Science students often struggle to understand the concept of a control investigation, something which is regularly examined by most exam board specifications. This worksheet explains clearly what a control investigation is and then provides several practice investigations which require students to describe a suitable control. Finally, the worksheet provides an extra 'challenge' question for more able students to describe how control experiments were important in establishing the germ theory of disease and debunking the myth of spontaneous generation.

This is a highly engaging activity aimed at 11-16 year olds, but which could easily be adapted for younger children. The activity involves producing a simple microscope from a plastic tumbler, cling film and water. By placing water into a cling film well, students create a lens which refracts light and magnifies objects that can be viewed at the bottom of a plastic tube. Students can alter the shape of the lens and the amount of water to see the impact on magnification. The activity sheets include full instructions (with photographs) on how to set up the microscope and also a table of results for students to fill in details of specimen size, image size and calculate the magnification. For younger students , the second page of the activity sheet provides details of how to set up the microscope; students could then be taken on a nature trail or encouraged to observe small specimens around the room (sweets work well!) Key words: magnification, activity, microscope, specimen, lens, refraction

A worksheet which gives very clear instructions for the construction of a good quality table of data, as required by most exam boards. The worksheet includes an example of a high quality table and an exercise which requires students to criticise a poorly constructed table.

An unusual resource that brings history and science together with an activity that introduces the concept of carbon-14 radioactive dating of archeological remains. The task provides an introduction to radioactive dating, followed by questions whereby students are required to calculate percentage reduction of carbon-14 . Finally, students can then calculate the approximate year when Richard III died based on the half life of carbon-14.

A worksheet aimed at either 14-16 or 16+ students that are studying the nature of radioactive decay. The worksheet involves learning about the process of radioactive decay by starting with a highly unstable radioactive element and then working through the products of each subsequent decay. Starting with uranium 238, students fill in 14 separate decay stages (showing mass number, atomic number and name of new element formed) until the stable isotope of lead 206 is formed. The activity provides an excellent way of practising and reinforcing ideas on alpha and beta decay. A full answer key is included

A resource aimed at applied science/health and social care or medical physics students (either level 2 or 3) that provides a vocational discussion on how radiopharmaceuticals are used in the treatment and diagnosis of illnesses. The worksheet contains twelve questions that students are required to answer while the video plays (link to youtube video is provided on the worksheet). This is best used as a starter activity for this topic and as a prompt for further discussion. Asking students to answer questions while they watch the video helps to ensure that they are actively engaged and that they have a record of the information in their notes afterwards. Key words: radiopharmaceuticals, isotopes, cancer, radiotherapy, imaging, gamma, beta, alpha, radiation

An original Christmas science investigation that requires minimal preparation of resources and is ideal for that final lesson before the Christmas holiday/vacation begins! In this investigation, students are asked to stare at an image relating to Christmas. Some examples are provided in the resource (e.g. holly, santa, christmas tree baubles, etc) but you could supplement these with your own if desired. Gradually, light sensitive cones in the retina of the eye become fatigued causing the appearance of a ghostly afterimage in the field of view for a few seconds/minutes afterwards. Quite literally, students will see the apparition of a giant christmas image everywhere they look! The investigation requires students to take it in turns varying the length of time they are exposed to the image and determine the effect this has on the time foor the afterimage to remain. Follow up optional extension questions require students to explain the reason for the colour of the afterimage. The activity would best be delivered to either high ability GCSE biology students or advanced level biology students with some prior discussion on the trichromatic theory of colour vision.