Resources

This lesson will introduce students to the use of animals in research, what must be considered in the care of research animals and how to address design challenges relating to animal care. The challenge projects can be run as classroom discussions, set as homework or used as longer-term team/individual challenge projects.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Cage checking fact sheet (Word)

Cash wash robot fact sheet (Word)

Open animal unit design fact sheet (Word)

This lesson will introduce students to the use of animals in research and how such research is regulated. It will give them a chance to act as an ethics review body and assess grants for research using animals.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Fact sheet (Word)

Discussion framework (Word)

Non-technical summaries (pdf)

Survey - Public Attitudes to Animal Research 2016 (pdf)

This lesson will introduce students to the use of animals in research, which models are used and how such research is regulated. It will give them a chance to justify their own opinions and to learn to respect those of other people.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Fact sheet (Word)

Alternatives cards (pdf)

3Rs activity sheet (Word)

Survey - Public Attitudes to Animal Research 2018 (pdf - external link)

This lesson will introduce students to the principles of cell recycling, termed autophagy. This resource includes an introduction to the topic, and examples of how scientists are researching it to treat diseases and understand ageing.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Download:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Online game

This lesson will introduce students to chromatography – a standard laboratory technique used to purify or separate mixtures. This can also be used in a classroom to investigate the colours in felt tipped pens and sweets.

Suitable for: Primary Schools, Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Instructions (Word)

This lesson will introduce students to the idea of using Caenorhabditis Elegans nematode worms to understand aspects of human biology (ageing) by comparing the appearance and behaviour of young and old worms raised under different conditions.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Fact sheet (Word)

Activity sheet (pdf)

Online worm video (YouTube)

This lesson will introduce students to what DNA is, why we want to know about it and includes instructions for an experiment extracting DNA from strawberries.

Suitable for: Primary Schools, Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Instructions (Word)

Fact sheet (Word)

CLEAPSS data sheet (pdf)

This lesson will introduce students to the concept of science communication & public engagement. Using epigenetics as an example, students will have an opportunity to try and translate what they’re learnt and develop a resource that can be used to help teach others about the topic of epigenetics.

Suitable for: Sixth Form

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Challenge sheet (Word)

Fact sheet (Word)

Literally meaning “on top of genetics”, epigenetic marks are chemical tags added to DNA, or to histones (the proteins around which DNA is organised).  These tags control whether DNA is activated or silenced. In this online “escape room” individual students, groups or the whole class together have to solve epigenetic themed puzzles to complete their research and publish their paper. Videos featuring Institute staff guide you through each puzzle.

Suitable for: Sixth Form

Link: Epigenetics Escape Room

Downloads:

Lesson Plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Information Sheet (Word)

Clues (Word)

Answers (Word)

Staff Profiles (pdf)

This lesson will introduce students to the concept of epigenetics - how reversible modifications to DNA can control access to genetic information. The practical activity explains a sequencing technique called Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitaiton Sequencing (ChIP-Seq), and a software package called Seqmonk, which is used to analyse the data.

Suitable for: Sixth Form

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Brochure (pdf)

Fact sheet (Word)

Game board (pdf)

Game board instructions (Word)

DNA strip (PowerPoint)

How can we ensure that an experiment is well designed? This lesson will introduce students to the principles of fair testing and how to be sure their results are based on fact and includes an experiment to investigate the best brand of paper towel.

Suitable for: Primary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (Presentation)

Fact sheet (Word)

This resource teaches students about the structure of DNA, what genomics is, and how and why scientists sequence DNA. It includes a Mastermind style activity in which players compete to decode each other's DNA sequence and an extension sequence alignment activity. The resource was created by Miriam Korsgen while on a Professional Internships for PhD Students (PIPS) placement in the Public Engagement team.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Lesson plan (Word)

Fact sheet (Word)

DNA mastermind activity (PDF)

Sequence alignment activity (PDF)

This lesson will introduce students to the principles of healthy ageing research, and the corresponding ethical consequences, such as those on the economy, and retirement age, that are currently being addressed. Students will discuss the socio-economic implications of a series of hypothetical future research scenarios.

Suitable for: Sixth Form

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Future scenario cards (Word)

Worksheet (Word)

Fact sheet (Word)

The Ageing Process and Health post note (pdf)

This lesson will introduce students to the principles of healthy ageing research, and the corresponding ethical consequences, such as those on the economy, and retirement age, that are currently being addressed. Students will discuss the areas of healthy ageing research carried out at the Babraham Institute and decide which areas they think are most relevant and important.

Suitable for: Sixth Form

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Research cards (pdf)

Worksheet (Word)

Fact sheet (Word)

The Ageing Process and Health postnote (pdf)

Originally developed and delivered by (then) Babraham Institute PhD students Cassandra Hogan, Helen Craig and Hakim Yadi, this lesson will introduce students to the concept of the peer review process and how it can help to detect false claims and to establish a consensus about which claims should be regarded as valid.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Fact sheet (Word)

Publication (PowerPoint)

Worksheet (Word)

Use this template to design your own scientific poster. Posters are presented at scientific conferences, and are an important way for scientists to communicate their research with peers. This template contains handy tips on structure, font, images and more to help you produce a professional design. The template is used for events such as our Sixth Form Conference and Protein Challenge, but please feel free to adapt it for your own needs.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools, Sixth Form

Downloads:

Poster template (PowerPoint)

This lesson will introduce students to epigenetics, the difference between biological and chronological age, the role of epigenetics in ageing and how different factors can influence the 'speed of ageing'. In our methylation game, race against the clock to undo methylation changes in the ageing DNA strand by comparing it to the young DNA strand.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Methylation game

Fact sheet (Word)

Mouse cards (pdf)

Video (for blue card)

Video (for orange card)

Video (for purple card)

Ageing clock investigation sheet (pdf)

This lesson will introduce students to stem cells and how adult cells can be reprogrammed to create induced pluripotent stem cells.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Quiz sheet (pdf)

Answers (Word)

This lesson will introduce students to what DNA is, why we want to know about it, and how to make a model of DNA using sweets.

Suitable for: Primary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Instructions (pdf)

Fact sheet (Word)

This lesson will introduce students to how our adaptive immune system functions. Firstly by introducing the way B cells use VDJ genes to produce all of the antibodies that we’ll ever use, before describing why this is important and how this can change with age and disease. An activity that can be printed will then demonstrate the process of making antibodies to help with learning.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (pdf)

Fact sheet (pdf)

Activity - print version (pdf)

This lesson was co-developed by Hayley, a student at UEA, in a science communication mentored project. It uses the Virus Fighter game, the output of an ORION co-creation project, to teach students about viruses and the importance of vaccination.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Game link: Virus Fighter

Downloads:

Lesson Plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

This lesson will introduce students to principles of the immune system. Firstly, an activity that shows how easily microorganisms can be transferred to each other through glitter gel handshakes, before an introduction into microorganisms and the defences our body has against them, supported by a discussion on the organs and cells of the immune system. Finally, a practical to understand how scientists can understand whether an infection has spread using Latex Agglutination.

Suitable for: Secondary Schools

Downloads:

Lesson plan (Word)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

Fact sheet (pdf)

Weapons of Microscopic Destruction brochure (pdf)

Weapons of Microscopic Destruction video (online)

Immune Cells guide (pdf)

Research stories (pdf)

Antibody origami (pdf)