I know only too well how intimidating computers can be for primary teachers - even with the aid of on-line tools like Purple Mash. With this in mind, and being extremely computer literate myself, I produced a series of Teacher-friendly PowerPoints (with embedded videos) and Worksheets to fully support the module. As my TAs commented - these make it so easy, even for us! The pack covers the Purple Mash topics Creating a Flip Book Introduction to 2Animate Animations with backgrounds and sounds Exploring animations More advanced animations I delivered these lessons in 5 one-hour sessions, over half a term. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback.

Note that this project is for PowerPoint 2016 Students regularly create presentations using PowerPoint but all too often, have not been shown some of the key features. This pack of 4, one-hour lessons covers: Launching PowerPoint and the Opening Screen Design Themes and Variants Inserting and manipulating items (text, wordart, pictures) Animations Transitions Hyperlinks The final lesson brings it all together, asking students to create a short presentation using all that they have learnt. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James

This is a set of 18 Worksheets, each comprising around 10 sentences to complete, and each supported with a Word Search to reinforce the learning. “y” words - “i” sound. “ou” words - “u” sound. “ch” words - “k” sound. “ch” words - “sh” sound. “ei” words - “ay” sound. “tion” words – “shun” sound. “sion” words - “zhun” sound. “cian” words – “shun” sound. “ssion” words – “shun” sound. “gue” words – “g” sound. “que” words – “k” sound. “sc” words - “s” sound. “cial” words - “shul” sound. “tial” words - “shul” sound. “ture” words - “cher” sound. “sure” words - “sher” sound. “tch” words - “ch” sound. “ious” words - “shus” sound. My approach using these resources is: discuss the sound with the students complete the worksheet independently learn the spellings with a partner write your own sentences complete a Word Search (for fun) I pride myself on presentation and hope these worksheets will inspire and engage your students. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback.

*** SCRATCH V3 VERSION TO BE PUBLISHED VERY SOON - favourite me to receive notification.*** In my series of Scratch projects, students are encouraged to learn through doing - creating projects that encourage learning. In this NEW series of lessons for Scratch 2, I provide a more structured approach, looking in detail at Scratch programming tools. Each tool is explored through simple projects, and students then go on to further explore using guided project worksheets. What is Scratch v2 Events and Triggers Controls Motion and the Stage Data Variables Operators - number Operators - text The lessons comprise: a fully animated PowerPoint with explanatory slides, together with the project instructions a Word document with the PowerPoint project instruction slides printed 2 to a page as a handout for students to follow accompanying fully-working Scratch project files for students and teachers Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: scratch, computer, programming, coding, algorithm

**UPDATED for Scratch version 3 ** Click here for a full listing of all my Scratch Projects In this project, the player must move a sprite through the maze using the keyboard. Timers, obstacles (floating sprites) and a more difficult maze can be added as enhancements . There are many sites offering Scratch Projects. However, many tend to be like recipes - students almost mechanically enter code and create “delicious cakes”, without learning a lot about Scratch. My goal is to get students to create a fun project, and at the same time learn how the instructions work and fit together. I use the following approach: - break the project into manageable chunks - present “pseudo-code” for each chunk - provide the Scratch commands to implement the pseudo-code, but jumbled up In this way, students learn about pseudo-code (an important part of coding), and have to understand the Scratch instructions in order to sequence them correctly to match the pseudo-code. The lessons comprise: 1. a PowerPoint with instructions 2. a Word document with the instruction slides printed 2 to a page as a handout 3. accompanying Scratch files for teachers that match each stage of the project ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested”, and continually updated. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so please provide constructive feedback.

** Updated for Scratch version 3.** Click here for a full listing of all my Scratch Projects In this project, based on Flappy Birds, the player has to navigate an octopus through waves of hungry sharks. There are so many really great sites offering Scratch Project ideas. However, many tend to be like recipes - follow the instructions and you’ll create a cake. The problem I find is that the students almost mechanically enter code and create “delicious cakes”, but without learning an awful lot about Scratch. My goal is to get students to create a fun project, whilst at the same time learn how the instructions work and fit together. To this end, I use the following approach: break the project down into manageable chunks present students with an algorithm for each chunk provide students with the instructions for each algorithm, but jumbled up In this way, students learn about algorithms (a VERY important part of coding), and have to understand the instructions in order to sequence them to correctly match the algorithm. The lessons comprise: a PowerPoint with introductory slides, together with the project instructions a Word document with the PowerPoint instruction slides printed 2 to a page as a handout for students to follow accompanying fully-working Scratch project files for teachers that match each chunk of the project Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: scratch, computer, programming, coding, algorithm

How often have your students (and often, colleagues) struggled to find their files? File Management is so critical to managing digital content, yet students (and adults) know so little about this. The course is delivered in 3 x 60-minute lessons, using stimulating PowerPoint presentations with embedded videos, and includes worksheets to accompany the lesson, a self evaluation document, plus a Kahoot quiz. storage devices digital files opening and saving files from within applications like Word managing files and folders using File Explorer I repeat these lessons at the beginning of each school year with students in years 3 through to 7 (with slight modifications) so that they are better equipped to work with their files in applications such as Word and PowerPoint. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James

We all use computers, but how much do we really know about hardware and software? These lessons look specifically at hardware, introducing students to what computers are all about in an accessible way. The course is delivered in 3 x 60-minute lessons, using stimulating PowerPoint presentations with embedded videos, and includes worksheets to accompany the lesson, plus a Kahoot quiz. What is a computer Input devices Output devices The CPU and storage Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James

Computers did not just drop out of the sky - real people came up with the ideas and created what we have today! The series of 3 lessons tries to make these pioneers real, and focuses on people such as Leibniz, Jacquard, Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Page and Brin, Jeff Bezos, and more… They cover topics such as binary numbers, early computers, the internet, the World Wide Web, Apple, Microsoft, Quantum computers, Amazon, Ebay, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok Each lesson comprises: a fully animated PowerPoint loads of embedded videos (can be extracted if required) fun worksheets Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: computer pioneer history Leibniz Jacquard Babbage Ada Lovelace Alan Turing Tim Berners-Lee Steve Jobs Bill Gates Page Brin Jeff Bezos google amazon apple microsoft internet world wide web www

see FREE INTRODUCTION - the first of 10 lessons We all ask and expect our students to learn things, and this requires MEMORY. Memory IS learning. Without memory, there can be no learning. BUT - do we ever give our students an understanding of what memory is, and more importantly, strategies for improving their memory? “Learn your multiplication tables”… sure, but HOW? This series of 10 lessons is designed with this in mind. Session 1: Introduction to memory Session 2: Types of memory - short and long term memory Session 3: Strategies 1 - linking and stories Session 4: Strategies 2 - mnemonics Session 5: Strategies 3 - names and faces Session 6: Strategies 4 - lists Session 7: Strategies 5 - numbers Session 8: Strategies 6 - using routes and locations Session 9: Strategies 7 - misc. Session 10: Memory IS us - the consequences of losing memory Each session comprises: a fully animated, stimulating PowerPoint loads of embedded videos (can be extracted if required) Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: games, challenge, memory, strategies, brain, numbers, linking, mnemonic, neuron**

Flowol 4 allows students of all ages to develop logical reasoning and problem solving talents, develop programming skills and explore the world of automatic, autonomous systems and robots. This series of 3 one-hour lessons for absolute beginners looks at what is control technology using Flowol to control simple mimics using Flowol to control mimics with decisions and numerical inputs Each lesson comprises: a fully animated PowerPoint with explanatory slides inspiring embedded videos worksheets and self-evaluation files Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback.

Grammar covered: The 8 Word Classes Nouns Pronouns Crossword - Pronouns Verbs Crossword - Irregular verbs Active and Passive verbs Verbs – “said” Adjectives Adjectives – “nice” Crossword - Adjectives Adverbs Crossword – Adjectives and Adverbs Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs Prepositions Crossword - Prepositions Conjunctions Determiners Phrases Clauses Phrases and Clauses (mixed) Sentences Sentence Challenge Having seen so, so many worksheets on grammar, I finally decided to create this pack - based on cherry picking the best ideas from countless text books and worksheets and adapting. It covers a range of the grammar used up to Year 6 and provides succinct definitions and plenty of varied practice for each topic. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James

So much of mathematics benefits significantly from a knowledge of tables – addition, multiplication, division, equivalent fractions, area, perimeter, time, money, ratio, proportion, percentage, …. And yet, so little time is devoted to what may be deemed the old school approach of memorizing tables. Whilst time is undoubtedly at a premium in today’s expanding curriculum, spending time to learn tables ensures that all subsequent areas of mathematics can be learnt more quickly and efficiently, saving time in the long run. Typically, too many students answer the question “what is 6 x 4” with strategies such as using repeated addition on their fingers to go from 4 to 8 to 12 to 16 to 20 to 24, or by doubling 3 x 4. Whilst these are admirable and acceptable ways of working out the answer, they are overly time consuming and prove that the student has NOT memorized their table. Since instant recall of tables facts is so beneficial, the goal should be for the student to have cast the entire table to memory and to then be able to state the answer instantly, and without any hesitation. These sheets are designed with this in mind - to help students MEMORIZE the multiplication tables. As students progress from column 1 through to column 5 for each table, they are continually repeating the table and thereby gaining greater exposure to it, and in most cases, this is in itself part of the memorizing process.

This is part of a set of top rated, “turbo-charged” (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question… “I’ve finished… what should I do now?”). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a “mathematical brain” (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: math, numeracy, numbers, arithmetic, starters, challenge, brain, stimulate, problem, mental, thinking, abstract

This is part of a set of top rated, “turbo-charged” (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question… “I’ve finished… what should I do now?”). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a “mathematical brain” (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: math, numeracy, numbers, arithmetic, starters, challenge, brain, stimulate, problem, mental, thinking, abstract