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...

Sovon, a Dutch bird protection organisation, counts birds. The number of greylag geese is increasing. Students are asked to investigate whether this increase is worrying for the diversity of water bird species? Students explore what the concept biodiversity means, how it can be described mathematically and what are...

This is a classroom-based activity from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute that allows students to explore the features of two bacterial pathogen genomes. The aim of this activity is to highlight the role of different genetic components in two closely related subspecies of Salmonella enterica, and to identify how...

This immersive escape room activity introduces the BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute for forest research free air carbon enrichment) experiment and encourages learners to consider the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. Learners work as a group to complete a virtual tour of BIFoR FACE before using...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource contains an overview of the techniques involved in making a BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) library. It consists of an animation that covers the key stages in the process:

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this animation shows a detailed overview of the processes involved in the dideoxy or Sanger method for sequencing DNA. This is the method used to sequence the human genome. The animation demonstrates the principles and techniques involved in the Sanger sequencing method,...

In this activity students consider the questions: How does heat energy move around? How can we model the flow of energy and changes in temperature? What can be done to prevent hypothermia? Why do we need to try so hard to stay at the right temperature? In order to survive and be comfortable in hot or cold...

In this activity students consider the questions: Where does rain water go? How can we model the flow of rainwater in real life? What can be done to prevent flooding? When is rain dangerous? Where do floods come from? How can we reduce the damage that flooding causes? Over the last decade some parts of Europe have...

This resource is based on the Inventive podcast. The podcast mixes engineering fact with fiction. Each podcast features interviews with engineers. In this activity, CEO and chemical Engineer Enass Abo-Hamed, and integration engineer Majot Chana are the inspiration for George Sandifer-Smith to write 'Data is Truth...

The generation of energy with solar power plants in the desert is a highly controversial issue. In this activity students consider the questions: Which arguments do the opponents and the proponents put forward? To what extent do solar power plants have the potential to contribute to meeting Europe’s energy needs?...

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 Flesh Eaters, provided by the Association for Science Education (ASE), students are challenged to unravel a bizarre crime using their scientific skills.

Flesh Eaters is a 'learning adventure'. It combines computer-...

In this activity students consider the questions: Which components of food are healthy and which are not? Why should we care about this? What are the effects of the individual components of food on the human body? What do our families eat? What are the likely effects of what we eat? How can we ensure that the...

An interactive resource from the Association for Science Education (ASE) that introduces nutrition, and offers students the chance to have their say on healthy eating. Students research different nutrients and their sources, before making changes to a player's favourite...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource introduces the Human Genome Project (HGP).

A short animation gives:

* an introduction to DNA and genomes;

* an overview of which countries were involved in the international Human Genome Project;

* a description of the processes,...