This guide for students allows them to explore technology used in space through the Arduino tool. They can build circuits to blink an LED and to measure temperature, pressure and altitude. The basics of programming in C++ will be introduced using the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) software. This...

This edition of the Computing at School newsletter covers many topics including:

*Visual development of mobile apps using App Inventor

*Active learning in computing using Lego NXT and Logo

*BYOB, an extension to Scratch that aids abstraction and extension

*Robot simulation using RoboMind...

This is a useful and very readable leaflet for an overview of assessment, which helps you to consider how and why you are assessing students.

It is important to ensure that assessment activities are valid: that is, that they assess what you intend to assess.  On page 2 you'll find a good set of things to...

This resource is from a collection of Nuffield Maths resources exploring dynamics. The demand is roughly equivalent to that in GCE A level. The resources typically include slide shows to introduce the topics, student sheets and teacher notes, as well as other relevant resources.

This resource is an...

This series of three lessons introduces Python programming to students in secondary school. The lesson objectives include:

• Creating simple code including the input and print scripts
• Using "If statements" to make a decision
• Using the random function in programs

Detailed...

This guide is an introduction for STEM Ambassadors who are interested in working with STEM Clubs at school.

Being involved in a STEM Club can be a great way to work with schools. STEM Clubs tend to be informal, sometimes with small groups, and have enthusiastic students who want to participate.
Many...

Produced by the LSIS, these materials include an interactive activity and presentation that introduces safety signs as a communication medium. It has a lively, interactive approach to help students become familiar with the meaning of the four main types of safety signs. Students apply and test their understanding...

Produced by the Health Protection Agency, this e-bug resource contains teacher guidance, stimulus materials and student activity suggestions. It looks at the topic of disease prevention through vaccinations.

In the main activity students take part in a simulation to see how vaccines are used to prevent the...

This lesson recaps some of the learning from the Key Stage One Blockly course on Rapid Router. It touches on repetition in programs, and requires children to create an algorithm challenge that requires loops to solve it efficiently. The challenges are in the context of programming a groceries delivery van.

This activity could be used in Key Stage 2 as a stand-alone activity, as a focused task to develop skills in the use of the glue gun, or as an introduction to a design and make project, such as the spaghetti bridges.

In this activity, students develop both their skills in using a glue gun and demonstrate...

This resource gives an introduction to the Su Doku puzzle, guidance on how to solve the puzzles and a discussion on variations on the classic Su Doku puzzle. Classroom considerations are made and a historical background given before simple 4 by 4 puzzles are produced. There follows examples of 6 by 6 Su Doku...

This report, published by LSIS, describes an action research project by Leeds College of Building. The practical construction of the roof involves using a roofing square. It was identified that staff required professional development on how the trigonometric information on the square has been derived and relates to...

Suitable for students throughout secondary computing, including those studying at an advanced level, this exercise introduces the Heap Sort and explores why it is more efficient than the Bubble Sort in another Scratch Patch article. Students learn about tree data structures, including the correct terminology for...

This resource provides a lesson in which children understand and use negative numbers in the context of
temperatures. Looking at the temperatures of different cities, they find missing temperatures and temperature differences. Temperature scales are provided which could help children who need a visual...

This resource includes two activities, demonstrating how to read and write to and from external text files. The first example shows how to use Python to create a html web page, which is then opened in a browser. The second program displays fading titles pulling data from an external text file, in this case a '...