This resources, from Siemens, looks at how an electric car works, the components of the system and the function of each component. Students research the charge and discharge cycles of a battery-powered device and consider the advantages and disadvantages of battery power. They look at what is meant by the capacity...

This information sheet gives educators background information on how the steel making process is changing in order to reduce or eliminate the amount of carbon dioxide produced in the process. It gives details on traditional steel making processes using carbon as the reductant and then discusses alternatives to...

This resource provides a set of videos of a practical investigation aimed at supporting working scientifically in the classroom and relating science to real world experiences, presented by Professor Brian Cox and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock. In this video, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins a teacher to demonstrate a...

Many of the chemicals we use as drugs, flavourings and perfumes originate from natural sources but often the most economical way of obtaining them is to produce them artificially on an industrial scale. Scientists at the University of Oxford are researching into how to...

In this activity pupils will undertake a controlled experiment to investigate how gases in the atmosphere affect the heat in an enclosed environment, by tracking the change in temperature of a glass jar containing carbon dioxide against a control jar. They will learn about the greenhouse effect and the role of...

In the context of finding out why we grit roads in winter, students are shown what happens when salt is sprinkled onto ice lollies.  They are then asked If they believe that the temperature of the ice lolly with the salt will increase or decrease, causing it to melt faster. Students then investigate some...

Aimed at primary level, this resource links to the topics of plants and living things and their habitats.The activities are designed to build on earlier knowledge and develop ideas and skills within grouping and classification. They start with activities which help...

This resource, from the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), explains how children can grow their own sunflowers and how plant oils can be made into plastic. It helps to demonstrate how sunflowers can be grown to produce a renewable supply of plant oil. This activity can be done at home or in school and allows...

As people live longer the demand for new organs to replace failed ones increases. One possible solution is to build new organs in a dish from cells taken from the patient’s own body. Students use evidence from case studies to work out if this is possible and then to decide whether this new technology offers a good...

This activity comes with a handy teacher's guide and lesson plan, a set of easy to read questions aimed at probing deeper thinking in your pupils, and an informative presentation to run the activity. Learn how seeds germinate and grow, whilst using simple grass (or cress) seeds to design, plant and grow their own...

This Salters’ Science extension module for biology deals with the breeding, cultivation and harvesting of plants as crops. Experiments on soil structure and nutrient content are matched with data about major crops to show why different crops require different conditions...

From the Centre for Science Education, and with support from Shell Education services, these materials help children to grow large crystals using salt solution. The crystals take about a week to grow. This activity gives children the opportunity to consider processes such as: * changing materials and that changes...

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The use of relative atomic masses in determining the masses of reactants and products.
* The manufacture, properties and uses of fertilizers.
* Soil...

This rich task from Cre8ate introduces students to a Latin Square, where each row and each column has all the variables once and only once. Students may be aware of Sudoku puzzles which are based on this scenario. They are challenged to find 12 different designs which...