resources update issue 7

• Sibelius Starclass (music)
• Music Curriculum Support Online (music)

• Geoprojects (geography)
• Explore Parliament (citizenship)

Sibelius Starclass
Sibelius Software

Music Curriculum Support Online
Learning Support Services

This is a comprehensive planning package for music which supports and supplements the QCA music plans at primary level with over 180 lessons and activities which contain sound and music samples and an audio CD for listening in class. Starclass also includes full explanations of musical concepts for non-specialist teachers, and hundreds of music clips and printable pictures.

The software makes it easy to find an appropriate lesson plan which covers the curriculum, offering valuable time saving in preparation work. It also offers a variety of ways to plan for music with printable medium term plans and lesson plans.

Overall this package would enhance music teaching within the primary school by saving planning time and offering high quality material and support to teachers. It would be especially valuable to non-specialists.

The Clock of the Long Now is one of twenty-four units currently on the www.tuned-in.org site, several of which are available free. It's main purpose is to explore the musical elements of pitch, pulse and timbre through traditional 'chiming clocks' and the extraordinary 'millennium clock' of the 'Long Now'.

The activities encourage investigation, exploring, selecting and evaluating appropriate and distinctive sounds using simple musical equipment found in all schools. Pupils can explore familiar and unfamiliar musical scales (eg. pentatonic, modal etc.) and these sounds and melodic material can be combined and organised within a musical structure.

Overall, this web site is worth a visit as a stimulus for work to be done away from the computer and it is an invaluable tool to the non-specialist teacher who wishes to use the ideas within the classroom

Geoprojects
Geoprojects Ltd

Explore Parliament
Armchair Travel

The Geoprojects subscription web site has been designed mainly for the teaching of Leisure & Tourism and Business Studies. The site is primarily to support teachers and students in the researching of information for their particular subject. It is designed as a resource bank and includes a host of different informative research pages and Case Study material, statistics of travel and tourism, acetates to be printed off, a photo library and news link, as well as a few worksheets.

Opportunities have been included for some questions to be posed relating to the information. They could be best utilised using a stand alone computer and projector for a KS5 class. In time, the site will be a useful guide for teachers of geography and mathematics and could become a useful cross-curricular resource.

This software provides a virtual tour through the Houses of Parliament. During the tour you can click on hundreds of icons (for example furniture, paintings, ceilings) to see short clips giving more information about the history and background of the building. There is also useful information on the art and architecture.

There is pleasant background ´regal´ music to accompany audio presentation which creates an atmosphere and a sense of occasion. A good feature is the plan of the Palaces of Westminster and the ability to navigate the tour would be a good starting point for direction finding and an understanding of plan views - which perhaps could tie in with a Geography unit on maps.

It also provides an informative look at parliamentary procedure looking at a typical day. This could link with literacy with diary writing and daily timetables.

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