Working with Walker Technology College gave us the opportunity to pilot some of our refined ideas from working with All Saints College. Due to popular demand, they too had the pleasure of the rocky shore being brought into the classroom in the form of another touch tank session. However, this time, the Inspiring Seas project team were kindly given the opportunity to work with lower ability students to test whether such resources are applicable to all abilities. The exploratory and enquiry-based nature of this activity meant that pupils thoroughly enjoyed their experience. Julie Bradley, a science teacher at Walker Technology College said: “The session was great fun. The students thoroughly appreciated this session and still talk about it”. 

All aboard! - Team HMS Bassa of Walker Technology College test their ship for stability and buoyancy before testing its resistance.

Due to the initial success of Ship-Shape with All Saints College, we wanted to test whether this class was applicable to all age ranges at Key Stage 3. We were given the opportunity to work with a year 9 class at Walker Technology College to test our refined physics lesson. Once again, pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience, particularly because it gave them the opportunity to ask questions and enquire about what they were learning. Steve Gater, headteacher at Walker Technology College, said: “we are very keen to get our pupils to ask questions and thinking about issues which are pertinent to their futures, especially in terms of science and environmental issues”. He added “through this type of teaching, they [pupils] do realise the importance of science and its impact on all our lives”.

Food for thought - Year 7s at Walker Technology College appreciate the complexity of the North Sea food web by becoming part of it.

Our final activity with Walker Technology College placed a top-set year 7 class into the food web! By providing pupils with picture cards of plants and animals commonly found in the North Sea, pupils were able to literally gain hands-on experience in constructing food webs using clues identified on the back of the cards. Not only did this get pupils working as a team, it also gave them the opportunity to debate constructively amongst themselves in deciding what eats what in the North Sea. Upon construction of the food web, pupils were asked to pick ‘scenario cards’ such as ‘over fishing for Cod’, and think of the resultant effects. They quickly realised that by affecting one part of the food web this had subsequent ‘knock-on’ effects for everything else. Following on from this realisation, a whole-class discussion was generated, guided by a lively PowerPoint presentation, on ways in which we can best conserve our marine environment in the context of sustainable development.

Pupils provided their own ideas and were asked to subsequently devise management plans for the North Sea. Refined versions of this food webs activity, including resources for coral reef and Antarctic themed classes, can be downloaded from this website now.