The BRaSS initiative seeks to develop teachers’ and students’ understanding and insight about:-

• how knowledge works
• cross-curricular links in science 
• the place of ethics in science teaching
• the value of using research projects in science teaching

Science...

 These materials look at three possible projects that relate to a wet suit used in open water swimming during a triathlon:

* Communications project - students gather information about the materials wetsuits are made from and explain what features make them suitable for athletes.

* Practical project -...

The Youth Grand Challenges is a new STEM competition that aims to inspire students aged 11-to-19.  This resource provides a selection of ideas for research or practical projects on the subect of the spread of disease.

Curriculum links include pathogens, bacteria, epidemics, pandemics, malaria, water borne...

Carry out a survey on how many bugs are found in a certain area and add to a national survey. This resource fits in with the curriculum topics of animals in the local environment, habitats, and interdependence and adaptation.

There are six key species to watch out for: Two-spot Ladybird, Devil’s Coach Horse...

This is a classroom-based activity from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute that allows students to explore the features of two bacterial pathogen genomes. The aim of this activity is to highlight the role of different genetic components in two closely related subspecies of Salmonella enterica, and to identify how...

This Catalyst article explores the processes undertaken during the construction of a white water canoe course for the Olympic Games which requires a huge range of practical skills, but also great science skills too. The scientist must calculate how much noise from both the course's construction and its use during...

Learners discover the BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute for forest research free air carbon enrichment) experiment and the infrastructure associated with it. They are introduced to the arrays, met masts and flux tower and encouraged to think about the research questions that this experiment can answer. Learners are...

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at what UK farmers are doing to protect the country's vanishing bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects; how scientists are trying to figure out how many types of microbes there are on our...

In this podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Sue Nelson goes to the Eden Project in Cornwall, southwest England and to the South Downs in southeast England to find out what butterfly research is telling us about climate change. As well as the bad news...

This collection of resources developed by CANDO (Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics) examines the structure and function of neurons and neural technology advances. The neurological condition epilepsy is focused upon and the future use of bio-electric implants as a preventative treatment. 

The work of the Children’s Learning in Science Project (CLIS) was based on a view of learning which assumes that learners are actively involved in constructing meanings. Implicit in the teaching approach is the assumption that learning does not simply involve ‘taking in’ new ideas, but that the learner may need to...

The aim of the Children’s Learning in Science Project (CLIS) was to discover how to use a constructivist approach to teach selected topics, and translate this into materials which could be used by teachers. The teaching strategies suggested to achieve the CLIS objectives in lessons include a focus on the use of: *...

This is a CPD taster created to give teachers a better understanding of what to expect when joining one of our secondary science courses. Below you will find a video and a task for you to do in your own time. Once you have done the activity, ...