These activities, from the Centre for Science Education's Science Assessment Tasks for More Able Students, were developed as part of '2005 - Year of the Sea'. The student activities consist of three assessment tasks. These are backed up by a set of exemplar materials for teachers to support their judgements.

The Young Scientist Investigates topic book on Sea and Seashore was first published in 1981 and gives information, illustrated by full colour photographs and drawings, about the extent of the oceans, different types of seashore and the animals and plants to be found...

In this set of activities, students will investigate Arctic sea ice and its connection to climate. They will discover what happens when oceans freeze by carrying out a series of practical experiments. They have the opportunity to analyse real images from ESA satellites (CryoSat and Copernicus) to locate sea ice...

A series of three short videos from the University of Liverpool, offering three perspectives on rising sea levels. 

Personal perspective

The mystery ...

This resource, aimed at Key Stage Two, investigates heat transfer as one of the principles of heat pumps used to heat lifeboat stations. Linking to the topics of materials and their properties and changes of state, children learn how heat moves from high energy (warm) to lower energy (cold) down a gradient and how...

This resource takes a slightly different slant on how plants can help reduce the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thereby help prevent climate change.  In the video Ben Ainslie, Olympic gold medallist and driver for the Great Britain SailGP Team, explains how seagrass can be used to reduce carbon...

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at why scientists are planning on drilling three kilometres beneath the Antarctic ice sheet in one of the most ambitious exploration projects ever undertaken; and how worms that feed on dead whale bones at the...

This resource is set in the context of soil tests in a Martian environment. Students begin by researching suitable criteria for defining the presence of life. They analyse soil samples in tests similar to the experiments on the Mars Viking Lander and use their operational definition of life to determine whether...

Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet uses the context of life on extrasolar planets to introduce light absorption spectra. Included is an online video that discusses where we might find alien life and how we can search for it. Questions and answers are included that test a student’s...

This investigation fits in well in material properties where you can investigate and determine the thermal conductivity of a good conductor such as copper.  Searle’s Bar apparatus is required for this, but you could develop your own by looking at CLEAPPS for advice.

Produced by Becta, these case studies illustrate how information communication technology (ICT) can be used to enhance teaching and learning in science. This case study looks at how ICT was used to analyse data following an investigation into seashore ecology and zonation by Year Eleven students.

Data...