This is a simple but effective game that I use with Year 10 science classes to teach Big Bang Theory. The game focuses on the first few minutes after the Big Bang and is themed around nucleosynthesis. The intention of the game is to teach students how the abundance of H and He in the Universe provides evidence for the Big Bang Theory. In this game students shuffle a deck of cards containing protons and neutrons. They play cards in a random order into the middle of the table. When certain combinations of cards occur a successful collision takes place between subatomic particles and an atomic nucleus is formed. For example, a proton and neutron card stacked on top of each other indicates a deuterium isotope, two deuterium isotopes collide to form He, and so on. As the game progresses the Universe ages and “empty space” cards are added to the deck. This simulates an expanding Universe where collisions are less frequent and the rate of formation of nuclei slows down. Students then analyse their results and discuss why only small atoms formed during the Big Bang and why H and He are so abundant in our Universe. Through this activity students gain an appreciation of the very brief window in time where atoms were able to form during the Big Bang. They learn that the Universe is comprised primarily of H and He, and that this provides evidence for the Big Bang Theory. They learn that the Universe existed as a tiny, hot and dense soup of plasma that underwent rapid inflation and cooling. This resource is a rich task and differentiated for multiple levels of aptitude and interest. The files include card files that can be printed and cut out, instructions for playing the game, a student worksheet and model answers. I find it generally runs over 2 lessons, but can be shortened to be played in a single lesson if required.

This is an activity I call “When Gary Met Sally”. I use this with Year 8 science classes to teach body systems. The context of the task is a middle aged man named “Gary” who has let himself go a little bit. He has met a lovely lady by the name of “Sally” and is consequently motivated to improve his health. In this activity the classroom is set up as a mock hospital clinic. Students are assigned roles as specialists and use fact sheets and equipment such as stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors to assess Gary’s health and provide a series of recommendations to him about how he can improve his health. The task is scaffolded and differentiated at multiple levels from support to extension students. Each worksheet contains “must do” and “going deeper” tasks so students can choose the level at which they want to work. The files include fact sheets and instructions, as well as student worksheets. The task can be run over a number of sequential lessons and is a wonderful and engaging activity that students love completing. It is ideal for an end of unit consolidation task and could also be used as a summative assessment task. When running this task in class I typically print one set of the worksheets per group. The digestive, circulatory and respiratory system worksheets are placed in folders and assigned to students in each group - giving the student their speciality. They students are given time to complete their activities according to their speciality. They then work together as a group to complete 1 patient profile for Gary. This requires each student to teach the others in their group about the body system they were assigned. They consolidate the contributions of each group member and present the results of their investigation to the class. A PPT presentation is also included that use to set up and explain the task to my class.