In this activity students are asked to test the statement: “It is very likely that the Arctic has warmed at more than twice the global rate over the past 50 years”

Students are asked to use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate averages, maximum values and minimum values and draw line graphs. Students use a...

This concept cartoon, provided by the Association for Science Education (ASE), is focusing on weather forecasting. Concept cartoons provide a new approach to teaching, learning and assessment in science, they feature cartoon-style drawings showing different characters...

In this Catalyst article, David Edwards studies ways of reducing the impact of human activities in tropical regions. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 3.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged...

Comets are considered to be time capsules containing information about the conditions of the early Solar System. In order to understand what comets are, where they come from, and their influence on the evolution of Earth, it is necessary to find out what material they contain. This teacher demonstration and student...

A Catalyst article about the work of a scientist from the British Antarctic Survey, gathering data about climate change by studying ice cores from Antarctica. One of the areas of research was to find out whether it is possible to learn how much sea ice there was around Antarctica in the past by measuring how much...

A Catalyst article explaining how scientists have found that the overturning circulation in the Atlantic Ocean, which maintains Europe’s moderate climate, was weaker in 2004 by 30% relative to earlier estimates. What does this mean and what impact could it have on our climate? Scientists' research and their climate...

Produced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Cosmic Rays is a colour A5 leaflet that opens out into an A2 double-sided wallchart describing cosmic rays and where they come from, what effect they have on Earth and how they are used in scientific applications. Sections of the leaflet cover: *The...

In this set of activities, students learn about the causes and potential impacts of sea-level rise while developing core scientific skills.

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at the cunning tricks the cuckoo uses to get another bird to do the parenting, why researchers are studying snow in Sweden, and discovers an improved radiocarbon dating technique.

The cuckoo is a well-...

This book and accompanying teacher guide focus on the story of a young girl and her passion for saving water. The story follows the journey of an ordinary schoolgirl in the UK, who transforms into a water superhero when a DRY summer is followed by a DRY winter. The teacher guide provides eight linked activities...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, looks at how mathematical models try to understand the causes of rogue waves. These huge waves appear without warning, towering high over ships and oil rigs. Traditional mathematical models could not predict the occurrence...

In this activity developed by the Institute of Physics, students model the motion of a planet around a star and investigate how day and night and seasons may be different on other planets. Working in pairs or small groups, students demonstrate night and day and seasons to each other. They can then go on to model...

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, uses daytime viewing of the Moon to reinforce ideas learned in the classroom about light, shadow and the Moon itself. Advice is given on the best times to view the Moon, and the compulsory and optional equipment needed. By viewing the Moon during the day,...

A Catalyst article about designing, building and testing a spacecraft. There are thousands of man-made satellites orbiting the Earth. Some are only a few hundred kilometres above the Earth and complete one orbit roughly every 90 minutes. Geostationary satellites are located around 40 000 kilometres from the surface...