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Active Science

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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.

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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.
Equations for AQA GCSE physics
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Equations for AQA GCSE physics

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This set of resources provides teachers and students with helpful summaries of the equations they will need to learn and use when sitting the AQA GCSE physics exams. Helpfully, the equations are separated by the exam paper in which they will feature. The simplified sheet is less wordy and more suitable for foundation students. The equation cue cards are designed for student use and will help them not only learn the equations but also how to re-arrange them. There are some student instructions on the final card. The sheets will also be of use to those sitting the double science exams as they can be easily edited to remove the few equations not needed by these students.
Thermal Equilibrium Circus
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Thermal Equilibrium Circus

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The circus of experiments that students carry out is accompanied by a worksheet for them to record their thinking. The activity is designed to help students think more critically about ideas of heat and energy transfer.
Introduction to Force Pairs
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Introduction to Force Pairs

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Force pairs are a key concept in physics yet for most of the population, they are not intuitive. This resource starts with thinking about the forces that send balloons flying. It's followed by a circus of acclivities that provide cognitive conflict to help students understand where forces are acting, even if it isn't obvious. The activity is accompanied by a worksheet for students for students to record their thinking
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
Introduction to Errors
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Introduction to Errors

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A teacher led demonstration activity to help students understand how errors in measurement are inevitable. The accompanying worksheet allows students to record the errors as they occur in the demonstration and then provides an opportunity to think through what they learnt.
AQA GCSE physics equations "credit cards"
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AQA GCSE physics equations "credit cards"

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“Cut out and keep” credit card size revision cards to help students learn the equations that will be needed for the exams. The equations have been stripped down to a minimum to make them simpler to learn and remember. There’s one for paper one and another for paper two. Provided as pdfs and in word so that they can be edited if desired.
Understanding Electrical relationships
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Understanding Electrical relationships

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This will really help students understand the relationships between the different electrical quantities. Most students will need some teacher support to complete the double sided sheet and it's a great stretch and challenge activity for more able students. It would serve as a good introduction to circuit electricity at A level, allowing students to identify and correct their own misconceptions. Those teaching outside their area of specialism are likely to find it very helpful to clarify their own understanding of electricity.
Solids, Liquids and Gases
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Solids, Liquids and Gases

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This is a fundamental area of science that students really need to understand well. There are two lots of sorting to complete in the Venn diagram activity along with a student worksheet to consolidate the key ideas. It's accompanied by a teacher sheet providing details of demonstrations designed to bring home the properties of gases.
Energy needed to Make a Mug of Tea
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Energy needed to Make a Mug of Tea

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This piece of practical work turns making a mug of tea into a quantitative activity. There are teacher notes along with an equipment list. The student worksheet provides a structure for students to record their measurements and support as they work through their calculations along with some more stretching questions for more able students.
Thinking Through Floating and Sinking
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Thinking Through Floating and Sinking

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Based around the sinking of the Titanic, here are three linked activities designed to support students as they think through the key concepts required to understand floating and sinking. Students will examine various hypotheses about the sinking of Titanic and asses their plausibility before putting together a scientific explanation of floating. The teacher notes provide guidance on how to differentiate the activities for less able students.
Graphing Sunspots
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Graphing Sunspots

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This activity is designed to allow the whole class to work together to produce one enormous graph. It provides an interesting space context for students to hone their graphical skills. Also included is a set of domino cards about the universe which complement to activity and can be completed by early finishers.
Modelling a CCD
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Modelling a CCD

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This model was developed to teach the AQA astrophyics option at A level. The teacher sheet gives instructions for how to build a "working" model of a CCD in a couple of minutes from simple equipment you will already have. There is a follow up cut and stick worksheet for students to complete which consolidates the key ideas
Temperature and Heat Transfer
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Temperature and Heat Transfer

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There are two activities here. The first introduces the idea of temperature by encouraging students to compare the temperatures of different objects in the universe. The follow up experiment investigates where the energy from a hot object goes and helps students to think through ideas about energy transfer.
A Scale Model of Planet Earth
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A Scale Model of Planet Earth

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Combining ideas about scale and ratio with earth science, this pair of activities gives instructions for how to make a 3D model of Earth that can be sliced open to see its inner structure. It is followed up with a paper exercise where students make a scale drawing of our planet. The worksheet includes some extension questions for more able students.
Pressure in Gases
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Pressure in Gases

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Two activities here; an introduction that models how the pressure in gases is generated followed by instructions for students to carry out the collapsing can experiment - one of the most memorable pieces of practical work if a little wet! A follow up worksheet helps students think through the science behind the practical work
Introduction to Measuring
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Introduction to Measuring

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A fun practical activity that introduces the idea about accuracy of measurement and using the appropriate piece of equipment. The teacher sheet is backed up by a worksheet for students. It is aimed at keystage 3 students but is likely to be useful for less able keystage 4 students.
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.
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.