This Catalyst article looks at the process of photosynthesis, by which plants make a range of biochemical compounds. The article explains how photosynthesis actually ties in with growth. Respiration is happening all the time in all cells in all living organisms. Taken on its own, photosynthesis adds materials to...

Nutrition was one of the four topics that featured as a separate area of study in the Nuffield Home Economics course for students aged 14–16. The course emphasised the influence of food choice on health. The authors appreciated that entrenched attitudes to food and...

This biology and food resource uses the real-life context of the British America’s Cup team INEOS TEAM UK to introduce the topic of nutrition and a balanced diet. There is a short video clip 'Nutrition and fitness Teach with confidence' intended for teachers which introduces the resources and how to use them.

In this activity, aimed at lower primary level, children become familiar with a range of fruit and vegetables and develop an awareness of the parts of a plant that are eaten. Children handle and observe the texture, smell, and colour of different fruit and vegetables. They then decide in groups which part of a...

This resource from the European Space Agency is presented as eight activities which guides students to create an automatic plant watering system, suitable for use on a possible future colony on the planet Mars. Students have opportunities to use and develop their skills to plan, design and analyse various soil-...

This collection of resources introduces 14-16 students to the world of plant disease in a lively and engaging way. They include practicals and classroom activities to get your students thinking about plants as living organisms, with their own defences against the threat of invading pathogens. 

Ideas about...

This Catalyst article explains how scientists came to understand plants' sensitivity to external stimuli and their ability to move. Mimosa pudica...

This book looks at several aspects of plant science: *Soil * Soil nutrients * Food from plants * Growing new plants * Damage to plants Plant Science was one of the Science at Work series. All the booklets in the series were highly illustrated with practical work described, step by step, by 3D line drawings with...

The growth of plants in space is a keen area of experimentation, including ongoing work aboard the International Space Station. Successful crops will help astronauts to spend longer in space, boosting their healthy diet while reducing the mass of prepared food that must be transported from Earth.

Using a...

A selection of images relating to plants and food.

Plant Physiology is one of the titles in the series of ASE Lab Books that were published in the early 1970s for the Association for Science Education by John Murray. Each title covered one or two topics and brought together the best of the teaching notes and...

This resource provides a set of videos of a practical investigation aimed at supporting working scientifically in the classroom and relating science to real world experiences. In the first video, Professor Brian Cox joins a teacher to find out how some...

This resource describes the use of Cabomba to investigate the effect of light intensity in photosynthesis. The video demonstrates how best to use this protocol with students in the lab, supported by student sheets with four different investigations, technical notes and...