'Reality' experiments in schools bring Darwin to life
10 December 2008
The Wellcome Trust has developed the brand-new resources for secondary school science teachers in partnership with educational specialists Philip Harris. Called Survival Rivals, each kit contains a fun and engaging experiment for students of different age groups to carry out.
With names inspired by reality TV shows, the experiments are an accessible way to explore the ideas behind Darwin’s famous theory and show how his concepts continue to underpin biological and medical research today.
'I'm a Worm, Get Me Out of Here' for 11-14-year-olds explores natural selection, 'Brine Date' for 14-16-year-olds explores sexual selection, and 'The X-Bacteria' for post-16-year-olds looks at antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Survival Rivals kits are free for all state secondary schools and will be available from spring 2009. Teachers can pre-order on the website.
Emma Markey, Head of Marketing at Philip Harris, said: "We can’t wait to start delivering Survival Rivals kits into schools because we think teachers will be really enthusiastic about using them in their classrooms. The experiments demonstrate key elements of the curriculum while making the most of next year’s celebrations surrounding Darwin's 200th birthday."
Clare Matterson, Director of Medicine, Society and History at the Wellcome Trust, said: "2009 is going to be a fantastic year celebrating the life and science of Charles Darwin, one of the world's most famous and influential scientists. The Wellcome Trust has ensured that every schoolchild in the country has an opportunity to engage with the scientific legacy of Darwin's ideas - and of course we expect the experiments will continue to be used in lessons year after year.
"Survival Rivals complements The Great Plant Hunt, our primary school project developed in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. As well as these two flagship educational schemes, the Trust is supporting numerous creative projects across the education, broadcast and cultural sectors to make sure Darwin's science comes to life for as many people as possible in 2009."
Contact
Michael Regnier
Media Officer
Wellcome Trust
T +44 (0)20 7611 7262
E
m.regnier@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes for editors
1. The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
2. Since 1817, Philip Harris has been supplying the UK's schools and colleges with exciting and inspiring science resources. With innovation and industry know-how at the heart of the brand, Philip Harris offers an extensive product selection for all of your science lesson requirements.
3.
The Great Plant Hunt
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has teamed up with the Wellcome Trust to give UK primary school children the chance to engage with real hands-on science. Every state maintained primary school in the UK will receive a treasure chest of free resources in spring 2009. The Great Plant Hunt invites school children aged 5-11 to explore the natural world around them in a series of activities, all clearly linked to the primary science curriculum. The chest includes a mini seed bank, a plant press, a plant identikit and a Darwin storybook.
4. Survival Rivals and The Great Plant Hunt are part of Darwin200, a national programme celebrating Charles Darwin’s life, his ideas and their impact around his two hundredth anniversary.