Teaching Packs

If you like the idea of being able to print packs (containing all the information needed to teach the specific topic), I do believe taking a look at 'Teaching Packs' is a good idea. Teaching Packs cover a wide range of subjects, from maths, English, science, geography, history and much more. 

In order to explain a little bit more about teaching packs, I thought it would be a wise idea to use three recent packs we have downloaded and printed as examples. 

Poetry pack

For English, we are planning on covering poetry, and as one can imagine the topic encompasses quite a lot. Ideally, when we start a new topic I like to have all the information required at hand, so we can look through the topic as a whole (rather than teaching new ideas at a later date - usually going over the ideas again is more our style). 

Therefore, as you can imagine, finding all the resources on Teaching packs was brilliant! Why is this pack so good, I hear you ask! The reason this pack ticks all the boxes is not only because of the simple and easy to follow layout, but the detail in which the topic is covered. For example, the pack contains poetry checklists (so little person will use this to check whether his poem rhymes/doesn't rhyme, whether he has used similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, hyperbole, repeated verses and much more).

The pack also comes with lots of pictures to print off, that can be used for children to use to write their poems.

Illustrations are a wonderful starting point for us, it helps little person focus on what his poem will revolve around. Also included are brilliant explanations of the breakdown involved when studying a piece of poetry, so looking a things like the poet, themes, features, vocabulary and many more. Each idea (for instance theme) has an easy to follow explanation, allowing children to understand what they are looking for and appreciate why. 

Theres some wonderful revision ideas (revision for us as we've covered these  before), such as syllables, and I like the fact that a list of one syllable, two syllable and three syllable words is included. It makes it a great revision tool as well as a good reminder about why the syllables are important when looking at poetry. 

In addition to all the other fantastic sub topics included, I absolutely love the fact that there is a glossary. Beautifully presented words with explanations and illustrations to help children really comprehend and fathom poetry and all that is involved. The list is concise, so includes everything from acrostic to verse (approx 10 pages). This is perfect for us as little person can flick through when he cannot quite remember what assonance means or envoi! And I must admit, this is perfect for me too, to help reinforce that knowledge (and learn some new information). 

Finally, it is great to see how the pack rounds off with a selection of lots of lovely poems. This has saved me the hassle of trying to find a poetry book on a Sunday! 

Algebra pack

As you can appreciate, the maths packs are as much in detail as the others. Our most recent one that we have printed and have been working through is algebra. The reason I used teaching packs for this is because the topic starts simple, a great introduction to algebra, and steadily moves through the different areas. The explanation pages at the start are thorough and easy to use as part of explaining the concept of algebra. 

I found it easy to work through the pack, teaching little person how to write algebraic expressions, how to solve those (initially starting with simple expressions), moving on to how brackets work. 

As one can imagine, a lot is covered in the algebra pack, and it would a make boring read if I was to detail each subtopic, so to give an idea, the following is a list of all the subtopics covered in the pack:

• when to use algebra?
• Algebra vocabulary 
• Operations and Algebra 
• Simplifying expressions
• Evaluating expressions
• Solving equations
• Using brackets
• Missing measures
• Patterns 
• inequalities 

Worksheets included ensure each subtopic is covered and understood, with lots of practice for each concept, including lots of fun worksheets (secret numbers). Decimal points are also covered, and I believe this is wonderful, as it ensures that once you have completed the pack, all the areas have been looked at (so zero confusion when your child comes across a "find y" with a decimal point included in the question). 

Answers are also included in the pack - that's always an added bonus(!)

Water cycle pack

As well as the 'normal' packs, you can find lots of mini packs for topics. In order to look at the water cycle in a little more detail, I've been using the mini water cycle pack. 

The great thing is, it still covers all the details, from excellent illustrations to worksheets enabling children to retain knowledge, but fewer pages to print! 

The water cycle pack contains all the vital information, including all the essential diagrams. It also has a wonderful glossary, excellent explanations of states (solids, liquids and gases), and much much more....I won't go into as much detail, otherwise this will be a very long read!

Page from water cycle pack

For more information, take a look at the website.