The movement of tectonic plates against each other can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and most active volcanoes on the Earth are located along the edge of these plates. Volcanoes can also occur far away from plate boundaries, although this is less common.

These volcanoes are maintained by hotspots...

A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Have you ever noticed that when you cross a busy road, as well as clocking the traffic, you subconsciously follow what your neighbours do?

Scientists have recently put a figure on this and worked out that...

This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, introduces students to ways of combining errors (uncertainties) from two independent measured quantities. Using the equation for Doppler shift, the error in the rotational velocity and time period are calculated....

In this activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, students are introduced to the rotating Earth and the concept of longitude. They will carry out simple arithmetic that relates the 24 hour clock with the Earth’s rotation. The questions in the activity require an understanding of angle: one hour being equal to...

Students will begin by comparing the range of temperatures on the Earth, Mars and the Moon, using the student worksheet ‘Temperature: from one extreme to another!’ They will have to plot the temperature over a ten-day period from 4 September to 13 September, as measured by three different craft that landed on the...

In this activity, developed by the Institute of Physics, students use a lamp and polystyrene balls to model how astronomers detect exoplanets using the transit method. After completing this activity, students should: *Understand that the transit of a planet in front of its star temporarily reduces the star’s...

In this SATIS Revisited resource students consider the conflict between the increasing use of energy and the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to lessen carbon dioxide emissions and tackle climate change.

The aim of this unit is to introduce the idea that the discussion of controversial issues...

This Cape Farewell video clip provides a general introduction to the voyage of The Noorderlicht to Svalbard and to the Cape Farewell scientists Simon, Val and Sarah. The scientists discuss their work with two teachers, Mike and Subathra.

The presentation called...

The World of Science book was based on a selection of the existing SATIS units that had stood the test of time. The project team set up by the Association for Science Education also devised new units to cover topics that had been introduced into the curriculum...

This Resource Book includes guidance and answers to questions together with photocopiable activity pages for each of the 44 topics covered in the World of Science textbook.

Types of activities

The 'World of Science' is not a...

These resources from the European Space Agency climate change initiative education resource pack allow students to learn about the carbon cycle and the key to controlling climate change by managing it and using it to identify how to reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere. How carbon moves through the carbon...

This resource is a simplified version of part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) report in 2021on the evidence for climate change and human activity that drives it. The language used is appropriate for pupils aged 14 to 16 and can be used as a reading comprehension exercise. Pupils have to...

This activity, created for use by teachers and/or Environment Agency STEM Ambassadors with the help of a teacher, provides the opportunity for pupils to learn about the water cycle. Pupils are introduced to the water cycle by asking them to...