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Looking for new online resources for the children to use in your classroom? Have you tried Sherston’s free online Activity Site? There is a wide range of activities covering ICT, Basic skills, Literacy, Numeracy, Geography and a new selection of Science materials.

 ICT activities include typing practise, mouse skills, instructions on using a spreadsheet or tying in a URL, directional language and ‘Modelling and Changing Variables’. In the Literacy section there are reading and listening activities, an Adjectives Grammar show and many other ideas. Explore a map with Barnaby Bear in the Geography section or get familiar with the British Isles Map. In the science section you can practise your circuit skills, investigate forces and friction and find out about life processes or materials. There are sample activities for children aged 3 to 11

http://shop.sherston.com/freebees/

Drove down to Stratford today to see Mr Tennant playing Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost.  On the journey my partner asked my daughter and me to imagine a villain-line across the windscreen and place characters from Shakespeare along it.  We soon had Richard III beyond the central reservation!  Were we right?  Next came heroes and heroines.

Great idea, but not her own.  On Friday she was at a ‘Shakespeare’ day in Dudley with the RSC Education Department (need to get one in Shropshire) and the idea for the villain-line came from ‘Shakespeare for all ages and stages’  published by DCSF.  This contains ideas and guidance for teaching Shakespeare from Foundation Stage to KS4. 

DCSF are also offering Primary Schools a free copy of Shakespeare Animated Tales and Secondary Schools can download podcasts of the Globe production of Much Ado About Nothing.

For Shropshire schools there is a resources section devoted to Shakespeare on the Shropshire Learning Gateway.

Got a pile of art work that needs assessing? Sort it into groups of about 6 and spread out on the table. Make a set of individual name cards for your whole class - big enough to show up in a digital photograph.  You might want to use different coloured cards for your groups so names can be found quickly. Cards will last longer if you laminate them . Put  a name card next to each piece of work and take a clear photo.  You will only need about 5 photos for your whole class and you have a record of their work in minutes. You can also use it to record model making and you can use the cards again and again. You may want to share the photos with the class or with parents.

Got a display or classroom layout that really works well?  Photograph it and put  away in your planning folder for next time.

As I was preparing for an Early Years course the other day, I came across a case study which talked about children using a ‘create your own Mr Man’ site, which (as well as being enormous fun) had the added benefit of the practioner helping them to talk about expressions and emotions. You can find the site here - and I have also added it to our early years delicious site - why not have a look?

As a pilot  we have purchased a one year licence for the use of the Iboard resources, in practice this provides us with access until 31st March 2008.

These resources are intended for use in the foundation stage and KS1 with learners supported by an adult. They are not for independent learning and there is no assessment material.  The resources can be accessed from

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Enhancing the curriculum, Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1

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Taken from NAACE newsletter (17th February)

Our children are growing up in an ICT-rich environment to which they are exposed from a very early age. We need to ensure that they have meaningful ICT experiences in school which enables them to further develop their understanding of ICT and its potential.

QCA have produced ICT foundation stage guidance materials which contain short case studies with teacher guidance demonstrating how a range of ICT might be used purposefully in the foundation stage. It covers three ICT stepping stones and the ICT early learning goals. The case studies focus on a range of ICT including music keyboards and programmable toys.

You can download a copy of the guidance materials from the QCA website

The website www.poissonrouge.com/ is a delightful website focusing on letters, numbers and mouse control in French and English. Explore and smile, giggle or laugh.

Originally posted by Steph Woods