Hexaflexagons: SMILE card ...

This presentation, from Paul Curzon at QMUL, uses a folded paper geometric shape called a hexahexaflexagon to teach about abstraction, data representation and graph data structures, while encouraging computational thinking. A video (linked from within the presentation) shows how to make one of the geometrical...

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) was recorded at the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, England and discusses how two researchers are using hi-tech physics to study different aspects of the environment.

The Diamond synchrotron is like...

This resource, produced by the Earth Science Teachers' Association consists of three units which investigate the effects of heat and pressure on rocks through a series of practical assignments. Many of the activities are suitable for group work, although some may be set...

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

• Describe how a person’s hand uses force to support different sized weights.         
• Describe how the size of force exerted by a spring changes as it is squashed.       
• ...

This Nuffield activity is set in the context of a park. Students determine where spies should sit in the park that has a square grid of benches, interspersed by bushes, so that they cannot see each other. Students also investigate how many different arrangements of...

This case study, produced by Ofsted, illustrates how Archbishop Holgate’s School has developed its design and technology curriculum to provide a high quality and unique learning experience for students at Key Stage Three. The study details some of the activities and projects undertaken by each year group and how...

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), looks back at some of the highlights from 12 months of Planet Earth podcasts, and looks ahead to some of the big stories expected in 2010.

Marine biologist Ben Wilson from the Scottish Association for...

This activity challenges students to design, and agree on an optimal route for, a village bypass, subject to the Highways Agency constraints for road design. Students use the provided software or physical resources and measure lengths of lines and curves, fine tune cost-benefit trade-offs, interpret data, convert...

In this resource from the European Space Agency, students use a multimedia module to learn about sea currents, the highways of the oceans, and how they are important for understanding local climates. Through a hands-on activity students investigate the causes of ocean currents. The final activity use satellite...

In this Bowland assessment task, students are required to plan a walking trip to Hilbre Island. Students are given information about when it is safe to walk to the island, how long it takes to walk there and the times of the high tides on the proposed dates of the trip. Students have to understand the problem, work...

Scientists at the University of Oxford are investigating the link between sporting activity in young people and the development of osteoarthritis. In very active people, bony lesions can form on the hip joint which increases their risk of developing the condition.

In this activity students apply what they...

This task is designed to assess how well students understand calculating the circumference of a circle, working with imperial units.

The task features a ‘Penny Farthing’ bicycle with a big wheel of diameter 52 inches and a small wheel of diameter 18 inches.

Tasks comprise:

• Calculating the...