elementary school resources - free worksheets/lesson plans/activities

Bubbl.us is a site that allows you to create mind maps for revision, test preparation and summarizing.

The site can be used with pupils and/or as a teacher tool for polling ideas and/or summarizing. With it's easy to use interface, even lower ability pupils will be able to create something individualized and meaningful.

Even after a few minutes of effort the results are outstanding.

From an educational viewpoint there are two things that push this website way beyond any others currently on the scene.

• The first is the ability to share your mind map with friends (aka the teacher and the rest of the class - online and in real-time). Given the push towards providing more opportunities for pupils to peer review, this website allows all of the pupils in the class (and teacher) to gauge strengths and areas for development.
• Secondly, and just as important - is the ability to set any mind map as a full collaboration - this allows full class participation to produce a class summary/mind map. Such a feature can only be extremely beneficial to all concerned.

example using bubbl.us

UK based resource with materials split into teacher and pupil sections. Levels covered are UK Key Stages 1- 4 and Post 16.

As indicated in the heading, this is an excellent starting point for any investigations into religion.

Site covers

• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Judaism
• Sikhism

The KS 1 section for pupils is an excellent way to gently introduce the main features of multiple religions to a younger audience. From KS2 the depth begins to appear, choices of specific topics produce direct links to useful external resources - including the BBC. The post 16 resources are helpful in preparing for more detailed investigations. Lifelong Learning provides access to additional resources such as sound files, photos and additional web resources. The Subject Knowledge section at this point allows you to continue your investigations and to expand into other religious beliefs such as Baha'i, Humanism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. Overall - a good site for teachers to have on file.

Over 30 interactive mathematics/measuring activities - just make sure you always click on full screen version.

Our current favorites are

• Ruler (at first glance it looks clunky - yes you can move the ruler about and with effort draw a line) but click on the arrow pointing to the right (below the box) and then see how you have and online, interactive way of training younger (or lower ability) pupils on how to measure using a ruler. Lots of premade lines and shapes to measure but unlike a whiteboard, the size of the display and available tools make it easier for both teacher and pupil.
  For added quality you can also create your own polygons and choose ruler settings (material - wood/plastic and scale display).
• Thermometer - excellent tool to help youngsters in the use of measuring with a thermometer. Easy to use interface with multiple helpful options including scale changes - this just makes the topic so much easier for both the teacher and pupil. With just this one activity you could cover so many of the problem areas encountered when working through a measurement topic/unit. A honorable mention must go to the difference/change feature in this activity (displays the amount the temperature has changed) - this could be used to link perfectly to the number line idea (and yes there is a number line activity in the set of 30 as well).
• Tell Time - interactive way to work through telling the time. Also has a 24 hour clock feature to push on the more advanced

All useful items as a teacher tool and/or as a class tool if you have access to a computer suite.