In this lesson, students will learn about solar system orbits and how asteroids can become dislodged and sent on a collision course with the Earth. They will then conduct an investigation into the relationship between impact speed and crater size in the context of Moon impacts. This activity is differentiated for...

This activity looks at climate change and its effects on succession in a location in Norfolk over 12000 years ago.

Students carry out a simulation of a bog core analysis, based on work by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research together with data from the Department of Geography, University of...

These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, have students write down what they have learned and understood from a graph about life expectancy and mortality. First in the form of statements and then in a narrative form. Students then move on to look at the different components of the graph,...

This Science upd8 activity offers an opportunity to test students' understanding of the solar system, and their skills as independent enquirers, problem solvers and effective communicators. Students are part of an earth-bound team set the task of interpreting a range of data relating to the solar system/universe....

In this resource, pupils will create a solar system mobile and learn about the inner and outer planets in our solar system. They will learn that the outer planets are less dense than the inner planets and the planet with the highest density is Earth. Then will then carry out their own density experiment using...

This Science upd8 resource revolves around the topic of the universe. A mission brings space dust back from the tail of a comet. The dust may reveal secrets about the origins of the universe and life on Earth. Students must defend the mission's $200 million price tag and produce a graphic to support their talks. ...

This short activity introduces students to the ideas of the footprint and resolution of an image, asking them to choose and use appropriate methods to calculate how these quantities would change as they moved a camera to a series of vantage points above the surface of the Earth

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explores magnetism and how it is used in a compass. It is aimed at key stage 2, but the activities would also be suitable for introducing magnetism to key stage 3.

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These learning objectives were produced to help teachers plan for progression for students aged 11-16, as part of the National Strategies Framework for secondary science.

Components:...

In this learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, students see that what we know about the Universe comes from observations which rely on the radiation and particles that reach us on Earth. Students discuss astronomical observations including spectra and the information they can carry.

The activities...

The growth of plants in space is a keen area of experimentation, including ongoing work aboard the International Space Station. Successful crops will help astronauts to spend longer in space, boosting their healthy diet while reducing the mass of prepared food that must be transported from Earth.

Using a...

From NASA, this activity helps students see the relative distances from the sun of the planets in our solar system. Astronomers refer to the distance from the sun to the Earth as one 'astronomical unit' or AU. This activity demonstrates an easy way to calculate the distances of the other planets from the sun and...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

Purpose: Good practical science should include a variety of types of investigation and locations. Digital technology can support activities that involve outdoor work and observations over time, without being disruptive to school routines. 

Teaching approach: In the example described in the link below, data...