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Active Science

Average Rating3.94
(based on 10 reviews)

A specialist science shop featuring hands-on and minds-on activities all designed to promote both thinking and learning. I'm a very experienced teacher with advanced skills teacher (AST) and specialist leader of education (SLE) accreditation under my belt.

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A specialist science shop featuring hands-on and minds-on activities all designed to promote both thinking and learning. I'm a very experienced teacher with advanced skills teacher (AST) and specialist leader of education (SLE) accreditation under my belt.
Magnets Investigation
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Magnets Investigation

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This set of resources leads students through an entire investigation into magnetism. WIth the help of the presentation they choose their own question to investigate. The teacher presentation provides suggestions, notes and an equipment list.
Introduction to resolving forces
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Introduction to resolving forces

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Here are some notes and ideas for teaching forces to help students think through these important concepts. The teacher demonstrations are followed up by a student worksheet to consolidate what they have learnt.
Craters Investigation
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Craters Investigation

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A great context for some investigative work and a fun experiment to carry out. There are background notes for teachers along with a link to a great website. For students there is a worksheet to help them think through all aspects of the investigation. Ideal for keystage 3 students to develop their skills.
Cause and Correlation
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Cause and Correlation

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A lesson on the important difference between cause and correlation. The teacher notes give details of examples where there is a strong correlation but no causal link, examples which can be hard to think of on the spot! The presentation is based around air pollution and helps students to understand the key ideas. It can be followed up with the worksheet which includes many examples. For each example students sort the three options given into correlation, cause or no link
Salt and Food
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Salt and Food

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Here are details of a practical investigation into the role of salt in preserving food that is simple to carry out and doesn't require much equipment. The results are quick and easy to analyse. To follow up there is a worksheet probing further into salt and human health where students calculate how much of the recommended daily intake is contained in various foods.
One gene, one protein: switched on genes
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One gene, one protein: switched on genes

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This is a hands on activity to help students consolidate and fully understand these important ideas. Students pass around pictures of 9 different types of cell and then complete the grid on the student sheet to show which of the genes listed will be switched on in that cell type. There is also a plenary activity designed to reveal any student misconceptions along with some teacher notes, with a link to a great animation which will explain the concept clearly to non-specialists
Senses and sensitivity
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Senses and sensitivity

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This introduction to the senses is a good introduction to the topic for keystage 3 students and also suitable for foundation students at keystage 4. There are instructions for a series of demonstrations and mini-practicals to investigate the human senses that are not easy to carry out but they are fun and thought provoking. Also in this package are student instructions for practical work to test the sensitivity of the skin along with a results table for them to record their findings.
Alkali metals demonstrations
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Alkali metals demonstrations

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This resource gives full details for teachers on how to carry out three demonstrations with alkali metals. It should be helpful for new teachers or those teaching out of their specialism 1. observing and comparing with other metals 2 reaction with water- the straightforward demo plus two further enhancements readily carried out in the lab 3 reacting sodium with chlorine There is also a table for students to record their observations.
Classification and species using ladybirds
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Classification and species using ladybirds

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After a discussion about what constitutes a species, students study pictures of ladybirds and record their observations. They decide how many different species of ladybirds they think there are. They then classify each of the pictures again using an ID chart and compare their findings.
Food Chains Demonstration
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Food Chains Demonstration

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It's hard to find much practical work to do around food chains. Here's a very active demonstration that turns into a student race and brings home all the key ideas that students need to understand. It's accompanied by a crossword puzzle.
Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
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Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions

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Here are teacher instructions for demonstrating three exciting exothermic reactions along with one that is endothermic. To follow up there is a student worksheet which introduces energy level diagrams.
Graphical Interpretation
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Graphical Interpretation

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Thirteen questions over four sides of A4 that require students to interpret graphs on topics from all areas of the GCSE physics specification. Perfect for exam preparation. Worked answers are also provided.
Balancing Chemical Equations
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Balancing Chemical Equations

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This activity is the best method I've even found for helping students understand how to balance equations. In my experience, every child in the class, has been able to achieve success, even if it takes them longer than other. The activity requires at least a modest supply of molymod (or similar) atomic models. Two accompanying worksheets provide a structured opportunity to consolidate and stretch.
Getting Lead from Lead Oxide Practical Work
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Getting Lead from Lead Oxide Practical Work

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This is a great practical because students really will see the small beads of lead they create in the reaction. As well as details for the teacher and technician there is a worksheet for students that gives instructions as well as follow up work designed to help them think through the reaction. A foundation version of the student worksheet is also provided that may also be used with keystage three students.
Construction Materials: making and testing bricks and cement
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Construction Materials: making and testing bricks and cement

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A great practical activity for students who may be less academic; this experimental work will help students to see the relevance of chemistry to the construction industry. NOTE that access to a kiln (usually present in most secondary art departments) is required to make the bricks. There are instructions for making bricks and reinforced cement beams. Students then perform tests on the items they have made. There is follow up work provided on student worksheets
Electrolysis: extraction of aluminium
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Electrolysis: extraction of aluminium

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This is a role play activity to help students understand how electrolysis is uses to extract aluminium from aluminium oxide. It is designed to aid appreciation of the ionic nature of bauxite and assist the wring of ionic half equations. There is a follow-up worksheet to consolidate the key ideas.
pH, Indicators, Neutralisation and Salts
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pH, Indicators, Neutralisation and Salts

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This group of resources is "hands-on and brains-on" Start the lesson with the practical work making a rainbow. This can be done as a teacher demonstration but is lovely for students to carry out. Follow up with the "colouring in" worksheet that takes a look at different indicators. There is a kinesthetic activity designed to get students moving and help them think about which acids and alkalis are needed to make a series of salts. To finish off students can work through the neutralisation worksheet which involves more thinking and colouring in.
Introduction to Waves and the Wave Equation
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Introduction to Waves and the Wave Equation

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Two practical, hands-on activities, one takes place outdoors, to help students develop their understanding of some key waves vocabulary. There is also a sheet for students to record their findings and a worksheet with straight forward calculations based on the wave equation. The activities are useful for foundation GCSE students or form a good introduction to keystage 3 students.
The Solar System and Beyond
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The Solar System and Beyond

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This is a bundle based around helping students get to grips with the vastness of space and the key vocabulary that goes with it. To get students thinking, there's a starter where students give their opinions by placing themselves on an imaginary line . Their position on the line indicates how much they agree or disagree with a series of statements. The sizing activity quite literally paces out the solar system to scale and brings home the true distance between the Earth and Moon. There are then three worksheets designed to promote thinking and consolidate what students have learnt
The Greenhouse Effect
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The Greenhouse Effect

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This lesson is run as a competition between small groups of students. The lesson encourages students to use a series of challenges and clues to work out for themselves the key ideas about the greenhouse effect. The lesson is structured with a starter, a session gathering the main ideas and then time for students to put together their own explanation. It is aimed at less academic GCSE students but would also work well for keystage 3 students and more able GCSE students who could complete it more quickly.