Science Investigations 3
This resource, published by Collins Educational, builds on work carried out in Science Investigations One and Science Investigations Two to look at the interpretation of more complex tables and graphs. It looks at interpreting trends and considering the reliability and validity of data. This includes how to collate data from different…
Science Investigations 2
This resource, published by Collins Educational, contains a set of activities intended to develop an awareness of the need to make judgements based on evidence which has been collected. This book looks at the problems with longer term investigations (particularly in biology), including trial runs and estimation of range and interval.…
Science Investigations 1
This resource, by Collins Educational, contains a set of activities intended to develop an awareness of the need to make judgements based on evidence which has been collected. There is a focus on the importance of collecting data to answer specific questions and how best to collect it. The emphasis is placed on planning investigations…
Understanding the Universe
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about the ideas that people held about the cosmos in the past. The unit focuses on the views of the universe of King Hammurabi, Ptolemy, Galileo and Hubble. Contents • Questions • Sorting ideas about the universe • Presenting…
Wegener and Continental Drift
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how difficult it can be for new ideas in science to become accepted. Sometimes there is one missing piece in the new theory which takes a long time to discover. It can also be hard to persuade other scientists to accept that their ideas are…
Darwin and Evolution
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how new scientific ideas become accepted. In the past, there was much opposition to a new idea if it contradicted the religious views that people held. This made it hard for the new idea to become accepted. A good example of this was Darwin’s…
Dalton and Particle Theory
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how scientists dream up new ideas. Scientists can work on a problem for many years, and have to be very creative to solve it. They are often building on the work of other scientists who came before them. A good example is the theory of particles,…
Cloning
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative raises the issue that science and technology have changed our lives, often for the better, but sometimes for the worse. This unit takes the example of cloning to show how ethical arguments can be applied when making decisions about new technologies. Contents •…
4/5- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Activity sheet
Superhumans?
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative explores the possible benefits and risks of a new technology. The unit uses the example of whether in the future it should be permitted to allow people to have ‘superbrains’ with computer chips implanted in them. Contents • Questions •…
Testing New Drugs on People
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about ethical aspects of science. When people make decisions, they sometimes only think about the benefits and risks. Considering ethics means thinking about what is right and wrong about the choices. A good example where ethics is used is deciding…
Superbugs
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about the power of science. Scientists have discovered many things to improve our lives over the last century. A good example is in medicine, with the discovery of antibiotics to kill bacteria. Contents • Questions • Superbug threat •…
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how difficult it can be to make predictions. Scientists can predict some things quite accurately, but in other cases it is much more difficult to make a prediction. A good example of this is trying to predict exactly when an earthquake or…
The Search for Aliens
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative shows that scientists do not always have the answer. This can be because it is very difficult to collect the evidence. A good example is the question ‘is intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy?’ Contents • Questions • Making…
Climate on Trial
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative shows that scientists do not always have the answer. Understanding how the environment works can be very complicated, as there are so many factors involved. A good example of this is global warming where not everyone is certain that the climate is…
GM Food
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how science provides many things to improve people’s lives, such as heating and power but sometimes new ‘technologies’ have drawbacks as well as benefits. Students explore the benefits and risks of a new technology, using…
Cleaner Energy
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how science provides many things to improve people’s lives, such as heating and power but sometimes new ‘technologies’ have drawbacks as well as benefits. Students explore the benefits and risks of new technologies, using…
Death of the Dinosaurs
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how scientists do not always agree. Scientific arguments or controversies can last many years. This is because scientists sometimes explain the facts in different ways. Some scientists may support one theory, and some another. A good example…
How Safe are Mobile Phones?
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about why scientists disagree. Different people produce different results and sometimes different people interpret the same results in a different way. The scare about the safety of mobile phones is a good example. Contents • Questions •…
BSE and Communicating Science
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how important it is for scientists to communicate what they find out. Other scientists need to be able to check the results. The public needs to be aware of scientific issues that could affect them and governments may need to take action.…
Getting into the Media
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about the importance of the media (television, newspapers, radio) in science. The media decide which stories we hear about. They may also change the science to make it into news that more people will tune in to. In this unit the students take on…
Vaccines
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about the importance of the media (television, newspapers, radio) in science. The media may be biased in how they report science. They also influence people’s opinions on scientific issues. A good example of this is the safety of vaccines. Contents •…
Energy Drinks
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about drawing conclusions from evidence. Students consider how to decide whether or not scientific claims can be trusted. In the unit they consider the design of experiments with examples from television commercials which make scientific claims…
Speed Cams
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about using scientific evidence to make decisions. Students learn about ways to check if evidence is ‘reliable’. They unit is illustrated by showing how the police use evidence from photographs to prosecute speeding motorists. Contents •…
Crash Tests
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how to draw useful conclusions from scientific data. Scientists use tables to display a lot of data from an investigation. In this unit, students see how table can help to reveal patterns in the data. This is based on data from crash tests…
Polluted Air
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how charts, graphs and computer software make it easier to communicate scientific information. They can also make help people to spot patterns when there is a lot of data to analyse. The unit is based on data about air pollution, which is…
Red Giant
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how useful diagrams, tables and graphs can be in finding patterns. Students find out that once a pattern is found, scientists try to explain it. In this unit, they learn to do this by working on the script of a new science fiction film. Contents •…
Safe Drinking Water
This main unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is about how scientists draw different types of graphs to communicate data, and make patterns easy to see. Students learn that whether they should draw a bar chart or a line graph depends on the nature of the data. This is illustrated by the types…
Newspaper Headline Bingo
This starter unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is based on the game of Bingo. The game is adapted to help students decide whether or not newspapers report science stories fairly. Contents • Teachers’ headline cards • Teachers’ answers • Bingo cards • Teachers’…
We Have the Technology
This starter unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative asks students to consider whether science and technology are completely different subjects. The activity is intended to help students to see how science creates new technology and how new technology can lead to scientific discoveries. Like the other…
The Uncertainty Game
This starter unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative is a game about whether or not scientists always have the answer to a question. Students discover that the answers to many questions are still uncertain. The unit is based on a game for two teams, where the aim is to collect the right cards in your…
Changing Ideas
This starter unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative helps students to reflect on how scientific ideas changed. Students complete a table. For each idea listed they have to decide whether it was, is or will be true a thousand years ago, now or a thousand years in the future. Contents • Question…
Which Theory Is Correct?
This starter unit in the Ideas and Evidence pack from the Pupil Researcher Initiative asks whether there is always one correct explanation for things in the world science. The unit suggests that scientists do not always know the answer, and argue about which theory is correct. This unit is based on a guessing game about scientific…