Thorium
In the build-up to the Christmas Lectures in 2012, the Royal Institution published a new video for every day of advent revealing the elements that really excite and inspire people. Physicist Suzie Sheehy demonstrates how element thorium could be used as a fuel in future nuclear reactors. Unlike uranium, thorium needs to be bombarded…
Biofuels
Produced by Debating Matters, this topic guide puts the biofuel debate in context, providing information, a reading list and weblinks. The resource encourages students to debate issues such as: • Are biofuels environmentally friendly? • Fuel versus food • A waste if time, money and energy? • Should governments…
Selenia in Escaping From Dinosaurs
Learn about the properties of solids, liquids and gases in this colourful comic aimed at students in Key Stage Two. Written to promote enquiry skills, it contains a linked investigation which focuses on planning and evaluating evidence when investigating how to create the best geyser. This comic which has been produced by the…
Selenia: Visiting Dinosaurs
Learn about the properties of materials in this colourful comic aimed at students in Key Stage Two. Written to promote enquiry skills in a context, it focuses on making careful observations when carrying out an investigation testing the hardness of materials. This comic which has been produced by the University of the West of…
Selenia and the Smelly Lunchtime
Learn about the properties of gases in this colourful comic aimed at Key Stage Two. Written to promote scientific enquiry, it contains a linked investigation which focuses on how to plan and carry out an investigation when considering which materials are good at stopping leaks. This comic, produced by the University of the West…
Selenia: Chase Through Wing City
Learn about the properties of materials and changing state in this colourful comic aimed at students in Key Stage Two. Written to promote enquiry skills, it contains a linked investigation which focuses on planning and recording when finding out how to make the best glue. This comic, produced by the University of the West of…
Selenia and the Crazy Football Game
Learn about the cooling down of liquids and thermal insulators in this colourful comic aimed at students in Key Stage Two. Written to promote enquiry skills in a context, it focuses on making predictions before carrying out an investigation on how quickly a hot liquid cools down. This comic, produced by the University of the…
The Chemedian: Starting Secondary School
This resource contains a colourful comic, aimed at Key Stage Two, where children learn about the properties of materials and then design an investigation on dissolving. It promotes enquiry skills in a context, looking at how to create a fair test by changing one variable to see how it affects the rate that salt dissolves in water.…
Uncovering the Magical World of Signalling
This Catalyst article takes a look at the winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2012 who revealed how cells communicate. All functions of the human body require signals to be released, detected by a receptor in the right place and an appropriate response to be mounted. For example, hormones can be released into the blood stream…
Eating Chocolate
This Catalyst article looks at how the structure and properties of chocolate change when it is melted and re-solidified. An experiment is described in which the differences between solid chocolate, and chocolate which has been melted and re-hardened can be found, along with a detailed explanation of the physics involved in this process.
Thermometry... a Hot Topic
In this Catalyst article, Mike Follows describes the surprising range of thermometers available to scientists today. Many physical properties of materials depend on temperature. Thermometers are vital for measuring body temperature. The body's biochemical reactions work best at 37°C and the body is in serious danger if…
Fracking: an Energy Revolution?
This Catalyst article looks at hydraulic fracking, the process of breaking up rocks deep underground using high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals. The process has been used for decades in the energy industry to free oil and gas trapped in rock formations. However, questions have been raised over the environmental impact…
Speak to Me, Lichen
In this Catalyst article, students at La Sainte Union Catholic School in North London investigate the link between lichen species and air pollution around their school. Lichens are indicators of changes in air quality; tolerant species replace those which are sensitive to a given pollutant. This effect is observed across urban…
Robert Smyth Academy
The chemistry of UV reactive beads provides activities from Key Stage Two to Post-16, using photochromic beads. The beads can be used to investigate the effect of temperature on the rates of reaction, where the beads are returned to their normal colour. At Post-16 level, the activation energy/enthalpy can be calculated using the…
Triple Science Case Study: Tenbury High School, Worcestershire
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how career awareness advice before students make their Key Stage Four choices, after school skills and concepts revision clubs, and an impressive range of STEM enrichment activities in the local environment can lead to success in delivering triple science. The…
Triple Science Case Study: Stocksbridge High School
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how using feedback from the students (and staff) to change the curriculum model and providing more detailed advice during the Year Nine options process with regards the nature of the course can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case study…
Triple Science Case Study: Pen Y Dre High School, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how a focus on raising attainment in science, including looking specifically at literacy and Numeracy, after school skills and concepts revision clubs and a wide range of STEM enrichment activities, can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case…
Triple Science Case Study: Marden High School, North Shields
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how highlighting the different characteristics of the sciences and developing an enviable programme of enhancement and enrichment activities for students to enable them to make informed choices about progression can lead to success in delivering triple science.…
Triple Science Case Study: Cavendish School, Hemel Hempstead
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how adapting the curriculum to suit the needs of particular groups of students, recognising the importance of motivation and study skills when selecting students and planning well for future changes can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case…
Triple Science Case Study: Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College, Bradford
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how capitalising on the enthusiasm of the science staff to increase uptake and including science in the options rather than as an ‘extra’ after school can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case study provides some background information…
Triple Science Case Study: Balshaw’s School, Leyland
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how giving science a high profile to create enthusiasm for the subject in a large number of students, together with a whole school strategy of vigorously enhancing and enriching the curriculum, can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case study…
Triple Science Case Study: Woodrush High School, Worcestershire
From the Triple Science Support Programme, this case study illustrates how a focus on providing adequate curriculum time for triple science, moving towards a three year Key Stage Four, together with developing students’ science enquiry skills from Year Seven can lead to success in delivering triple science. The case study…
Technicians from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
These videos from the Gatsby Foundation describe the work of pharmacy technicans in a hospital trust. Staff describe the training and support that trainee technicans are given, leading to professional qualifications. This hands-on and practical route to qualifying shows that there is an alternative to going to university which can…
Magic Gas
Simon Quinnell, from the National Science Learning Centre, demonstrates the properties of gases in this surprising Christmas table experiment. He drops an effervescent digestion tablet into a wine glass containing some water to generate carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and can be poured over a candle flame.…
Jumping Candle Flame
Simon Quinnell, from the National Science Learning Centre, shows how to carry out some ‘magic’ at the Christmas dinner table using a candle and a match. After letting the candle burn for a minute, Simon blows the flame out so that the smoke continues to rise above it. Then when a match is placed near the wick, the…
Jelly Liquidiser
In this Christmas table experiment, Simon Quinnell, from the National Science Learning Centre, demonstrates why pineapple should not be added to jelly. When he adds pineapple to a bowl of jelly, the jelly liquefies due to the action of an enzyme in the fruit which breaks down the gelatin. This is an example of a defence…
Fabric Fires
The Fabric Fires activity for Key Stage Three students looks at how different fabrics catch fire and burn. Students are asked to first consider the commonest reasons for fires in the home. They then test and compare a fabric and a cotton wool ball, firstly when untreated and then having first soaked them in a fire retardant solution.…
Hydrogen Powered Cars
As the need to find alternative cleaner forms of energy increases, scientists are looking to technologies, such as Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFCs), as a power source for transportation. This Catalyst article explains how hydrogen and oxygen gas can be used in a redox reaction to produce electricity, and the harmless by-product, water.…
Alison Foster: a Chemist in the World of Plants
Alison Foster has combined her education in Chemistry with her love of plants to engage in some exciting projects at the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens. This Catalyst article gives a profile of her career choices, and introduces a public engagement activity called Chemistry in the Garden. Alison began her career in the pharmaceutical…
Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies or Weetabix
This Catalyst article looks at how scientists can use material recovered from archaeological sites to see how crops have been introduced to different countries over the history of farming. Three processes by which some plant material can be preserved are explained. The ratio of carbon isotopes from the collagen in animal bone can…
Emerging Infections: Science for You to Try
From the Royal Society, these materials allow students to investigate how viruses can change their genetic code and transfer from one species to another. Students carry out a practical investigation to extract DNA from strawberries and then go on to research about the genetics of HIV and drug resistance. The resource contains…
Invisible Defence: Stopping the Spread
From the Royal Society, these materials look at the development of vaccination by Edward Jenner. Jenner's discovery took medicine in an entirely new direction for its time. Doctors no longer just tried to cure diseases once they had happened, they could stop them from spreading from one person to another. In the activities,…
Filter results by...
Subject
Publication year
Type
Format
Publisher
- ABPI (2)
- Alstom (1)
- Biomimicry 3.8 (2)
- BP Educational Service (2)
- British Science Association (4)
- Cape Farewell (2)
- Catalyst (33)
- CIEC Promoting Science (1)
- CREST Awards (4)
- Department for Education (1)
- East Midlands Airport (1)
- Future Morph (1)
- Gatsby Charitable Foundation (1)
- Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (35)
- Innovate Educate (5)
- Institute of Ideas (1)
- Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) (4)
- MEI (1)
- National Non-Food Crops Centre (6)
- Nelson Thornes (8)
- Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (1)
- Robert Smyth Academy (1)
- Royal Institution (28)
- Royal Society (3)
- Royal Society of Chemistry (1)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (3)
- Science Council (1)
- Science Learning Centre (6)
- Science Museum (1)
- Shell Education Service (1)
- Solar Spark (6)
- Technology Enhancement Programme (1)
- The Avenue (4)
- TSSP (23)
- Tunnelworks (2)
- University of the West of England, Bristol (6)
- whynotchemeng (7)