What it’s about
The Society of Biology is running two UK competitions to encourage an interest in biology beyond the school curriculum and stimulate curiosity about the natural world.
Biology Challenge is open to S2 and S3 pupils in Scotland, who must complete two online papers. The entry fee is pound;25 and registration is open until 31 January 2012.
For older biologists, the Biology Olympiad is open to all post-16 students in the UK. The objective is to stimulate further interest in biology among gifted students. The first round consists of an online multiple-choice test. Winning could mean a trip to Singapore. Register until 17 January 2012. Go to www.societyofbiology.org
What else?
Popular resources for science can be found on the TES website, writes Allison Gardner. One by sianiews is a PowerPoint presentation with 11 slides highlighting key words and definitions for terms such as categoric variables, systematic errors and reliability. Change the school name, print it off, laminate it and display it in your lab.
Clairemcgurk offers a fun PowerPoint-based activity on a robbery, where new evidence is presented that encourages students to hypothesise about who did it. “How science works - evidence” is mainly designed for KS3 (S1- 3), but could be used at any level to trigger discussion about public understanding of scientific evidence.
“How science works: can we believe the claims?” is a Nelson Thornes activity pack from the GCSE Kerboodle course. This provides a worksheet and teacher answer sheet and investigates the claims for a cholesterol- reducing spread.
Where to find them
See Allison Gardner’s site at www.clickbiology.com or visit TES Resources for more recommendations.
