Whether you're at home or at school, you can use BBC Teach for free. Our website is home to thousands of free curriculum-mapped videos, arranged by age-group and subject.
Whether you're at home or at school, you can use BBC Teach for free. Our website is home to thousands of free curriculum-mapped videos, arranged by age-group and subject.
This film is from the series Real World Chemistry available on BBC Teach.
Fran Scott learns how glass is made in a factory.
The raw materials are described, together with the use of soda ash to lower the melting point and make it easier to form into useful shapes.
The production process is described, including the use of gas burners to maintain the high temperature.
Automated equipment is used on a continuous production line that works at very high speed to produce glass bottles.
Finishing processes include adding a coating to improve strength, heating and slowly cooling to remove weaknesses and another surface treating to make them harder and more resistant to scratching.
Quality control mechanisms are described.
Teacher Notes
Teachers can also refer to the Mark Miodownik clips from the BBC series ‘Materials: How They Work’.
Students can be given a list of questions for them to answer whilst they watch the clip that focus on your intended learning outcomes.
Students could be asked to suggest why the factory works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Curriculum Notes
These clips will be relevant for teaching Science and Chemistry at KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4/5 in Scotland.
The topics discussed will support OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 and Higher in Scotland.
The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence.
Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that:
a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content;
b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to
access); and
c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you.
We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.
This film is from the series Biology Bites available on BBC Teach.
Science presenter, Jon Chase, investigates the effects of temperature, water and oxygen on seed germination.
He finds out that seeds germinate best in warm, moist and well-oxygenated conditions. He also looks at the effect fertiliser has on the rate of germination and plant growth.
Teacher Notes
Students could repeat the experiment seen in this short film using cress seeds. Do the students’ results reflect Jon Chase’s findings? Are temperature, water and oxygen the key factors?
The scientist interviewed says that water is the most important factor of the three. The scientist also says that fertilisers (nitrates) speed up germination (as well as plant growth). Does this match your students’ findings?
Students could then look at the fertilisation of plants, by placing pollen onto a stigma and observing it grow into a pollen tube.
Curriculum Notes
These short films will be relevant for teaching biology and science in general at KS3 and KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4/5 in Scotland.
The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence.
Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that:
a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content;
b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to
access); and
c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you.
We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.
This film is from the series Gastro Lab available on BBC Teach.
Paralympic athlete, Jordanne Whiley, explains why carbohydrates are important in her diet. Meanwhile, Stefan Gates uses a ‘sugar shotgun’ to illustrate how energy is released from food and creates heat.
We hear about the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates, their food sources, their function in the body and the energy they release.
We are advised to get 55% of our calories from carbohydrate rich foods, particularly complex carbohydrates such as wholegrains, wholemeal bread, rice and potatoes.
The links between simple carbohydrates, or sugar, and the risk of tooth decay, heart disease and weight gain are explained.
The idea of balancing energy in and energy out is highlighted.
Teacher Notes
You could ask your students to compare the amount of calories per 100g or per portion found in a selection of carbohydrate-based foods, by examining food labels or using nutritional analysis.
These foods could be placed in rank order and evaluated as to which would be the best to eat before a marathon.
Curriculum Notes
This short film is relevant for teaching biology and food technology at Key Stage 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 3rd Level in Scotland
The purpose of BBC’s content is to inform, educate and entertain. As such, students, teachers, schools, and other established educational bodies may utilise such content for educational purposes via an ERA Licence.
Without an ERA Licence, reasonable use of the content (for the purposes set out above) may still be possible, however; any such use must be in line with the BBC’s Terms of Use.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, when using and or sharing BBC Education content, you must comply with the BBC’s Terms of Use and where relevant, YouTube’s terms and conditions, ensuring that:
a) there aren’t any advertisements on or around the BBC content;
b) there aren’t any charges for access and or charges associated with the content (clearly stating that the content is free to
access); and
c) you do not state or imply (in any way) that there is a relationship and or any endorsement from the BBC to you.
We ask that you read the said terms before using any of BBC’s services. When you use BBC’s services and content, you’re agreeing to the BBC’s terms of use.