Seeing science and the STFC

Devised by education professionals and drawing on front line research, 'seeing science with STFC' provides a wide range of interactive resources to support science teaching at Key Stage 3 (11 - 14 year olds) and Key Stage 4 (14-16 year olds).

There are six themes with lessons for both Key Stages. Each lesson has:

a teacher section - lesson plan, teacher notes, experiment notes, background notes, technician notes,
a student section - worksheets, activity sheets, information sheets, and
a multimedia section - images, videos, audio, games

These classroom-tested practical and interactive lessons provide a new way of getting inspirational ideas and evidence from the latest cutting edge science. The Key Stage 4 lessons have an emphasis on 'how science works' using examples from scientific research at two of STFC's laboratories.

An important resource is a framework for a multiple choice quiz (with two, three or four possible answers) for teachers to put in their own set of questions and answers. This will be a valuable tool for all Key Stages for starter refresher sessions, end of lesson summaries, extension work, homework or revision.

In 2007 a further seven lessons designed for Key Stage 4 were added. These are web-based only: schools without suitable web access should contact the Education Liaison Officer at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory for advice. The Key Stage 4 lessons are designed to support the 'How science works' aspect of the specifications and in particular data collection and data analysis.