Even though computers are fast, there is a limit to how quickly they can solve problems. One way to speed things up is to use several computers to solve different parts of a problem. In this activity sorting networks are used to do several sorting comparisons at the same time. This resource begins with a discussion...

In this resource, students use their STEM skills to help them design and build a model of a flood- proof house. Activities to help them with their design include testing materials (for strength and absorbency) and structures. Set on a fictitious island coping with the devastating effects of flooding caused by...

Produced by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) as part of their 'At Work With Science' series, this resource looks at a hypothetical, but realistic, project aimed at producing a new way of treating bacterial infections. In this activity, students first consider what features are important...

This KS2 resource looks at the importance of bees as pollinators and explores some of the threats they face. The activities are based around the work of ‘real world’ scientists in organisations such as Fera.

Activities include:

Pollination roleplay...

This activity for younger children introduces algorithms and algorithmic thinking. After first planning how to draw numbers using the simple commands available, children then program a BeeBot to create the shapes (BeeBots are a type of simple programmable rover). By watching and feeding back on each other's efforts...

This introduction to using the small programmable robot, the BeeBot, introduces children to creating simple programs. They learn the importance of sequences of accurate instructions, and test their sequences out using a 'fakebot' or paper-robot. Children are encouraged to debug and develop their sequences before...

For lower-primary children with some understanding of algorithms, this Barefoot Computing activity uses a basic robot (BeeBot) to show how algorithms are executed as stored programs on digital devices. Simple sequences of instructions are given to the BeeBot to 'write' numbers. These algorithms are represented by...

Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In this activity students are given some information about the Large Hadron Collider and the Big Bang Theory. They are asked to analyse and interpret the secondary data and differentiate between theory and fact. Students...

Produced by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, this resource introduces students to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics of workplace accidents in the manufacturing sector. The purpose is to draw attention to the scale of the problem in the students’ own industrial sector and to raise awareness...

From Practical Action and the Royal Academy of Engineering, this short starter activity helps students to think about their own values and those of their peers in relation to the sustainability of engineering. The activity encourages an awareness of the impact of engineering on the environment and sustainability....

This play looks at how an increase in the demand for meat can affect tropical rainforests far away. It explores some of the consequences for; animals and plants living in these areas, farmers and our planet.  

Great for use in an assembly or in class, when learning about rainforests, healthy eating and...

Students work out which are the best buys for items sold in different-sized packs at different prices.

This resource is part of the Nuffield Maths Level 1 Foundation resource collection.

This resource features a task that involves modelling a practical situation using functions.

Students are presented with a situation where tickets are to be printed for a show. The task of determining the ‘best buy’ is given in an open format, with the solution of the problem being left open to students....

Act 1

Four people complete the challenge of drawing a...

In this lesson students investigate different fuels both practically and as a research project. This includes energy output, ease of combustion, the cost to environment in extraction, economic cost, ease of delivery and related factors.

Learning outcomes:

• Students could calculate the energy...