New ELI today 'What is/are the least bad option(s) for plugging the future global energy gap? A discussion on the least-damaging ways to meet world energy needs in the future'.


Given that renewable fuel sources will be unable to fulfil all global energy needs for the foreseeable future, pupils consider which of the alternative sources might plug this energy gap.
Many activities related to energy sources can be found on our website.

'Shell shake – survival of the toughest; why is the fossil record incomplete?'



Pupils deliberately smash a variety of seashells to see which ones are strong enough to remain recognisable, and which ones are so weak that they would leave little or no evidence of their existence. This leads pupils to realise that the fossil record is often biased. Many organisms are destroyed by being eaten or by being broken up into tiny fragments by moving water, or by processes of lithification of the host sediment. This lesson demonstrates that a slab of apparently well-preserved fossils may not present a true record of all that lived there, so caution is needed in reconstructing the ancient environment in its entirety.
Many more activities in the Evolution of Life category can be found on our website.

Plate tectonics - big picture, 'facts', earthquake and volcanic evidence.


These three video clips give an excellent introduction to the theory of plate tectonics. More video clips about the topic can be found on our website.

New ELI today - 'Which sedimentary structures can you make? Making sedimentary structures in the classroom using simple apparatus and materials'.


This ELI is a revision activity, involving investigations into how sedimentary structures are formed in loose sediment. Pupils are given a choice of simple apparatus and materials to work out how they can best demonstrate the formation of a particular sedimentary structure.
Many activities related to sedimentary structures can be found on our website either by using the search engine or the alphabetical index.