Adaptations to Arid Climates (Age 11-14)
In this ARKive resource, students learn about how different animals and plants are adapted to surviving in arid habitats. Working in groups, students design and carry out an experiment aimed at testing the effectiveness of different adaptations in reducing water loss. Using a worksheet as guidance, students also compare species…
Invasive Species (Age 11-14)
This resource from Arkive allows students to investigate the impacts that invasive species have on the environment, the effects that they have on native species and habitats, and the characteristics that make certain species good invaders. The activity looks at the different ways in which invasive species can potentially be controlled…
Turtle Life Cycle (Age 7-11)
This resource produced by ARKive supports the teaching of life-cycles at Key Stage Two. It looks at mammals, amphibians, reptiles and plants and finds similarities between the life cycles of animals and plants within each group, as well as some of the similarities and differences between these groups. There is a focus on the…
Endangered Species Egg Decorating (Age 7-11)
This resource, produced by ARKive, combines art and science to create models of endangered species. Children choose their favourite threatened species and study their key features. They then decorate an egg to look like their chosen endangered animal and present their completed design to the rest of the class, explaining why it is…
ARKive School Museum (Age 11-14)
Produced by ARKive, this series of activities teaches students about endangered species through the creation of an interactive museum. The ARKive School Museum presentation looks at examples of endangered species and explains the concept of an ARKive School Museum. Students then research an endangered species using the ARKive…
ARKive School Museum
Produced by ARKive, this series of activities teaches students about endangered species through the creation of an interactive museum. Children learn about endangered species through the ARKive School Museum presentation and then choose an endangered species to research. They then produce an exhibit by creatively presenting information…
Web of Wildlife (Age 7-11)
This resource, produced by ARKive, is designed to teach Key Stage Two children about food chains, food webs and interdependence in different habitats around the world. A presentation using high quality images introduces the structure of simple food chains, food webs and how different organisms within ecosystems depend on each other…
Newly Discovered Species (Age 11-14)
Produced by ARKive, this resource teaches Key Stage Three children about biodiversity and classification whilst developing skills in independent research, collaboration and scientific thinking. It also gets students thinking about how scientists plan expeditions and surveys. A presentation introduces biodiversity and explores…
Newly Discovered Species (Age 7-11)
Produced by ARKive, this resource teaches Key Stage Two children about classification, variation and how to create and use their own classification keys. A presentation introduces biodiversity through images of a range species and looks at how new species are still being discovered by scientists. Following the presentation, children…
Opposable Thumbs (Age 11-14)
In this resource, produced by ARKive, students explore the role of the opposable thumb in primates and look at how this adaptation helps many different species in accomplishing tasks essential for survival. A presentation introduces the definition of an opposable thumb and looks at species that have this adaptation and the purposes…
Animals Over Winter (Age 7-11)
This resource, produced by ARKive, is designed to teach Key Stage Two children about the strategies animals adopt to survive winter in temperate zones and about the adaptations exhibited by animals in the polar regions. Children compare these strategies and identify similarities and differences in the ways animals are adapted…
Carnivorous Plants
This resource from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) describes the work of Charles Darwin on carnivorous plants to determine what causes the leaves to curl up when stimulated. Darwin’s experiments are very easy to repeat. These teachers' notes describe several investigations which students could carry out, such…
Investigations with Venus Fly Traps
In this activity from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), students investigate what causes a Venus’ Fly Trap to shut. These experiments are related to a series of investigations that Darwin carried out as part of his work on evolution and adaptation and background information on this is provided. Students use a brush to…
Plants as Chemical Factories
These teachers' notes from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) describe how students can investigate the trichomes on the surface of vascular plants, including hairs and glandular hairs, using a microscope. Students can use plants like thyme or sage to investigate these structures in the classroom. The activity can…
Adaptation, Natural Selection and Winged Fruits
In this activity from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), students investigate the role of natural selection in evolution by considering the extent to which the winged fruits from a tree are adapted for successful dispersal. This practical approach to studying natural selection and competition encourages students to formulate…
Human Impact on the Environment (Age 14-16)
From Arkive, this presentation and activity are designed to teach students aged 14-16 about the concept of human impacts on the environment. The presentation explains how human impacts can directly affect species survival, using plastic waste as an example. The activities then encourage students to consider how the impact of plastic…
Human Impact on the Environment (Age 11-14)
From Arkive, this presentation and activity are designed to teach students aged 11-14 about the concept of human impacts on the environment. The presentation explains how human impacts can directly affect species survival, using plastic waste as an example. The activities then encourage students to consider how the impact of plastic…
Fruit Juice Production and Enzyme Recovery
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), in this investigation, students look at the effectiveness of enzymes used in the commercial production of fruit juices. Fruit juice companies use enzymes to break down the cells walls within the fruits and release the liquids and the sugars which make up the fruit. Pectinases,…
What Determines the Number of Spines on a Holly Leaf?
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this activity enables students to: • develop knowledge and understanding of structural defence mechanisms in plants • develop problem solving skills • demonstrate the processing of information and use of calculations The investigation looks how the number of…
Sweet or Sour?
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the taste of different fruits and vegetables. Domesticated fruits and vegetables have all been selectively bred so that they contain a particularly attractive taste for humans. In a ripe fruit, flavours are produced by a combination of compounds such…
Respiration Changes During Fruit Ripening and Storage
This practical activity, from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), investigates the process of respiration. Suggestions are given for looking at different fruits or vegetables and measuring the respiratory rate during the ripening process. Possible investigations include: • Does the rate of respiration vary during the…
Doubling and Dabbling in Duckweed
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), the investigations suggested in this resource use duckweeds. These seem to be simple plants - small, green, and with no flowers. However, this simplicity makes them ideal experimental organisms for investigations into a variety of environmental topics such as the effects of pollution…
Autolysis in Yeast
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the autolysis, or cell death, of yeast. This is important, as many food production processes require the living yeast to be killed. In the process of autolysis it is important to try to find at what point in the process the cells actually die. During…
Investigating Antimicrobials
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 test these claims. Experimental method and materials are given…
Inhibitory Growth Effects of Conifers
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource looks at the compounds produced by conifers that inhibit the growth of other plant species. Conifers, such as pine trees, contain compounds which inhibit the growth of other plants. They tend not to have other species of plants growing under them and pine needles…
Antifungals: Inhibition of Fungal Growth
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource encourages students to investigate the effects of various antifungal treatments on the growth of yeast. Antifungal treatments available from pharmacists include: • Canistan • Daktarin • Diflucan A suggested method, with appropriate technical…
Ethene: Plant Growth and Ripening
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the effects of ethene of fruit ripening. Ethene is a colourless gas and is produced by plants, acting as a plant growth substance. Its presence can be detected using a simple bioassay using germinating seedlings. Details of this assay are included…
Enzyme Activity in Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials give a range of suggested activities that investigate enzyme activity in ripening fruit. These include: • the changes in enzyme activity during ripening and storage • the activity of the same enzyme in different species • the loss of an enzyme…
Colour Changes in Ripening Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these investigations look at how pigments change during the fruit ripening process. The green colour of the unripe fruit is due largely to the presence of chlorophylls, and the development of different colours during ripening is due to the disappearance of these pigments and…
Catechol Oxidase Activity in Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the activity of the enzyme catechol oxidase (also called polyphenoloxidase). Found in a wide variety of plants, it is responsible for the darkening observed when many fruits or vegetables are cut or bruised. Details of the materials needed and a suitable…
Water Potential During Ripening and Storage
This investigation, produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), shows how students could investigate the changes in water potential of fruits and vegetables during ripening and storage. Simple biomechanical and biochemical tests are described which can be used to measure the effects of osmosis, when placing plant tissues…
Ideas for Extended Projects with Plants
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource suggests a range of ideas for extended investigations into plant growth and physiology. Each suggestion is given a brief description but details of experimental methods are not provided. The investigations suggested include: • What causes dandelion leaves…