The creators of the popular resource site Edgalaxy have recently created a number of new sites that teachers can use:

• Ultimate Titanic has appeared just in time for the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  It contains great content for teachers and students to learn about the most famous maritime disaster of all time. There are a number of amazing images, videos and text based content that will definitely appeal to teachers and students without overwhelming them with irrelevant information on Titanic. Best of all Ultimate Titanic must have one of the biggest collections of lesson plans and teaching resources based around the Titanic covering all key learning areas and ages. The Titanic is one of the most amazing industrial feats of all time wrapped up in a story that Shakespeare himself could not have scripted and still appeals to students and learners of all ages. There is something here for everyone.

• Scribbled.com.au is a highly creative site for those who want to learn about innovative art and craft ideas. Scribbled is packed with activities to suit all abilities but best of all everything is laid in step-by-step directions with photographs to support them.  There are a number of themed ideas for all major events of the year with new crafts and activities being added each week. Teachers will also love the video tutorials and printables to jazz up their classrooms.  There are also  activities and games particularly aimed at younger children. Take a look at scribbled today and release some of your creative energy.

So far this year, I’ve published 175 posts here on Teaching News. As the end of 2011 is approaching, I’ve added links to the most popular posts of the year. Did you miss any of them?

1) Royal Wedding Ideas and Resources
2) 10 Inspiring Youtube videos for Teachers
3) 10 Evernote Uses for Teachers
4) New iPod, iPhone and iPad Apps for Schools
5) Topmarks Education
6) Top Five Discoveries (17/6/11)
7) New Christmas Resources and Inspiration Posters
8 ) 11 Resource Sites for your Christmas Activities
9) 15 Remembrance Resources for Teachers
10) Favourite Resource Sites for the New School Year

This will probably be the last post of 2011, but I’m looking forward to sharing new ideas and resources with you in 2012!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mark

I’ve mentioned the free content from the Red Cross on Teaching News before and they have now published a new resource called ‘Positive Images’. It is designed to help teachers, youth workers and other educators teach young people (aged 12 and over) about migration and development.

The resource includes clear lesson ideas and plans with accompanying resources. There are also relevant video resources on the Red Cross’ Youtube channel and these are also embedded on the download page for the resource. Find them all here.

Documentary Tube is a free site which allows you to watch over 1000 documentaries, covering a variety of subjects and topics. The videos are easy to find and you can also subscribe to receive the latest updates via RSS, email, Facebook or Twitter!

The site is popular with teachers and the developers are currently preparing a new ‘Schools Zone’ which will include documentaries on core subject matters, and those outlined in the curriculum.

Don’t forget to visit our Teaching Videos site to find shorter videos and clips, all of which are organised by curriculum subject and topic too.

Christmas is approaching quickly, so here are ten sites which offer Christmas resources for you to use:

1) Teaching Ideas – My wife drew some wonderful Christmas cartoons last year and I was able to use them to make some popular Christmas resources. I’ve also spent the past few weeks making another new collection of content, including some ‘Christmas Inspiration posters’ which you can download free. Take a look!

2) Primary Resources - An enormous collection of Christmas resources are available to download here. Highly recommended.

3) TPet – The Teachers Pet team have been really busy making lots of Christmas display resources and activities over the past few weeks. They all look fantastic!

4) Twinkl – Lots of printable and editable activities and resources are available for download from Twinkl… and more are added on a regular basis.

5) TES – The TES resource bank is an immense collection of teaching material and there is a special Christmas collection which you can explore.

6) Mrs. Pancake have lots of lovely craft activities which you can download and print. Try the 3D Christmas cards or Dancing Santa!

7) Woodlands Junior School – This is a wonderful resource for children, offering a guide to Christmas, in child-friendly language with lots of images and illustrations. There is also a special page of resources for teachers.

8 ) The North Pole – This site is full of Christmas games and activities. One of my favourite sections is the ‘Christmas around the World’ section which explains how people in different countries celebrate Christmas.

9) North Pole – Northpole.com has lots of Christmas stories, recipes and activities that you can use.

10) RE:Quest - You can download a number of great Christmas resources here and watch videos of Christmas services and events. A great resources for Christmas RE activities.

11) Sing Up – The popular ‘Sing Up’ site has a special Festive pack of resources which you can download too.

What is your favourite Christmas resource site?

Christmas is just over one month away and lots of schools are getting ready for their Christmas-themed lessons and activities! Our popular Christmas theme was published last year and the resources were downloaded many thousands of times. I’ve recently made a new set of resources and added them to the page. Take a look!

I’ve also made a set of ‘Inspirations’ posters linked to Christmas. These can be used as lesson starters… to stimulate discussion… to review what children know… as a starting point for creative writing… or for classroom display. If people like them, I’ll try and make some more Inspirations for the other sections on Teaching Ideas.

I’m sure that I’ll be making more Christmas resources over the coming weeks, so stay tuned to our RSS feed, Facebook and Twitter pages to receive the latest updates!

Road Safety Week takes places in the UK from 21st to 27th November. Here are a number of resources that can be used to support activities during the week:

1) Road Safety Week site – The official site contains lots of relevant information and resources that schools can use. Look in the Educators and Resources sections to get started.

2) Road Safety with Buzzy Bee – Sing along with these road safety songs. There is also a video version of one of the songs:

Click here to view the embedded video.

3) 3M Streetwise – This online resource has sections for pupils (aged 7-11), teachers and parents.

4) Tales of the Road – This site has a number of games which children can play online to teach them different road safety messages.

5) Road Safety Adverts – There are a number of road safety adverts available online. Here is one of the more recent ads from the Department of Transport:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s another advert which is a little older… and not quite so scary!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This Tufty road safety advert was made in 1973:

Click here to view the embedded video.

6) Life. Live It – The British Red Cross have a great website for 5-11 year olds which teaches children how to avoid accidents and what to do if they do occur.

7) Renault Safety Matters – Renault have lots of games and activities which teach road safety to 7-11 year olds.

8 ) AAttitude – The AA have a site for older students who are beginning to learn how to drive.

Are you going to teach any road safety lessons this week?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been busy working on a new set of themed resources for my Teaching Ideas site. I’m pleased to say that the new theme is now available!

The theme has over 100 teaching ideas, activities, display resources, videos and photos… all of which can be used to support teaching about healthy eating, the human body and exercise. There are lots of posters which you can print and put on your classroom wall, as well as activity sheets for children to use.

Teaching Ideas now has 14 themes and I’m planning some more themes which will be published over the next few months and in 2012. If you’re starting to think about Christmas lessons, don’t forget to look at the Christmas theme!

Did you know that the Guinness World Records is the third biggest selling book of all time. It’s also the most borrowed book from school libraries! Schools can currently enter a competition to win a visit from the world’s tallest man, Sultan Kosen. Guinness World Records officials will also visit the winning school to adjudicate a series of world record breaking challenges.

You can enter the competition on the Guinness World Records Schools page, which also has a selection of lesson plans and resources for you to use. There are also some free online ‘page spreads‘ which include 26 pages of facts from the book. Take a look!

The British Library site is a wonderful resource for teachers. It’s full of different activities and content which cover different areas of the curriculum.

Some of the resources include:

• Victorians – A huge collection of digital resources which children can use when learning about the Victorians.
• Playtimes – Explore 100 years of children’s songs, rhymes and games. The Kids’ Zone has some great video clips of children playing in the past… how do they compare with children playing on your school’s playground today?
• Sounds Familiar? – This area of the site shares sound recordings which highlight the different regional accents and dialects around the UK.
• Mapping History - A large assortment of digitised maps and information about mapping over hundreds of years. This also includes an exploration of how and why maps lie between fact and fiction.
• Visits and Workshops – The British Library also offer free workshops, tours and activities for groups.