As the autumn term progresses, students have settled in and teachers can, with confidence, call out a name and have the right student respond! Lesson plans, the school calendar and day to day teaching are well underway. So, now is a good time to start looking for opportunities to enrich the science curriculum.
To help you along, I recommend Catalyst Magazine which is a free digital science journal for students (aged 14-19) and their educators. It features real world cutting edge science stories linked to the curriculum, and a set of free Learning Notes to help you and the students take your knowledge further. This term’s edition is a particularly exciting one!
Viruses, vaccines, malaria, athletes’ foot (that one will make your skin crawl), brain stem cells, engineering human organs, medical devices…they all make an appearance, and there is an exclusive inside story of the road to recovery from Covid in the UK. Catalyst has built-in career aspects, so students can find out about the authors’ careers and get inspired. With a touch of ethics, deep thinking and exploration of topics that are often close to home, Catalyst can really ignite a spark in enquiring minds.
To ensure the Catalyst spark grows, I highly recommend the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. This year’s series of lectures follow the topical theme ‘Going Viral: How Covid changed science forever’ and features someone who has become a household name over the last 18 months – England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam – along with other top UK scientists.
- Lecture 1- The Invisible Enemy (Viruses, immune system, testing, advances)
- Lecture 2 - The Perfect Storm (Epidemiology, modelling, tech/future)
- Lecture 3 - Winning the war (Vaccines, genetics, technology, future)
To support the lectures, we have identified a series of activities and resources hosted on our e-library, this curated collection will help you and your students uncover the fascinating world of viruses and their place in our lives.
Look at the lectures and Catalyst and please suggest ideas to support the topics covered and how they could be used in the classroom. I look forward to seeing your ideas!