This teaching resource is based on the discovery of a giant 30 000 year old virus, still alive under the permafrost. As the world warms, others may be uncovered. Could such an ancient virus wipe out the human race? In this activity, students learn how to interrogate sources to separate science fact from fiction....

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The beautiful aurorae, or northern lights, are the stuff of legends. The ancient stories of the Sami people warn that if you mock the lights they will seize you, and their mythical appeal continues to capture the hearts and imagination of people across the globe.

Aurora is a narrative of discovery exploring...

According to John Dewey, Seymour Papert, Donald Schon, and Allan Collins, school activities, to be authentic, need to share key features with those worlds about which they teach. This book documents learning and teaching in open-inquiry learning environments, designed with the precepts of these educational thinkers...

This longer-duration activity involves prototyping a low-power lighting system. It could be used in an off-timetable workshop or across a series of lessons.

Students are challenged to work through the whole design process, and to place a micro-controller (in this case a BBC micro:bit) at the centre of the...

This book answers questions such as how many stars are there? How can you talk to aliens? And what happens when a star explodes? Readers discover...

The BBC micro:bit is a great tool for carrying out surveys that involve quickly counting and recording one or two variables. Using the button inputs provides a simple interface to the device allowing, for instance, quick tallying of the numbers of two different types of bee around a plant. Other examples might...

Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) has provided a free online learning platform for schools which includes curriculum linked activities, developed to support secondary school students. These activities provide the opportunity for students to join a growing community of citizen scientists who are...

The Broadening Secondary School Science, or BRaSS initiative, seeks to develop teachers’ and students’ understanding and insight about:-

• how knowledge works
• cross-curricular links in science 
• the place of...

These wide-ranging resources provide information and guidance that will help practitioners and employers consider issues such as gender equality, subject choice, inclusive pedagogy and providing successful work placements.

Bacteria are one of the simplest forms of independent life with no nucleus or membrane bound organelles. These animations, from the Wellcome Trust, show that, despite this apparent simplicity, bacterial diseases pose a profound threat to world health. The animations are suitable as a lesson starter, to introduce...

Full of spleen, this book is an invigorating and informative journey through the world of 'Bad science'. It answers questions like how do we know if a treatment works, or if something causes cancer? Can the claims of...

In this book, popular QCA investigations are covered, matching the new framework's emphasis on 'how science works'. Simple to use, fun to do and...

This activity, suitable for a multi-lesson sequence or a single extended session, challenges students to design and prototype a simple motion-sensing alarm. The device is intended to prevent theft or the accidental picking-up of a bag.

Motion is sensed using the accelerometer built-in to the BBC micro:bit,...