Unplugged starter activity for waterfall methodology

Understanding the key development methodologies is an important part of most A-level specifications. This is a great activity to engage the students at the start of the topic, as no prior knowledge is required. This resource needs to be cut out and laminated. Ideally, each waterfall step should be separated, along...

Fetch-decode-execute-plot

This is an unplugged resource to simulate the fetch-decode-execute cycle in a processor. It is a frantic starter activity aimed at students aged 17-18. The teacher acts as the computer memory, passing out instructions to the students. The students take on three different roles, fetcher, decoder and executer.  At...

RISC vs CISC starter activity

This is quick starter activity for A-level students aged 17-18. The aim of the activity is to revise the key differences between RISC and CISC processors and to ensure students can explain which architecture should be used in a given situation.Bernadette Malcolmson is the author of the resource. 

Marsquake: seismology on another planet

The MarsQuake project provides a set of teaching resources and classroom activities that can use real data and images sent back from the 2018 NASA InSight mission to Mars.Aimed at 11–18 year-olds (KS 3, 4 and 5), these activities include modelling and locating meteorite impacts, or marsquakes, which will help us...

Gold award: compare the properties of different fabrics

In this project, students compare the properties of a range of fabrics made from different fibres. The fabrics could be woven or knitted and they could be made from natural fibres such as cotton and wool or synthetic fibres such as nylon. Students should investigate physical properties, such as strength, ...

Gold award: compare different suns creams

In this project, students measure the UV radiation to find out when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest. They will then compare a variety of different sun creams and sun blocks by measuring how much UV radiation they stop.

Gold award: investigate the froth on fizzy drinks

Students will investigate if the decay pattern always the same and work out if it is ‘exponential’. They will also design and test a way of maximising the froth on fizzy drinks. They then carry out some research into the various mechanisms used by manufacturers to give their beers extra head, for example,...

Gold award: investigating vitamin supplements

In this project, students look at factors which affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals:They could use Visking tubing to model a cell membrane. The relative times taken for the vitamins and minerals to pass through this will be similar to the those it takes for the vitamins and minerals to get into the...

Gold award: the perfect colour lipstick

In this project, student investigate the ingredients of lipsticks, and work out why lipsticks are certain colours, and work out how to change the consistency of lipstick and how to control its ‘spreadability’. Then they could:Carry out some research into how lipsticks are coloured, pigments, colour spectrums...

Gold award: what fabric should you use to make a duvet?

In this project, students investigate the thermal properties of different fabrics used in cold weather clothing or other thermal insulation applications such as sleeping bags or duvets. They will also find out about TOG values and measure the TOG values of different fabrics.