This activity, produced by Solar Spark, uses "magic dye", a mixture of three different dye molecules. The mixture contains a yellow disperse dye, a direct blue dye and an acid red dye. When a fabric is put into the mixture, the dyes only attach to the types of fabrics they can bond well with. For example, the blue...

Mah Hussain-Gambles is a biker, a rock music fan and a pharmacologist. Her childhood began in Pakistan and ended in Hull, where she was the only student with Asian heritage at her comprehensive school.

Following a degree in pharmacology, success as a scientist in industry and as social scientist in academia...

From the National Strategies, these documents give advice and guidance on delivering a successful science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum enrichment and enhancement programme. The documents look at planning, implementing and monitoring an enrichment programme as well as how to make sure...

Mark Richards is a scientist and a DJ (DJ Kemist). He was born in Nottingham in 1970 to parents who had emigrated from Jamaica and remembers successfully 'battling with the boffins' at his comprehensive school, often coming top in chemistry.

Following a degree in chemistry, he has worked (getting a PhD along...

This book, from the Nuffield Foundation, describes problems and events occurring in an imaginary school, each written up in the form of a case study designed to be of value to students and teachers in training. It is one of the eight publications prepared by the Science Teacher Education Project (STEP), a project...

Earth Observation (EO) scientists collect information about the Earth – the land, the sea and the atmosphere – using sensors carried on satellites, aircraft, ships, buoys floating on the ocean and thousands of weather stations around the world. There is now a great deal of data available and scientists are finding...

This resource looks at how mystery objects can be used in class to introduce a topic, introduce new scientific equipment or vocabulary, or to explore changes in science and technology over time. Ideas are provided for effective questioning and how to structure the activity.

The purpose of this Ofsted conference was the use of assessment in raising standards of teaching and learning. Workshops drew on good practice from Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three, and provided 31 delegates with the opportunity to work with other professionals on assessment for learning (AfL).

The...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this guide provides practical information and advice about organising a visit to a local science-based industry. Visits can be engaging, stimulating and profitable for the students, teachers and companies...

This study unit offers some practical strategies that teachers, particularly those who are newly qualified (NQTs), can use to improve their understanding and selection of different teaching models. The unit provides strategies to develop teaching skills, practical tips...

Physics and the Earth Sciences for Middle Schools is one of the titles in the series of ASE Lab Books that were published in the early 1970s for the Association for Science Education by John Murray. Each title covered one or two topics and brought together the best of...

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...

Produced by LSIS, this interactive resource aims to support classroom practitioners in improving the quality of learning in practical science sessions. It is not a set of suggested practical activities to use in the classroom. Instead, it provides a framework for clarifying and achieving learning outcomes through...

The fourth and final Royal Society ‘state of the nation’ report considers the ‘pool’ of the UK’s 16–19 year old students taking mainstream science and mathematics combinations suitable for entry to higher education. It makes three major points about these students.

• The size of this ‘pool’ is critical to...