Resources by Science and Technology Facilities Council - UKRI

Hands-on Universe

Produced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Hands-on Universe is a space curriculum pack for students aged 7 to 11. The resource pack consists of six information and activity cards, each of which investigates a specific area of astronomy. The activities cover the Earth and solar system,...

Herschel: Uncovering the Universe

Produced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), this colour leaflet describes the largest space telescope ever to be launched. The Herschel mission, launched in 2009, reveals how the first stars and galaxies formed. Herschel is observing some of the coldest objects in the Universe. It is the...

History, People and FAQs

This resource, from the Living in a Materials World CD-ROM produced by Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), describes the achievements of some of the physicists and chemists who have contributed to our scientific understanding of the structure and behaviour...

Hitting the Moon

In this lesson, students will learn about solar system orbits and how asteroids can become dislodged and sent on a collision course with the Earth. They will then conduct an investigation into the relationship between impact speed and crater size in the context of Moon impacts. This activity is differentiated for...

How Big Is the Universe?

It is almost impossible for the human mind to grasp just how big the universe is, but astronomer Pete Edwards gives it his best shot in this Teaching Astronomy and Space video from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and Science and Technology Facilities...

Ice cores

In this practical activity students analyse ice cores extracted from the icy worlds of Enceladus or Europa. This resource provides information about Enceladus and worksheets for both qualitative and quantitative analyses. In the video, Steve Althorpe explains how ice cores containing minerals can be made and then...

Invisible Wavelengths

This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows a simple demonstration to illustrate wavelengths of radiation that are invisible to the human eye, but which...

Is There Life In There?

All life forms on Earth are based on organic biochemistry. This activity requires students to analyse an unknown soil sample (just recovered from a space mission to another planet!) and look for signs of possible indicators for life. Curriculum areas covered:

• Cell biology
• Food tests, including...

Key Stage Four: Carbon Dioxide

In this lesson from the Science and Technology Council (STFC), students use an experiment to see if carbon dioxide does cause global warming. The lesson starts with a presentation which raises questions to be answered by the experiment. Students are asked to evaluate the method and results before planning and...

Key Stage Four: Climate Change

In this resource form the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), students are asked to evaluate the evidence about climate change and think about ways to manage the worst of its effects. Students learn about the ways of modelling the effects using computers using data and knowledge of physical processes...