One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. A simple yet accurate protocol looking at the results of the enzyme catalase. Catalase is a widespread enzyme, protecting the cell from toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide by catalysing its...

This resource, from the University of Nottingham, describes a number of investigations which could be carried out in heathland habitats. Heathlands are excellent habitats to use for designing and carrying out experiments. Plants are often relatively easy to identify when compared with other habitats and...

Purpose: As students progress through secondary science they will develop an understanding of waves as a means of transferring energy. Practical science activities around the study of sound are often used as a basis for understanding features of waves such as wavelength, frequency and amplitude. Digital technology...

These are science resources will encourage and enable students to get involved with practical science. A wide selection of materials is presented within each resource, allowing a teacher to tailor the activities for a specific group of students.

The resources in this section are:

*Coastline Protection...

This brief resource provides five ideas for investigating the effects of eutrophication on aquatic plant life. Each activity is based on setting up a range of solutions with increasing amounts of minerals and following the growth of aquatic plants. The resource offers suggestions of how the mineral content could be...

Produced by the Health Protection Agency and e-Bug, these practical investigations use readily available resources and will help students to understand the topic of microbes and their growth.

The investigations include:
* Kitchen investigators - where can you find the most microbes in your kitchen?...

This resource supports students in carrying out independent investigations.  It helps them to choose, plan, carry out and write up an in-depth scientific investigation.

Students will use a checklist to critically assess a report of a scientific investigation, and then summarise their findings. The checklist itemises all the important information that should be included in a scientific report and the scientific processes that should have been employed in the investigation.

This activity from Hamilton Trust, helps children investigate the properties of electric circuits. It provides a concept cartoon, which is a...

In this resource children are encouraged to find out about the impact craters left behind after meteorite collisions. The investigation includes exploring whether different kinds of meteorite make different kinds of crater. Children will also investigate the size of impact craters made by meteorites dropped from...

This Catalyst article investigates the ideas traffic police use about speed, acceleration and force to determine what happened during road accidents. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 2.

Catalyst is a...

From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials encourage students to use disc diffusion tests to investigate antibacterial or anti-yeast properties. A wide range of products, both synthetic and natural, claim to have microbicidal properties. Students can...

This resource provides a worksheet which may be used when investigating simple circuits. It contains example of circuits and asks children to predict whether or not a bulb will light up.

This resource has been provided by Sigma Science.

A new way of looking at melting ice. This investigation, from the ASE SYCD: Science Year Primary CD-ROM, is organised for three age groups 5-7 years, 7-9 years and 10-11 years.

You will need to print out a copy of the notes for ease of use. You will need the following equipment:

*For the age 5-7...

Investigating serious crimes such as murder, rape and terrorism requires forensic science experts. These people work alongside the police to find the evidence that will bring the culprit to court.

In this Catalyst article, Tony Hargreaves looks at criminal poisoning and shows how forensic science is used to...