This resource provides a series of four lessons in which children work in teams to design a sustainable city. They explore examples of sustainability in existing cities around the world and consider the needs of citizens and the challenges of supporting a growing urban population. Children then plan their city and...

This activity provides the opportunity for students to analyse the similarities and differences between genres of popular music with particular focus on the variable measures of tempo. Students work in small groups and listen to different music tracks, measure the tempos and interpret and present the results....

This resource is based on the Inventive podcast. The podcast mixes engineering fact with fiction. Each podcast features an interview with an engineer. In this activity, Data scientist and inventor Larissa Suzuki is the inspiration for Tim Maughan to write 'My city is not a problem'.

Short audio clips...

This activity uses Rutherford’s gold foil experiment to show how a scientist carried out an experiment to test a theory and how the unexpected results led to the proposal of a new one.  Students carry out a process of observe, hypothesise, test and conclude in order to work out what a mystery object is.

In this mystery, students make a hypothesis based on the old saying that a rotten egg floats when put in fresh water, and fresh eggs sink.   This is a good investigation to discuss margin of ...

This resource looks at how mystery objects can be used in class to introduce a topic, introduce new scientific equipment or vocabulary, or to explore changes in science and technology over time. Ideas are provided for effective questioning and how to structure the activity.

This task consists of three activities and provides students with the opportunity to explore the use of mathematics in a travel and tourism context. Students adopt the role of newly-appointed managers at a travel company and are required to plan a tour of the UK, choosing the destinations, transport and...

Students...

This guide, from the National Strategies, considers the differences in educational outcomes of girls and boys with the the clear trend of girls outperforming boys at all levels and more women than men graduating from universities and with 'better' degrees. The purpose...

The purpose of this National Strategies guide is to support science teachers and subject leaders to establish how well students are doing in science at all stages of their secondary education and to give ideas as to how any emerging issues can be addressed as part of a...

In this publication, the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) set out how it was to approach the assessment of science teaching and learning in schools. The APU was set up to promote the development of method of assessing and monitoring the achievement of children at...

These...

This booklet, published in 1988, was written in anticipation of the government passing the Education Reform Bill introducing the national curriculum to England and Wales. The new Bill would establish a new system of assessment of students’ progress. Written by the Task Group on Assessment and Testing, this...

A report from the National Curriculum Council (NCC). In January 1991 the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced an urgent review of the attainment targets in mathematics because:
• the structure of the 14 targets was proving an obstacle to...

In this activity pupils will use of the theme of the National Grid to complete a labelled jigsaw of the main parts of the electricity distribution network. They will assemble the different pieces into an image of the National Grid network and use labelled cards to identify each part.

This resource focusses...