Advanced Higher Biology learning and teaching resources for Unit 1 and Unit 3 have been added to the Education Scotland website at http://bit.ly/1yY12Qz
These resources contain activities, tutorials and powerpoints to support the delivery of Revised and CfE Advanced Highers. Unit 2 to follow soon.
Instellar – CfE Higher Physics Resources 
An Education pack has been created by the makers of Interstellar that helps teachers with some of the topics covered in the film. In discussion with Professor Martin Hendry from Glasgow University it became clear that this deals directly with some core topics of the new revised Physics Higher.
This guide to be available on the Glasgow Science Centre website at: http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/online/astronomy-activities.html. Or from the Sciences Glow site in the Higher Our Dynamic Universe folder.
Additionally Martin has written a great blog post about the film here: http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/science/the-science-of-interstellar.html
On Monday 3rd November, at Ardrossan Academy, Professor Martin Hendry, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, gave a talk on the astronomy and cosmology content in the CfE Higher Physics course.
The talk can be seen on GlowTV’s watch again service by following this link.
Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing even more resources to support Physics learning and teaching at National 4 and 5. These materials have been posted on the NQ Course Materials Portal and can be found using this link.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/p/nqresource_tcm4817069.asp
Staff are encouraged to draw on these materials, and existing materials, to develop their own programmes of learning which are appropriate to the needs of each individual school.
The materials include National 4 and National 5 teacher guide and a complete set of problems and answers for:
•Electricity and energy
•Waves and radiation
•Dynamics and space.
These resources will soon be shared through the Sciences Glow 365 site http://bit.ly/glowsciences
Do you have something to share? Contact grant.mcallister@educationscotland.gov.uk for further details on ways to share.
Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing even more resources to support Chemistry learning and teaching at National 4 and 5. These materials have been posted on the NQ Course Materials Portal and can be found using this link.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/chemistry/coursematerials.asp
The materials include teaching and learning activities for:
•Metal Chemistry
•Electricity and Chemistry
•Corrosion
•Plastics, Polymers, Ceramics
•Plant Nutrients and Fertlisers
•Nuclear Chemistry
•Chemical Analysis
Also in the package are updated materials for Volumetric Calculations. These materials will also be shared on the Sciences Glow 365 site.
Do you have something to share? Contact grant.mcallister@educationscotland.gov.uk for further details on ways to share through Education Scotland’s Sciences Glow 365 site and NQ Course materials portal.
Education Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Food and Drink Federation and Dundee Science Centre have create a series of Career Long Professional Learning events about Food Science. These events would be particularly relevant for those teaching N5 and Higher Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science as well as those teaching Higher Health and Food Technology and Hospitality.
1. Cooking Bus Career Long Professional Learning at Dundee Science Centre 10th – 14th November 2014
Free 3 hour CLPL sessions available during 10th – 14th November 2014 – open to teachers and support staff. For more information and how to sign up for a workshop.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CookingBusatDundeeScienceCentre2014
Please note the date and time you sign up for – your place will be confirmed in October.
2. Home Economics & Science staff Teach Meet Dundee Science Centre Tuesday 11th November
Teach Meet for Home Economics and Science staff offering support around Broad General Education, National Qualifications, positive destinations, progression with assessment. Presenters include Education Scotland, Scottish Food & Drink Federation, Food Standards Scotland, SQA, University of Abertay, SSERC & Dundee science Centre to name but a few.
Also included in the session will be a ‘Science of Gin’ presentation, discussing the use of botanicals to produce different styles.
TUESDAY 11th NOVEMBER 4.30pm – 7.30pm Dundee Science Centre.
Sign up here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/teachmeetDundeeScienceScentre
Particle Physics features in the new Higher and Advanced Higher courses.
For those who would like to brush up on your knowledge of this topic, a Glowmeet will be run on November 6th a 4 pm (“doors open” 3:30 pm) featuring Dr Aidan Robson of Glasgow University. Aidan will cover the theory for the new courses and will then answer questions from participants.
If you would like to join the Glowmeet, please let us know by emailing sts@sserc.org.uk with your Glow username and your school email address.
This is the first of a series of Glowmeets covering new Senior Phase topics. It is the result of a partnership between Education Scotland, SSERC, STEMNET and SUPA
BBC iWonder – Would we starve without bees?
The importance of bees
Ever wondered where all the food that you eat comes from? Well it might surprise you that a significant proportion is provided by bees one way or another.
If you look at the plate of food on your dinner table, bees have played their part either pollinating the many vegetables and fruits we eat directly, or pollinating the food for the animals that we then consume. And that’s not all bees do for us – honey and wax are two other important products that come courtesy of bees.
But honey bees are disappearing globally at an alarming rate due to pesticides, parasites, disease and habitat loss. If these little insects that help provide so much of the food we eat were to vanish, what would we do without them?
Shared in the N5 folders of the GLOW 365 Sciences site, http://bit.ly/glowsciences , two versions of the updated National 5 Resources Guide for #NQChemistry, #NQBiology and #NQPhysics. Both contain all the amendments to the National 5 Course and Unit Support notes from SQA in June. One is a static pdf version, commissioned by our writers, the second is a word version editable online, for all of us to share our best links and support each other in providing the best learning and teaching for the N5 sciences.
National Museums Scotland have launched a programme of Challenge Days for pupils undertaking their National Qualifications in Physics, based on the topic of renewable energy.
The days have been created by National Museums Scotland, working with experts from the energy industry. They will provide pupils with the opportunity to meet and interact with real-life scientists and engineers, plus hear from a keynote speaker about their career path and experiences. Working in groups, pupils will solve challenges around four types of renewable energy: hydro, wind, marine and solar power.
Throughout the day, each group will take part in two challenges and then feed back their findings. Industry experts then choose one winning group. Each pupil receives a certificate for taking part, and the winning group receives a prize for their school and themselves.
The Challenge Days are at National Museum of Rural Life on Thursday 23, Friday 24 & Monday 27 October 2014. Those at National Museum of Scotland are on Monday 3 & Monday 17 November 2014.
There are also two twilight CPD sessions for teachers being held on 1 October at National Museum of Rural Life and 2 October at National Museum of Scotland.
Get Energised is made possible by the generous support of the ScottishPower Foundation and all sessions are free, but spaces are limited. To book a place contact schools@nms.ac.uk or phone 0131 247 4041
More information available on www.nms.ac.uk/getenergised
Good Brain, Bad Brain: Parkinson’s Disease
Learn the fundamentals of Parkinson’s disease; what causes it and what we can do to ameliorate the symptoms.
This free online course is aimed at anyone with an interest in finding out the fundamentals of Parkinson’s disease; how it affects people, what causes it, what we can do to try and ameliorate the symptoms and what we don’t yet know about it.
As one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, most people at least know of one person who has Parkinson’s disease.
As the population ages, so the number of people with it will increase. Many people will be able to give a vague description of how that person is affected but may not know why. In this course we will consider how the normal principles of how neurones work and communicate are altered in the parkinsonian brain and why this leads to the symptoms that we see. We can then apply this knowledge to thinking about how current therapies work.
Finally we can think about where the holes in our knowledge are and the importance of this for improving our ability to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
Posted on the NQ Higher Sciences website Higher evidence recording spread sheets for Higher Biology, Higher Chemistry, Higher Human Biology and Higher Physics. Similar to the spreadsheets shared to record the evidence for nationals, these are bespoke to each Higher. They can accessed at
Biology http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/highersciences/biology/learningandteaching/resources.asp
Chemistry http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/highersciences/chemistry/learningandteaching/resources.asp
Human
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/highersciences/humanbiology/learningandteaching/resources.asp
Physics
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/highersciences/physics/guide/resources.asp
Many thanks to John Watson of Campbeltown Grammar and to the SQA for their help and support in producing these.
Inside Cancer: How Genes Influence Cancer Development
An ideal introduction for those interested in understanding how genetics influences the development and spread of cancer.
As an ‘Inside Cancer’ student, you will learn about the fundamental biological concepts that inform our current understanding of the molecular genetics of cancer development and its spread within the body. The course will be delivered by some of the University of Bath’s leading cancer researchers and clinical oncologists.
Cancer cells form part of complex tissues, containing different cell types, each with their own unique set of rules of behaviour. As a class, we will explore this unique genetic landscape of cancer cells. We will introduce the concept of DNA mutations and the emerging area of epigenetics and identify how they confer a selective advantage to cancer cells with unstable DNA, leading to uncontrolled cell division and tumour growth.
For more course information follow the link
Nearly 200 Scottish schools and FE colleges are now involved with the Royal Society of Chemistry’s free programme for schools, the Learn Chemistry Partnership, which was launched earlier this year. With your help, we’d like to ensure all Scottish schools are part of this network.
Educators who register their school – whether they are Head of Science, department technician or NQT – will become their school’s main contact for chemistry and will be the first to know of new Royal Society of Chemistry education products and discounts.
Registered schools receive free copies of Education in Chemistry and The Mole magazines (written for students); in addition, a monthly e-newsletter keeps Learn Chemistry Partnership contacts up-to-date with the Royal Society of Chemistry’s latest education news. You also receive discounts on products such as our giant periodic table as well as other free display materials such as careers posters.
In recognition of their subject expertise, Learn Chemistry Partnership contacts receive free Royal Society of Chemistry membership. Member benefits include careers support and a personal copy of Education in Chemistry, as well as the opportunity to join education interest groups.
For more information go to http://rsc.li/lcp-ts or contact Bill Beveridge, Regional Programme Manager for Scotland at beveridgew@rsc.org
Welcome back to the new session from Education Scotland,
A reminder of where you can find resources and some new additions.
The NQ Higher Sciences Site was created for the introduction of the revised Highers and has a number of teacher and learner resources including animations commissioned for the new content.
The NQ course materials Glow portal contains materials created by Education Scotland including Introductions and Learning Journeys for the CfE Highers as well as resources shared by local authorities for N3 level through to Advanced Higher.
The Sciences Glow 365 site, created in January this year provides a single national site for teachers to share resources. Its where to find materials produced by the Cross Authority writing groups, as well as the latest resources produced by Education Scotland.
Recent additions include N5 resources guides for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These guides, similar to those created for Higher, maps useful resources to key areas within the SQA’s course and unit support notes. Guides can be found in the appropriate subject folder.
Also created are evidence recording spread sheets for Higher Biology, Higher Chemistry, Higher Environmental Studies, Higher Human Biology and Higher Physics. Similar to the spreadsheets shared to record the evidence for nationals, these are bespoke to each Higher. They can accessed from the Higher folder for each subject. To download, click on the three dots on the right of the title, then click on the second set of three dots and click on download a copy. Many thanks to John Watson of Campbeltown Grammar and to the SQA for their help and support in producing these.
Use the hashtags for more updates into your Glow newsfeed or set alerts for these updates to appear in your Glow inbox.
Posted on the Sciences Glow 365 site, Higher evidence recording spread sheets for Higher Biology, Higher Chemistry, Higher Environmental Studies, Higher Human Biology and Higher Physics. Similar to the spreadsheets shared to record the evidence for nationals, these are bespoke to each Higher. They can accessed from the Higher folder for each subject. To download, click on the three dots on the right of the title, then click on the second set of three dots and click on download a copy. Many thanks to John Watson of Campbeltown Grammar and to the SQA for their help and support in producing these. For more updates, delivered to your Glow newsfeed, for the subjects and levels you’re interested in click on the hashtags in the newsfeed and click on follow.
Education Scotland’s Sciences have posted resources guides for Biology, Chemistry and Physics on the Sciences Glow 365 site. These guides, similar to those created for Higher, maps useful resources to key areas within the SQA’s course and unit support notes. Guides can be found in the appropriate subject folder. Use the hashtags for more updates into your Glow newsfeed or set alerts for these updates to appear in your glow inbox. These guides are part of the increasing number of resources found on the NQ Higher Sciences Site , the NQ course materials Glow portal and the Sciences Glow 365 site
Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing resources.
These materials are provided to support staff who are delivering programmes of learning in Physics National 4 and National 5. Staff are encouraged to draw on these materials, and existing materials, to develop their own programmes of learning which are appropriate to the needs of each individual school.
The materials include National 4 and National 5 teacher guide and a complete set of problems and answers for:
•Electricity and energy
•Waves and radiation.
They are available in the NQ Sciences Glow Portal.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/p/nqresource_tcm4817069.asp
Many thanks to Aberdeen City Council for sharing resources.
These materials are provided to support staff who are delivering programmes of learning in Chemistry National 4 and 5. The materials include teaching and learning activities for:
•Chemical formulae and reaction quantities
•Acids and alkalis
•Neutralisation
•Rates of reaction
•Energy changes
•Atomic structure
•Chemical formulae and equations.
They are available in the NQ Sciences Glow Portal.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqcoursematerials/subjects/c/nqresource_tcm4749193.asp
SSERC has recently moved all of its teaching resources to the open section of its website making them more readily available for public access. The SSERC website is at www.sserc.org.uk
This Higher Human Biology Resources Guide links Mandatory key areas to useful learning and teaching resources.
The pages show the Mandatory key areas table from the SQA Higher Biology course and unit support notes with an additional column containing hyperlinks to videos, animations and other resources. Content new to the course from the Higher Still Higher have been highlighted in green to further assist practitioners.
Updates will be posted on GLOW 365
This resource compliments similar guides produced for Higher Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Following the NQ Sciences events which took place in Hampden Stadium in December 2013, Education Scotland, in partnership with the SQA, organised cross authority writing workshops for NQ sciences qualifications. Faculty Heads and Principal Teachers from 30 local authorities have attended and worked collaboratively to co-develop materials for priority areas identified required support at the Hampden events.
These events have been hugely successful; at the first event hosted at SSERC materials for the National 5 Assignment, National 4 Added Value Unit were produced along with a bank of open ended questions.
The first Higher event allowed practitioners to evaluate Education Scotland materials and to generate and share further support materials. The second event at SSERC allowed delegates to choose practical activities appropriate for the new Highers and practice these as well as gain some content training from our partners at SSERC. Over 500 resources was shared through the GLOW 365 sciences platform.
The third Higher Cross-Authority Writing Workshop took place on Tuesday 27th May.
The purpose of the day was to provide practitioners with the opportunity to complete the materials they are developing for the Higher Sciences qualifications and professional learning events with updates from industry and further education professionals of the applications and theory of new content areas. Colleagues from HMI, SQA, learned societies, STEMnet ambassadors and research institutes join the group. Presentations included careers in life sciences venture capital, the Higgs Boson, Antioxidants in food and Stem Cell research. Speakers then worked with teachers to produce professional learning materials, teacher and pupil resources and assignment materials.
The feedback from the events was very positive with those attending keen for the model of cross-authority collaboration to be extended to include preparation for the new Advanced Higher courses, review best practice in National 3,4 and 5 courses and to quality assure materials share through the GLOW 365 sciences platform.
This Higher Biology Resources guide links Mandatory key areas to learning and teaching resources.
The pages show the Mandatory key areas table from the SQA Higher Biology course and unit support notes with an additional column containing hyperlinks to videos, animations and other resources. Content new to the course from the Higher Still Higher has been highlighted in green to further assist practitioners.
Updates will be posted on GLOW 365
This is the next in a series of Higher Resources guides linking key areas of the curriculum to identified learning and teaching resources
The pages show the SQA Higher Chemistry course and unit support notes with an extra column. Content new to the course from the Higher Still Higher are highlighted in green.
The extra column, entitled “Resources identified by Education Scotland”, shows links to resources each with a brief description. They are web-based resources such as animations which help understanding of the mandatory content listed. Each resource is placed adjacent to the content it exemplifies.
Updates will appear on GLOW 365.
This is part of a series of Higher Resources guides linking Mandatory Course key areas to useful learning and teaching resources.
The pages show the Mandatory Course key areas table from the SQA Higher Physics Course and Unit Support Notes with an additional column containing hyperlinks to videos, animations and other resources. Content new to the course from the Higher Still Higher has been highlighted in green to further assist practitioners.
Updates will appear on GLOW 365
On behalf of Dr Aidan Robson FInstP,
Reader in Physics,
The University of Glasgow
Dear colleagues,
As part of “Elementary – CERN and Scotland”, http://cernandscotland.tumblr.com,
I’m pleased to invite you and your current 5th-year students to this year’s schools Particle Physics Masterclass, which will be held on Tuesday 17th June 2014 at Glasgow University.
This one-day introduction to fundamental particles and forces will be led by experts working at CERN and will convey some of the excitement of front-line research in a rapidly-developing field, with talks and hands-on sessions in particle detection and analysis of real collider data.
The masterclass will take place on Tuesday 17th June 2014 from 10am to 3.30pm, with registration from 9.30am, in the Kelvin Building at the University of Glasgow. It is intended for students who are just finishing 5th year; ideally for those continuing to Advanced Higher. There is no charge, and lunch will be provided. However, participation is by advance booking only and numbers are limited.
Please consult your pupils and if they would like to attend, email a list of their names to masterclass@physics.gla.ac.uk and indicate whether you would like to accompany them. The masterclass is normally oversubscribed, so I will try to make a fair allocation to schools on 9th May or shortly thereafter. Note that I’m unlikely to be able to fulfil requests for groups of more than about 10 per school.
We all look forward to seeing some of you here on 17th June.
Best wishes,
Aidan Robson
Education Scotland and SQA have identified questions from Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2 papers from the last three years and matched them to Key Areas in the N5 Biology Curriculum.
This resource has been produced in response to the requests from practitioners who attended the National Qualifications Sciences events at Hampden Stadium in December 2013 which Education Scotland organised in partnership with the SQA.
The questions in this resource relate to National 5 Biology and have been taken from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Standard Grade and Intermediate 2 Past Papers.
Booklets of past papers and answers have been collated for the three units for teachers and students to use as part of their revision programme for the N5 exam.
Biology-N5-Past-Paper-Questions-Cell-Biology
Education Scotland and SQA have identified questions from Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2 papers from the last three years and matched them to Key Areas in the N5 Physics Curriculum.
This resource has been produced in response to the requests from practitioners who attended the National Qualifications Sciences events at Hampden Stadium in December 2013 which Education Scotland organised in partnership with the SQA.
The questions in this resource relate to National 5 Physics and have been taken from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Standard Grade and Intermediate 2 Past Papers.
Booklets of past papers and answers have been collated for the three units for teachers and students to use as part of their revision programme for the N5 exam.
Physics-N5-Past-Paper-Questions-Dynamics-and-Space
Flash Learning is pleased to announce free online access to Virtual National 4 Physics and Virtual National 5 Physics until July 2014.
Our software to support National 4 and 5 Physics has been very well received and is now in use in approximately two thirds of Scottish schools. We have developed an enhanced version of the material and this is available online at www.eflashlearning.co.uk
All Scottish pupils (and teachers) are invited to register online. Click on the Join Now button and you will be asked to supply a username, password and email address.
This online, enhanced version of the software includes topic quizzes and progress checks. There is also a forum (one for each course) and this will be available for a trial period . Please note that the website uses advanced web design technology and is best viewed with a modern web browser.
Pupils need to provide an email address when they register and we undertake not to do anything with this, other than to send one mail in August, inviting them to subscribe to the next physics course they may be taking.
The Minister for Learning, Dr Alasdair Allan, recently put in place a package of support to help secondary schools to deliver the new National Qualifications. This support included new route maps through assessment and these have now been published on the Education Scotland website. Developed by Education Scotland, in partnership with the SQA, these provide a sequenced list of main messages and links for National 4 and National 5 Sciences.
