Over the past few weeks, I’ve been busy working on a new look for Teaching Ideas and I’m really pleased that the updated site is now online.

The site has a much clearer layout and I’ve reorganised the ideas and resources according to their relevant age ranges to make them easier to find. I’ve also gone through the code throughout the entire site which means that it should be quicker to load.

To celebrate the launch of the new site, I’ve also made a new set of my popular ‘Inspiration’ resources… this new set give ideas for inspiring Maths lessons. They can be used as lesson starters to stimulate discussion about Maths concepts. You could also put them on your classroom displays to get children thinking about Maths! I’m also working on a new set of ‘History Inspiration’ posters which should be online very soon!

I hope that you like the new site. The new layout is also much quicker for me to update, which means that I can spend more time making free resources for you!

Mangahigh  (featured on Teaching News previously) is becoming completely free to all UK and Irish schools. The site offers over 400 different games and challenges which cover the Maths curriculum for pupils in Years 3 to 11.

Teachers can set specific challenges for pupils at particular levels and assessment data is provided so that teachers can view the achievements and efforts of their students. Pupils are also able to compete with each other and interact with other schools online.

This is great news for schools, enabling them to access lots of high quality resources without any extra cost. Watch the Youtube video above, or visit www.mangahigh.com for more information.

StudyJams is an animated site which has over 200 Maths and Science ‘Jams’ to use in your classroom. The Jams include karaoke songs which you can sing along to and cartoons which teach different concepts. They are all explained clearly with images and animations to help pupils to remember the topics. There are also related tests and key vocabulary which link with each Jam.

Some of the spellings are American, but this is still a really valuable resource for teachers in other countries too. Visit the site at studyjams.scholastic.com.

Lucky Gecko Apps are a relative new company who have developed two educational apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

www.luckygeckoapps.com

Their apps (so far) are:

• Balancing Equations Pack 1 – Designed to help exercise children’s mental maths. The object of this multiple choice game is to find the number that is missing in the given equation.
• Synonym Matching Pack 1 - Perfect for expanding children’s vocabulary. The object of this multiple choice game is to find the synonym for the word that is given.

Watch a Youtube video about the Synonym Matching app below and find out more on the Lucky Gecko Apps site.

Learning about money is an important part of life and education… here are links to some sites and resources which may be useful to you:

• This BBC report shows schools in Northern Ireland where lessons in personal finance are compulsory for all children.
• The following Youtube video shows five tips to teach younger children good money habits:

www.childrensmoneyworld.com

www.moneysmartworld.com

Do you have a favourite resource when teaching children about money? Please let us know about it by suggesting it in the comments… thank you!

Image – £20

StudyMaths.co.uk is a relatively new site which offers support to teachers and students of GCSE Maths. It is split into three clear sections:

• Revise! – Presents a random GCSE Maths question and marks the answers that you provide.
• Question? – Offers the facility to ask a question about Maths which will be answered by email.
• Study Zone – Provides free revision materials for pupils, including worksheets, glossaries and question banks.

The site is created by a secondary maths teacher and it looks like a really useful resource. Check it out – www.studymaths.co.uk

Every year school children of all ages take part in Number Day, working their mathematical magic for a great cause – the NSPCC. Their number-based fundraising helps to protect the vulnerable children in the UK who need the NSPCC’s services most. This year there are even more reasons for teachers to take part in Number Day. You could be a part of a new Guinness World Record: the biggest maths lesson ever! There are also Key Stage 1-4 lesson plans to support your fundraising activities. Register now to receive your FREE teaching pack at www.nspcc.org.uk/numberday.

www.nspcc.org.uk/numberday

The NSPCC have also produced a new, free teaching pack called Change Something. The pack contains three comprehensive lesson plans with strong links to the Key Stage 3 citizenship curriculum and the PSE Framework for 7 to 19 year olds in Wales. The lessons also support PSHE topics relating to risk, relationships and decision-making. Visit this page to download the free pack and see all the other resources available for schools.

Practical Action (a development charity that focuses on the use of sustainable technology in Africa, Asia and South America) have joined forces with Primary Engineer to offer a Special Leaders Award. The award is available for three ages groups: Primary (5-11), Secondary (11-16) and advanced (17-19).

To obtain the award, students need to provide evidence that they have been actively involved in promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) in their school and to interview someone who works in this area.

For our award pupils need to interview someone working in an area related to the development of technologies, products or services which incorporate sustainability as a key factor. The winners for each group will receive a solar powered media player. The winner of the advanced level will also spend a day working with a sustainable product designer.

The deadline for interviews and Leaders Award applications (via email only) is 30th June 2010. Find out more on the Practical Action and Primary Engineer sites.

EducationApps have been busy building lots of new iPhone and iPod Touch apps for use in education. Here are some of their latest additions:

• Ultimate Times Tables – A fun way for children of all ages to learn their times tables. This has four different types of tests and allows up to five users to save their results.

• French GCSE Revision – This is an interactive way to help students revise their French GCSE vocabulary, with tests, flash cards and a built in dictionary. Watch the app in action with the video below:

EducationApps have developed a number of other applications so look at their site to see their other developments.

TLC Kids are offering a new ‘Maths & Science After School Kit’ to help schools, youth and community centres and other organisations to start an after school club with the support of a fully developed curriculum solution. It aims to provide reinforcement and extension in an inclusive and fun after school setting for primary school children, aged 5-11 years.

www.mytlckids.co.uk

The resource includes interactive lessons, activity sheets, supporting resources, certificate templates and much more. They are also giving away organiser’s and teacher’s files in a special offer at the moment.

As teachers use the kit and make their own amendments/ adjustments, the curriculum develops and grows with their needs. The company claims that the kit is all you need to start running your own after school club.

Visit www.mytlckids.co.uk for more information.