In this activity students are about to get their first car. They also imagine that increased carbon dioxide emissions have led to huge financial incentives to buy renewable fuels. Filling stations provide hydrogen and biodiesel fuels, and recharging points for electric cars are commonplace. Students are presented...

breakthrough was a termly resource for teachers published between 1999 and 2001. Each edition highlighted a number of discoveries and inventions and the people who made them. This edition was published in January 1999. Each edition of breakthrough included feature articles and regular items such as profiles of key...

This diagnostic question is part of a series adapted for primary aged pupils from the Best Evidence Science Teaching project for ages 11 to 14.

It helps students to explain what a...

In this activity, students will learn about the three main types of Earth rocks and make edible analogues to help explain how they form. They will then use the ideas from this activity to investigate and suggest what some of the samples in the meteorite hunters boxes might be.

Curriculum links:

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This activity introduces the idea of remote observation by asking children to match photographs such as lakes, mountains and cities taken from the ground with early astronaut photographs. Children then compare the images from the ground with the astronaut picture of the same place. This activity is also suitable...

Within this lesson, students will learn about the classical force of gravity, put forward by Newton. They will learn the difference between mass and weight, the equation that relates the two and perform an investigation into the strength of gravity on Earth. Students will then use a 3D model of space to better...

Measuring the diameter of our star This simple exercise allows students to measure the diameter of the Sun using a metre rule and two pieces of card. An image of the Sun needs to be projected on the card using a small hole in one piece of card.

Measuring the number of hours in a day...

In this activity, students will learn about the properties of the different types of Earth rocks and the rock cycle. They will also learn the basics of meteorite hunting. They will then apply this, along with the use of a classification chart and scientific testing, to identify the samples in their meteorite hunter...

This collection of practical activities, investigations and games is all based on current lunar research. It supports many aspects of working scientifically and links to area of the curriculum including: earth and space, light and shadows, forces, materials, changes of state and rocks and soils. Activities are...

This activity introduces students to quantitative reasoning problems in Earth science and physics. It supports students in using ‘back of the envelope’ reasoning to help them gain an instinctive understanding of the timescales and magnitudes of geological processes. The activity provides excellent preparation for...

For the g-forces activity pupils will be able to discuss how astronauts use forces to simulate the effect of launch and landing on their bodies, when preparing to go into space. The pupils look at the forces on a ball at the end of a piece of elastic and discuss the forces on an Astronaut in a centrifuge. For the...

In this creative writing activity children imagine what it is like to leave Earth on a journey into outer space.  It uses the context of British astronaut Tim Peake’s journey to the International Space Station as a stimulus to develop literacy skills.

This resource is part of the Principia Space Diary,...

Box 3, the blue box of ASE’s SATIS 8-14 project, contained ten booklets with resources suggesting activities for teaching science and technology in Key Stage Three. Book 3 contained six units.

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In this activity children are introduced to safe solar observation. Using everyday materials, the activity provides a step by step guide to create a safe sun viewer. A second activity investigates ‘sunspots’ and looks at how to use binoculars as a projector to see 'sunspots'. ‘Sunspots’ are areas of the sun which...