National Qualifications - Sciences

February 21st, 2011

Biology - Scientific Experimentation, Investigation & Enquiry Skills

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Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Higher Biology, National Qualifications, Scottish National Qualifications, resources

Calling all Biology Teachers! Do your learners end up wasting time when looking for information on the internet? Check out two brand-new resources designed to enable students of the new Higher Biology to develop the skills of effective and informed web-based research - an introductory Powerpoint presentation and an interactive pupil resource.

Also, have a look at this new resource designed to help learners develop their skills of scientific experimentation, investigation and enquiry. Starting from a simple experiment based upon investigating respiration rate in germinating peas using a datalogger, learners are encouraged to consider each of the stages involved in conducting an effective scientific investigation and what their results actually mean. Extension activities are also suggested.

Tell us what you think of these resources!

February 21st, 2011

New Higher Chemistry Resource - Processing and Analysing Data

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Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Advanced Higher investigations, Higher Chemistry, National Qualifications, Researching Chemistry, Scottish National Qualifications, resources

Chemistry Teachers are spoiled for choice with fabulous new resources these days! Check out yet another brand-new resource supporting skills development within the ‘Researching Chemistry’ unit of the revised Higher Chemistry.

The resource consists of a pupil activity pack and a teacher’ guide. It enables students to develop and practice the key skills of ‘Processing and Analysing Data’ which are essential to effectively carrying out an investigative task at Higher Chemistry level. The resource addresses a range of important topics such as plotting scatter graphs, the benefits of carrying out replicate measurements, identification and elimination of ‘rogue points’, calculating mean values, appreciating the relative accuracy of volumetric apparatus, qualitative understanding of uncertainty, etc.

This resource would also provide an excellent preparation for current Advanced Higher students in the skills required to successfully write-up their investigation report.

Let us know if you like it!

February 21st, 2011

New Higher Physics Resource - Earthquakes!

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Comments: 2 Comments » Tags:  : Categories Higher Physics, National Qualifications, Researching Physics, Scottish National Qualifications, resources

Check out another brilliant, brand-new resource which has just been produced for the new Higher Physics. The resource is on the topic of ‘Earthquakes‘ and is designed to support the ‘Researching Physics’ unit of the new Higher.

The ‘Researching Physics’ unit helps learners to develop the specific transferable scientific skills which will enable them to make sense of the modern scientific world and to make a smooth progression to further study in S6, college, university, work or life!

This exemplar has been developed in conjunction with SSERC and the British Geological Survey, and provides a challenging and thought-provoking context for the development of scientific investigative skills.

What do you think of it?

February 1st, 2011

Freebies for Higher Chemistry and Physics!

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Chemistry, Higher Physics, Scottish National Qualifications, Uncategorized, early-adopters, early-adopting schools, resources

Good news for teachers of Higher Chemistry and Higher Physics! Free, printed versions of three brand-new resources for each subject have been distributed to all Scottish schools this week! Look out for these in a mailbox near you soon!

The online version of these resources are also available on the National Qualifications site on the LTS website. These are just a sample of the many excellent new resources which have been produced to support the new Highers in Physics and Chemistry.

The titles which have been distributed in print for Higher Chemistry are;

1. Open-Ended Questions in Higher Chemistry - Teachers Guide
2. Carrying Out Effective Web-Based Research in Chemistry
3. Identifying Functional Groups in Complex Molecules

For Higher Physics, the printed resources which have been sent to schools are;

1. Open-Ended Questions in Higher Physics - Teachers Guide
2. Relativity - Teachers Guide
3. The Standard Model - Teachers Guide

Let us know if you find these useful!

January 6th, 2011

Happy New Year from the NQ Sciences team!

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Sciences, National Qualifications, SQA, Scottish National Qualifications

Hi Folks! Happy New Year from everyone on the National Qualifications Sciences Team at LTS! We hope you’ve had a lovely restful break and wish you all the best for 2011!

The NQ Sciences team is looking forward to the busy few months ahead! We will be working with our key partner organisations at engagements with the profession as the launch of the CfE-inspired Highers in June 2011 comes ever closer. We will also be supporting the work of SQA as they consult with teachers all over the country on the design of the new Advanced Higher Sciences (in time for a June 2012 launch date!). In addition, we will continue to support the development of the new CfE qualifications at National 4 and 5 levels as part of the Qualification Design teams.

Watch this space for regular news updates on all of these activities!

December 22nd, 2010

Another new Higher Physics Resource! ‘The Standard Model’

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Physics, National Qualifications, Scottish National Qualifications, Uncategorized, resources

In the 1970s, physicists developed a theory called ‘The Standard Model‘ which gives us a remarkable insight into the fundamental structure of matter in the Universe. The ‘Standard Model’ describes the twelve basic building blocks of the universe (called ‘fundamental particles’) and also looks into the ‘fundamental forces’ governing these particles.

A set of teachers notes to support teachers with the delivery of this modern content within the ‘Particles and Waves’ unit of the new CfE-inspired Higher Physics can be found on the National Qualifications page and also on the NQ Physics Glow group.

We hope you like them!

December 22nd, 2010

Chemistry Open-Ended Question Christmas Challenge!

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Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Higher Chemistry, Higher Sciences, Open-Ended Questions, Scottish National Qualifications, Uncategorized

OK Chemistry Teachers - here’s a little Christmas challenge to get you in the mood for teaching ‘open-ended questions’ in the new CfE-inspired Higher Chemistry!

All you have to do is to watch the video-clip above from a ‘CSI:Miami’ episode entitled ‘Dissolved’ (you’ll soon see why it got that name!) and then try to answer the open-ended question below! Remember that there are many correct answers, and the purpose is to get you to exercise your thinking skills! Have fun!

An internet discussion board on ‘Bad Chemistry’ has an entry referring to the TV drama ‘CSI: Miami’.

‘Last night’s episode showed the deceased victim floating in a swimming pool contaminated with sodium hydroxide. The concentration was high enough to eat through glass. When the CSI guys realised it was an alkali, they needed to neutralise it to retrieve the body, so they sent one of the team to the local grocery store for vinegar. They proceeded to pour the vinegar from four litre jugs into the pool, dropping the pH from 13 to exactly 7.0 – all within a few seconds, and without any stirring!’

Using your knowledge of chemistry, comment on whether the events described in CSI: Miami could take place.

December 22nd, 2010

New Higher Physics Resource: Special Relativity

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Physics, National Qualifications, Scottish National Qualifications, resources

The ‘Our Dynamic Universe’ unit of the CfE-inspired Higher Physics contains a brand-new topic on ‘Special Relativity’. Special Relativity is a complex scientific theory which was developed by Albert Einstein in 1905. One of its key conclusions is that the speed of light is constant for all observers in the universe!

The inclusion of this conceptually difficult piece of modern physics within the new CfE-inspired Higher Physics curriculum is both inspirational and challenging to teachers and students. In order to support teachers with the delivery of this new content, an extensive set of teachers notes have been produced by LTS.

This resource can be found on the National Qualifications website, and also in the NQ Physics Glow Group!

Happy reading!

December 22nd, 2010

New Higher Chemistry Resource: Functional Groups in Complex Molecules and their effect on Physical Properties

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Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Higher Chemistry, National Qualifications, SQA, Scottish National Qualifications, Uncategorized, resources

Check out an exciting new set of resources to support the ‘Consumer Chemistry’ and ‘Periodicity, Polarity & Properties’ units of the new CfE-inspired Higher Chemistry. The resource consists of an interactive PowerPoint presentation which could be used to introduce the concepts involved, plus a sample set of pupil problems, with associated answers.

The resources support learners and teachers with a new style of exam question which the SQA will include in the CfE-inspired Higher Chemistry. This new question style requires students to identify key functional groups within complex organic molecules, and then to link the presence of certain functional groups to the molecule’s physical properties. Physical properties such as solubility, melting and boiling point and viscosity are included.

The resources can be found both on the National Qualifications website and on the NQ Chemistry Glow Group, and could be used to support aspects of the current and the CFE-inspired Highers in Chemistry.

Let us know if you find them useful!

December 16th, 2010

Physics CPD on Open-Ended Questions in South Ayrshire

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Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Higher Physics, National Qualifications, Open-Ended Questions, SQA, Scottish National Qualifications

Open-ended questions in the new Higher Physics were the topic for a CPD session held at Marr College, South Ayrshire on the 14th December 2010. The session allowed physics teachers to consider the benefits and challenges offered by incorporating these questions into the curriculum.

The ‘open-ended questions teacher’s guide’ housed on the NQ website was the basis of the core activities during this session. We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments!