This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Much of the energy consumption in the modern world relies on the use of oil, coal or natural gas, and these fossil fuels are non-renewable. Some people believe that biofuels, made from...

This resource looks at how biomimicry enables engineers to take ideas from the natural world to develop new products and designs. The specific example of gecko tape is used to illustrate this. Students play a game of pairs where they need to match technology with the animal or plant which inspired its development....

The Bionic Boy resources take inspiration from the Born to Engineer video from Ben Ryan, who is working to develop low-cost 3D-printed prosthetic limbs for young children and babies. Through discussion and practical activity, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of engineering through...

In this resource from CensusAtSchool. students compare data on month of birth from 45,000 South African students given in a table to the same data represented in a bar chart. Students are asked to consider reasons for month of birth and why it is appropriate to use percentages for large data sets.Students are then...

This Licence to Cook practical session is about baking biscuits, both savoury and sweet. During the session, students will make either Cheese straws or ANZAC biscuits.

The session aims to improve students’ knowledge of flour based products and act as a reminder for the safe use of the cooker. It can be used...

This resource, from Siemens UK, looks at the use of wind farms to provide sustainable energy for a range of communities in a variety of settings. The selection of a New Zealand context is significant as Maori communities see themselves as being responsible for effective stewardship of the land for future...

A National STEM Learning Centre and Network Engineering Case Studies resource investigating the evolution of the Blu-Ray DVD player, starting with the invention of the laser in 1958. This is a science enquiry story of how these devices have evolved from the invention of the laser in 1958 to the high-tech blue laser...

This excel file has four interactive sheets dealing with the order of operations. The first shows groups of calculations involving addition, subtraction and multiplication where the answers can be revealed. The second interactive sheet is similar, but it deals with...

In this activity, from the Institution of Engineering and technology (IET), students investigate a use of electronic systems to improve health care.

They study a case where a Body Centric Antenna (BCA) increases the...

This puzzle is idea for use when teaching nets. Six nets are presented and the challenge is to decide which can be folded into a cuboid. The nets are provided in a format that allows for cutting out to test answers. This resource is suitable for Key Stage 3.

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This Study Plus unit from the National Strategies develops an understanding of volume and surface area of 3D objects through exploring nets.

There are opportunities for practical work in all of the lessons. The unit looks at perimeter, area and volume in context. In addition, there are opportunities to...

Boxes and bottles come in all shapes and sizes. These Cre8ate maths activities explore some of the mathematics behind packaging decisions taken by manufacturers, they provide a platform for students to make conjectures and find efficient ways of recording results to justify claims they have made. In Boxing stock...

This Science upd8 activity draws on research which shows that young female chimps learn survival skills faster and more effectively than males.

Their sex-based learning differences are similar to those of humans! In this activity students look at research evidence and decide whether learning differences are...

This resource contains two excel programs; ‘Removing and Collecting Like Terms’ and ‘Multiplying Out and Simplifying’, each containing a series of interactive spreadsheets designed to explore how to deal with brackets.

Braille is a system of dots which enables blind people to read and this resource, from the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching, provides the opportunity for students to explore the patterns used in this code. The activities are designed to prompt class discussion and mathematical thinking, while engaging...