Produced by Solar Spark, this activity looks at the relationship between light and absorption in solar cells. Using a photovoltaic cell and different colour acetate sheets, it demonstrates the ability of solar cells to absorb at different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum and shows how the more it can...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Solar cells use light from the Sun to generate electricity, and it is now quite common to see solar-powered consumer devices. What has held...

This resource uses the context of tornadoes in the solar atmosphere to investigate circular motion and energy changes. A hole is drilled in the bottom of a washing up bowl and orange pith can be used to track the motion of the water when draining through the bottom and creating a vortex. The Key Stage Three...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Sound is an important part of our lives. Many people enjoy listening to music, and watching television would not be the same without sound. On...

In this video an oscilloscope simulator on a laptop is demonstrated to visualise a sound wave and calculate its frequency. 

Four groups of practicals, produced by Institute of Physics (IOP), which help students to understand the properties of sound.

In addition to the guidance included for specific activities, please refer to the generic health and safety information before commencing any practical activity.

This resource...

These resources from NASA look at why telescopes are put into space. Students build simple spectroscopes and telescopes to learn the answer to this question. This educator guide is divided into units of study that include science demonstrations, lesson plans and student sheets so that students may learn about Earth...

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In this practical activity students stain root tips and examine them for signs of cells dividing by mitosis. Students can either compare two different sources of root tip or two different stains. The mitotic index is the fraction of cells in a microscope field which contain condensed chromosomes. This index can be...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at stomatal opening and closing in Commelina communis (Asiatic dayflower). This is achieved by varying the turgor of the guard cells by bathing lower epidermal peels in solutions of different osmotic strengths. Changes in guard cell...

From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these practical activities allow students to investigate how woody and herbaceous plants support their shoots, branches, flowers and fruits and shed them at the appropriate time.

A number of investigations are suggested that can be adapted for students over a...

This Cre8ate maths activity draws on measuring stretchiness which involves the collection of real data, calculating percentages and experimental design. This resource models one way in which engineers use their knowledge of mathematics to investigate the properties of materials. Here students investigate the...

Aimed at Key Stage Two, this resource looks at the problem of launching RNLI lifeboats from different types of terrain in all kinds of weather. Linked to work on forces, shape and space and design and technology, it introduces the concept that both force and area affect the pressure applied on a surface. Working...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Understanding the idea of a ‘substance’ is central to making sense of the variety of materials in the world and the way that they change. Research on students’ understanding shows that...