To save you the hassle of trying to find the best websites, here are a few to to help you fill the gaps in your lesson planning.

Educational Publisher Nelson Thornes has adapted some of its paper-based materials for the web. The new site at www.lastminutelesson.co.uk provides photocopiable lesson plans and activity sheets for key stages 1 and 2. Subjects covered include science, geography, history, literacy and numeracy.

Schoolmaster.net has lesson plans for KS 1-4 across all curriculum subjects. The site is free but you have to register before you can get your hands on the material. Schoolmaster.net also has links to a range of other content providers.

You could also visit the National Grid for Learning site at www.ngfl.gov.uk. Click on the teachers’ section and you’ll find your way to more than 1,000 lesson plans originating from other approved sites. There are lesson plans and activity sheets from a wide range of organisations including museums, charities and businesses so you should be able to find something suitable.

You can also gain access to these teaching resources at http:vtc.ngfl.gov.uk. A new section of the NGfL called Teacher Resource Exchange has materials and activities submitted by teachers. Go to http:contribute.ngfl.gov.uk for more details.

Another good place to find materials produced by teachers is the Byte website maintained by the Association of Teachers. The site at www.byteachers.org.uk has links to free sites with resources available.

Descriptions are available for all sites and all have been reviewed to ensure that the material is suitable for the National Curriculum.

The maths resources webswite at www.10ticks.co.uk is run by teacher Ian Fisher and offers maths worksheets for a price. But to encourage first-time visitors to buy the products, he is giving away 40 pages of maths worksheets on multiplication and division. He feels that the worksheets are so good that even hard-up NQTs will be persuaded to fork out for the resources on sale.

Yolanda Brooks