Jump straight to:   • Best Chemistry, Physics and Biology sites   • Specific (KS3) topics for: Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9   • Miscellaneous (sites that are great but just don't seem to fit into the QCA)   • Contact details Use Ctrl F or Edit > Find (on This Page) to search for key words.

Sites that cover all topics

BBC Bitesize

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/game/science_test.shtml
KS3 Bitesize Science Challenge game.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/science/
Is technically KS2, but contains a lot of very useful activities and information which make good introductions to topics and/or work for weaker pupils.

Great Barr School - Online Laboratory

http://web.greatbarr.bham.sch.uk/science/sciencelab.htm
Possibly one of the best web resources I've seen this year! Loads of brilliant, high-quality flash animations for teaching all sorts of topics in KS3, 4 and higher.

eChalk - Interactive whiteboard resources

http://www.echalk.co.uk/echalk/echalk.htm
A really excellent site if you have an interactive whiteboard - lots of games to play and whole-class activities. Especially good for physics activities.

Planet Science (for teachers)

http://www.scienceyear.com/sciteach/start.html
Information, ideas and classroom resources > enhancing the teaching and learning of science.  Planet Science was put together for Science Year, and it does have some great resources – well worth a look.

Ithaca City School District's Science Zone

http://207.10.97.102/sciencezone/
Tons of great resources about various science topics (see Biology section on next page for the Biology zone as the search box is broken). 

BrainPOP

How Stuff Works (science library)

Education using PowerPoint

http://www.educationusingpowerpoint.org.uk/
This site has loads of great PowerPoint slideshows and presentations for teaching Chemistry, Biology and Physics. You have to pay a small fee to download the files (currently £20 per school for a whole academic year, or you can buy a CD-ROM containing everything for £30) but it's well worth it. There are loads of KS3 resources organised by QCA unit, as well a complete set of GCSE resources. A free 'sample pack' containg 7F, simple chemical reactions; 8B, respiration and 9G environmental chemistry is available here: http://www.educationusingpowerpoint.org.uk/Sample%20pack.zip

Jim Baker's Online Learning

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimbaker/
Many, many useful links to science, other subjects, mind mapping, teacher training and general topics.

Animated (was Ashfield) Science

Best Chemistry, Physics and Biology sites

Chemistry

Doc Brown’s Chemistry Clinic
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/ (home page)
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/
page12/page12.htm - KS3 index

[See also: KS4, http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page03/page03.htm and
AS A2, http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page18/page18.htm]

Loads and loads of interactive activities, like crosswords and gapfills.  The site is a bit difficult to navigate (hence links above) but it’s worth persevering!

Yahooligans
http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/physical_sciences/Chemistry/
Yahooligans is the kids version of the Yahoo search engine and it has excellent collections of kid-friendly links on lots of topics, including science ones.

About.com
http://chemistry.about.com/mbody.htm
A huge range of science-related information, pitched at all different levels.  This is probably more useful for teachers than pupils, but it’s great reference material.

Creative Chemistry
http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/
Fun activities, worksheets, practical guides and interactive quizzes.  Aimed at GCSE and AS level, but can still a valuable resource for KS3.

Physics

Fear Of Physics
http://www.fearofphysics.com/
Physics explained.  Finally.  Has simple explanations, animations and activities allowing you to play with variables.  Brilliant!

Yahooligans
http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/physical_sciences/Physics/

About.com
http://physics.about.com/mbody.htm

Biology

Kinetic City
http://www.kineticcity.com/
A brilliant game to save the universe!  Carry out lots of interactive biology-related activities to beat the baddies.

Ithaca City School District – Biology Zone
http://207.10.97.102/midscizone/life/default.htm (Life Science)
http://207.10.97.102/midscizone/cool_links.htm (Biology links)

Yahooligans
http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/Living_Things/ (Living Things, including Biology)

About.com
http://biology.about.com/mbody.htm

Specific topics

IMPORTANT: I am gradually moving over to www.drkstreet.com which aims links more at students than at teachers. The links below may not be particularly well-maintained. If you have any comments or suggestions, please use the contact details below.

(NB: heading links go to the QCA online scheme of work)

Year 7

Unit 7A. Cells

http://www.brainpop.com/health/basicsandcells/cells/ and http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/
cellstructures/ - BrainPOP cells movies and quizes, brilliant for KS3, requires sound. BrainPOP also has pages for the various organ systems, see http://www.brainpop.com/health/ for a complete list.

http://www.icnet.uk/kids/cellsrus/cellsrus.html - Imperial Cancer Research Fund site; simple presentation explaining how conception occurs and what's contained in cells.

http://www.cellsalive.com/ - brilliant site but too technical for Y7.  Useful for teachers and higher years.

Unit 7B. Reproduction

http://www.brainpop.com/health/reproductive/babies/ - BrainPOP 'babies' (reproduction) movie and quiz.  Would be brilliant as a presentation for Y7s, see also: http://www.brainpop.com/health/reproductive/fertilizationandbirth/ (fertilization and birth) and http://www.brainpop.com/health/reproductive/ (the reproductive system).

http://www.parentsplace.com/first9months/main.html - Absolutely beautiful site with photographs and commentary of the first 9 months of a baby's life(from conception).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/lifecycle/
teenagers/ - Puberty animation from the BBC, click on the body parts of the boy and girl to see how they change (kids will be in hysterics and the breast and penis animations...)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/index.shtml?lifecycle has links to more information on changes that occur during puberty.

Unit 7C. Environment and feeding relationships

NB: This topic is closely related to 8D, Ecological relationships, so those links may be relevant too.

Sing: “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly” to introduce food chains!  Lyrics: http://www.thenamelocator.com/r049.html
and tune: http://hometown.aol.com/music4kidsmore/oldladykar.mid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/science/living/03b_act.shtml - Animated food chains movie from BBC Bitesize (actually aimed at KS2, but would make a good introduction as it defines all the words such as ‘consumer’, ‘producer’ etc.).

http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/foodchains/index.weml - BrainPOP movie and quiz on food chains.

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/ - Biomes Living Worlds from ThinkQuest, lots of detail on the seven major land biomes (tundra, desert, rainforest etc) around the world including how animals are adapted for them.  Might make a good project...

http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/habitats/ - Site on habitats from Robert Hitcham's Primary School - basic, but might be an ok introduction for low-ability Y7s and has some nice pictures.

http://www.jcwyatt.34sp.com/sciencelhs/y7environment/olp/y7env01.htm - The full E&FR topic by Laisterdyke High School.

Unit 7D. Variation and classification

http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/critters/critters.html - Classifying Critters - this is an interactive activity allowing kids to put various animals into their correct groups.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/sixkingdoms/ and http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/sixkingdomsadv/ - BrainPOP movies and quizzes on the 6 Kingdoms.  http://www.brainpop.com/games/fivekingdoms is a short game which asks pupils to classify organisms into the different kingdoms.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/naturalselection/ - BrainPOP movie and quiz on natural selection.

Unit 7E. Acids and alkalis

http://www.miamisci.org/ph/ - The pH factor; Virtual chemistry lab about the pH scale

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/acidsandbases/ and http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/ph/ - BrainPOP movies and quizzes on Acids and Bases and the pH scale.

http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/funstuff/xword/acids.htm - Acids, alkalis and salts crossword.

http://www.sambal.co.uk/chemistry.html - Sambal's Science Web, acids and alkalis (info is useful, but mostly text-based).

Unit 7F. Simple chemical reactions

http://can-do.com/uci/ssi2002/chemicalreactions.html - Chemical reactions WebQuest, contains a link to a game separating compounds and mixtures, some examples of chemical reactions, a movie, some example experiments and riddles.

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Fwf1.htm - A gapfill quiz on simple chemical reactions from Doc Brown, and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Fmc.htm a multiple choice quiz.

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA0/SAMPMOVS.HTM - Great movies of various (dangerous!) chemical reactions, including nitrogen triiodide detonation and the reaction of sodium and chlorine.  Requires QuickTime.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/propertychanges/ - Movie and quiz from BrainPOP on the difference between physical and chemical changes (is linked to the particle model topic below).

Unit 7G. Particle model of solids, liquids and gases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/science/materials/08_act.shtml - Movie from the BBC, actually KS2 but is very good nonetheless, would make a great introduction.

http://www.daniel-powell.demon.co.uk/powell_flash/gas_solid_liquid/gsl.swf
Flash movie about Solids, Liquids and Gases from Ashfield Science. Comes with a thumping sound track!

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatter/
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatteradv/ (advanced)
Movies and quizzes from BrainPOP.

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Gxw1.htm - Solids, liquids and gases crossword from Doc Brown, http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Gwf1.htm a gapfill exercise and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Gmc.htm a multiple choice quiz.

Unit 7H. Solutions

NB: This topic is closely connected to 7G, Particle Model and 8F, Compounds and Mixtures, so those links may be useful too.

From Doc Brown: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Hwf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz) and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/7Hmc.htm (multiple choice quiz)

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_solution.html - Text-based definition of a solution (useful for research).

http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/3/chemistry/materials/
match3pg1.html - Separating mixtures, how to get pure salt and water from sea water and how to extract pure, ‘clean’ salt from rock salt.  Includes info and a short interactive comprehension exercise at the end.

http://www.kids.union.edu/fsnChromatography.htm - Solve a ‘crime’ using chromatography (may be a useful lesson idea for teachers).

http://db.bbc.co.uk/leicester/fun_stuff/2003/03/science_week/
smartie_chromatography.shtml - Kitchen sink experiments from BBCi, separate the colours in Smarties.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/water/ - BrainPOP movie on water and why (liquid) water is so important to life.  Not directly related to the solutions topic, but may be useful.

Unit 7I. Energy resources

http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/energysources/ - A move and quiz on Energy Sources from BrainPOP (NB: beware, gasoline = petrol).  Explains how energy is generated from different sources using generators and fuel cells, how fossil fuels are formed and discusses ways to save energy – very good.

http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/physical_sciences/Energy/ - Lots of links from Yahooligans about Energy and energy resources (good for project work).

http://www.powerplant.com/ - News stories and information about different power plants all over the world, renewable and non-renewable.

http://www.srpnet.com/community/kids/tour/ - Virtual power plant tour!  Very good interactive movie, has lots of info about different energy sources and how energy is generated from them, and lots of photos of power plants, machinery and workers (would be good for older students too).

Unit 7J. Electrical circuits

http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/frankenstein/safety.html - Interactive ‘clickable’ diagram about electrical safety.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/elecmag1tb
&infile=elecmag1tb and http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/elecmag2tb&infile=elecmag2tb - Activities from BBC Bitesize about electrical circuits, e.g. “which switches need to be closed to make the green light work?”-type questions (N.B. the second includes electromagnets which aren’t covered till Year 8).

http://www.crocodile-clips.com/m6_4.htm - Download some free (registration is all that’s required) software called crocodile-clips, which allows you to create virtual circuits.  Comes with worksheets too!

http://www.brainpop.com/science/electricity/electricity/ - Talks about electricity in general rather than circuits specifically, but is excellent for putting it all in context (movie and quiz).

Pages from How Stuff Works explaining familiar electrical items:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/toaster.htm (toaster)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/burglar-alarm.htm (burglar alarm)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/doorbell.htm (doorbell)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/dimmer-switch.htm (dimmer switch)
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/motherboard.htm (computer motherboard)
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/rc-toy.htm (radio controlled toys)

Unit 7K. Forces and their effects

http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/physicszone/lesson/02forces.htm - Lots of great resources from the Science Joy Wagon, including animations and slide shows (has a really good explanation of Newton’s laws).

http://www.brainpop.com/science/forces/gravity/index.weml - Gravity from BrainPOP (movie and quiz).

Unit 7L. The solar system and beyond

http://www.scienceyear.com/planet10/ - Beautiful 3D animations of the solar system with a haunting soundtrack, includes the ability to zoom in and out and change to different viewing angles.  There’s also a fun activity to build your own planet (planet ‘10’).

http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/solarsystem/ - The Solar System from BrainPOP and http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/seasons/index.weml - Seasons, a great explanation of why we have seasons, the Earth’s tilt etc.

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/ - Animation of moon phases, allows you to see the moon moving around the earth in space AND what it looks like from earth at the same time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/planets/ - BBC’s Planets site, tons of info on all the different planets: history, stats, etc plus jigsaw activities to build the solar system, place all the moons, and identify artificial satellites.

Year 8

Unit 8A. Food and digestion

http://www.brainpop.com/health/digestive/digestion/ (digestion)
http://www.brainpop.com/health/digestive/digestivesystem/  (digestive system)
http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthanddevelopment/nutrition/ (nutrition)
Related movies from BrainPOP.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/body/digest_noSW.html - Text-based info on the digestive system aimed at kids – good for project work.

http://www.darvill.clara.net/hotpots/digest.htm - Digestion quiz (match the words to the definitions).

Unit 8B. Respiration

http://www.sambal.co.uk/respiration.html - Information on respiration from Sambal’s Science Web (good for kids’ own research).

http://www.brainpop.com/health/respiratory/respiration/  - The Respiratory System (be careful to make the distinction between respiration and breathing!)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/aerobe1tb
&infile=aerobe1tb - Quiz on respiration from BBC Bitesize.

Unit 8C. Microbes and disease

http://www.microbe.org/index.html - Stalking the mysterious microbe!  A great site with lots of info including “microbes in the news” and a careers section.

http://www.microbes.info/ - name says it all really! Is quite detailed, but would be a good place to send kids doing project work.

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/bacteria/ (bacteria) http://www.brainpop.com/health/immune/immune/ (immune system)
http://www.brainpop.com/health/immune/immuneadv/ (immune system - advanced)  http://www.brainpop.com/health/immune/smallpox/ (smallpox) http://www.brainpop.com/health/diseases/aids/ (AIDS).

http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/eyam/ - Info on Eyam, the famous plague village (good for kids’ own research) and http://www.sycd.co.uk/who_am_i/everywhere/drama.htm - Short plays about the discovery of vaccines and the plague at Eyam, from the Science Year site.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/bread.htm - Bread, from How Stuff Works (contains lots of activities that kids could try at home).

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/webwise/spinneret/circuln/anphag.htm - Simple animation of a white blood cell engulfing some bacteria.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/ - The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (probably a bit difficult for pupils, but useful for finding out what disease-related issues are in the news at the moment and researching them).

Unit 8D. Ecological relationships

NB: This topic is closely related to 7C, Environment and Feeding Relationships, so those links may be relevant too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/science/living/03_fact.shtml - The 7 characteristics of life (MRS NERG), actually KS2 but good for revision/summary.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/foodchains/ - Movie and quiz on food chains from BrainPOP and http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/naturalselection/ natural selection.

http://www.alienexplorer.com/ecology/topic4.html - Lots of information about food chains and pyramids.

Unit 8E. Atoms and elements

http://www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/ - Interactive periodic table from WebElements™, good for kids as it has lots of detailed information and is easy to use.

http://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html - Tom Lehrer’s Elements Song (requires sound). 

periodic-table.pdf - Printable Periodic Table (use right click and Save Target As to save a copy).

http://www.chemsoc.org/viselements/pages/periodic_table.html - RSC’s Visual Elements periodic table.  Great for presentations as it’s very pretty!

From Doc Brown’s Chemistry Clinic: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Eelements.html - Cartoons linking element uses with their names, plus a test. http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Ewf1.htm - gap fill exercise and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Emc.htm a multiple choice quiz.

http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/gallery.html - IBM’s STM image gallery has some beautiful images of real atoms, recorded with a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope.  The inner workings of an STM are a bit advanced for Year 8 (!) but they’ll love the pictures.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/atoms/ - BrainPOP movie and quiz on atoms, and  http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/atomicmodel/ one on the atomic model.

http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/index.html - The Particle Adventure (very advanced, gets into quarks and antimatter, but interesting!)

Unit 8F. Compounds and mixtures

http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/atoms/elements.html - Simple animations of an element, compound and mixture (in the gas phase).

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/compoundsmixtures/ - BrainPOP movie and quiz on Compounds and Mixtures.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/propertychanges/ - BrainPOP movie and quiz on the difference between physical and chemical changes.

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/emc1mp.htm - Matching exercise from Doc Brown, http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Fwf1.htm multi-word fill quiz and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Fmc.htm multiple choice quiz.

Unit 8G. Rocks and weathering

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/typesofrocks/ (types of rocks) http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/weathering/ (weathering) http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/propertychanges/ (difference between physical and chemical changes).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/rocks/index.shtml - Essential guide to rocks from the BBC, site contains loads and loads of useful information, activities and pictures, including an animation/timeline of Britain’s ‘rocky’ past.

http://home.att.net/%7Ecochrans/terms01.htm - Glossary of rock words (handy when someone asks you what, say, breccia is.

http://www.ukfossils.info/ - all sorts of information about fossils, and http://www.beenthere‑donethat.org.uk/fossils.html has lots of pictures to help with identification.

From Doc Brown’s Chemistry Clinic:
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Gwf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz)
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Gmc.htm (multiple choice quiz)

http://www.christiaan.com/stonehenge/info/students/ - info about Stonehenge, might make an interesting extension activity/project.

(NB: see also 9E, Reactions of metals for info on metal ores)

Unit 8H. The rock cycle

http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/rockcycle/  - BrainPOP movie and quiz on the Rock Cycle.

http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/rockcycle.htm - The Rock Cycle from Moorland School (good for kids’ own research).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/rocks/index.shtml - Essential guide to rocks from the BBC, site contains loads and loads of useful information, activities and pictures, including an animation/timeline of Britain’s ‘rocky’ past.

From Doc Brown:
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/Rocks1mp.htm (matching exercise)
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Hwf1.htm - multi-word fill quiz
http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/8Hmc.htm - multiple-choice quiz

Unit 8I. Heating and cooling

http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/heat/ - Movie and quiz on heat, from BrainPOP and http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/temperature/ one on temperature.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/energyii1tb
&infile=energyii1tb - short quiz on heat and energy transfer from BBC Bitesize.

http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/staff/blynds/tmp.html - a handy page for research which has all sorts of information about temperature, its history, temperature scales, thermometers etc, and http://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/012992.html - explains the nature of absolute zero.

http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/mummy/pyramid/ - Build a better pyramid by insulating it (interactive activity)

http://www.howstuffworks.com/thermos.htm - How a Thermos flask works, including definitions and descriptions of heat transfer by radiation, convection and conduction. 

http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~collins/astro/subjects/convection1.html - Very helpful reference for teachers on how to teach the subject of heat transfer.

Unit 8J. Magnets and electromagnets

http://www.brainpop.com/science/forces/magnetism/  - BrainPOP movie and quiz on magnetism, and http://www.brainpop.com/science/forces/magneticpoles/ one on magnetic poles.

http://education.magnet.fsu.edu/maglabalpha/html/expeditions/
whatmagnet.html - text-based information on magnets and http://www.phys.lsu.edu/dept/opps/key_ideas_about_magnets.htm lots of key facts about magnets (good for research).

http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/whataremagnets.html - Good, simple explanation of what a magnet is in terms of lots of aligned polar molecules.

http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/find/find/compass.htmlx - info about compasses and how to make your own compass.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet.htm - Electromagnets, from How Stuff Works (includes useful animation) and http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/speaker.htm how speakers work (may be handy for research – speakers contain electromagnets).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/elecmag2tb
&infile=elecmag2tb - test on electromagnets (and electrical circuits) from BBC Bitesize.

Unit 8K. Light

Movies and quizzes from BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/light/light/ (light) http://www.brainpop.com/science/light/color/ (colour) http://www.brainpop.com/health/senses/vision/ (vision) http://www.brainpop.com/science/light/waves/ (waves) http://www.brainpop.com/science/light/rainbow/ (rainbows) http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/sun/ (the sun) http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/emspectrum/ (electromagnetic spectrum).

http://www.granada-learning.com/resources/online_demos/science.jhtml - Interactive game, make the laser light beam hit the target by moving the mirrors.

http://www.nmpft.org.uk/magic-factory/index2.html - Games about light and colour from the Magic Factory (National Museum of Photography, Film and Television).

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/ - Science of shadows, prisms, colour, and lenses. Includes a timeline, a section on pioneers in the optics field, and a museum of microscopy.

http://www.yahooligans.com/Science_and_Nature/Physical_Sciences/
Optical_Illusions/ - List of links to sites of optical illusions.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/education/lessonPlans/
pinholeCamera/ - How to make a pinhole camera, from Kodak.

http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/lasers/mainpage.html - Information about LASERS aimed at kids.

Unit 8L. Sound and hearing

Movies and quizzes  from BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/sound/ (sound) http://www.brainpop.com/health/senses/hearing/ (hearing).

http://www.hpbroadband.com/program.cfm?key=W42MCW80Z - The HP and Bang & Olufsen advert which ‘shows’ sound waves; very beautiful and a brilliant visual representation.  It's also available here: hp-bang-olufsen-ad.mov

http://www.fearofphysics.com/Sound/dist.html - Introduction to what sound is, with a simple animation.

http://www.granada-learning.com/resources/online_demos/science_year1.jhtml - Who’s ringing the robot’s mobile?  Interactive game to match the waves to the sounds.

http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/ - The Soundry, an interactive web site about sound containing info about the physics of sound, how ears work, applications and history. In particular, check out the http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/Inter.html interactive sound lab.

http://pittsford.monroe.edu/jefferson/calfieri/physics/SoundQuiz.html - Multiple choice sound quiz.

Year 9

Unit 9A. Inheritance and selection

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/health/reproductive/
fertilizationandbirth/ (fertilization and birth) http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthanddevelopment/
heredity/ (heredity) http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthanddevelopment/dna/ (DNA) http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthanddevelopment/genes/ (genes)

http://www.learn.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=Unit&WCU=1570 - Selective breeding, text and pictures discussing the breeding of Farmer Brown’s cows and http://www.learn.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=Unit&WCU=1571 why selective breeding is important to farmers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/genes/ - Gene-related history, health and news from the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/
food_under_the_microscope/280396.stm - The GM Food Debate: Food under the microscope (from the BBC).

Unit 9B. Fit and healthy

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthanddevelopment/nutrition/ (nutrition) http://www.brainpop.com/health/respiratory/smoking/ (smoking) http://www.brainpop.com/health/diseases/peakflow/ (peak flow meter & asthma) http://www.brainpop.com/health/nervous/drugabuse/ (drug abuse) http://www.brainpop.com/health/muscular/muscular/ (muscles) http://www.brainpop.com/health/skeletal/joints/ (joints)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthyliving/ - BBC Healthy Living, info about nutrition, weight and lifestyle (good for research).

http://www.healthyeating.net/he_1.htm - HealthyEating.net: lots of information on nutrition and fitness (good for research).

http://www.yahooligans.com/Science_and_Nature/Health_and_Safety/
Drugs_and_Alcohol/Smoking_and_Tobacco/ - Lots of links about smoking from Yahooligans.

http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/health_and_safety/
Drugs_and_Alcohol/ - Lots of links about drugs and alcohol from Yahooligans.

Unit 9C. Plants and photosynthesis

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/photosynthesis/ (photosynthesis) http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/pollination/ (pollination) http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/rainforest/ (rainforest) http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/seedplants/ (seed plants – technical)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/science/living/06_act.shtml - Plants as living things, from the BBC.  It’s aimed at KS2, but contains a surprising amount of information in a colourful animated format.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/webwise/spinneret/plants/photsy.htm - Photosynthesis and respiration comprehension exercise.

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/chlorophyll/chlorophyll_h.htm - History of photosynthesis and chlorophyll (good for research/project work).

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/bio100/lectures/s97lects/07Photosynthesis/
photosynsumm.html - Photosynthesis summary: quite technical but may be a useful resource for teachers, has lots of diagrams.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/plantproc1&infile=plantproc1 - Quiz on photosynthesis and plant structure from BBC Bitesize.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/teachers/worksheets/science/
plantprocesses.shtml - Plant processes worksheet from BBC.

Unit 9D. Plants for food

http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/foodchains/ - BrainPOP movie and quiz on food chains (use as revision, they will probably have already seen it in 7C and/or 8D).

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question181.htm - What is fertiliser and why do plants need it, from How Stuff Works (good for research) and http://home.howstuffworks.com/organic-food.htm: how organic food works.

http://www.hanoverhistory.org/ruffin.html - Information about Edmund Ruffin; farmer and agricultural reformer whose experiments on his farm convinced him that fertilizers, crop rotation, drainage, and good ploughing could revitalize the declining soil of his native state, Virginia (USA).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/
food_under_the_microscope/280396.stm - The GM Food Debate: Food under the microscope (from the BBC).

Unit 9E. Reactions of metals and metal compounds

http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/live/rust/index_e.htm - Look into the world of rust!  Pokémon-style interactive animation all about rust (be a bit careful, it describes all oxides as ‘rust’, and the English is less than perfect in some places because this is a Japanese site).

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/propertychanges/ - Physical and Chemical changes from BrainPOP – relevant because it has an animation of sodium + chlorine reaction and discusses rusting.

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA0/SAMPMOVS.HTM - Great movies of various (dangerous!) chemical reactions, including several involving metals.

From Doc Brown: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Ewf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz) and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Emc.htm (multiple choice quiz).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks3bitesize/metal1
&infile=metal1 - Quiz on metals and non-metals, from BBC Bitesize.

http://www.digitalbrain.com/digitalbrain/web/subjects/2.%20secondary/
ks4sci/su3/mod2/mod2jo.db_psc?verb=view - Useful products from metal ores and rocks, from DigitalBrain.

http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/minerals/metals.htm - Pictures of common metal ores.

Unit 9F. Patterns of reactivity

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/periodictable/ - Movie and quiz from BrainPOP on the periodic table and http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/atomicmodel/ the atomic model.

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA0/SAMPMOVS.HTM - Great movies of various (dangerous!) chemical reactions, including nitrogen triiodide detonation and the reaction of sodium and chlorine.  Requires QuickTime.

From Doc Brown: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Fwf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz) and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Fmc.htm (multiple choice quiz)

Unit 9G. Environmental chemistry

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/airpollution/ (air pollution) http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/airpollutionadv/ (air pollution – advanced) http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/atmosphere/ (atmosphere) http://www.brainpop.com/science/earth/ozone/ (ozone) http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/globalwarming/ (global warming) http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/rainforest/ (rainforest)  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/alphabet63.shtml - Weather and Ultraviolet light from BBC Weather and http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/global_warming1.shtml weather and global warming.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/climatechange/greenhouseeffect.shtml - BBC’s climate change debate web site.

From Doc Brown: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Gwf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz) and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Gmc.htm (multiple choice quiz)

http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/ - Lots of info about acid rain from Environment Canada, good for general research and also has a ‘kid’s corner’ with simplified information.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter.htm - How catalytic converters work, from How Stuff Works.

http://www.itopf.com/ - information on (ship-source) oil pollution.

Unit 9H. Using chemistry

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/electricity/batteries/ (batteries) http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/heat/ (heat)
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/compoundsmixtures/ (compounds & mixtures) http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/energysources/ (energy sources)

http://www.emsb.qc.ca/laurenhill/science/balance/ - Chembalancer: balance equations with this interactive tool and http://www.wfu.edu/~ylwong/balanceeq/balanceq.html another, similar tool.

http://www.materials-careers.org.uk/discover/ - Discover materials, a lovely interactive resource from the Institute of Materials.  Has info on selecting, using and making different materials.

From How Stuff Works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm (batteries) http://science.howstuffworks.com/gasoline.htm (gasoline aka petrol) http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm (fuel cells)

http://www.civ.hw.ac.uk/research/fire/information/ - Detailed information and diagrams about the Fire Triangle (fuel, oxygen, heat).

From Doc Brown: http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Hwf1.htm (multi-word fill quiz) and http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page12/9Hmc.htm (multiple choice quiz)

Unit 9I. Energy and electricity

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/electricity/electricity/ (electricity) http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/ (all BrainPOP energy-related topics)

http://www.article19.com/shockwave/ph.htm - This interactive house lets you turn on household electrical items and see the immediate effect on your electric bill.

http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xfaraday.html - Biography of Michael Faraday (known for his electricity and magnetism experiments)

http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/frankenstein/static.html - Info on static electricity and how to generate it and http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/physics/electricity/
electricchargeandcurrentrev4.shtml some great images/animations from BBC Bitesize.

(NB: See 7J for pages from How Stuff Works explaining familiar electrical items)

Unit 9J. Gravity and space

From BrainPOP: http://www.brainpop.com/science/forces/gravity/ (gravity) http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/ (all BrainPOP space-related topics) http://www.brainpop.com/science/forces/relativity/ (relativity)

http://library.thinkquest.org/27585/ - From Apples to Orbits: lovely interactive site about gravity, its history and its effects.  Includes an interactive lab.

http://sciencemonster.com/ - Take a tour of Mars and the stars! Also includes a virtual globe and information on gravity and inertia.

http://www.sprocketworks.com/shockwave/load.asp?SprMovie=
missionpathsweb - Play with interactive animations to learn how four different space missions used gravity assists to save fuel and gain momentum.  Quite technical but fun.

http://www.scienceyear.com/planet10/ - Beautiful 3D animations of the solar system with a haunting soundtrack, includes the ability to zoom in and out and change to different viewing angles.  There’s also a fun activity to build your own planet (planet ‘10’).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/planets/ - BBC’s Planets site, tons of info on all the different planets: history, stats, etc plus jigsaw activities to build the solar system, place all the moons, and identify artificial satellites.

Unit 9K. Speeding up

http://www.fearofphysics.com/Xva/xva.html - Learn about Position, Velocity, and Acceleration; clear explanation, and an activity which allows you to control position, velocity, and acceleration for two objects at the same time.

http://www.gcseguide.co.uk/travel_graphs.htm - Simple explanation of Speed, Distance and Time graphs.

http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap5/5.2/ - Nice animation of two runners running along a track with an accompanying graph.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/gigaflat/physics/
speedvelocityaccelerationfh/speedvelocityaccelerationfh_quiz.shtml - Quiz from BBC Bitesize (aimed at GCSE, but good for level 7 pupils).

Unit 9L. Pressure and moments

(There’s a very limited amount of KS3-suitable info out there on this topic)

http://www.brainpop.com/tech/simplemachines/lever/ - Movie and quiz from BrainPOP on levers.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/brake.htm  - How brakes work, from How Stuff Works.  Includes explanation of leverage and examples of force calculations.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com//pressure-gauge.htm - How tyre pressure gauges work, from How Stuff Works.  Includes a section on understanding pressure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/systems/
pneumaticsrev4.shtml - Force and pressure calculations from BBC Bitesize (GCSE Technology!).

http://www.hoddersamplepages.co.uk/pdfs/Physics_Page46.pdf - A sample page from a text book discussing moments and levers.

Unit 9M. Investigating scientific questions

http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificproblemsolving/ - Movie on solving scientific problems from BrainPOP and http://www.brainpop.com/science/scientificinquiry/scientificmethod/ one on scientific method (this one is particularly good, talks about observation, hypothesis, predictions and experiment).

http://www.howe.k12.ok.us/~jimaskew/hsimeth.htm - How to use scientific method to solve any problem.

http://www.tryscience.org/experiments/experiments_begin.html?dna - Find out how DNA profiling can make sense of a crime scene and help I.D. a culprit from a list of suspects.

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kroc/scimethod/ - Finding the lighthouse diamond thief by using the scientific method – an online activity based around ‘jigsaw’-type group work.  May be best used by teachers to plan a lesson in advance.

http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Science_in_Society/
Skeptical_Inquiry/ - Collection of links about sceptical enquiry: very interesting!  Sceptical discussion of everything from auras and astrology to UFO abductions and urban legends.

http://www.yahooligans.com/Science_and_Nature/Scientists/ - Collection of links about scientists.

http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/History_of_Science/ - Collection of links about the history of science.

http://www.yahooligans.com/science_and_nature/Measurements_and_Units/ - Collection of links about measurement and units.

Miscellaneous

http://oldsite.havok.com/xtra/demos/demo-ragdoll2.html - A 'ragdoll' of a skeleton; you can drag and drop the limbs about. Great for teaching about how bones are connected (would be especially good with an interactive whiteboard).

http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/demo/frog.html - It's truly revolting, but kids will love it. The virtual reality frog dissection!
http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/demo/squid.html - On a similar vein, the squid dissection.
http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/demo/pellet.html - And the the owl pellet (click on the pellet and reconstruct the skeleton of the owl's last meal).

Dr K. Street
Email: mail@drkstreet.com

Head of Chemistry
Royal Latin School

© Dr Kat Street 2008. You may use, reproduce or distribute any of the information on these pages provided that this site is appropriately referenced and credited (a link to the relevant page is sufficient).

This document was first created 8th July 2003. Sites change and move all the time, so please report any broken links or ideas for new sites to the email address above.