Skill 2.8 Watching a Film
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity guides students through two viewings of a scientific film to help them to focus on specific areas of learning. After an initial viewing of the film, students formulate questions that will help to enhance their understanding during a second viewing. This helps students…
Skill 3.3 Understanding the Value of Titles
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to consider how useful and informative article titles are. During the activity, students: • browse a scientific article. • look for information such as the author, publication date and content of the abstract. • look for key words…
Skill 5.11 Evaluating Scientific Writing
This activity, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, challenges students to assess their scientific writing according to set assessment criteria. Students are encouraged to: • formulate criteria for evaluating written work • discuss the concept of weighting different categories of criteria • carry…
Go with the Flow CD-ROM
This multimedia package was developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme to help students understand the interesting and unusual properties of a range of fluids, semi-solids and solids. Published originally as a CD-ROM, the materials contain a collection of videos, animations and worksheets that are available as editable…
Tiny Particle, Giant Detector - Neutrinos
A Catalyst article about neutrinos. Neutrinos are fundamental particles. They are tiny, a neutrino has a mass about one-millionth of the mass of an electron, and they have no electric charge. This article looks at the detection of these elusive particles which requires the use a giant detector. The one described is from the Katrin…
Skill 4.3 Understanding Cross-sections
These activities, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, help students to interpret diagrams and visual representations that are drawn in cross-section. This is a skill that is often taken for granted but often used in scientific representations, such as when drawing apparatus. This activity helps students to be able…
Skill 1.7 Questioning Information
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, in this activity students identify potentially misleading statistics and explain some of the issues involved in using data to inform policy making. The activity is split into two sections: Part 1 - students view a video clip highlighting the fallibility of the use of statistics.…
Skill 2.1 Taking Notes from a Presentation
This activity, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, helps students to refine their skills in summarising information in a presentation in a way that makes sense to them. In doing so, students are more able to assimilate the key points. The aim is to embed good practice that students can use every time they listen to…
Make Your Own Lava Lamp
This Catalyst article describes how to make a lava lamp by using three simple ingredients: vegetable oil, food colouring and fizzing tablets. The article also explains the processes taking place inside a real lava lamp and why they happen. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 1. Catalyst…
Skill 5.2 Appropriate Levels of Communication
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity requires students to pick out what makes a science story accessible and learn how to write at an appropriate level for a particular audience. Students analyse a piece of writing to look at how easy to read and understandable it is. They also use the Gunning Fog index…
QTC: A Remarkable New Material to Control Electricity
This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). QTC (Quantum Tunnelling Composite) looks rather ordinary, but this rubbery black material shows remarkable properties. When squeezed its electrical resistance drops, and this unique property…
Physical Science Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy
These resources, produced by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme in partnership with the PhySEP Project at the University of Birmingham, are aimed at Initial Teacher Training (ITT) mentors and Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs), acting as coaches to teacher colleagues. Originally published as a CD-ROM, the materials are intended…
Skill 5.4 Recognising a Scientific Report
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity gets students to recognise a scientific report, which has a uniform structure standardised throughout the scientific community. Following the activity, students should be able to recognise that a scientific report will: • have a title, abstract, clear study…
Building Materials
This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Building materials and construction methods provide an interesting context in which students can develop their understanding of basic ideas relating to forces, energy transfer and properties…
Light and Matter: Models and Applications
This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Electromagnetic waves show a huge range in terms of frequency and wavelength, but the same basic principles underlie wave behaviour: understanding one application can help us understand others…
Skill 6.3 Presenting a Review Using PhotoStory
This activity, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, looks at the use of slideshow-movies of photographic images as a powerful means for students to create presentations. PhotoStory, or other similar computer software, can quickly create video presentations by linking together digital still images. Commentary and…
Energy Storage
This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). An important part of understanding energy is getting to know the different ways it can be stored and transferred. Finding ways to do this with greater efficiency is the focus of much research…
Damian Murphy: Music Technologist
A Catalyst article about the work of Damian Murphy a music technologist. Acoustics and sound are examined in addition to the physical modelling and acoustics of buildings and environments, both real and virtual. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine for…
Olympic Alloys
This Catalyst article looks at metals and alloys which play an important role in construction at the Olympic site, both in sports equipment and in medals. Designers must consider the properties of the materials used to make both sports equipment and buildings. These include strength, density, toughness, ductility and resistance to…
Skill 1.5 Speed Survey
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, in this activity students look at surveys as an important method of gathering and retrieving information. The activity allows students to evaluate the process of collecting data from short interviews with their peers. It consists of a speed survey game, which is similar to the…
From Earth to Mars
This Catalyst article describes how a manned trip to Mars and back would be very demanding, both technologically and for the people involved. This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 2. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of…
Superconductors: Powering the Future, Probing the Past
A Catalyst article about the many uses of superconductors. The article looks at what the 1700 magnets at the Large Hadron Collider and power cables in Detroit have in common. Both use superconductors - materials which, when cooled below a certain temperature, lose all their electrical resistance, and display some other remarkable…
Skill 2.4 Listening to a Podcast
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to improve their learning from listening. Podcasts, which can be downloaded onto a computer or portable audio player and listened to at any time, are revolutionising the way programmes and information are being disseminated. In this activity, students…
On Screen: Physics and Computer Games
This Catalyst article looks at how computer games make increasingly sophisticated use of the laws of physics to produce convincing on-screen effects. From calculating the angle that a ball bounces off a wall to modelling the frictional forces on a rally car, physics has always played a part in the development of computer games. In…
Skill 2.7 What's the Evidence?
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity helps students to critically evaluate scientific issues as they are portrayed in the media. Whilst in many cases little scientific evidence is presented in articles or television programmes, it does not necessarily follow that they are unreliable. This activity gets…
Skill 4.4 Processing Large Data Sets
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, this activity requires students to examine a complex table of data and generate statements relating to the evidence it contains. The activity will help students to: • extract information from numerical data • identify any patterns and trends • link conclusions…
Solar Cells
This Catalyst article investigates the development of better, more energy-efficient solar cells. Every minute enough sunlight strikes the Earth to power our civilisation for a year, yet less than 1% of global energy generation is provided by solar energy. Solar cells convert sunshine directly to electricity, but to make them more…
Splitting Light: Spectroscopy
A Catalyst article looking at which type of radiation is absorbed and emitted through spectroscopy. This is the study of the wavelengths of light which allows us to identify the substances present in the source. This investigation provides a lot of useful information about a compound. It is used in a very wide variety of applications,…
Skill 3.9 Using Visuals: Krypton Factor Style
This activity, produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, encourages students to see the value of visual representations of ideas. Students take turns to describe a visual to see if their partner can recreate the same visual using the description alone. The activity helps the students to: • communicate science in…
Skill 1.9 Information for the Public
Produced by Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme, in this activity students study a short podcast from the National Geographic. The clip is intended to encourage members of the public to replace standard light bulbs with low-energy light bulbs. It presents science themes in a way that gets a message across. The link to the National…
Investigating RTAs
A Catalyst article about road traffic accidents (RTAs). After the accident police and other investigators try to establish what went wrong. This may be with a view to prosecuting a motorist, or simply in an effort to improve road safety. An understanding of the physics of motion plays a large part in such investigations. This…
Recycling and Sustainability
This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). ‘Sustainability’ is about using resources in a way that does not deplete them. An increased emphasis on renewable energy is part of the move to greater sustainability, but so is the…