Because of the shape of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, it is farther away from the Sun in July than it is in January. Still, we have colder days in January than in July. How is this possible? Through this mystery, students will investigate the orbit of the Earth around the Sun and its influence on solar energy...

This resource takes a slightly different slant on how plants can help reduce the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thereby help prevent climate change.  In the video Ben Ainslie, Olympic gold medallist and driver for the Great Britain SailGP Team, explains how seagrass can be used to reduce carbon...

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, begins with a video that names and describes some the different layers of the atmosphere, with the aim of explaining where the ...

These resources from the European Space Agency climate change initiative education resource pack allow students to learn about how the ocean circulation has an impact on the climate. This redistribution of heat around the Earth 'planetary heat pump' supplies warmer water to the poles and influences the rate at...

 These materials look at three possible projects that relate to sustainable travel.

* Communications project - students gather information and explain about ‘green’ transport policies, reducing and offsetting carbon footprints.

* Practical project - students investigate how to compare carbon dioxide...

This resource uses the context of tornadoes in the solar atmosphere to investigate circular motion and energy changes. A hole is drilled in the bottom of a washing up bowl and orange pith can be used to track the motion of the water when draining through the bottom and creating a vortex. The Key Stage Three...

In this activity developed by the Institute of Physics, students investigate how temperature changes with distance from a heat source and relate this to planetary temperatures. After completing this activity, students should be able to:

*Understand that the temperature of a planet depends on its distance...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify that we live on the surface of the Earth which is a sphere

• Describe how the Earth spins on its axis and explain what a day is

• Describe how...

In this Crest Award accredited project, students monitor levels of atmospheric sulfur dioxide and rainfall acidity in the school grounds.  Suggested investigations include:

•  Investigate various methods of measuring acidities between pH4 and pH7, to decide which method is most accurate.
• Compare...

In this activity, students examine changes to forests in cross-border regions of Africa and Borneo using Google Earth Pro to help identify features shown in satellite images and make measurements. The context allows students to explore the factors which put pressure on forested areas, and what is being done to...

In this activity developed by the Institute of Physics, students use iron and sand to model the composition of the Earth and estimate what fraction of the Earth is occupied by its iron core. After completing this activity, students should be able to: *Measure mass and volume. *Calculate density from mass and volume...

This Science upd8 activity draws on Titan which is the biggest of Saturn's moons.

There are two student activities; one involves labelling a diagram to tell students on Earth about the nature of Titan.

The other asks students to take the role of Titanian space explorers and use data to compare the...

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, challenges students to explain the phases of the Moon by linking the movement of the Moon around the Earth with our perspective from Earth of light and shadow on the Moon.

The two files are identical, apart from the curriculum links stated in the teachers...

In this unit from the Geology: Structure of the Earth series, produced by Northumberland County Council, students discover more about the Earth's internal structure. In a series of tasks, students investigate the true shape of the Earth, gravity and how geologists use it, movements of the Earth and what happens...

In this lesson, students apply their knowledge of reaction rates, and structure and bonding, to an exciting new context – the chemistry of interstellar space. Having watched an engaging animation, students work in groups to find out about the nature of interstellar space and its atoms, ions, and molecules. They...