This is a unit of three two hour lessons to consolidate understanding of the specialised materials and mechanisms used on exploration robots. Students build or test, or build and test these to develop knowledge and evaluate them.  These resources are aimed at the 14-16 age group.  The context is focussed on the...

In this activity, produced by ARKive, children learn about the concept of adaptation. They create and design a new species of mini-beast and learn how different species are adapted to survive in particular habitats. The activity could be undertaken in class or set as a homework activity. This creative activity is...

Students watch a car production line to demonstrate mass production taking place. Details are given on the characteristics of mass production, and how it can be applied to engineered products. Students consider how they could describe batch production and its advantages and disadvantages. Students may begin to...

This resource looks at how cutting edge science is being used to answer archaeological questions, as well as solving present day problems, such as the identification of meat in processed foods. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA was performed, at the University of York, on samples from skeletal remains unearthed by the...

This resource from the Nuffield Foundation provides a set of 24 cards which students use to match graphs with descriptions of the real situations they represent. The slideshow includes the same graphs with added titles and labels. This can be used in a class discussion about the shapes of the graphs, the variables...

This resource develops the concept of exploring variables in everyday situations. In addition, students work on finding unknown values from known values, finding relationships between pairs of unknowns, expressing relationships in the form of tables and graphs, and rearranging formulas. The central theme of the...

A matching is a set of edges on a bipartite graph in which no two edges share a common vertex. A bipartite graph consists of two sets of vertices X and Y. The edges only join vertices in X to vertices in Y. A matching in a bipartite graph is the pairing of some or all of the vertices in X with some or all of the...

This resource introduces sustainability and how life on Earth depends upon our environment for resources such as food, water, and raw materials. Pupils learn about the materials life cycle, where raw materials come from, how to reduce waste and how raw materials may be used and recycled. The activities encourage...

This STEM activity supports pupils to be able to describe the simple physical properties of everyday materials and to compare and group everyday materials based on their properties. Pupils will have the opportunity to discuss which properties are typically important for a range of objects, such as bowls, chairs and...

These activities provide students with an understanding of the importance of fitness for purpose when designing new products. Students learn how to effectively dismantle and investigate an engineered product to determine its function/purpose.

Inspired by the Born to Engineer video from Sam Fraser, an engineer who combines his love for engineering with a passion for football, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of materials engineering, including materials testing, design and material properties (Hooke’s Law, shear,...

These resources, from the Maths Careers website, looks at the maths behind a variety of magic tricks and was created in conjunction with More Maths Grads and the University of Leeds. Tricks and ideas include those from Rob Eastaway, Johnny Ball and others.

The resource package includes a PowerPoint...

This resource focusses on measuring the lengths and widths of leaves from a tree, placing the data in a table and calculating the mean average of each. In this activity learners will measure the lengths and widths of six leaves from a single tree. They will place this data in a table and then calculate the mean...

This resource from the IET Faraday programme, supported by MEI and Tomorrow's Engineers, provides students with the opportunity to explore the mathematics behind revolving doors, including circle properties, estimation, compound measures and mathematical modeling.

"Revolving doors...

Designed to be accessible for all primary aged children, this activity guides you and your pupils through a range of fun maths related ‘tea-party’ problems. This could be carried out as part of a design and technology or maths lesson, and is simple to follow, making it suitable for learning at home and in class....