Blog
The excitement of discovery Free
Something to enthuse your students about how fantastic chemistry can be. This 7 minute video produced by NASA is well worth watching and showing to all your students, particularly when you are covering...
Blog
Concept-based assessment Free
There is an interesting question on the 2022 November examination paper which is worth exploring particularly as the IB moves toward concept-based learning and assessment which will be embodied in the...
Blog
5+ is different to +5 Free
In many ways this blog follows on from my last one 'Training students to think critically'. Recently Natalie Brink, who teaches at Shekou International School in China, asked a very sensible and valid...
Blog
Training students to think critically Free
Young children are naturally curious and parents and teachers should actively encourage this curiosity. Questions which generally start with "How.." often require factual answers (e.g. How does this work?...
eBook
Environmental impact of some medications
Supercritical carbon dioxide Solvents are traditionally volatile organic substances which are toxic to all living organisms. They affect the nervous and respiratory systems and many, particularly chlorinated...
eBook
Environmental impact - global warming
In August 2015 President Obama announced a Clean Power Plan for the US. This introduces, for the first time, national standards to limit carbon pollution from power plants. By the year 2030 the plan aims...
eBook
Solar energy
(Image from Brightstar Eg) This sub-topic seems to have the wrong title! If you look at the ‘Understandings’ and Applications and skills’ you will see that they all refer to energy from biomass. It is...
eBook
Fossil fuels
Octane rating In a gasoline (petrol) internal combustion engine the fuel and air mixture is compressed and then ignited by the spark plug. This ignition occurs at the end of the compression stroke so...
eBook
Energy sources
This sub-topic looks at different energy sources and their efficiency in actually providing the energy required for society, as it currently exists, to function. It is a sobering thought that when we...
eBook
Lipids
Are saturated fats bad for your heath? There is real scope for both Nature of Science and Theory of Knowledge in discussing the question, ‘Are saturated fats bad for you?’ For the past forty years the...