News
Singing to a different beat
Composer and broadcaster Howard Goodall has recorded a programme for Teachers TV, which looks at promoting singing in secondary schools. The programme uses African music for inspiration and is at teachers.tvvideos
A dose of documentary advice
Managing relationships with pupils and parents is the focus of a film aimed at NQTs. Move Ahead, produced by Move Aside Films, features dramatisations and documentary-style advice sections. www.moveasidefilms.com
A computer game with high stakes
Imagine a computer game that gives pupils the challenge of reconciling conserving resources with the needs of a growing population. Fate of the World uses climate modelling to demonstrate how decisions made now have an impact in the future, and is aimed at children aged 12 and older. www.fateoftheworld.net
English
What the lesson is about
This is an introduction to a unit on John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, looking at the context of the novel. It is aimed at key stage 4 pupils.
Aims: pupils will -
- respond to texts critically and imaginatively;
- explain how language, structure and form contribute to the writer’s presentation of ideas, themes and settings;
- relate the text to its social, cultural and historical context.
Getting started
Show the pupils a range of book covers and film posters for Of Mice and Men (available on the link below). Ask them to make predictions about setting, plot, characters and themes based on the images. Get them to note their ideas, then discuss them in pairs or small groups, before sharing ideas with the rest of the class.
Taking it further
Give the pupils a copy of the timeline (available on the link below). Ask pupils to listen to the clip of the Original Memphis Five, read the extract from The Great Gatsby and watch the video portraying life in the 1920s. What do they think the Roaring Twenties were like? Get them to highlight sections in The Great Gatsby extract that they feel capture the spirit and mood of 1920s America. Show them the first-edition cover of The Great Gatsby. Ask them to use it to make predictions about setting, plot, character and themes in the novel.
Where to find it
The unit, plus supporting resources, was uploaded by TESEnglish and can be found at www.tes.co.ukof-mice-and-men-lesson. It is part of an extensive collection, including activities, audio files and interactive whiteboard resources, that can be found at www.tes.co.ukofmiceandmen
RE
What the lesson is about
This is part of an eight-week unit that looks at the use and benefit of sport in society from both a secular and a Christian perspective. It is aimed at Year 10 pupils.
Aims: pupils will -
- understand Christian and secular teachings about moral issues in sport;
-use evidence and reasoned argument to express and evaluate personal responses.
Getting started
Discuss the implications of stress. Ask pupils to list different types of relaxation and rank them according to how likely it is that theytheir grandparentsa sporting celebrity would do them. Compare and contrast exercise with meditation.
Introduce the Parable of the Rich Fool and how it reflects Christian attitudes to leisure time. Discuss the types of leisure activities Christians could be involved in and how it can develop their spirituality.
Taking it further
Discuss the cases of the rugby player Euan Murray (pictured, details on the link below) and the sprinter Eric Liddell. Compare the beliefs and outcomes of the two cases in a Venn diagram and list arguments for and against competing on the Sabbath. Get the pupils to consider whether sport should not take place on holy days, giving reasons for their opinion.
Where to find it
The eight-week scheme of work was originally uploaded by anwad and can be found at www.tes.co.ukreligion-and-sport
SEN
What the lesson is about
This is part of a five-lesson unit using a zoo as a way of building social skills. It is aimed at key stage 3 pupils with special needs.
Aims: pupils will -
- build an animal character;
- use hot-seating as a way of developing character roles;
- develop self-confidence.
Getting started
Ask pupils to pick a zoo animal they would like to explore, to be used in this and future lessons. Play musical chairs, getting the pupils to walk around the chairs as their animals would. Get the pupils to draw a mask representing their chosen animal and make up a character for their animal, listing its likes, dislikes, hobbies etc. Ask for volunteers to be hot-seated, with pupils asking questions that must be answered in character by the child in the hot seat.
Taking it further
Split the class into groups and ask each group to devise a role-play based in a cafe. One pupil is the waiter and one the chef, while the others have to order their animals’ favourite food in character. Where to find it
The complete unit was originally uploaded by Kath7770 and can be found at www.tes.co.ukthe-zoo-sen.
