Resources of the week

Three subject teachers recommend a high-quality resource, available on the TES website, that they have tried and tested in their own classrooms
5th December 2014, 12:00am
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Resources of the week

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/resources-week-14

Maths

Join the dots in trigonometry

What is it? This dot-to-dot activity from Ms Steel is designed to help students practise entering basic trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions into their calculators. This skill is essential for mastering SOHCAHTOA (sine = opposite hypotenuse; cosine = adjacent hypotenuse; tangent = opposite adjacent) and all that follows. The resource is self-marking and a bit of rounding is thrown in for good measure.

How can it be used? The resource can be adapted for a whole range of mathematical topics. All you need is a series of questions and answers arranged in a pattern. It is a fun way for students to practise basic skills, but you also have the option of challenging them to create their own question patterns. Try this with Year 11s and give each student a different GCSE topic. Between them, they can produce a wealth of high-quality revision resources.

Craig Barton is an advanced skills teacher at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton and a TES secondary maths adviser. Find him on Twitter at @TESMaths

English

Reel to Real: An Inspector Calls

What is it? This resource from Into Film and the Victoria and Albert Museum extends students’ understanding of the play An Inspector Calls by looking at two revered versions: the 1954 film adaptation and the 1993 National Theatre production directed by Stephen Daldry. The PDF guide contains contextual information - useful for students who are struggling with the concept of adaptation - along with useful references and website links.

How can it be used? I’ve had success and a lot of fun using Daldry’s set-design concept of a house on stilts. I ask the pupils what, in their opinion, brought down the Birling house. Pupils scrunch up the paper that their ideas are written on and compete to knock over the cardboard house I’ve built. The smartly designed prompt cards in this resource are great for supporting that activity.

Jon Sellick is an English teacher and head of sixth form at Range High School in Formby, Merseyside

Science

Ebola lesson

What is it? This week’s science resource has been uploaded by Scarlett88 and covers a topic of profound global concern: the Ebola virus. Consisting of a detailed PowerPoint, timeline and question grid, this topical lesson is suitable for students who are studying health and disease at either key stage 3 or 4.

How can it be used? Science teachers are in the privileged position of being able to educate children in a logical and rational manner about the world we live in. This particular resource helps teachers to dispel the myths surrounding the deadly Ebola virus. It can be used either as a stand-alone lesson or as part of a wider topic on pathogens. My Year 9 students were fully engaged with the lesson and eager to learn more about the virus.

Aimee Mckeon is a science teacher at St Andrew’s CE High School in Croydon, South London

To offer suggestions, please email helen.amass@tesglobal.com

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Resources of the week

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/resources-week-14
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