Did you know?

Animals, Biodiversity & Habitats, Climate Science, Electricity, Energy, Evolution & Inheritance, Forces, Light, Plants, Properties & Uses of Materials, Rocks, Fossils and Soils, Sound, Space, States of Matter

Enrichment, Practical Science, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work, Topical Science

7-9, 9-12

Cutting-edge research can be linked to primary science curriculum topics.

Aimed at teachers and adults interested in introducing cutting-edge science research projects to primary age children, PSTT has created freely downloadable Did you know? articles which are linked to primary science curriculum topics.

Articles are written in language that primary children can understand and suggest questions for children to consider.

Accompanying Teacher Guides (which can be used a classroom presentations) describe activities and investigations that children can do related to the research.

You might have noticed some improvement if you’ve been a long time user of I bet you didn’t know… We have recently updated the resource to Did you know? – this resource still links to cutting-edge science but now with the following improvements:

Reading opportunities to help children understand how science is applied in the world around them.
Guidance for teachers to improve science capital by encouraging pupils to connect science learning to world events.
Teacher Guides are now made simpler by linking the research to one primary science topic and one learning objective within that topic.

Learn more about this resource from our recent Did you know? webinar. Presenters will share examples of articles which explain cutting-edge research in language that primary children (aged 7-12) can understand and suggest questions for children to consider. For more webinars and professional learning opportunities, visit our events’ page here.

Interested in a new article and Teacher Guide to explore this summer?

Find out how climate models can be used to help cities prepare for sports events such as the Paris Olympics

Be sure to share our latest Did you know? activity with your class if you are teaching about circulation, the impact of exercise on our bodies, staying healthy in warmer weather, or if you have sports day coming up, you are talking about the Paris Olympics, or about climate change.

The article could be discussed with the class (or read independently by older primary children) and includes questions about the effects of exercise on your body for children to consider. The accompanying Teacher Guide describes an activity to investigate the effects of different types of activity on heart rate. Download available below.

an athlete laying down on a track appearing exhausting after running a race

Did you know?

Animals, Climate Science

Climate models help us plan sports events

Curriculum links: Exercise / Health / Climate science

Practical Science, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work, Topical Science | 9-12

Download

underwater scene of life around the coral reef

Climate Science, Energy, Sound

Soundscapes can help restore coral reefs

Curriculum links: Sound / Climate change

Practical Science, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work, Topical Science | 7-9, 9-12

Download

Climate Science, Properties & Uses of Materials

Geoengineering could slow melting of Arctic ice

Curriculum focus: Properties and uses of materials (reflectivity) / Climate change

Practical Science, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work, Topical Science | 7-9, 9-12

Download

Properties & Uses of Materials

Historical ink

Curriculum focus: Separating materials (ink)

Enrichment, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work | 7-9, 9-12

Download

Forces

Weird, wiggly, crawling wheels roam Mars

Curriculum focus: Friction

Enrichment, Practical Science, Science Enquiry, Scientists and their work | 7-9, 9-12

Download