Christmas is nearly here - and here is an early Christmas present for all you hard-working science teachers! I have put together a multiple choice quiz round based on science discoveries made during the past year, or planned for the near future. It should be suitable for all secondary pupils from 11 to 18 years as a starter - or at the end of a lesson. If you like it, why not check back for my full lesson Christmas quiz/activity PowerPoint? Merry Christmas to all!!

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate Activity Sheet - The Seasons (please note that the worksheet for this 20 minute activity is NOT included with this resource due to copyright restrictions). Links are included to the following video-clips: Bill Nye the Science Guy - The Seasons; and Polar Day - the Sun never sets (From BBC’s documentary "Planet Earth) . The lesson is ready to go and is designed to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state what is meant by the Earth’s axis; most pupils should also be able to describe what causes night and day; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to explain the motion of the Sun, stars, and Moon across the sky, and why seasonal changes happen. Keywords include axis, day, night, year, season, and constellation. Further information can be found on pages 152 and 153, of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the first lesson in the 'Working Scientifically' section. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate activity sheet, Asking Scientific Questions, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state some questions that can be investigated; most pupils should also be able to describe how scientists develop an idea into a question that can be investigated; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to identify independent, dependent, and control variables. Supporting information can be found on page 2 and 3 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate Activity Sheet - What is in the Universe? although it is possible to use it without the printed sheets. Included is a link to the Hubble website video 'Tonight's Sky' which is updated monthly; a 'Hunt the alien' game; and a section on satellites. The lesson is ready to go and is designed to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to name some objects in the night sky; most pupils should also be able to place some of these objects in size order; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe the objects they can see in the night sky and the structure of the Universe. Keywords include satellite, Earth, Moon, planet, Sun, star, Milky Way, Universe, galaxy, meteor, comet, and meteorite. Further information and pupil activities can be found on pages 148 and 149, of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the fourth lesson in the 'Working Scientifically' section. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate activity sheet, Analysing Data. It is targeted at pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state what is meant by a line of best fit; most pupils should also be able to list what should be included in a conclusion; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to find a pattern in data using a graph or a chart. Keywords include analyse, line of best fit, and conclusion. Supporting information and Summary Questions can be found on pages 8 and 9 of the blue Activate 1, KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the third lesson in the 'Working Scientifically' section. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate practical sheet, Collecting & Presenting Data, and for pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state an example of how data can be recorded; most pupils should also be able to add data to a graph or chart; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe how to make and record observations and measurements. Keywords include outlier, mean, line graph, pie chart, and bar chart. Supporting information and Summary Questions can be found on pages 6 and 7 of the blue Activate 1, KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the fifth lesson in the 'Working Scientifically' section. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate activity sheet, Evaluating Data. It is targeted at pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state how to evaluate data; most pupils should also be able to describe the stages in evaluating data; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to suggest ways of improving a practical investigation. Keywords include evaluate, confidence, random error, and systematic error. Supporting information and Summary Questions can be found on pages 10 and 11 of the blue Activate 1, KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to be used to teach the Moon Phases part of the Activate topic 4.4. It gives students the opportunity to consolidate previous Solar System concepts, through a timed Tarsia puzzle, and to fully understand what the phases are and how they are caused. (Eclipses are dealt with in the following lesson.) The slides include links to a video-clip demonstration by the National Science Teachers Association; a link to a Moon phases animation by Neil Creek; activity worksheets; a Moon facts search; a 'Guess the Phase' activity; a Plenary task with an extension question; and a homework task. The lesson is ready to go and is designed to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state why we see the Moon from the Earth and be able to draw a diagram to show the different phases of the Moon; most pupils should also be able to describe the phases of the Moon; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to explain why we see the phases of the Moon. Keywords include phases of the Moon, new, crescent, first quarter, gibbous, third quarter. Supporting information can be found on page 154 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the second lesson in the 'Working Scientifically' section. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate activity sheet, Planning Investigations, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state what should be included in the plan for an investigation; most pupils should also be able to identify data as accurate or precise; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe a risk assessment. Supporting information and Summary Questions can be found on pages 4 and 5 of the blue Activate ,1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate Activity Sheet - The Solar System to Scale although it is possible to build a scale model rather than use the printed sheets. Included is a link to the video 'Powers of Ten' (Eames Office LLC) and 'To Scale: The Solar System' by filmmakers Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh (showing the model Solar System made in the desert - fantastic!). The lesson is ready to go and is designed to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to identify some patterns, and name some planets, in the Solar System; most pupils should also be able to describe how objects in the Solar System are arranged; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to identify patterns in the spacing and diameters of the planets. Keywords include ellipse, asteroid, Mercury, Venus, Mars, terrestrial, gas giant, dwarf planet, gravity. Further information and pupil activities can be found on pages 150 and 151, of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to extend the previous lesson, The Solar System, which includes the formation of the Solar System. Use this lesson, when you have time, to inspire your pupils as well as to extend their understanding and knowledge. Included are video links to 'Planets Orbit the Sun', and the National Geographic video, 'Birth of the Solar System'. A student worksheet is included as well as an answer-sheet. The lesson is ready to go and is designed to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state that there is a theory about how the Solar System formed; most pupils should also be able to describe how we can test this theory; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to explain how the planets provide evidence for the theory. Keywords include gravity, scientists, observations, evidence, and theory. A fun lesson which will get your pupils talking!

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the second lesson on the 'Forces' topic. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate practical sheet, Investigating Elastic, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state an example of a force deforming an object and recognise a support force; most pupils should also be able to describe how forces deform objects; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to explain how solid surfaces provide a support force. Supporting information can be found on page 114 and 115 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. This is the first lesson on the 'Forces' topic. A pupil task sheet and plenary task sheet are included. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate practical sheet, Measuring Forces, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to identify some forces acting on objects and identify an interaction pair; most pupils should also be able to explain what forces do; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe what is meant by an interaction pair. Supporting information can be found on page 112 and 113 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate practical, Investigating Friction, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to describe how drag forces and friction arise; most pupils should also be able to plan, and carry out, an experiment to investigate friction (choosing suitable equipment); whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to explain why drag forces and friction arise. Supporting information can be found on page 116 and 117 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PowerPoint with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. Included are instructions for a Forces Circus (consisting of 4 work-stations: one with a toy car and ramp; one with a pendulum; one with a mass suspended from a spring; and one with a bowl of water and a Plasticine ‘boat’). A student practical worksheet as well as additional worksheets (please see end-note) are included in this resource. If preferred, the included Forces Circus instructions could easily be replaced with the Activate Forces Circus. This resource is designed for pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to identify balanced and unbalanced forces; most pupils should also be able to define equilibrium; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces. Supporting information can be found on pages 120 and 121 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook. Please note: Worksheet 1 is taken from the old ‘Exploring Science’ master sheets and is included free of charge as an additional resource.

Written to be usable from home or in the classroom. Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slide. Resource was designed to be used with Activate P1 2.5 and is suitable for key stage 3 lessons on echoes and ultrasound. The lesson is ready to go and includes activities for pupils aiming for developing, secure & extending outcomes. Learning Objectives are to be able to describe what ultrasound is and to describe some of its uses. Keywords include: echo, reverberation, transmitter, and receiver. There are links to a 360 video on ‘The quietest place on Earth’ and to dolphin echolocation. Tasks include measuring distances using echoes and a research task on how medical images are formed using ultrasound (computers/laptops required for a short portion of the lesson).

Complete lesson PowerPoint with learning outcomes, new knowledge and fun activities detailed on the slides. An alternative to the Activate student practical worksheet is included in this resource. A printed version of the interactive keyword wordsearch is also included. There is an embedded video clip showing a mexican wave - students love watching this! Please check out the notes on enabling this video clip to run before using the PowerPoint - these are shown on slide 3 (which is hidden in presentation mode). This resource is designed for pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state some features of waves; most pupils should also be able to describe the different types of waves and their features; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe what happens when waves superpose. Supporting information can be found on pages 124 and 125 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

Complete lesson PPT with learning outcomes, new knowledge and activities detailed on the slides. A student worksheet is included to be used alongside the PPT. The resource is designed to be used with the Activate practical, Gravity Cups, and to support pupils aiming for developing and secure outcomes. All pupils should be able to state that gravity changes with distance; most pupils should also be able to describe the effects of a field; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to describe the effect of gravitational forces on Earth and in space. Supporting information can be found on pages 118 and 119 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.

A light-hearted, fun-filled Xmas quiz - just the thing for form time or as part of a lesson in the week before Christmas. This PowerPoint presentation includes two rounds of questions - one True/False and one multiple choice. There is an added challenge to find the number Santas included on most slides, as well as a video link to 'Is Santa Claus real - A scientific analysis' from PBS Studios.

Complete lesson PowerPoint with learning outcomes, new knowledge and fun activities detailed on the slides. Matching student activity/worksheets are included (please note that these are not Activate worksheets which are copyrighted). This resource includes material for pupils aiming for developing, secure and extending outcomes and can easily be adapted for individual classes. All pupils should be able to name some parts of the ear; most pupils should also be able to describe how the ear works and explain some risks of loud music; whilst some pupils should, in addition, be able to compare and contrast the ear and the microphone. A short research task is included so pupils will need access to ipads or laptops for a short period during the lesson. Supporting information can be found on pages 130 and 131 of the blue Activate 1 KS3 Science Textbook.