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The Chemical Industry Education Centre
(CIEC) produces The Good Resource
Guide for both primary and secondary
schools. A large range of resources
is collected for review from industrial
companies, trade and professional
associations. The resources are reviewed
by practising teachers.
Several criteria are used to decide
if a resource should be recommended:
- Does the resource support the
curriculum?
- Is there time to use it?
- Will it enhance planned lessons
without the need for extensive modification?
- Does the resource provide sufficient
background information to support
teachers and pupils as it is used?
ASE has supported an updated review
of the guides and an online database
search facility. Resources are categorised
by topic, type and target age range.
Find the database at http://www.york.ac.uk/org/ciec/GRG/GRGhome_page.htm.
Concept Cartoons were created by
Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor in
1991. A new approach to teaching,
learning and assessment in science,
they feature cartoon-style drawings
showing different characters arguing
about everyday situations. They are
designed to intrigue, to provoke discussion
and to stimulate scientific thinking.
For Only connect? Concept
Cartoons have donated this new cartoon
focusing on light.
Find out more about Concept Cartoons
and using them with pupils at:
www.conceptcartoons.com
This is an excellent example of using
Excel to build your own spreadsheet
models that pupils can interact with.
Contributed by Simon Waters, Park
Community School, this spreadsheet
allows pupils to manipulate wavelength
and amplitude. It includes explanations
of both these terms, plus sound waves
and frequency, and test yourself sections
for pupils. Please note that the spreadsheet
uses Macros – when prompted by
your computer click ‘enable’.
Catalyst magazine is produced
by Philip Allan Updates. It offers:
- Specially-written articles to
help pupils get to grips with the
key topics in GCSE science.
- Regular features to help pupils
develop skills and understanding.
- Useful advice for pupils preparing
for exams.
There are four 24-page full-colour
issues of Catalyst each year,
published in September, November,
February and April.
More information on ordering Catalyst
for pupils can be found at:
http://www.philipallan.co.uk
You can download two articles from
previous issues related to Only
connect? themes.
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
is one of three sites making up the
Central Laboratory of the Research
Councils. The other two are Daresbury
Laboratory in Cheshire and the
Chilbolton Observatory in Hampshire.
All have world-class reputations and
some of the very best facilities and
scientists. Research carried out at
these sites will affect the way all
of us live in the near future. The
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory website
can be found at www.clrc.ac.uk.
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory has
produced two activities based around
the theme of communication, Hunt the
Transmitter and Reading Rain Radar,
both of which are available below.
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and
Daresbury Laboratory welcome visits
from schools. Because we are working
research laboratories the number of
visits and the group size is limited,
so early booking is advised. Both
sites also run events and activities
for school groups from KS2 to A-level,
which are advertised locally. There
are also opportunities for teacher
visits and teacher placements. At
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory we
are keen to videoconference
with schools unable to visit. For
more details about any schools activity
contact:
Janet Haylett, Schools Liaison Officer,
Communications, Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory,
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX
Tel: 01235 445950 Fax: 01235 446665
Email:
j.e.haylett@rl.ac.uk
Hunt the Transmitter
This activity is designed to help
students think about how mobile phone
signals reach their handset and what
sort of difficulties face telecommunications
planners. All sorts of elements in
the urban environment can get in the
way of the radio signals that carry
our conversations - tall buildings,
trees, hills even heavy rain and snow.
In this exercise, students are asked
to work in small teams of 4 or 5,
each team representing a different
fictional mobile phone company, for
example, Banana, Vodkaphone, TB Sellnet,
Two One Two, Shokia, Rollermotor or
Ericsdaughter. Each team must decide
where to place mobile phone transmitters
on a map of Phoneville to ensure that
all the potential customers receive
a good signal. They need to avoid
tall buildings or heavily wooded areas,
to minimise interference between transmitters
and to keep to a budget of £250,000.
Depending on age, students usually
take 20 to 30 minutes to complete
the task to their satisfaction.
Reading Rain Radars
This activity aims to introduce students
to the idea of using radars to look
at the weather. A network of weather
radars up and down the country tracks
weather systems as they move across
the UK. These brightly coloured radar
images brighten up daily TV forecasts,
showing everything from light drizzle
to torrential rain.
The Chilbolton Observatory in Hampshire
houses pioneering weather radars,
used by researchers to hone the techniques
that bring the latest images to our
screens. One of the most sophisticated
high-frequency radars on the site,
the 94 GHz cloud radar, collects detailed
data from clouds and rain as they
pass overhead. This data builds up
into colour-coded images that feature
everything from clouds of ice particles
to clouds of insects.
Bridge the Gap is an interactive
CD ROM resource that links design/technology,
science and maths through a real-life
engineering challenge. Pupils combine
their skills to produce bridge models
that meet the criteria set out in
an exciting scenario. This would be
a good focus for a cross-curricular
activity, but could also be used as
a context for forces teaching. The
CD ROM comes complete with teacher
and pupil materials. A collaboration
between Hochtief (UK) Construction
Ltd, the Construction Industry Training
Board and Wiltshire County Council,
the CD ROM is available free from:
CITB Education Team
Eastleigh House 1st Floor
Upper Market Street
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO50 9FD
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