Elf Tales

Sherston Publishing, pound;40 (plus VAT) single user licence

Tel: 01666 843200

www.sherston.com

Being in the age of a certain boy wizard and some intrepid hobbits, the first-rate Elf Tales CD-Rom cannot help but capture the attention of a young audience. With the help of a friendly bookworm, we are led through the world of Elf Magic and the Elf King and invited to solve a range of mathematical puzzles which the teacher can differented to suit the ability of individual users. Key stage 1 and lower KS2 pupils will find the reading accessible at both levels of difficulty. Weaker readers will benefit from the bookworm reading out the instructions in a friendly and engaging voice.

The animation, especially in Explore the Picture, cleverly draws you into the tale, while the section which invites you to help Jek to search for his spell book allows you to refuse, only for him to try to convince you to take part. This is particularly entertaining. Other activities vary over time, helping to keep the activities and stories fresh. Overall, Elf Tales offers a fine, long-term resource.

Problem Solved!

Book 1 and Book 2

by Brian Fillis

Badger publishing

Teacher book, pound;25; student book, pound;5.50

Tel:01438 356907

www.badger-publishing.co.uk

This lively series offers a useful resource for teachers working with the gifted and talented at the end of KS2 and a good introduction to problem-solving in KS3. The teacher books contain three-part lesson plans and photocopiable resources. They also indicate what level pupils need to be at to do activities. The layout is clear with short, snappy and interactive investigations that will hold pupils’ interest. The cartoon characters add humorous and pertinent comments. A wide range of topics is offered, including fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio and proportion, and areas of national weakness. Also included is a useful section on communicating which helps pupils to explain their thinking.

These books offer a welcome addition to the growing number of resources available for upper-KS2 and KS3 teachers.

Times Tables Resource Book

Andrew Brodie

Aamp;C Black, pound;16.99

Tel: 020 7758 0200

www.acblack.com

How many inventive ways can you think of to teach times tables? These photocopiable resources and activities might offer you some extra options.

There are worksheets, OHTs and suggestions for a whole-class display. The layout is clear and concise with supportive teachers’ notes on how best to use the activities. With its bold and simple lettering and the motifs of Giraffe and Elephant - our guides - this resource is suitable for KS1 lessons and for consolidation in KS2.

ICT and Primary Mathematics

Jenni Way and Toni Beardon

Open University Press, pound;17.99

Tel: 01628 502500

http:mcgraw-hill.co.uk openup

This book offers some informative essays by teachers. It looks at what they have found to be the most effective ways to teach ICT. It includes research on children’s different learning styles and you can integrate them into your ICT teaching. Practical activities and projects are suggested for pupils in KS2 and beyond. This informative work will be a boon to both newly qualified and experienced teachers who want to establish or maintain ICT as a learning tool within their classrooms.