This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth collection looks at why scientists are working with the National Trust to restore the chalk grasslands around Stonehenge; how scientists are using satellites to study microscopic plants; and the etiquette of dining and bullying in...

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...

Most people are all too familiar with the idea of animal parasites, including tape worms, ticks and lice. But did you know that plants can also act as parasites, exploiting resources from unwilling hosts? Rather than being rare anomalies, however, there are over 4000 known species of parasitic plants, with...

This collection of SAPS resources includes  recommended plant practicals for 14-16 biology, covering a range of topics including photosynthesis, cells, germination, totipotency and ecology. These practicals are reliable, affordable, and engaging for students.

From Solar Spark, this activity allows students to see how chlorophyll can be energised and how this causes it to fluoresce. Chlorophyll in plant leaves absorb red light and pass the energy on to other parts of the plant, hence leaves look green. But if there is nowhere for the energy to go, it gets released as...

In this activity students consider the questions:

• Why is the car manufacturer interested in planting trees?
• How much pollution do cars cause?
• How can plants compensate for car pollution?
• What...

In this practical, students investigate the effects of different levels of minerals (nitrates, phosphates and potassium) on the growth of radishes. Students sow radish seed in ‘soil’ containing different levels of 3 minerals - nitrates, phosphates and potassium. These minerals are present inside N:P:K fertiliser...

One of a series from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. This practical introduces a simple method to grow radishes, for investigations into the effect of a range of factors on plant growth, including levels of pollutants,...

In this practical activity, students explore how the technique of re-infection (using infected material to infect healthy plant tissue) can help to identify the cause of a plant disease.

 Ideas about communicable diseases in plants are included in the updated programmes of study for Key Stage 4 science...

Invite pupils to explore how plants are adapted for different biomes with this card sorting activity. There are some unusual plant examples of adaptation to discuss including snowdrops and night blooming cereus. Use the teacher’s answer sheet for more information.

This activity is part of...

In this practical activity, students explore how the technique of re-infection (using infected material to infect healthy plant tissue) can help to identify the cause of a plant disease.

The activity will help students to demonstrate the following learning outcome at KS4:

• describe ways to...

Despite the high rate of growth in rainforests the soil in these forests is poor in nutrients. The nutrients have been washed out of the soils by heavy rainfall. In this project, students are going to investigate how different kinds of compost and fertiliser affect the rate of growth of plants.

In this resource, students carry out a 'cauliflower cloning' tissue culture practical to investigate totipotency in plants. The practical is placed in the context of a STEM careers case study, to give students a broader understanding of the underlying science.

Students are introduced to Jonathan Kendon, a...

Produced in 2015, these resources look specifically at how genes can be altered in plants and how bacteria are central to genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified (GM) crops offer the potential to help improve food security though this still remains...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials look at the work of conservation biotechnologist, Jonathan Kendon. Through investigating the effects of human activity on the environment, students gain a greater understanding of the career...