Classroom Resources

It is a common observation that students’ flagging attention can be lifted by a change of lesson format.  Likewise it is often observed that students can be reinvigorated by being offered an occasional quiz based on a recognised format.  

In each case, the fact that the event is centred around past exam questions is no longer the focal point: it is the format that heightens the level of involvement.

QI – American Politics for A-Levels is a resource based upon the popular TV show of the same name.

In total there are 270 questions and answers provided on each section, ranging from ‘Elections’ to ‘Constitutions’.

It can be given out to students on the basis of a self-test resource or used as a classroom activity, with students either in teams or working as individuals.

In each case the resource highlights gaps in the students’ knowledge which they can then focus on. At the same time it reminds students of knowledge which they do have but which might not always be brought to the fore when faced with an unusual question.

This resource contains 33 copiable masters which are available as a spiral bound book, as a PDF CD or as a Word file on a CD. The price of £29.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 2050.

You can order QI – American Politics in any of these ways: 

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

Srinivasa Ramanujan lived an extraordinary life.

If he is not someone you have heard of, that is not too surprising since he died nearly 100 years ago at the age of 32.

He came from a very humble background, but in his short life became the first Indian elected to be a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Remarkable – but then the world is full of remarkable people. So why should we be concerned with this one man now, after all this time?

The answer is because Ramanujan is an inspiration.

Having had virtually no formal training in maths he made a series of amazing contributions to the subject.  He received a scholarship to study at Government College in Kumbakonam, India – but then amazingly had it taken away from him because he failed his non-mathematical coursework.

However, he would not give up.  He joined another college to pursue independent mathematical research. He then sent samples of his theorems to three academics at the University of Cambridge.  Two of the academics never replied to him – but one did, and this led to his being elected as a Fellow at Cambridge and of the Royal Society.

And yet, despite this recognition, he died of malnutrition at the age of 32.

His work has inspired a vast amount of further research, and there is now  an international journal devoted to publishing his work.

What’s more, the Government of India celebrates Ramanujan’s birthday as ‘National Mathematics Day’ every year on 22 December and declared 2012 as the ‘National Mathematical Year’.

To celebrate this remarkable man’s life and the way in which he constantly strived against rejection and difficulties, we have produced a KS3/KS4 resource which includes a play and 3 worksheets that contain four or five activities in each. Director’s notes are also included for putting on a performance, with suggestions about sets and props.

The worksheets contain activities on The Hardy-Ramanujan number; investigating the sums of squares, and investigating triangular numbers – thus providing a unique link between drama and maths.

Teachers may choose activities from the worksheets according to the level and ability of their students.

This resource contains 26 copiable masters which are available as a spiral bound book, as a PDF CD, or as a Word file on a CD.  The price of £19.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 5328.

You can order The Indian Mathematician – Srinivasa Ramanujan in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

To say that one of the most effective ways to help students to achieve good results is to use the techniques that have proved successful in the past, is fairly obvious.

Of course, if it has worked before, let’s do it again. 

The only problem is that materials that set out these tried and tested approaches are not always available.

It is with this in mind that we have developed our AQA GCSE Sociology revision guide.

Based on what we know has succeeded in the past, the resource takes students through the exam unit-by-unit and question-by-question and includes explanations of the structure of the exam, specific revision techniques and past exam questions, alongside essential key terms, theories and sociologists.

The main topics are covered including Studying Society, Families and Households, and Education from Unit 1, and Mass Media, Wealth and Poverty, and Crime and Deviance from Unit 2. It does not include the Unit 2 Power topic.

Each topic contains essential questions students must be able to answer, key terms with detailed definitions, key approaches with thorough explanations and possible links to questions, key sociologists, their attached approach and possible links to questions and past exam questions for the students to answer.

The resource is written in a way to be accessible to all abilities, including SEN and EAL students.

This resource contains 60 copiable masters that are also available as PDF downloads or as a PDF or editable Word files on a CD. The price of £39.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 19043.

You can order in any of these ways: 

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

One of the key things we all need to know about our students is whether they are on, above, or below target.

Which is why we have assessment trackers to indicate precisely the level learners are currently attaining and when interventions are required.

The assessment trackers for Edexcel Btec 2012 ICT have been professionally designed and developed to closely match and mirror the exact specification of the course, with two trackers covering combination of units which display each unit, grade point and final grade in the correct format of Distinction*, Distinction, Merit, Pass, Level 1 Pass.

The assessment trackers automatically convert the marks to points and display the final grade overall (Distinction*, Distinction, Merit, Pass, Level 1 Pass.)

All final grades are automatically added up and presented clearly and precisely in graphs to fully display the attainment of students for the units covered, E/O/B and final summary of all marks/grading.

Beyond these functions the assessment trackers also have a variety of automated features, including automated graphs that display the final grades and Exceeding, On target or Below target grades that students have attained.

Key features of the assessment trackers include:

• Closely matches the specification, providing precise and accurate results
• Fully customisable, easy to use and import names/class lists from SIMS with automatic filters for sorting and conditional formatting to identify students on target, below and exceeding
• Summary of results that display percentages of students attaining individual grades / levels Fully Automated to display total Grades / Marks / Levels Fully Automated to display Exceeding / On Target / Below Target Grades
• Fully Automated to display Charts/Graphs for E/O/B and Current Grades and Grade Summary
• Fully Automated to count genders and total students in class.

This resource contains 2 Assessment Trackers in an Excel format on a CD.  The price is £29.99 + VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 8100.

You can order the in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

Helping students to investigate and draw their own conclusions is obviously a large part of the OCR F585 Economics exam – as it is in all exams at this level.

All students need to make the transition from repeating learned facts to integrating opinions and views into the factual basis.  They need to understand how to think about and then decide on the answers.

Unfortunately, there are precious few resources that take on the development of thinking and deciding which is why we have produced a manual that does just that. This is a manual that encourages students to think and then decide when working on OCR F585 Economics Case Study Analysis.

Written by an OCR A level examiner, the manual focuses on a case study and how the syllabus is applied to it.

It includes questions for discussion and a choice of answers to encourage students to investigate and draw their own conclusions.

Ten ‘lessons’ make up the manual as the reader is guided through the case study, line by line – and then asked to do some work of their own.

Teachers’ notes are included after many of the lessons.

Work is set, definitions are asked for and guidelines are given as to websites to visit.

What’s more, this manual is ideal for students to use during study leave. You will find that they return not so much with answers but rather with more questions and more areas for discussion.

The resource contains 160+ pages of analysis of the F585 OCR Global Economy case study.  It is available as a PDF download or as a PDF or editable Word files on a CD.  The price of £34.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 2049.

You can order the OCR F585 Economics Case Study Analysis CD in any of these ways: 

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

With the introduction of the Cambridge Nationals in ICT and the need for new assessment trackers, we have developed our two trackers that precisely track and display students’ progression through KS3 ICT.

The assessment trackers cover all that is required for year 7 and year 8 students and which closely matches the National Curriculum with APP.

Providing precise and accurate results, the trackers automatically highlight students who are below target, on target and exceeding target providing you with precise and accurate results. 

The assessment trackers are fully customisable, easy to use and import names/class lists from SIMS with automatic filters for sorting and conditional formatting to identify students on target, below and exceeding.

They also allow you to put together graphs that display final grades and exceeding, on target or below target grades that students have attained.

What’s more, a summary of results that display percentages of students attaining individual NC levels is also included.

This resource contains 2 Assessment Trackers in an Excel format on a CD.  The price is £29.99 + VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 8099.

You can order the KS3 ICT Assessment Tracker CD in any of these ways: 

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

For key stage 3 students an awareness of any historical period or event is always enhanced through pictorial representation. 

Which is why we have published a collection of 51 resource sets. 

Each resource set contains black and white A4 line drawings and cut out models, covering everything from the roots of European civilisation to the Cold War.

Additional topics include architecture, Irish history, Scottish history, Welsh history, the age of revolutions and a history of costume.

Resource sets also contain a synopsis of the period, briefing sheets, source materials and answers to questions.

Each resource set is available for £14.99, with a discount for 5 sets for £24.99 or 10 sets for £39.99.

All resource sets will be supplied on one CD and all prices are subject to VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

The full list of topics available is shown below.

To see sample pages or to order please call us on 0117 940 6409.

The life of Blaise Pascal was both sad and fascinating: as a child prodigy and then inventor of the calculator, and a great satirist who managed to make an enemy of Louis XIV, while playing a key role in the development of mathematics.

To help bring his story alive we have developed our short play which depicts events in his life and consists of a prologue and three scenes.  These focus on Pascal’s fascination with games, dice and competitions and how well one can predict the outcomes of games.

These are, of course, issues that fascinate many teenagers, and it is through dealing with such matters that students are introduced to quite complex mathematical problems.

The resource contains the extracts from the play (which can be read in class as an introduction to the lesson) and eleven worksheets based on what has been learned about Pascal.

The worksheets include Pascal’s Pseudonym, the Problem of Points and the Mystic Hexagram.

They are easily printable, and the solutions are detailed and helpful and can be used at your discretion according to the age of the students and their ability.   

The resource contains 29 copiable masters which are available as PDF downloads or as a PDF or editable Word files on a CD.  The price of £19.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 5327.

You can order The Story of Blaise Pascal in any of these ways: 

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

When it comes to tackling complex mathematical problems, sometimes alternative approaches can help: and there is nothing more alternative than reading a short play in a maths lesson. 

This short play depicts events in the life of the mathematician Blaise Pascal and consists of a prologue and three scenes.  These focus on Pascal’s fascination with games, dice and competitions and how well one can predict the outcomes of games.

These are, of course, issues that fascinate many teenagers, and it is through dealing with such matters that the students are introduced to quite complex mathematical problems.

The resource contains the extracts from the play (which can be read in class as an introduction to the lesson) and eleven worksheets based on what has been learned from Pascal.

One of the worksheets is on Pascal’s Pseudonym; six are on Pascal’s Triangle; one is on the Problem of Points; and three are on Pascal’s Mystic Hexagram.

The worksheets are easily printable, and the solutions are detailed and helpful and can be used at your discretion according to the age of your students and their ability.   

The resources contains 29 copiable masters which are available as PDF downloads or as a PDF or editable Word files on a CD.  The price of £19.99 + VAT is the same for all formats. 

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 5327.

You can order The Story of Blaise Pascal in any of these ways:  

• On our website
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

If the answer is just a couple of hours, or even less, then you probably won’t be interested in a complete set of lessons to cover the AS Micro Economics syllabus.

But, assuming for the moment that you are with the majority of us and can’t knock out lesson at such an amazing speed, the arrival of a total set of lessons for the complete AS Micro Economics syllabus will probably be of interest.

Covering all essential content of the Economics curriculum for Microeconomics, our 400+ PowerPoints lessons use pictures, video links, cartoons, case study material and web links to help you to prepare your students for their final exam.

Each plan contains the lesson aims, a set of plenary exercises and a conclusion which allows students to reflect upon whether they have achieved the aims of each lesson.

Lesson plans are written in a light-hearted way whilst dealing with up-to-date critical economic issues, including unemployment and different types of market structure.

This resource contains 453 PowerPoints on a CD. The price is £49.99 + VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

Free sample pages are available. To view these please email us at sales@classroom-resources.co.uk and quote the order code – 2048.

You can order the AS Micro Economics PowerPoints CD in any of these ways:

On our website
By phone on 0117 940 6409
By fax on 0117 940 6408
By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ