Teaching ScienceIdeas and help for trainee Science teachers

Another good video from Veritasium to explain the phases of the moon and eclipses. Maybe stop after the people have given their explanations for the phases of the moon and ask students what they think…

(And maybe stop it yourself there too, and try and explain it, before watching the rest of the video)

And here’s some Interactives to help explain it:

Day Night Demonstrator

Manchester Childrens University

McGraw Hill

Got any other good ones? Share them in the comments below.

In the Zone is the Wellcome Trust’s major NEW initiative inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It provides a fun, free and fascinating way of using science to discover how our bodies work during sport, activity, movement and rest.

The website is aimed at both primary and secondary schools with two different sections. Both sections contain interactive games which can be used on the interactive whiteboard.

Teachers packs are available for download containing lesson plans, worksheets and ideas for science investigations.

If you are working in a UK school then keep an eye out for the In the Zone pack which is being sent to every school in the UK in Feb/March. Each box contains a teaching guide, curriculum guide, challenge cards and all of the scientific equipment you need to do the investigations on the website. Make sure your office staff know it’s coming, and not to put it in a cupboard.

You can access all the resources here :  http://www.getinthezone.org.uk

Discover Primary Science is a project run by the Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) awareness programme in Ireland. The programme aims to develop creativity in our children, show them how important science is to our everyday lives and more importantly how much fun it can be!

The Discover Primary Science programme is intended to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students alike by helping large numbers of young children to understand that science isn’t just about people in white coats carrying out difficult experiments. It’s about fun, discovery and adventure, and it is something which is fundamentally relevant to our everyday lives.

You can find some great science ideas and activities on their website. Go check it out: http://www.primaryscience.ie

Thanks to JPScience for the link!

Here are two great links to demonstrate the relative size of objects, from an atom up to the universe!

Scale of the Universe lets you scroll from the entire universe, down to the Solar System, a human, and then even smaller, down to sub atomic particles. It’s a great way to visualise aspects of scale. You can see it here.

Similarly the Cell Size and Scale interactive from the Genetic Science Learning Centre, University of Utah, takes you from a coffee bean down to a carbon atom.

Jaw dropping time-lapse footage from the International Space Station

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

The Young Science Investigators (YSI): Project Kit is a free interactive Science resource for 7-11 year olds from the BP Educational Service. It invites pupils to become Young Science Investigators, using the cartoon characters Beepy, Dev and Kate with a focus on science at work in the real world and scientific enquiry skills.

The kit is based around three curriculum topics : Electricity, Forces and Materials.

You need to register with the BP site to access it, but it’s free to do so.Find out more at : www.bp.com/bpes/ysiprojectkit

What happens when you drop an extended slinky spring? That’s the question this video asks. What do you think?

Here’s the answer:

And here’s an extension:

NASA’s 30-year Space Transportation System (STS) program came to an end on 21st July 2011. The Space Shuttle fleet delivered the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and dozens of satellites, space probes, crew and supplies. Two Shuttles were lost: Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. The touchdown of Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center marked the end of an era, after 135 missions. This video shows all of them in chronological order. http://www.nature.com/spaceshuttle

A fun video to introduce food chains perhaps?

The already excellent Teaching Ideas website has added a whole new section comprising a bank of Science Inspiration Images for Primary Science lessons. Each image is downloadable as a high res PDF file.

Teachers can use these images to provide ideas and inspiration for Science in your classroom. They could be used as a lesson starter to review what the children already know, or as part of main activities when you introduce new concepts… or put them up on a classroom display!

It’s a great resource, definitely worth taking a look at if you’re teaching primary/elementary science.

Also check out the rest of the site at : http://www.teachingideas.co.uk