Scientists in Schools

Resources

Use these resources for inspiration in your partnership.

If you would like us to add other resources, please contact us.

Starting points

You might like to try these activities (with student worksheets) to get your partnership started. All the worksheets can be copied for use in the classroom.

Note: these files have been provided as PDF files to keep the file size as low as possible. If you'd like the files as Word documents, please contact us.

Hands-on activities

There are plenty of great, simple hands-on science activities that are ready to use in the classroom. Try these sites:

If you're looking for ideas for the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, try this site:

National Science Week (11-19 August 2012) is a great excuse to do some science! Try these ideas:

Curriculum information

The Australian Curriculum is being developed progressively by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). The Foundation to Year 10 curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history is now available on the Australian Curriculum website (external website).

Scientists in Schools helps in implementing all three of the interrelated strands in the science curriculum: Science Understanding, Science Inquiry Skills and Science as a Human Endeavour.

Useful organisations and programs

Science Teacher Associations run regional science fairs and other competitions, plus offer plenty of resources and information about science teaching. The national Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) website includes links to each state and territory association.

The Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations offers general information about education in Australia plus links to other education organisations including state and territory education departments.

Primary Connections is a primary science/literacy program that could be a good framework for your partnership.

Environmental programs can provide ideas or be a framework for your partnership. Try:

Competitions can provide a great focus for a partnership. Try:

You could also get involved in one of a range of international collaborative science projects.

See also the list of complementary programs that might be useful for your partnership.

Funding and grants

The following programs may be able to assist with funding for partnership activities.

Ideas from partnerships

Run a science fair
SiS scientist Jason Scholz helped his partner school set up a science fair, and in the process wrote a fantastic resource booklet to help students (and teachers!) develop science fair projects. He's kindly made the booklet available to download (Microsoft Word, 118KB).

Set up a website
A website can be a great way to record the work you do in your partnership, and can help long-distance partnerships stay in touch. Take a look at:

Find more ideas in the partnership showcases.

IT resources

These resources might help you stay in touch and record the work your partnership is doing. Note that schools will have varying levels of access to these resources.

Skype allows phone and video calls over the internet. The software is free to download, and calls between two Skype accounts are free (except for your ISP costs).

Blogger and Wordpress offer free blogs that can be customised. You can use the blogs for discussions within your partnership or to showcase your work to the world. There are many other similar programs available. Be aware of security and privacy issues when using blogs.

Education Queensland's Learning Place provides tools and support for online learning, including blogs, online chats and forums. It's only available to Queensland government schools, but check your local education authority to find out if there's something similar available for you.

Scientists in Schools has an email list for discussions between participants. It's only open to scientists and teachers who are in a Scientists in Schools partnership.