A Catalyst article about road traffic accidents (RTAs). After the accident police and other investigators try to establish what went wrong. This may be with a view to prosecuting a motorist, or simply in an effort to improve road safety. An understanding of the physics of motion plays a large part in such...

These materials, from the Earth Science Teachers' Association, contain hands-on activities that will help students to understand processes such as the water cycle and phenomena like climate change and plate tectonics.

One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology.

This activity allows students to investigate many factors that influence seed germination, including temperature, light, nutrient levels, pollutant effects, tropisms and so on.

It...

In this activity, from the LSIS, students discover for themselves the importance of the perpendicular distance in moments. It is presented as a whole class discussion but can easily be adapted for small group work.

The activity uses a magnetic disc that takes about 15 minutes to construct. The activity will...

Vernalisation offers an interesting example of the way that plants have evolved to exploit the predictability of seasonal change and, in this case, to ensure that flowering occurs at an appropriate time. It also gives an example of how environmental factors control and...

In these applied science activities, students will:

• Carry out research to find out about X-rays and the electromagnetic spectrum
• Investigate shadows and how X-ray images are captured, how to improve images using narrow beams and filters, and protection against X-rays
• Model X-ray...

This is one of a series of extended units, from the Association for Science Education and the Design and Technology Association, to provide in-depth coverage of a topic or an area of the curriculum. Through the study of this unit, students can learn about control systems; use a process for analysing systems; and...

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 a practical...

This resource investigates how hoverboards work.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• Understand how at least two different examples of hoverboards function.
• Know how to analyse examples of existing products.
• Analyse the main features of a product and identify improvements that...

This resource considers the social implications and challenges faced.

Suggested learning outcomes include:

• To know what is meant by a remote area.
• To understand the social problems and challenges faced by people living in remote...

In this small-scale scoping study, the questions around whether and how teachers of STEM subjects access information about cutting edge research to inform their classroom practice, and how this impacts on the students they teach, was explored.

This study supports STEM Learning’s aims to explore the effective...

In this resource, students investigate the biodiversity of different habitats, looking at the relative abundance of different plant species. Students carry out a practical activity in the school grounds or other green space, comparing the diversity of habitats using Cairns' sequential comparison index.

Their...

This resource from the Nuffield Foundation provides material for teaching 'the nature of science' for students aged 11-16. The units were designed to help teachers and learners explore questions such as:
*How and why do scientific ideas change and develop?
*...

This innovative activity uses the context of the distribution of dwarf willow to carry out virtual quadrat and transect sampling techniques.

Initially pupils are asked to discuss the unique characteristics of trees and then debate whether dwarf willow is a tree.

To carry out the field work, pupils can...

Students research the theoretical principles of thermography and create a thermogram.  They will need to:

• find out about hot body radiation and the medical uses of thermography
• Create a thermogram. Temperatures are...