British Science Week - Teaching Resources

BBC Teach > Educational Calendar

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths which will take place 11-20 March 2022.

The 2022 theme is growth. From exploring plant growth in a window box to discussing the impacts of economic growth on our society, there are plenty of ways to join in with your class.

Below you will find links to our best science, technology, engineering and maths resources for primary and secondary schools - all in one place.

You can also download a free British Science Week activity pack, which aims to provide simple, hands-on science activities which teachers and parents can use with students and children during British Science Week.

Click or tap here to visit the British Science Week website and download a free activity pack.

You might also use these resources to celebrate Mars Day, which takes place on 14 March 2022. Click or tap here for all our space-themed resources for primary and secondary schools.

Four ways Sir David Attenborough’s films can help with science learning

As well as the classroom videos below, here is an article about how natural history films like The Green Planet can help bring science learning to life in schools. In this article for teachers primary educational consultant and science educator Claire Seeley shares her thoughts on how this landmark BBC series might help you explore 2022's British Science Week theme of 'growth' with your class.

Primary

Watch again: Bitesize: The Regenerators – The Green Planet Live Lesson 1

Bring the wonders of The Green Planet into your classroom with this tropical plant themed science lesson for 7-11 year-olds.

Watch again: Bitesize: The Regenerators - The Green Planet Live Lesson 2

The second of our science lessons in collaboration with The Green Planet exploring the wonders of plants, how they're adapted to survive in different environments and the clever ways they disperse their seeds.

Super Movers Science Videos

Get up and moving with active learning direct from the TARDIS. Here you'll find two Super Movers videos for primary schools, covering the solar system and light.

Explain This... KS1 Science

Short films with explanations of key KS1 science topics including the human body, animal life cycles, the food chain, conductors/insulators, solutions and sound.

Little Stargazing

In this series of short films for primary schools a group of children aged five and six, and their families, marvel at the wonders of space. They meet two astronauts and learn about the phases of the Moon.

Ivy's Plant Shop

A fun series of short films exploring the incredible science behind plants.

Blue Planet Live

We teamed up with Blue Planet Live to create short films that explore the health of our oceans and the damaging effects of single-use plastics.

Explorers

A cross-curricular series using the theme of explorers to introduce subjects such as science, creative writing, art and design, maths and geography.

Scientists and Scientific Method

This series of short films provides an insight into some of the world's most famous scientists, and some of the biggest discoveries ever made in science.

Absolute Genius with Dick & Dom

From Archimedes to Faraday, Dick and Dom explore the work of the most important inventors and scientists in history in this series of short films.

Life Lessons

These short films offer an introduction to key concepts in biology, focusing on the seven important lessons from the natural world.

Amazing Me

A series of primary biology films that demonstrate the amazing processes that go on inside each and every one of us.

Operation Awesome

In this entertaining BBC series, primary pupils explore a range of amazing practical science challenges with presenter Steve Mould.

Biology with Dr. Chris van Tulleken

Doctor Chris van Tulleken introduces some handpicked biology clips from the BBC archive for use in the classroom.

Beyond Bionic

CBBC series where action-adventurer Andy Torbet explores the science behind some of nature’s most highly skilled animals and uses technology to try and compete with them.

Explain This... KS2 Design and Technology

A series of short films that offer concise explanations of axles and hinges and also demonstrate methods of how to make structures stronger and waterproof.

The Dengineers

CBBC series where expert designers and builders create extraordinary children's dens, encountering design challenges along the way.

Terrific Scientific

Terrific Scientific brings science to the heart of your teaching with fantastic investigations and exciting resources linked to the curriculum.

Secondary

Physics Bites

These physics focused clips are presented by scientist and rapper Jon Chase.

Biology Bites

These biology focused short films are from the BBC series Biology Bites, and are presented by scientist and rapper Jon Chase.

Chemistry Bites

These chemistry focused short films are from the BBC series Chemistry Bites, and are presented by scientist and rapper Jon Chase.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - The Language of Life

In these short films, Professor Sophie Scott goes on a fascinating journey through one of the fundamentals of human and animal life: the unstoppable urge to communicate.

Inside the Human Body

A series of short films for secondary schools examining the human body through spectacular graphics based on the latest science and stories of remarkable people around the world.

Explain This... GCSE Science

This series of short explainer films comprises three clips each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics at GCSE. Each film focuses on a GCSE Required Practical included in AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Science Britannica

In this series of short films Brian Cox explores 350 years of British science and finds out how it has helped to shape the world.

Wonders of the Universe

A series of short films in which Professor Brian Cox explains the science at the heart of the universe.

Wonders of Life

Professor Brian Cox explores the globe to reveal how a few fundamental laws of science gave birth to the most complex and unique feature of the universe - life.

Physics with Professor Brian Cox - Forces, speed and motion

A series of short explainer films by Professor Brian Cox focused on forces, speed and motion.

Physics with Professor Brian Cox - Space Science

A series of short explainer films by Professor Brian Cox focused on space physics.

Wave World

In this series of short films, Jon Chase meets a range of individuals who are using wave science to do things in the real world.

The Science of a Space Dive

A series of short films that look at the challenges faced by scientists, engineers and doctors ahead of Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking and historic skydive in 2012.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - How to Survive in Space

From the historic Royal Institution, space doctor Kevin Fong takes us on a ride from launch to orbit and the cosmos beyond for the annual children's Christmas Lectures.

Physics with Tim Peake

Astronaut Tim Peake introduces some handpicked clips from the BBC archive, perfect for classroom use when studying physics or space science.

Real World Chemistry

In this series of short films, Fran Scott discovers how huge-scale chemical processes go into producing the world's most used materials.

Materials: How They Work

Materials scientist Mark Miodownik takes a look into the inner world of metals, ceramics and plastics and the microscopic structure that allows them to function.

The Alchemist's Apprentice

In this series of short films, students experiment with the elements in a Cambridge University lab.

Explain This... KS3 Design and Technology

A series of short films that offer concise explanations of finishing plastics, metals and wood as well as demonstrating methods on laser cutting and line bending.

How to build....

In this series for secondary schools, some of Britain's most iconic and secretive engineering companies reveal how they build the world's most amazing machines.

Big Life Fix

Some of the UK's leading inventors create ingenious new solutions to everyday problems and build life-changing technology for people in desperate need.

Computer Science: Problem Solved

In this series of short films Dev Griffin looks at the use of technology and computational thinking in daily life and how it might be applied in the future.

External learning-related websites:

Exploring Mars - The European Space Education Resource Office's Mars-themed website, where students can discover more about Mars and and the space missions that the UK is working on.
Careers in space - A site from the European Space Education Resource Office about careers in the space industry and how people use science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills in their everyday lives.