This report, jointly published by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) and Ofsted under the chairmanship of Ron Dearing, presents the findings of an investigation into whether standards in GCSE and A level examinations were maintained in the period up to 1995. The improving examination grades...

A big idea in chemistry is the idea of how substances behave and change. This is important because we are surrounded by objects made from different materials, each with their own physical properties that make them suitable or unsuitable for different purposes. How substances behave helps us to categorise them into...

Stephanie Kwolek invented the tough polymer Kevlar, used in protective clothing and developed a method for demonstrating the production of nylon in the classroom which is still used today.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1.

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Produced by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC), this activity could be used as an extension investigation into pH for 10 -11 year-olds. This resource is also relevant to the curriculum for 12 -13 year-olds. Students look at the pH of household materials and then apply their knowledge...

Produced by Nelson Thornes, these materials are samples of their A2 level science resources. They are designed to support the AQA A2 specifications but samples and activities can be applied to the teaching of other courses. Activities cover chemistry, physics and biology and include teacher notes as well as student...

From Cornwall College St Austell, this LSIS report describes the partnership with a local school to enhance students' experience in GCSE and AS level chemistry.

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

• Recognise that compounds made up of separate molecules have different boiling points.
• Describe the change in arrangement of particles when a hydrocarbon boils.
• Explain the...

These downloadable animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to introduce ideas of atoms and types of structures.

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Stuff and Substance is a multimedia package developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). It aims to address the difficulties many students have in understanding fundamental ideas in chemistry. The carefully constructed sequence of content in Stuff and Substance develops the concept of a substance...

There are three themes in these materials:

• Substances: This introduces the idea of a substance by looking at properties and establishing that a substance can be in any of three states. A basic particle model is introduced.
• Mixtures of substances: This explores phenomena involving the mixing...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Understanding the idea of a ‘substance’ is central to making sense of the variety of materials in the world and the way that they change. Research on students’ understanding shows that...

Produced by Teachers TV, this video provides an insight into climate change, the change in our world and a change in the way scientists view it. It can be used to explain the topics covered as well as illustrating ideas about how science works. Professor Andrew Watson of the University of East Anglia delves into...

These downloadable animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop the idea of chemical change as a change of substance.

These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop the idea of chemical change by showing that in some reactions substances decompose...

These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop the idea that some crystals incorporate water molecules within their structures....