RE Links

Time to include RE in the blog. I have mainly used links recommended by schools, so they should be relevant:

www.islamawareness.net - Not just about Islam, as covers Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism in summary as well
www.world-faiths.com - Site for pupils with teacher version
http://ks3.reonline.org.uk/teens_topicheads.php - Comprehensive KS3 section, with beliefs, festivals, history, symbolism etc links
http://gcse.reonline.org.uk/ - KS4 version of the above, with pupil and teacher versions
http://betterre.reonline.org.uk/ - Teacher advice site
http://re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/ - Lots of information and many links for further info
www.rsrevision.com/schemesofwork - KS3 plans
www.rsrevision.com/GCSE - KS4 ideas

Look at the World in a new way

Worldmapper is a new mapping tool that draws the world according to variables such as education, drought and HIV. The results are clearly shown visually on a map of the globe.

Try www.worldmapper.org

Animation & Art

The Guardian has a collection of animation links on http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2252166,00.html for use in Art or across the curriculum.

PowerPoint Tips 1 - PowerPoint and Sound

A good general guide to PowerPoint, led by Sue Special and Jim Jingle, is at www.actden.com/pp2003. If you can take the American whimsy, it’s a well written trip through the basics, with screendumps to clarify things.
(note - It’s for PP2003: we have 2002, but differences are slight)


To insert and play sound files automatically:
1. Save your sound with a filename you know
2. Insert > Movies & Sound > Sound from File
3. Find and select the file on the system & OK

4. Click Yes - the sound plays as soon as the slide displays.

Click No – you control the sound

To insert and play sound files when you want:
1-3 As above
4. Click No
5. Then decide when it will play. Click Slide Show > Custom Animation, then Right click the sound listed > Click Effect Options





6. Click Timing > Select Animate as part of click sequence & OK

To hide the sound icon:
Just drag the speaker that indicates the sound file off the slide, so it is not seen when the slide is shown

Audio play options
1. Click Slide Show > Custom Animation, then Right click the sound listed > Click Effect Options
2. Click Effect. If the sound needs to continue after this slide, set the Stop playing setting to the number of slides you want to display before the sound stops
3. To Set the sound volume, Click the speaker icon and use the slider
4. To play the sound more than once, Click Timing tab, use Repeat setting & OK

Topmarks Education

This site has collected links for many sites at KS3 and 4, for all curriculum subjects, from Art to Science. There are also whiteboard resources, but these are designated for KS1 & 2 - some may be Newhavened with a little effort

See www.topmarks.co.uk for details

Teachers TV English Links

The Teachers TV site has links for every subject at both KS3 and KS4, but today the focus is on English and Shakespeare.

The Tempest

15 minute video using roleplay to aid understanding www.teachers.tv/video/23577
Recommended book www.teachers.tv/system/files/10688.doc
Programme script www.teachers.tv/system/files/10752.doc
Suffolk Council resources www.slamnet.org.uk/english/docs/TempestTeachingMaterials
SEN lesson plans www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/downloads/en_sh_sen_tmpst_unit_0003707.pdf
Comic book versions in various formats www.classicalcomics.com/education/freedownloads.html
Teacher's resources for the play
www.classicalcomics.com/education/TempestNotes.pdf
Rap and break dancing video version
www.teachers.tv/video/23598
RSC resources
www.rsc.org.uk/content/3125.aspx


Romeo & Juliet
Analysis of important scenes www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/downloads/en_sh_ict_yr8.zip

Shakespeare in general
Further research & resources
www.touchstone.bham.ac.uk/links.html

Curriculum Bits

This site includes resources in a growing range of Key Stage 3 & 4 subjects, and uses video, audio and animation to ensure an attractive interactive experience. The resources are free to view online, but downloads are charged for.

See http://curriculumbits.com/categories.php for details.

Oxfam Site Links

The Oxfam site offers a number of relevant links for KS3 and 4 studies. See www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/category_curriculum.htm for a list by subject.

Labels show major subject links.

Internet Searching Tips in Google (or other search engines)

The more you know about searching, the better your results:

Use Wildcards (XX*)
Schoo* in Google searches for school, schools or schooling, and colo*r searches for color (US) or colour (UK).

Use Quotation Marks (“XX”)
Quotation Marks around keywords or phrases searches for words side by side in the same order. This is great for book titles, songs or plays you are studying eg “planet of the apes”.

Plus (+) and Minus (-)
Plus and minus before keywords forces words to be included or excluded in a phrase. So spain +cities -madrid gives Spanish cities but not Madrid.

Use other search engines
We all know Google, but it’s not the only search engine to use. Yahoo, Dogpile, Ask, Alltheweb, Gigablast and Exalead could be better at finding what you want next time.

Use advanced search
Google’s advanced search helps you be more specific, and search by date, language, file format and even synonym.

The more you learn about your search engine the better your results, so experiment.

Anti-Bullying Week: Useful Websites

The week 19th-23rd November 2007 is anti-bullying week. Below are five websites which you may find useful to help prevent bullying in your classrooms:
1) www.antibullyingweek.co.uk/

2) www.childline.org.uk/extra/bullyingindex.asp

3) www.nfb.ca/webextension/showpeace/index.php?lg=en

4) www.bullyonline.org/

5) www.nspcc.org.uk/getinvolved/raisemoney/fundraisinginschools/defeatbullying/defeatbullyinghome_wda50219.html