Edu-zone.co.uk - Weekly Resource Bulletin
Issue 4 9 November 07 12:45
Welcome Headteacher/Bursar/School Office Manager to the fourth weekly issue of Edu-zone Resource Bulletin.
NEW GUIDE TO ENHANCE FIRE SAFETY IN SCHOOLS
Schools Minister Jim Knight today launched a new guide which will help ensure schools are safer and better protected than ever before from the risk of fires.
Last week we mentioned Phonics as one word that seems to be buzzing round primary school classrooms. We will start to feature regular information each month as our Bulletin progresses. Do tell us which areas you would like more information on or should feature for the benefit of teachers, both Primary and Secondary.
The TES link has had more than a thousand hits since we started this Bulletin just over a month ago. It is a reliable Free resource, but we aim to bring you others over the coming weeks and months of the term.
The BETT link will remain in our Bulletins till it's time to switch to The Education Show registration. We are helping you Register for BETT. Use the links on this page to make your on-line registration and collect your badge on arrival rather than queue at the registration desks on the day.
Use the links on the right to look at class and school resource and below are some highlights of resource which have recently come to our attention - - Feel free to email us if you have information which you would like to share with the education community through this Weekly Bulletin.
This Weeks Offers etc...
LETTERS AND SOUNDS PHONICS SOFTWARE '2 FOR 1’ LAUNCH OFFER
“Handheld Phonics” Interactive software makes Synthetic Phonics easy for teachers, classroom assistants, parents and children. It is designed to work on PCs, laptops, and classroom interactive whiteboards, but is also available in versions that run on handheld devices such as PDAs and Sony PSPs. That’s why its called 'Handheld Phonics'. It means that pupils can continue learning in the playground and at home. It supports all key aspects of the official Letters and Sounds scheme from Phase 2 onwards including both Regular and Tricky Words.
The Single User Licence allows you to use the software on your PC/laptop and Interactive Whiteboard. The Single User Licence costs just £75 (+VAT) Order in November and receive a second Single User Licence FREE. This means that you can install the software in a second classroom, or add it to another one of your classroom PCs. Offer runs through November and December
Copycatcher is a unique, independent website bringing news into every classroom, every day, through interactive whiteboards and computers. Written for young people by highly experienced media and teaching professionals, Copycatcher engages students and teachers in analysis and discussion of current issues. Free Trial - Your school can have a free two week trial of Copycatcher.
Barefoot books - Family • World • Peace - catalogue has just been published. The publisher's preface says they celebrate art and story, because it is through these mediums we discover our sense of who we are in relation to each other and the natural world. Many of the titles have addition online activities which help children make the most of the books. We love them both for the classroom and home. Take the Story of Divaali as an example we use it to teach FS and KS1 children of rural middle England about the Indian sub-continent and the diverse culture of our own shores
Winter is fast approaching so with shorter daylight hours keeping children safe with Hi-Vis vests for their walk or cycle, to and from school is a good idea. The website www.schoolhivis.co.uk offer schools hi-vis vests with school logos printed on which can be resold to parents allowing school funds to make a small profit. Even if you are not interested in profit, shouldn't every child should have a hi-vis vest as part of the school essentials?
Classroom Monitor is an efficient way of managing pupil assessment and an essential resource to assess, track, target set and report to parents with this easy-to-use software - Click here to order a demo disk and be entered to win a free copy of Classroom Monitor for your school and a case of wine.
Easyread For Schools is a new literacy solution that delivers individual lessons to each child in a class, using the Internet. The Easyread System is set up to allow access to all the children in your class, in individual 10-minute lessons over the Internet. They can access Easyread from school or home (if they have Internet access there). So you can maintain continuity through the school holidays and weekends.
Findakey™ is a new and unique music teaching aid, designed to remove the mystery from key signatures, help students identify the key of any piece of music, and serve as a handy ‘go-anywhere’ aid to learning keys by heart. For a music student, not knowing your key signatures is like trying to do maths without knowing your times tables. Findakey™ turns the whole subject of key and especially key identification into a game that is far more enjoyable for the student.
Just a reminder as featured last week Mathematics and Numeracy 10% discount Already being used in hundreds of schools nationwide, these are a highly affordable and very user friendly resource, available currently for Key stages 1, 2 and 3. Full details are available on the website. www.mentalstarters.co.uk and as a special offer, a 10% discount is available throughout November only to any order which mentions that it saw this advertisement on edu-zone.
We have published the information again on from last weeks Edu-zone Bulletin Synthetic Phonics - Sir Jim Rose, former Director of Inspection at Ofsted, completed his independent review (PDF 431 KB) of the teaching of early reading in 2006. The review report provided clear recommendations on what constitutes 'high quality phonics work'. These recommendations were also summarised in the Core Position Paper (PDF 2.3 MB) 'Phonics and early reading: an overview for headteachers, literacy leaders and teachers in schools, and managers and practitioners in Early Years settings'. All principles underpinning these recommendations have been incorporated into the revised Primary Framework for literacy and the new Early Years Foundation Stage. Minor changes have been made to the National Curriculum at Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 to underpin the recommendations of the independent review of the teaching of early reading. Schools and settings will have a legal obligation to follow the amended curriculum from the start of the school year 2007-08.
Useful lesson plans Search this database of over 2,000 lesson plans and resources. They have all been evaluated by teachers, and cover the national curriculum Key Stages 1 to 3. The TeacherNet lesson plan reviews are being expanded to include Foundation and Key Stage 4 over the next few months. Click on the link to see the methodology.
We greatly appreciate your co-operation in forwarding emails to the most appropriate recipient on your staff as a print-out, or as a 'forward' mail.
If any of your staff would like to opt in to this service they can be added to our distribution email list which has been compiled from the published contacts on LA and school websites or listings. They can do this by simply emailing: subscribe@edumailing.com.
Plus if you are looking for a particular resource for your school we would be happy to help you locate it.
Emails are more cost effective than direct mail. The Edu-zone services are free to all schools in the UK, without obligation and there are no catches or hidden agendas. We want to provide you with a valued and credible service which utilises today's technology.
Richard Leonard & Andrea Knowles