These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify that we live on the surface of the Earth which is a sphere

• Describe how the Earth spins on its axis and explain what a day is

• Describe how...

These resources link to elements of the geography, while supporting aspects of science, maths and computing. Using early astronaut photographs, and more recent satellite images, they provide opportunities to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each method for remote sensing. The main activity is based...

The mission of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is to gather and apply knowledge, improve understanding and predict the behaviour of the natural environment and its resources. It was established in 1965.

NERC funds and manages research and training in earth system science, advancing knowledge...

Surrounding the Earth, like a blanket, is the atmosphere. Without it we couldn’t survive. The atmosphere is a layer of gases, the air, which plants and animals use to respire. It is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, as well as many other gases in much smaller quantities.

This unit gives children a...

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...

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 links to science and D&T but in a moon context. Children analyse the importance of having shelter for protection on Earth and in space. They compare the environmental conditions on Earth and on the Moon, then  work together to design and build their own Moon shelter using materials comparable to...

In this activity developed by the Institute of Physics, students use iron and sand to model the composition of the Earth and estimate what fraction of the Earth is occupied by its iron core. After completing this activity, students should be able to: *Measure mass and volume. *Calculate density from mass and volume...

This short animation film joins the alien, Paxi, as he investigates the water cycle. He explains how...

This activity shows how Earth observation can be used to study human geography by comparing the satellite images of Las Vegas over the last few decades. Linking to measurement of irregular areas and addition and multiplication of fractions, it asks children to measure the area of Las Vegas at three separate times...

This Science upd8 activity draws on Titan which is the biggest of Saturn's moons.

There are two student activities; one involves labelling a diagram to tell students on Earth about the nature of Titan.

The other asks students to take the role of Titanian space explorers and use data to compare the...

These activity sheets give students the opportunity to look in greater depth at the similarities and differences between Mars and Earth. The activities focus on the basic chemistry and geology of Mars in comparison to Earth, asking students to apply their existing knowledge or use research aids. This resource, as...

Dr. Mark Woods explains how the rover technologies must be partly autonomous, since the signals from Earth to Mars take too long for every command to be send from Earth.  The technologies developed for space, also have applications on Earth.

This video is part of a series of ten which look at the one of the...

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, challenges students to explain the phases of the Moon by linking the movement of the Moon around the Earth with our perspective from Earth of light and shadow on the Moon.

The two files are identical, apart from the curriculum links stated in the teachers...

This Nuffield Primary Science book is for use with the Earth in Space topic. It consists of 11 colourful, and highly illustrated, double-page spreads aimed at students aged 7-9. The book ends with a glossary and index.