This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Visible light is the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with which we are most familiar. We are able to distinguish between different...

In this activity, students investigate the potential effects to health of the use of mobile phones and their transmitters, which use radio waves and microwaves to transmit information. Research can include the electromagnetic spectrum and its applications and how energy...

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation and they penetrate into human tissue. There is still a significant debate about the safety of holding even a low power microwave transmitter next to your brain or keeping it in a trouser pocket. The possibility of...

The cell is the smallest unit of life and for many millennia single celled organisms were the only form of life on Earth. It’s this type of life that astrobiologists are looking for elsewhere in the solar system. In this activity, wallpaper paste is used to build model cells Curriculum areas covered: • Cell biology...

These resources exemplify the way practical work can be used alongside a pedagogical approach called model-based inquiry. This is based upon generating, testing and revising scientific models. Being primarily centred round collaborative and cooperative styles of learning, it also places particular emphasis upon the...

This Mathematics Matters case study looks at how mathematicians work with epidemiologists to understand the spread of infections and mitigate their effects. Epidemics can threaten the lives of both humans and animals, so it is essential that we react swiftly to any outbreaks. Mathematicians play a key role in...

This resource uses the context of the British Challenge for the America's Cup to explore composite and nano materials.  The video uses the challenge to build the highest performing racing yacht as an introduction to composite materials and how they are designed to improve their properties for a specific use.  This...

Produced by the Charles Darwin Trust, these resources allow students to consider some of Darwin's studies on bees and other social insects. Through this context, students are able to develop their skills of scientific enquiry, observation, data analysis and communication.

The activities allow students to:...

This module introduces the STEM Projects Toolkit, its background and its goals. A schematic diagram shows the contents of the resource pack, showing the pathways which teachers and technicians can use to access information and enrich lessons.

The resource builds on the successes of the CREST Awards, a formal...

From the Charles Darwin Trust, these materials help students to understand the process of artificial selection. Darwin pointed out that all animals and plants show variation. He proposed that breeders select the variants they think desirable.

Students undertake a range of activities in which they make...

This module, from the STEM Projects Toolkit, considers the use of the inquiry-based approach in everyday teaching of STEM subjects, encouraging students to use initiative and make independent decisions. The resource compares different types of Inquiry Based Learning and includes approaches for differentiation and...

This resource gives KS3 physics learners the opportunity to learn or further develop their understanding of energy changes, generation, and storage in various scenarios. The activities include designing and manufacturing structures and analysing data.

• A series of activities are based on the challenge...

Produced by the Charles Darwin Trust, the activities in these materials help students to consider biodiversity within a habitat. To observe change over time, in 1846 Darwin planted a hedge at Down House. Twenty years later, he surveyed the hedge and recorded those species that had disappeared and new plant arrivals...

This module of the STEM Projects Toolkit considers how to move from traditional teacher-led individual lessons to student-designed and student-led inquiry based lessons and projects. The emphasis is on guiding students and encouraging them to explore and research topics, actively participate in the learning process...