Produced by the Science Museum, this resource sees students working in groups to explore the issues surrounding genetic testing. Students receive a sealed secret box, that contains a chance card. Opening the box represents taking a genetic test. Students have to decide whether they would want to open the box. In...

A PISA in Focus study published in 2012 from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), looks at whether students perform better in science if they are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, such as field trips and science projects. Most countries (22 of 31 OECD countries)...

Video from the Big Picture issue on Fat, showing an experiment to discover if we favour fatty foods.

The oceans are become more acidic. This is due to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the ...

Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In particular, students are asked to plan an investigation into whether water expands when it freezes or when it thaws. The context is set by considering that in winter many people report burst water pipes when a thaw...

Published in 2016.  Mathematics anxiety (MA) is the state of discomfort around the performance of mathematical tasks. Does MA cause poor performance in mathematics, or is it poor performance in mathematics that causes MA? The question is important, because it affects the “treatment” that results. Should the focus...

This article, from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) publication ‘Mathematics Teaching’, is written by Pete Griffin and taken from MT227.

The notion of ‘understanding’ and its place in the learning process is often placed in sharper focus when considered in the context of learning and teaching...

Act 1

Information is given that a smaller domino can topple...

The resource explores a number of activities to explore the mathematics contained within a pack of dominoes. As a starter, students are asked a series of questions about the number of dots on dominoes.

Hollow Domino Squares asks students to arrange dominos in the shape of hollow squares such...

Donald Palmer's job involves studying, and teaching others how, the human body protects itself from infections and malfunctions, including cancer. He is especially interested in the way the immune system changes with age, and examines the surfaces of human cells using chemicals and instruments.

As a child...

Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. It looks at the different forms of smog that affect major cities because of their high density of population and air pollution from industry and motor vehicles. The activity is designed to let the students review the...

A Catalyst article about Dorothy Hodgkin who was a pioneering scientist, a peace activist, a mother of three and a Nobel Prize winner. The article looks at her life and work in science. She did valuable work as an X-ray crystallographer and in finding the structure of biologically important molecules such as...

This Science upd8 activity draws on clinical trials. Eight young volunteers had been in clinical trials before, but this time things went horribly wrong. Six of the eight were left fighting for their lives. In this discussion activity students consider whether new treatments should be ever tested on human...

These three activities, from Centre of the Cell, demonstrate how double blind trials are run, explaining what a placebo is and how the placebo effect works, how bias is removed as far as possible and how participants and trial medicines are randomised. Through these activities, students investigate the placebo...