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Teaching materials

Classroom ideas: studying Darwin

Brian Asbury looks at Darwin's life and work and suggests classroom ideas for studying the man and his theories in a primary science context

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Creative thinking tools for the classroom: Kick Cards, The Inverse, Double Six

Anne de A'Echevarria looks at three practical 'creative thinking tools' for classroom use

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Using PE to boost cross curricular skills

Improvement in PE and sport can have cross curricular benefits across a pupil's school career. Lisa Symonds looks at how a rejuvenated look at sport had a positive impact on SEN and G&T students, as well as on PSHE and self-confidence, at three schools across the UK

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Developing primary thinking skills with cricket

PE lesson plans are offered here by Crispin Andrews, who believes that striking and fielding activities can develop children's thinking skills. The lesson plans for sport (cricket) are aimed at primary students in years 3 to 6

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Inspirational athlete: Desmond Douglas, table tennis player

Justin Irwin talks to Britain's most famous table tennis player, Desmond Douglas, about his history with table tennis and its place in schools

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Sport spotlight: Mini-basketball

Mini-basketball — basketball for young children — is a school sport played by millions of primary PE pupils across the world, under the age of 12. It was was introduced internationally in 1964

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Teaching citizenship in six easy steps

How can you create an exciting series of citizenship lessons that will develop knowledge and understanding amongst your key stage 3 students? Catherine Johnson discusses her successes

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Monitoring learning and teaching

This free resource provides activities to monitor learning and teaching to middle leaders, and also department and subject teams

Young children's thinking skills activity

This free teaching activity for primary school children will encourage their thinking skills, specifically encouraging active thinking and imagination

SEN observation recording sheets

The free SEN resource for early years professionals and primary school teachers offers a number of observation sheets for individuals and groups. Each sheet is offered as a blank and as a filled-in example

Living Geography: mystery cards

This free geography resource for secondary school teachers concentrates on disease to be taught as a self-contained unit or as part of wider unit of work such as world development goals, urbanisation, inequality or controversial issues

G&T classroom strategies: Science

Mike O'Neill offers the first of a series of teaching activities for leading gifted and talented coordinators to use in the classroom with G&T students and share with colleagues

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Early Years PiP Cards: 2.4 Key person

A key person has special responsibilities when working with small number of early years children. They are an important part of good early years practice, for which Early Years Update offers a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Early Years PiP Cards: 2.3 Supporting Learning

Supporting learning is an important part of good early years practice with babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. Early Years Update offers a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Learning about climate change: lesson ideas

Robert Sinclair offers some ideas on how to introduce climate change lessons into the primary classroom, as part of the KS2 geography curriculum

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Science lessons: the seaside

Switching the classroom for the seaside can be a refreshing change for teachers and pupils when the weather is warmer. Brian Asbury suggests some ways to link the primary science curriculum to seaside lesson plans for KS2

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Cricket games for primary students

Cricket games can offer a lighthearted approach to PE and sport that can really reach out to primary school children. Crispin Andrews devises some interesting primary cricket games and activities

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The origins of the modern Olympic Games

What are the origins of the Olympic Games? PE & Sport Today explores Dr William Penny Brookes' involvement in the first modern olympic games, the Wenlock Olympic Games

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Inspirational athlete: Tom Daley, swimmer

Newly-crowned European diving champion, teenager Tom Daley, talks about preparing for the Olympics and how he juggled school and sport

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The Life Project: developing resourcefulness

The Life Project provides transformational tools and practical skills to parents, educators and teens in the areas of life, work and relationships. Erica Sosna, director of The Life Project, describes three of the facilitated exploration techiniques they use

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Fostering thinking skills in early years

Jenni Clarke offers some practical suggestions on how to encourage young children to think

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Early Years PiP Cards: 2.2 Parents as partners

The importance of your relationship with parents of babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children is the focus of this article from Early Years Update. This is part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Christmas maths resources

This pack of free Christmas maths activities are suitable for primary school children of all abilities

Improving your school's G&T provision

Would you like to improve your school's G&T provision?

Staff training material for child protection issues

This resource offers a number of theoretical case studies where child protection could be a concern, intended for staff discussion. It then follows each scenario with suggested points for consideration

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Early Years PiP Cards: 2.1 Respecting each other

Early Years Update focuses on the importance of respectful relationships in environments with babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. This is part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Primary teaching resource: writing skills

This chapter from Thinking Through Primary Teaching is an excellent resource for primary school teachers to help develop pupils' skills in writing and structuring their written responses

Enquiry tools for promoting emotional engagement and ownership

This e-bulletin focuses on thinking tools for promoting emotional engagement and ownership - again focusing on the first of the six areas of the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework, developing ‘independent enquirers’

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Creative thinking in literacy, art and design

This free 11 page literacy resource focuses on creative thinking in literacy, art and design

Science enrichment activity: Crime scene

This free teaching resource is a day-long enrichment activity taken from our recent publication, Enriching Science

Maths resources: Sunshine Game and Rounders

This free maths resource provides two maths games for ages 7 to 11

Maths resources: Addsub dominoes and Decimal Grand Prix

This free maths resource provides two maths games for Key stage 3 pupils

Lessons on China

With the 2008 Olympics being based in China, many schools have been turning their attention to the country for inspiring lessons and lesson plans. Robert Sinclair offers some ideas

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Supporting the learning of maths

Maths is either a subject that pupils love or hate, explains Lorraine Barber, so how can we support those learners who don't have a natural aptitude for it?

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Inspirational athlete: Sharron Davies, swimmer

In the run up to the Beijing Olympics, PE & Sport Today spoke to Sharron Davies about being a child sports star and lessons she has learned

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Lesson sequences: The Amazon rainforest

This sequence of four lessons, one of our many free geography teaching resources, is based around the enquiry question 'Should people be allowed to destroy the Amazon rainforest?'

Geography lesson plan: Disposal of different kinds of waste

Ideal for those teaching geography in schools, this free downloadable resource is a card game that will encourage pupils to think and role-play on the issues of waste disposal

Geography lesson activity: Should the rainforest be developed?

For key stage 3 geography: embedding logovisual thinking skills in your classrooms. This tried and tested lesson plan will help teachers to help students gain an understanding of environmental change and sustainable development

Geography lesson plan: Improving a shanty town

For key stages 3 to 4, this free geography activity, available to download, helps teachers to improve students' skills in information processing, reasoning, enquiry, creativity and evaluation

Creative teaching: Myths and legends numeracy projects

This exciting free resource focuses on the theme of myths and legends and provides two numeracy projects for use in the classroom

Geography lesson plan: Caribbean fishermen

This free geography teaching resource can be used with primary and secondary school students, and is one of the many games and activities available for teachers in Using Games in School Geography

Early Years PiP Cards: 1.4 Health and well-being

Early Years Update focuses on the importance of health and well being with babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. This is part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Teaching primary languages through fairy tales

Teaching primary languages is easy and fun when using fairy tales, activities and illustrations

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Inspirational athlete: Nicola Adams, boxer

Nicola Adams talks about becoming the first female to box for England at 18 years old, in the first of three interviews with women in amateur boxing who are at the top of their game

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Early Years PiP Cards: 1.3 Keeping safe

Early Years Update focuses on the importance of the personal and physical safety of babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. This is part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Early Years PiP Cards: 1.2 Inclusive practice

Early Years Update focuses on the importance of inclusion with babies, toddlers and three- to five-year-old children. This is part ofa range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Early Years PiP Cards: 1.1 Child development

Early Years Update focuses on development and learning as part of a range of practical ideas to underpin the information in the Early Years Foundation Stage Principles into Practice cards

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Lesson plans for key stage 2: Olympic Island

Key stage 2 lesson plans for exploring the Beijing Olympics to meet learning objectives in geography and citizenship, particularly for gifed and talented pupils, provided by Caroline Coxon

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Helping students to become storytellers: games and activities

Storyteller Taffy Thomas provides games and activities to stimulate children's and younger people's capacity to tell stories

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Inspirational athlete: Sonia O'Sullivan, middle distance runner

Sonia O’Sullivan – Ireland’s middle distance runner and most crowned sportswoman - speaks to Tina Ryan about her days as a young athelete and her journey since

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