Does Melting Ice Expand?
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In particular, students are asked to plan an investigation into whether water expands when it freezes or when it thaws. The context is set by considering that in winter many people report burst water pipes when a thaw sets in following…
Don’t Have the Foggiest Which Is the Smoggiest!
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. It looks at the different forms of smog that affect major cities because of their high density of population and air pollution from industry and motor vehicles. The activity is designed to let the students review the causes of different…
Falling Cake Cups
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. Students are asked to analyse a set of given results, and draw a graph. The activity is based around two friends observing a paper cake cup fall to the floor. Iqbal and Molly decide to carry out an investigation to test their hypotheses…
Governments Get Hot about Global Warming
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. The aim of the activity is for students to critically assess some of the evidence that might connect our increased burning of fossil fuels to rising global temperatures. Students should realise that, although we are experiencing rising…
How the Peppered Moth Changed Colour
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In this activity students are presented with raw data from a natural selection simulation and need to record it in a suitable format, draw an appropriate graph and make a conclusion linked to their understanding of the concepts of natural…
Before the Big Bang
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In this activity students are given some information about the Large Hadron Collider and the Big Bang Theory. They are asked to analyse and interpret the secondary data and differentiate between theory and fact. Students should have…
Can We Believe the Claims?
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In particular, students are presented with data from a scientist who is working for a company making a food spread. The company claims that the spread reduces blood cholesterol. Students are asked questions regarding the repeatability,…
Competing Carbonates
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. This activity challenges students to look critically at a plan to investigate the relative ease with which metal carbonates decompose. The plan involves the decomposition of carbonates to release carbon dioxide and subsequently turn…
Disinfectant Concentration and Effectiveness
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In this activity students are given the results of an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of different concentrations of disinfectant and their effectiveness at killing bacteria. Students are asked to suggest a prediction, draw…
An Old Principle Saves Energy
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. In this activity students read a short passage, on the workings of a condensing boiler, then answer questions on latent heat and specific heat capacity. The calculations should improve their comprehension and estimation skills, as well as…
Finding the Masses: Earth, Sun and Black Holes
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. They help students to learn how the mass of cosmological objects are measured. Examples include the Earth, the Sun and finally the super-massive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Some of these measurements were made centuries ago…
Investigating an Electronic Flash
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. They help students to review their knowledge and understanding of the discharge of a capacitor to an electronic flash. Students calculate time constants and use them to find capacitance and resistance, as well as drawing a decay curve. They…
Kinetic Theory: the Tennis Ball and Electric Current
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. In this activity students practise using the kinetic theory of gas equations and the gas laws. Students are challenged to show what is happening as gas molecules collide with the walls of a tennis ball and extend the kinetic theory of gases…
Carbon Fixation in C4 and CAM Plants
From Nelson Thornes, these activities help students to reinforce their understand of photosynthesis. In particular the mechanisms for carbon fixation by comparing the Calvin cycle with alternative ways of fixing carbon dioxide. Students discuss the advantages of each pathway and understand the conditions that make them beneficial. These…
Gene Therapy Using Artificial Chromosomes
From Nelson Thornes, these activities encourage students to consider the processes involved in gene therapy. Students are presented with an article about a method of gene therapy that uses artificial chromosomes before answering a set of questions comparing this method to more traditional techniques and the possible advantages of…
Investigating the Concept of a Niche
From Nelson Thornes, these activities encourage students to consider their understanding of an ecological niche. Students investigate the idea of a niche and look at the concepts of a fundamental niche and a realised niche. They are also asked to use information on a particular species’ niche, to predict where we may find this…
Neural Toxins and Poisons
From Nelson Thornes, these activities encourage students to investigate nervous transmission by considering the effects of various toxins and poisons on the nervous system. These include botulinum toxin (Clostridium botulinum), tetanospasmin (Clostridium tetani), tetradotoxin (pufferfish) and atropine (Deadly Nightshade). In…
Organic Farming Versus Intensive Farming
From Nelson Thornes, these activities encourage students to analyse and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming compared with intensive farming. Students are asked to use the information in an article along with their own knowledge to decide whether there is a global future for organic farming, or whether…
Protein Synthesis - Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes
From Nelson Thornes, these activities encourage students to examine the process of protein synthesis. They look at the differences in this process in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Students are asked to consider the detailed mechanisms and assess the benefits of the different methods. These biology resources are aimed at…
Reaction Rates and Mechanisms
From Nelson Thornes, these resources help students to reinforce understanding about reaction rates, orders of reactions and the rate-determining step of a reaction. The activity challenges students to determine the order of a reaction from experimental data and deduce the reaction mechanism from this data. These materials…
Redox Titration
From Nelson Thornes, these materials are aimed at A2 level students and help them to reinforce and practise their understanding of redox titration calculations. These include redox titrations involving iron, copper, manganate, sulfate and dichromate ions.
Rusting
From Nelson Thornes, these materials help students to understand electrode potentials and the electrochemical series. In this activity students apply their knowledge to the process of rusting. Rusting is an electrochemical process that causes a great deal of damage and costs a considerable amount of money to prevent. Some of…
Born-Haber Cycles
From Nelson Thornes, these materials are aimed at A2 level students and help them to understand the energy changes involved in Born-Haber cycles. The student activity sheet follows on from the study of Born-Haber cycles and the calculation of lattice enthalpies. The activities requires students to apply this knowledge with more…
Drug Synthesis
From Nelson Thornes, these materials are aimed at A2 level students and help them to understand synthetic routes for the synthesis of some important medicines. Students are challenged to devise synthetic routes for the production of paracetamol from phenol and progesterone-like molecules for use in birth control pills. This is…
Fraction Games for Students Aged 5-7
This game for two players, published by BEAM, requires students to halve even numbers by playing a game. Students spin a spinner, half the number and then collect the correct number of counters. The winner is the student with the most counters after five rounds. The game offers an opportunity to discuss the properties of odd and…
Data Handling Activities for Students Aged 9-11
Jingle Bells, a Christmas themed activity, published by BEAM. In this activity, students have to identify a range of musical notes. Students are required to construct a tally chart. From the results of the tally chart a bar chart can be drawn. Students then have to interpret their results by deciding which student shoould…
Data Handling Activities for Students Aged 7-9
Published by BEAM, this activity for two students uses Venn diagrams to develop an understanding of the intersection of two sets. About us - an activity for two students. Each student labels one circle of a Venn diagram with their name. Students then take turns to pick a characteristic of themselves. The students have to decide…
Money and Measure Games for Students Aged 9-11
Published by BEAM, this maze is for either one or two students working collaboratively to consolidate their skill in adding and subtracting amounts of money. • Maths maze - starting with a score of £500 students are required to roll a die, move to the appropriate square and complete the operation stated. Students have…
Money and Measure Activities for Students Aged 9-11
A selection of resources, published by BEAM, for teachers of primary mathematics. It includes challenging problems and puzzles, open-ended investigations, cross-curricular activities, and resources to practise and consolidate students' mathematical understanding. The activities, with their mathematical content, are: •…
Money and Measure Activities for Students Aged 11-13
A selection of resources, published by BEAM, for teachers of mathematics. It includes challenging problems and puzzles, open-ended investigations, cross-curricular activities, and resources to practise and consolidate students' mathematical understanding of the topics of capacity, length and time. The activities, with their…
Money and Measure Games for Students Aged 7-9
A selection of games, published by BEAM, for Key Stage Two students to practise and consolidate their mathematical understanding of money by developing a strategic approach. • Lines of money - a game for two players requiring students to add of multiples of 5p coins, the largest total wins. • Money bags - a game…
Money and Measure Activities for Students Aged 7-9
A selection of resources, published by BEAM, for teachers of primary mathematics. It includes challenging problems and puzzles, open-ended investigations, cross-curricular activities, and resources to practise and consolidate students' mathematical understanding. • Body Measures - measuring and comparing lengths of…