These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Categorise everyday observations of change.

• Distinguish examples of physical change from chemical changes.

• Explain observations of a chemical...

A Catalyst article about high-level nuclear waste. It is hot, corrosive and a source of intense radiation. The nuclear industry is seeking safe ways to deal with such waste, and wants the public to help shape the decisions that are made. This article presents some information about the options for the storage of...

This activity investigates what conditions plants need to grow and why lack of light alters plant growth. It is part of a larger resource which looks at plants at primary level, ...

A Catalyst article about the discovery of puerperal fever by Ignaz Semmelweis a doctor in a maternity ward in Vienna general hospital. The article looks at his observations into death rates and shows how scientists use observations and theories to make practical changes that can improve life. In the case of...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify observational evidence of the formation of a new product with new properties.
• Distinguish rate from time.
• Distinguish average rate from instantaneous rate of...

A Catalyst article about physicists working at Europe’s Large Hadron Collider who hope to have received the first results from what is probably the biggest, most expensive and most ambitious scientific experiment ever carried out. Later, they hope to solve the mystery of the fundamental forces of nature.

The...

A Catalyst article about light emitting diodes and how they are more energy efficient than existing light bulbs which waste most of the energy they receive. The article explains how LEDs work and how they can be applied in traffic lights. Creating white light from LEDs is difficult and the article looks at possible...

Produced by the Science Enhancement Programme (SEP), these materials are aimed at facilitators who are preparing to lead Learning Skills for Science (LSS) training courses with colleagues. This resource looks at the training connected to skills in information retrieval. The trainers' manual and supporting...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Recall the amount of time it takes to form a fossil fuel.
• Describe what plankton is.      
• Describe how organic materials can become trapped in sediment.           
...

A Catalyst article about microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet and X-rays which are all electromagnetic waves. The article looks at their different uses and why some are used to create medical images and others to treat disease. The article also explores how the electromagnetic spectrum is used by medical physicists to...

This Catalyst article takes a look at Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, the biggest and tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. The article explores the geology of the volcano, its history and the local habitat surrounding it including how the volcanic conditions create...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Describe the properties of the Moon.
• Identify the shapes that the Moon can appear to be. 
• Describe how the shape of the Moon appears to change over time.   
• ...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Distinguish a chemical from a physical property.
• Use observations to identify substances with similar chemical properties.
• Sequence elements in the Periodic Table...

This Catalyst article looks at the pterosaurs, which were flying reptiles, and which died out along with the dinosaurs. Analysis of the fossil record has increased scientists' knowledge of these creatures and how they lived. Bird watching during the Mesozoic Era, the expanse of time stretching between 245 and 65...