Produced by NASA, this resource contains five activities, teaching tips, fun facts and short narratives in which the sun and each planet introduce themselves. They can be used to help students improve their reading as well as learn about the solar system.

From NASA, this activity helps students see the relative distances from the sun of the planets in our solar system. Astronomers refer to the distance from the sun to the Earth as one 'astronomical unit' or AU. This activity demonstrates an easy way to calculate the distances of the other planets from the sun and...

This activity introduces children to simulations - modelling or acting out real-world, or maybe imaginary, situations. Linking to the teaching of space, it asks what factors need to be considered when simulating the solar system. Out of these, the children then decide what the most important things to include in...

This resource, aimed at primary level, contains three activities relating to the Solar System. In the first activity children create a solar system flip book to show that the four planets closest to the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) revolve around the Sun in the...

This resource, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, is a video explaining an elegant method of creating a small model of the solar system, using very simple equipment.

Using a small torch and a transparent ball (for example from a...

This resource uses the context of tornadoes in the solar atmosphere to investigate circular motion and energy changes. A hole is drilled in the bottom of a washing up bowl and orange pith can be used to track the motion of the water when draining through the bottom and creating a vortex. The Key Stage Three...

This is one of a series of resources from the IET designed around the theme of the future of flight with the purpose of developing pupils knowledge and skills in design technology, engineering and mathematics. Jet engines used on aircraft produce...

A range of interactive and print-out practical activities provided by the Association for Science Education to help children understand the properties of solids, liquids and gases and the changes that take place when materials are heated

The relationship between energy and states of matter is sometimes difficult for students to comprehend. This activity helps to reinforce the notion that, when energy is added to a system, the molecules themselves do not change but their motion and relative positions do change.

While the model is a...

This resource from Inquiry Maths contains a simple prompt which leads to a rich task exploring the nature of linear equations.

Solving equations inquiry and the Lesson notes outline the prompt for students to explore and suggests a number of supplementary enquiries. The...

In this resource, from the Department for Education Standards Unit, students will learn to understand how Newton’s second law can be applied to a range of different problems. It will encourage learners to link the stages of solutions together and appreciate the purpose and relevance of each stage of a solution....

Solving Real Problems with CSE Mathematics, produced by the Spode Group, is a volume of case studies used to give students experience and confidence in using mathematics in a practical context.

A variety of...

Volume one of two publications produced by the Spode Group with the aim of providing a useful set of examples that are convincing applications of mathematics and applications which can be taught in schools.

This...

Volume two of two publications produced by the Spode Group with the aim of providing a useful set of examples that are convincing applications of mathematics and applications which can be taught in schools.

This...

This lesson develops the concept of using geometric properties to solve problems. In particular students develop their ability in:

• Solving problems by determining the lengths of the sides in right triangles using trigonometry
• Finding the measurements of shapes by decomposing complex shapes...