The PGCE Survival Guide is a new free e-book created to support those who are about to start PGCE teacher-training courses. However, it is such a fantastic resource that it could be useful for all teachers.

The PGCE guide site explains more about the book:

“It’s full of useful and practical, hints, tips and advice from recent PGCE graduates and more experienced teachers covering every element of teacher training, from your first day at university, through the hectic world of placements (with lots of valuable teaching tips) to finding a job- we have it all covered!

You won’t find countless chapters about educational theory – just real tips and advice from real teachers that have been selected to help you during your teacher training.”

I mentioned the #pgcetips Twitter tag on Teaching News a few weeks ago. The contributions to this tag have been collated and added to the book too. In fact, the book has over 250 super useful hints and tips from the education community on twitter!

I wish that there was a book like this when I started my teacher training course many years ago! Tim Handley (and the many other contributors) have done a wonderful job of creating an extremely valuable resource for all teachers, so download a free copy of the book or buy a paper copy!

Making the Games is a new project designed for teenagers and as a resource for teachers. The site features individuals who have taken practical and vocational learning routes and are now helping to deliver the London 2012 Games.

www.makingthegames.co.uk

There is a teachers’ section with ideas for using the site’s resources in the classroom. You can also find out more at the site’s accompanying Twitter account, which currently has a competition where you can win £50 music vouchers every week till the end of June and a trip to the Olympic Park for a group of ten.

The Speak up to your Teacher DVD was featured on Teaching News in February. The DVD offers a musical performance which encourages pupils to think about bullying and how they can help to stop it. Since my last post, the creators of the DVD have set up a new website which has lots of useful information.

The site has information about the DVDs and videos of the musical being performed in schools. There is also a useful online book with bullying advice for children, along with lesson ideas and resources for teachers.

WickED is a site bursting with resources and interactive games for 7-12 year olds. The site has lots of online activities such as crosswords and quizzes, an online storybook, story creation tools and mini projects.

www.tki.org.nz

The site has an Information Station which is a good starting point for research work. There are also lots of interactive games and quizzes, along with a Topic section which covers a wide range of concepts. Thanks to Simon Haughton for recommending this extremely useful resource.

Mouse Mischief is a way of helping your pupils actively participate in lessons using their own mice to interact with your slides on the interactive whiteboard screen. It works with Powerpoint and is free to use. Find out more in this Youtube video:

Here are details of two fantastic resources for those teaching Literacy / Music / History linked to the topic of Ancient Greece:

‘Heroes of Troy‘ is a music resource for school children aged 9 to 11 and offers 7 songs to learn, each linking to an episode of the Trojan War. The website is audio-based, but also includes Teachers’ Notes, words and music for the songs, backing tracks…and well-known music presenter David Grant is on hand to teach all of the songs.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/troy/

It’s intended to target a range of music objectives at Key Stage 2 but also links to the history topic Ancient Greece while offering opportunities to link music with literacy and performance.

Winged Sandals offers animated versions of different Greek myths, along with games and other online activities to try. This has always been popular with children whenever I’ve used it at school.

www.wingedsandals.com

Your Justice, Your World is a Citizenship education resource to give primary and secondary students a balanced overview of the criminal, civil, family and administrative justice system.

The resource offers a virtual world experience through the lives of residents of a typical town. The activities are highly interactive and engaging with easy-to-read storylines and instructions. All are suitable for Interactive Whiteboard use. A voiceover, glossary and comprehensive teachers’ notes have been provided for use with mixed ability groups.

Your Justice, Your World has been mapped closely to the latest PSHE and Citizenship education curricula.

At Key Stage 2 the activities fulfil key processes such as developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of abilities; preparing to play an active role as citizens; developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people. They also support the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda and provide many links to Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).

At Key Stage 3 and 4 the topics cover concepts of democracy and justice, rights and responsibilities, and identities and diversity. The activities also target key processes such as critical thinking and enquiry; advocacy and representation; taking informed and responsible action. Additionally, there are multiple links with Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS), Functional Skills, and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).

A Welsh version, Eich Cyfiawnder, Eich Byd is also available.