In 2012, the Olympic and Paralympic games will be held in London. These resources look at a wide range of topics that can all be linked to the games. They cover science, technology, engineering and mathematics and can be used in individual lessons or as part of a cross-curricular Olympic and Paralympic theme.

This Core Maths task looks at how countries are ranked at the 2012 Olympic Games. Students use Excel to order the data and are asked to comment on whether the ranking is fair. This activity is designed to then lead to a discussion of weighted rankings.

The teachers' notes give...

This set of activities is designed for a STEM Ambassador to use when introducing their work in the highways and transport industry to pupils aged 14 to 16. They can also be used by teachers to introduce the challenges faced by transport infrastructure in the UK and the roles played by 3 different types of transport...

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...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this guide provides practical information and advice about organising a visit to a local science-based industry. Visits can be engaging, stimulating and profitable for the students, teachers and companies...

This Core Maths task provides an opportunity for students to create questions based on the idea of someone being awarded a certificate for traveling one million miles with an airline. Students are to decide what information they need to help them answer their questions and then to work out the...

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service, these materials help to demonstrate effective practice. This case study, from Peterborough Regional College, looks at the theme of harnessing technology.

The project set out to determine the impact of virtual resources upon the progress of students using...

This online ecology practical, from SAPS, uses random sampling to measure the abundance of various different species on an area of grassland.

Objectives

To give students practice at

• using random sampling to measure the abundance of various different species on an area of...

In this resource from SAPS, students learn about random sampling, diversity and different measures of abundance, before looking at close-up photographs of quadrats and using the field guide to identify them. The resources are intended to help students develop skills and plant identification techniques before going...

This online ecology practical, by SAPS, is designed to give students an opportunity to see how systematic sampling can be used to

• investigate changes in species richness across a footpath
• the distribution of species across a footpath

These online exercises are not intended as a...

This is a very comprehensive resource from the University of Cambridge detailing the main functions of generic operating systems. It could be used as a reference or basis for a comprehension question sheet or preparing model answers for examination questions. Students will also see links with other topics such as...

These O.R. Society resources contain seven short films explaining what operational research is, how it is used in a variety of every day situations and what career opportunities the study of operational research affords. The sub collection contains problems to be used to introduce, practice or consolidate a variety...

This activity allows students to  research and present data, using live job and apprenticeship vacancy information found at plotr.co.uk as a stimulus.  Students practise using mathematical tools to present information. The activity will  familiarise pupils with...

A case study from Mathematics Matters which looks at the development of optical fibres and how mathematical models have simplified the process of producing them. Modern society relies heavily on a variety of networks, but we don’t fully understand how they behave. Mathematical network theory lets us create models...

This activity is an ideal way to introduce the concept of chirality and optical isomerism to students.

During the lesson they first learn to recognise ...