INSPIRE

Inspire

The Periodic Table of Videos website, by the University of Nottingham, UK

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

There are a number of reasons why you might not want to read this review: perhaps you do not teach chemistry, you are resisting the use of video clips in your teaching, or you are looking for non-English teaching materials. These are not good reasons though, as you will see. I challenge you to…

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Elements, Periodic table

Article PDF

Inspire

The Eduspace website, by the European Space Agency

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

If you teach geography, earth science, physics, or even information and communications technology (ICT) or biology, you should definitely visit the Eduspace website from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Space, Geography, Engineering, Physics, Careers in science

 

Article PDF

Inspire

Making physics flourish in Poland: Maria Dobkowska

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

Physics teacher Maria Dobkowska describes the challenges of remaining creative within a strictly defined national curriculum and of working with children with disabilities.

Ages: not applicable
Keywords: Physics

     

Article PDF



UNDERSTAND

Understand

Cracking down on wildlife trafficking

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

Biologist Juliana Machado Ferreira is using science to combat wildlife traffickers in Brazil.

Ages: 11-14, 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Ethics

         

Article PDF

Understand

Seeing the light: monitoring fusion experiments

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

​Finding out what is going on in the core of a fusion experiment at 100 million degrees Celsius is no easy matter, but there are clever ways to work it out.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear energy

         

Article PDF

Understand

More than meets the eye: the exotic, high-energy Universe

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

​In the third article in this series on astronomy and the electromagnetic spectrum, learn about the exotic and powerful cosmic phenomena that astronomers investigate with X-ray and gamma-ray observatories, including the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL missions.

Ages: 11-14, 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Physics, Astrophysics, Geography, Optics, Quantum physics, Mass and gravity

             

Article PDF

Understand

Bigger, faster, hotter

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight of Europe’s largest inter-governmental scientific research organisations. This article reviews some of the latest news from the EIROforum members (EIROs).

Ages: not applicable

Article PDF

Understand

The new definition of crystals – or how to win a Nobel Prize

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

Why is symmetry so central to the understanding of crystals? And why did ‘forbidden’ symmetry change the definition of crystals themselves?

Ages: 11-14, 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Earth science, Art, Waves, Atomic structure, Crystallography, Diffraction, Symmetry

       

Article PDF

Understand

Behind the autism spectrum

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

Research into the genetics of the autism spectrum is increasing our understanding of these conditions, and may lead to better ways to diagnose and manage them.

Ages: 16-19
Keywords: Biology

           

Article PDF



TEACH

Teach

Analysing wine at school

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

​European countries produce more than half of the world’s wine – and drink a lot of it too! These hands-on activities for schools reveal the science behind the perfect wine.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: General science, Acidity

           

Article PDF

Teach

Indigo: recreating Pharaoh’s dye

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

What links your jeans, sea snails, woad plants and the Egyptian royal family? It’s the dye, indigo. Learn about its fascinating history and how you can extract it at school.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Chemistry, Organic chemistry, Botany

                 

Article PDF

Teach

Seeing is believing: 3D illusions

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

To make the two-dimensional images that we see in print and on screen appear more real, we can hijack our brains to create the illusion of a third dimension, depth. These activities explore the physics that make this possible.

Ages: 14-16, 16-19
Keywords: Biology, Physics, General science, Optics

         

Article PDF



EDITORIAL

Editorial

Welcome to the twenty-fourth issue of Science in School

August 21, 2012 | Issue 24

As I write this, the children in my village have been back at school for two weeks. The school just down the road, however, doesn’t start again for another two weeks. If school holidays – and indeed school types, curricula and teacher training – differ so much within Germany, how much…

Ages: not applicable

 

Article PDF