My place
Writing
The Scottish Book Trust has launched a series of resources aimed at Curriculum for Excellence levels 2 to 4 for pupils wishing to enter My Favourite Place, a competition run in partnership with BBC Scotland. Young people are invited to write a story, poem, song lyric, short play, sketch, letter or diary about the place in Scotland that they love most. The resources address literacy outcomes and talking and listening skills through interviews and discussions. Other tasks encourage the use of ICT and technology, for recording interviews or using modern “way pointing” systems and a variety of styles such as comic strips and digital storytelling.
www.scottishbooktrust.commyfavouriteplace
Numbers up
Numeracy
Education Scotland has published a collection of numeracy resources at first, second and third level of Curriculum for Excellence, based on the recently published Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy. The information from recent surveys has been used to identify numeracy concepts and skills that challenged pupils.
www.educationscotland.gov.ukresourcessscottishsurveyofliteracy andnumeracynumeracy.asp
On the beat
Music
Drums for Schools has launched four Class Percussion Packs for P1-S6. The packs include hand-made instruments, a practical teachers’ guide and online video support for non-specialists. The Class Percussion Book, by teacher and professional percussionist Andy Gleadhill, shows how to combine the basic classroom instruments with authentic world rhythms and melodies. With the 30 per cent discount for schools, the 10 Player Starter Pack costs pound;99.30; Player Budget Pack pound;149; 30 Player pack pound;239.
www.drums forschools.co.uk
All at sea
PSE
Real-life dramatic sea rescues and volunteer ethos are used to inspire pupils to learn life skills and personal safety in On Your Wavelength, a new pack from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The pack includes a teachers’ guide; lesson plans with opportunities for debates, group or individual work; film clips; a presentation toolkit and access to multimedia support, downloadable presentations and student activity sheets.
www.rnli.org.uk
Rhyme time
Music
Level 3 of Jolly Music, the multi-sensory Kodaly-based music curriculum for primary schools, is now available. The Jolly Music Big Book for 7- to 10-year-olds (pound;19.95) contains a collection of four rhymes and 25 songs in an easy-to-read format and The Music Handbook for specialist and non- specialist teachers (pound;29.95) contains 30 clear, structured and sequenced lesson plans.
www.jollylearning.co.ukoverview-about-jolly-music.
Game on
Play
Sifteo Cubes, from RM Education, is a new game system for upper primary and secondary, to encourage a range of thinking skills by combining the traditions of classic games, such as chess, jigsaws and crosswords, with interactive game technology. Each clickable 1.5-inch block has a full- colour display, variety of motion sensors and rechargeable battery. During play, the cubes communicate with each other through sensory technology and the information is sent back to a nearby computer via a USB wireless link. The Six Pack Starter Kit (pound;230) contains three games and software development kit. Subsequent games cost around pound;5 each.
www.rmeducation.comsifteo.
