The loose fragments of material on the Moon’s surface are called regolith. This regolith, a product of bombardment by meteorites, is the debris thrown out of the impact craters. By contrast, regolith on Earth (called ‘soil’ as it contains organic material) is a product of weathering. ‘Weathering’ describes all the...

These classroom resources from the Royal Society, based on the latest evidence available to scientists, can be used to engage students in the climate debate and to explore and understand topics relating to climate change. Further resources and extension tasks linked to these activities from the Royal Society are...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify the types of things rock may be comprised of.
• Describe the differences between grains, fossil fragments and crystals found in rocks.    
• Explain how the types of...

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

Salmon numbers...

In this activity children take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

Man-made satellites are put in specific orbits around our Earth and other planets to do certain jobs e.g. to send digital communications or to monitor the weather. These orbits can be distinguished by height above the planet and the orbital period. The orbits of natural satellites are much more varied and these...

In this activity students are required to interpret information conveyed in unfamiliar forms: data from maps and tables, to explore the claims that "The frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events have increased since the 1950s over most land area, and human-induced climate change is likely the main...

This resource, from the Association for Science Education (ASE), is based on a well-known quiz format. It is a PowerPoint presentation, and works well in class or as a lunchtime competition using overheads. The quiz could be run during lunch times as an inter-form competition, or within class time. After teachers...

This set of ideas, resources and materials help students develop a greater understanding of the language used in science. Reinforcing keywords helps students to become more familiar with scientific vocabulary, enabling them to progress with more confidence. The approaches here could easily be used in other areas of...

World Meteorological Day takes place every year on 23rd March and commemorates the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization. This collection includes a number of activities looking at the weather and climate, from measuring weather phenomena such as rainfall, wind direction and speed, to using 3D...

This resource provides a stand-alone lesson to support World Oceans Day in schools. The short activities include:

Ocean acidification in a cup which demonstrates the basic process of ocean acidification

Dissolving shell in vinegar investigates how the decreasing pH of...

The theme for United Nations Water's World Water day in 2024 is 'water for peace' which highlights how scarcity of clean unpolluted water can create tensions between communities and nations.  In 2015, when setting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the world promised that everyone would have safely managed...