What’s the simplest way to ensure that all form time sessions are exciting, informative, educational and engaging?

Creating a new form time activity each week is not necessarily difficult, but it can take time, and it is occasionally the case that form time is not used as fully as it might be..

Of course there are many form time programmes that have been produced commercially – but with these it is not always clear what one will get if making a purchase.

Which is why we offer all our form time activities on a free trial basis. What’s more, if you ask for a trial, you get to choose which lessons you see – not the ones we have chosen for you.

We’ve created a series of KS3 and KS4 form time plans that can be used throughout the year. Each includes a PDF overview and a PowerPoint presentation.

Topics currently include…

Active careers (2 activities)
Alcohol (12 activities)
Credit crunch (6 activities)
Critical consumers (4 activities)
Democracy (7 activities)
Diversity (3 activities)
Economic ideas (7 activities)
Enterprise (5 activities)
Enterprise and the community (3 activities)
Enterprise skills (3 activities)
Gap year introduction (4 activities)
Gap year volunteering (2 activities)
Human rights (7 activities)
The media (6 activities)
Options in year 9 (7 activities)
Prejudice (4 activities)
Revision (4 activities)
SkillsActive professional skills resources (6 activities)
The stock exchange (4 activities)
Preparing for work (5 activities)
Thinking about work (3 activities)

If you would like to have the resources for a completely free 14 day trial, with no obligation to buy, please visit http://www.teaching-resources-uk.com/2012 And if you would like unlimited access to all our resources for the whole school we are now offering this at £299.99 (annual subscription).

Teaching children about Scotland: the books to help you help them

‘The Curriculum for Excellence encourages teachers to use their professional expertise and creativity to show how subjects can be linked, just as they are in life and work.’ (The Scottish Government)

National Museum Scotland’s Scottie books present a seriously fun way of teaching 7-10 year olds about Scotland and give them an engaging learning experience. The series provides links between different areas of the curriculum – social sciences, sciences, languages and religious and moral education  – and brings the past to life to inform the present.

Scotties are exciting, full-colour 48pp-information books containing a wealth of interesting facts, stimulating activities, illustrations and photographs, plus lists of places of interest and selected websites. Many of the photographs are of objects held in National Museums Scotland or other collections.

Unless otherwise stated, each title includes an 8pp black/white section of activities photocopiable for classroom use.

Titles available: The Clans (Gordon Jarvie) / The Covenanters (Claire Watts) / Greyfriars Bobby: A Tale of Victorian Edinburgh (Frances & Gordon Jarvie)/ Flight in Scotland (Frances & Gordon Jarvie) / The Jacobites (for 10-12s, activities section not photocopiable Antony Kamm) / Mary, Queen of Scots (Elizabeth Douglas) / Robert Burns in Time and Place (Frances & Gordon Jarvie) / The Romans in Scotland (Frances Jarvie) / Scotland’s Vikings  (Gordon & Frances Jarvie) / Scottish Kings and Queens (Elizabeth Douglas) / Scottish Rocks and Fossils (Alan & Moira McKirdy) / Supernatural Scotland (Eileen Dunlop)

Titles coming soon / in the pipeline: There Shall Be a Scottish Parliament (February 2013 Frances & Gordon Jarvie) Scottish Explorers (February 2013 Antony Kamm) / Pirate Tales from Scotland (tbc Antony Kamm / Scottish Environments (tbc Alan & Moira McKirdy)

If you have any suggestions for subjects we might cover please let us know: publishing@nms.ac.uk

Series editors: Gordon and Frances Jarvie have many years’ experience of primary school teaching and lecturing. Between them they are also the authors of seven titles in the series.

Reviews:

Robert Burns in Time and Place: ‘This book is entertaining because there’s super quizzes in the book to keep you busy.’ P4 school pupil

Greyfriars Bobby: ‘This is a useful resource for those who like to know the story behind the story, and for studying local history.’ School Librarian

The Jacobites: The text is intelligent and clear, with a huge amount of information fitted into a few words. … I cannot recommend it too highly’ History Teaching Review

Mary Queen of Scots: ‘ … an excellent book, the extras are fun for children with good pictures.’ P4 school pupil

The Covenanters: ‘This concise and interesting publication, yet another useful publication by National Museums Scotland in their Scottie range, is a most excellent place to start to gain an overview of the Covenanter movement.’ History Teaching Review

See the books online at: www.nms.ac.uk/books

Prices and how to buy

All Scottie titles retail at £5.99. They are available from your educational supplier, from our online shop as above, or direct from the publisher. If you order 5+ books  direct a 20% discount (plus p/p) will apply.

NMS Enterprises Limited – Publishing, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF    0131 247 4026     publishing@nms.ac.uk

Is it possible for stories from 400 years ago to offer parallels with the lives of teenagers today?

The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Take, for example, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – between them they offer extraordinary insights into the issues that that have been faced across time.

Unfortunately the language used in these masterpieces of literature are often a barrier when it comes to using the plays with pupils as part of our reference to the universality of the problems and issues that people face.

Overcome this problem and we have the perfect teaching resource through which the for-better-or-for-worse decisions that everyone has to face. Students can then explore the various courses of action that both they and characters can take.

In short the students watch the characters’ mistakes and learn from them, without having to interpret the language that Shakespeare used in writing the plays.

Working with Will is a scheme of work for PSHE teachers where the topics on the KS3 and KS4 curricula are explored.

Working with Will is also a scheme of work for English teachers and works as an introduction to text analysis in English literature lessons for key stages 3 and 4.

The 179 page volume contains three schemes of work – each of which can stand alone – with a series of lesson plans that can be used sequentially or can be dipped in and out of in any order. It also comes with a free CD containing the text of the book plus PowerPoints to use with the lessons.

The author offers workshops on Working with Will – please click here for more information.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 890 3
Order code: T1796emn – please quote with order.
Sample pages can be viewed at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1796.pdf

Price: Photocopiable report in a ring binder plus CD, £29.95 plus £3.95 delivery

You can purchase the report…