To help your GCSE students recap their knowledge of German grammar before their exams, we’ve provided a free presentation on strong verbs.

Taken from our German Grammar Toolkit, this presentation covers the main change pattern of strong verbs and introduces some key examples. It also features a fill-the-gap activity and an interactive table showing 6 key strong verbs in different tenses.

To download the presentation, visit our MFL free stuff page.

Regards,

The Boardworks team

P.S. Don’t teach German? We also have French and Spanish revision resources available on our free stuff page!

The complete experience of learning to spell has many components; some are broad, whilst others are carefully focused on detail.

An essential component of learning to spell is real writing – writing for many purposes and for different audiences. It is through writing that knowledge of spelling is both developed and put to use. In writing the learner crafts, drafts and edits, referring as needed to word-bank, dictionary or spell-checker. This broad area of spelling experience is essential.

Just as essential is attention to all the fine details of words. This is where StarSpell fits in. It contributes to the detailed, close study of the mechanisms of spelling.

This study has two strands:

1. Direct teaching of what to learn, and ways in which to learn it; and
2. Generous and varied practice to consolidate that learning.

StarSpell is a resource that supports both strands.

StarSpell 3.1 is newly-released and is available now. This new version of StarSpell supports and extends the statutory requirements for English Spelling of the National Curriculum in England 2014, with the addition of new word lists and hundreds of new words, contextual sentences and images. StarSpell also has a phonics section which supports the English Letters and Sounds programme. The screen layout is ideal for the Interactive Whiteboard as well as PCs. With graded Spelling lists, printable worksheets and topic lists for exam preparation, StarSpell is suitable for all ages, and great for dyslexics and SEN.

To find out more, or to order StarSpell, please click here.

You can purchase and install StarSpell for your school online. There is no need to pay up-front; an invoice and installation link will be sent to you in e-mail when your order is approved.

For further reading, the StarSpell Guide to Spelling aims to demystify how spelling is learned. It shows smart ways to help learners, both using StarSpell and with activities away from the computer, and includes 29 sample classroom sessions. You can read it here.

Turn your Year 7 students into Young Philosophers!

Get them to ‘do’ philosophy – learn how to think clearly, how to sort the good arguments from the bad and how to debate respectfully. The benefits of this are clear to anyone who has studied philosophy (declaration of interest: that includes me!): clear thinking, improved logic and respect for the views of others.

This view is backed up by research: East Renfrewshire Psychological Services in 2006 found that underachieving 11-year-olds exposed to philosophical discussion significantly increased scores in areas including problem solving and decision-making. Another report from Dundee University in 2007 suggested an average rise in IQ levels of 6.5 points in students who had been exposed to philosophy at a young age.

The Young Philosopher Course is a complete programme with lesson plans, teacher’s notes (ideal if you haven’t studied philosophy), PowerPoints and a photocopiable A5 student workbook giving them a record of what they’ve done. Students will learn that philosophy is not a purely theoretical subject for academic discussion but a lively and intriguing activity.

So, improve your students with this enrichment course, which could be timetabled using PSHE, tutorial or RE time, put on as a lunchtime or after-school Philosophy Club, or as a programme for the Gifted and Talented!

Teachers who have used the resource are impressed:

• ‘A great resource that brings Philosophy alive to KS3 pupils! Often Philosophy can be perceived as a high academic pursuit and this resource allows for younger pupils to experience and begin dealing with key philosophical issues in an engaging and motivating manner… I particularly liked the breakdown of various tasks into smaller more manageable tasks which KS3 pupils will be able to engage… It would develop thinking skills and strategy as well as other key RE skills, e.g. dealing with fundamental questions and other people’s viewpoints as well as your own.’ – C Gibbs, Teacher of RE & Independent Reviewer

See for yourself – view full inspection copies of both 12-lesson volumes at http://zzed.co.uk/WP66

ZigZag resources are available as ‘copy masters’ or in editable format and come with a site licence, allowing you to pay once and copy as often as you need, or put it on your server for multiple use.

Order now at http://zzed.co.uk/WP66

ZigZag Education, Unit 3, Greenway Business Centre, Doncaster Road, Bristol BS10 5PY
t: 0117 950 3199 | f: 0117 959 1695 | PhilosophyWP66@zigzageducation.co.uk

Give your promotional code WP66 to get free postage!