News

Smoke storm

Operation Smoke Storm is a web-based tool aimed at educating young people on issues to do with smoking and the tobacco industry. It is primarily for key stage 3 teachers but has also been used with older pupils. For more details, go to http:www.lockinlearning.org.ukcoursesoperation-smoke-storm

Poised for poetry

On Thursday, 6 October millions of people, of all ages, will be able to take part in National Poetry Day. This year’s events will mark the 2012 Olympics by celebrating poetry relating to mind games, board games, athletics, hopscotch and wordplay. This year’s poet in residence is Jo Shapcott. To find out how you can get involved, or to promote your event, register online at www.nationalpoetryday.co.uk

Star competition

Huddersfield University is running competitions to educate young people about university research. There are competitions in design and writing. The winning essay will be read by Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who is the university’s chancellor. http:www2.hud.ac.ukresearchersnightSchools_Competition.php

Maths

Puzzles and probability

Sudokus, relay races and code-cracking activities

Puzzles are a way of engaging pupils and can be used to develop problem solving and thinking skills. This collection of resources, handpicked by TES maths expert Craig Barton, offers great ideas for activities that will challenge pupils and help them to enjoy maths more.

DaveGale has shared a creativity maths booklet which includes a number of activities ready to print off and use with key stage 3 and 4 pupils. The puzzles include a probability game in which pupils must pick two beads from a selection of nine in three different colours; you win if you select two of the same colour. Pupils are then challenged to find out all the possible outcomes and work out the probability of winning the game.

To test your pupils’ problem-solving abilities, KCTR has uploaded a code-cracking activity suitable for Year 7 pupils. Pupils must solve the case of the missing homework by cracking a series of codes.

Brett0401 has shared templates for logic puzzles, including the classic game of sudoku, as well as a domino jigsaw. These puzzles can easily be printed off, or can be used on the computer.

For a fun end-of-term activity, chris smith has shared question cards for a maths relay race. Pupils work in pairs and are given a question card. Only after they have correctly solved the problem can they progress to the next stage of the race and receive a new puzzle to solve.

tes.co.ukmaths-puzzles

ICT

Computing, control and programming

Making HTML less daunting and introducing networks

TES ICT adviser Mark Clarkson has compiled a collection of resources offering creative ideas for topics around computing, control and programming for secondary ICT lessons.

Learning HTML coding can be difficult and overwhelming. However, Anna Debenham has shared a link to a web-based activity from the Hackasaurus website, which allows pupils to inspect web pages and learn how they are put together. The “X-ray goggles” enable pupils to explore and edit live websites and learn simple parts of HTML.

Zsirajdin has uploaded an illustrated guide to computer networks, meeting the new GCSE ICT specifications. The information included covers network topologies, encryption and authentication techniques and common network devices - must-haves for GCSE pupils.

tes.co.ukcomputing-programming

English

An Inspector Calls

Pupils challenged to predict what will happen in play

A collection of print-based teaching resources, activities, worksheets, audio files and whiteboard resources have been put together on J.B Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls by TES English.

Activities featured in the collection include a pre-reading prediction task. Pupils are given a selection of book covers and posters for the play, and have to analyse them to make predictions about what will happen.

They will then be able to see if their predictions were correct, and can participate in a quiz activity. It is important for pupils to understand the importance of social, historical and cultural context while studying the play.

A timeline of important movements and events leading up to, and following, its first performance has been included, along with an activity that includes an up-to-date example demonstrating the importance of context.

tes.co.ukan-inspector-calls.