These materials are designed to teach students aged 11 to 14 about the variety of habitats worldwide and the diversity of species found in each habitat. The activity also highlights topics including interdependence, adaptation and how species evolve specialised features. Working in groups, students are allocated a...

This activity explores the ethical issues involved in the forensic use of bioinformation. It gives clear summaries of the judgement in a European Court of Human Rights case and of the rights and freedoms set down for all in the European Convention on Human Rights. An activity card gives statements that can be used...

This resource provides several case study scenarios for students to discuss, including questions to consider. It also gives a summary of changes in the law with regard to bioinformation.

Also included is The forensic use of bioinformation - resources for teachers which contains:

* curriculum links...

In this activity from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), students investigate the role of natural selection in evolution by considering the extent to which the winged fruits from a tree are adapted for successful dispersal.

This practical approach to studying natural selection and competition...

Air pollutants arise from natural processes and human activities. In this SATIS Revisited resource, students investigate air pollution, how it is monitored and some effects on human health. Air pollutants arise from a wide variety of sources, although they are mainly a result of the combustion process. It is easy...

Adults drink more frequently than adolescents, but when adolescents drink they tend to drink larger quantities. There is evidence to suggest that the adolescent brain responds to alcohol differently from the adult brain. Scientists at the University of Oxford are...

This reliable practical allows students to use algae to look at the rate of photosynthesis with quantifiable and replicable results. In this protocol, the...

In this SATIS Revisited resource, students consider the ethical questions that arise from the conflicts between concern for animal welfare and the need to use animals in medical research.

The aim is to introduce the idea that the discussion of controversial issues relating to the conduct and application of...

This teaching resource is based on the discovery of a giant 30 000 year old virus, still alive under the permafrost. As the world warms, others may be uncovered. Could such an ancient virus wipe out the human race? In this activity, students learn how to interrogate sources to separate science fact from fiction....

Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) has provided a free online learning platform for schools which includes curriculum linked activities, developed to support secondary school students. These activities provide the opportunity for students to join a growing community of citizen scientists who are...

A Year Ten module from the Salters’ double award GCSE science course. This module deals with interactions between species in ecosystems. Students are shown how stable conditions lead to a natural balance in populations and how human activities can disturb this balance....

This resource from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a practical, classroom activity that allows the students to make a balloon model of a disease-causing bacterium. This illustrates its basic shape and structure. Students can choose from three bacteria species...

In this activity, students consider the evidence for causal links between sugar consumption, obesity and disease. They then weigh up arguments for and against banning sugary drink sales to children.

Curriculum links include:

Key Stage Three:

*Working Scientifically: Analysis and evaluation –...

This practical activity explores beak adaptations in bird populations and looks at the way in which variation in beak shape is related to the available food sources within an environment.

Students simulate bird feeding by using a ‘beak’ to collect food and place it into a stomach. There are four different...

Produced by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) as part of their 'At Work With Science' series, this resource looks at a hypothetical, but realistic, project aimed at producing a new way of treating bacterial infections. In this activity, students first consider what features are important...