In this activity, students consider the evidence for causal links between sugar consumption, obesity and disease. They then weigh up arguments for and against banning sugary drink sales to children.

Curriculum links include:

Key Stage Three:

*Working Scientifically: Analysis and evaluation –...

In this activity students work as researchers on a TV show and plan a report about the claim that sunbeds cause skin cancer.

Learning objectives:

*Use knowledge about UV light to explain the link between sunbeds and skin cancer.

*Understand how scientific evidence can support a claim.

...

This practical activity explores beak adaptations in bird populations and looks at the way in which variation in beak shape is related to the available food sources within an environment.

Students simulate bird feeding by using a ‘beak’ to collect food and place it into a stomach. There are four different...

This Nuffield exploration is a simulation of a booking system for a small guesthouse. Students have to manage the bookings and, as far as possible, arrange to give people the accommodation they request.

The key...

In this resource, students use their STEM skills to help them design and build a model of a flood- proof house. Activities to help them with their design include testing materials (for strength and absorbency) and structures. Set on a fictitious island coping with the devastating effects of flooding caused by...

From Practical Action and the Royal Academy of Engineering, this short starter activity helps students to think about their own values and those of their peers in relation to the sustainability of engineering. The activity encourages an awareness of the impact of engineering on the environment and sustainability....

The materials provide teachers with examples of different enquiry types, e.g. classifying and identifying, developing systems, and pattern seeking.  The booklet provides an overview of the enquiries and the particular approaches used. Scientists use many different ways to collect evidence, but a survey undertaken...

Multiplication Bingo is designed to help students practice their times tables and contains a pack of bingo cards and question cards used to play the game. The teacher notes give advice and tips on how to play and vary the game. Blank cards are provided to enable students to make up their own versions of the game...

In this topic, from the Association for Science Education (ASE), students explore the importance of biodiversity to humankind. The topic is designed to allow classes in schools across the world to exchange information about the factors affecting biodiversity today.

Students focus in particular on the...

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, 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...

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 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...

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...