Key Stage 4 – Crystal Quest

Notes for teachers

At a glance

In this activity, students synthesise prior learning about structure and bonding, and about enzymes, and apply it to a new context: X-ray crystallography. The main part of the activity involves students pitching for funding for new equipment – how will they use the equipment to elucidate structures and why is it important to do so?

Learning Outcomes

Students outline how X-ray crystallography works. Students understand the importance of X-ray crystallography in elucidating structures, and can

describe applications of the technique in medicine, materials, and addressing future needs for food and clean water.

Each group of two or three students will need

1 copy of the pupil worksheet 1 copy of each of these four sheets: First discoveries, Revealing life’s mysteries, Designer medicines,

The future. 1 copy of the help sheet (optional) Access to PowerPoint and the Internet (optional) Access to the PowerPoint image bank (optional)

www.oxfordsparks.net/crystal

Possible Lesson Activities

1. Starter activity Show the animation “A Case of Crystal Clarity” to the class. Repeat the viewing, focusing on the section from 01:54 to 02:04, which shows how X-ray

crystallography is useful. Show the International Year of Crystallography video to outline why crystals, and X-ray

crystallography, are important (web link 1).

2. Main activity Divide the class into groups of two or three, and outline the activity as described on the pupil

worksheet. Allow students time to use the information on the four sheets (First discoveries, Revealing life’s

mysteries, Designer medicines, The future) to plan presentations to persuade university leaders to buy x-ray crystallography equipment, as detailed on the pupil worksheet. If you wish, ask students to create presentations in PowerPoint, or make posters, to support their oral presentations.

Student groups present their presentations to each other. The listening groups offer suggestions for improvement and point out aspects of the presentations they feel are particularly good.

3. Plenary Ask students to consider which applications of X-ray crystallography are most important, and to

justify their choices. If you wish, show the animation again.

Web links

Web link 1: www.iycr2014.org/about/videoInternational year of crystallography video: What can crystallography do for you?

Web link 2: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002209/220914e.pdfUseful booklet for confident readers including valuable background information and, from page 7 onwards, suggestions as to how x-ray crystallography can help meet the challenges for the future.

Web link 3: www.innovateus.net/science/what-x-ray-crystallographyUseful teacher background information

www.oxfordsparks.net/crystal