Educational websites

English | English For Speakers Of Other Languages |

Abernet
Designed for Aberdeen schools and centres, Abernet has plenty of resources, web links, information, news, forums, and online courses freely available to all. In the 'downloads' section, the subject area has teaching resources to support many areas of the curriculum.

Arts & Humanities Data Service
Free online resources for those teaching and learning subjects such as the visual arts, the performing arts, languages and literature, history, and archaeology.

Association for Scottish Literary Studies (ASLS)
The ASLS promotes the study, teaching and writing of Scottish literature, and aims to further the study of the languages of Scotland. The website has a range of materials covering Scottish language and literature for use in schools, including the Scotnotes study guides.

Barrington Stoke
Barrington Stoke specialises exclusively in fiction and resources for reluctant, dyslexic, disenchanted and under-confident readers and their teachers. The books are designed for children with a reading age of 8+ and an interest age of 8-14+. The 'gr8reads' have been specially published for teenagers. There is a section of the site for young people where they are encouraged to submit feedback on books they have read. There are also professional development resources for teachers, written by specialist practitioners.

BBC - Blast
Blast aims to inspire 13-19-year-olds to bring creative ideas to life by offering new and stimulating experiences and building their confidence and know-how through professional support. Blast focuses on music, dance, art, film, writing and digital creativity, and includes practical tips plus profiles of successful artists and performers.

BBC - Education Scotland - Bitesize revision
The website produces manageable 'bitesize' pages on key topics, concentrating on material which students find particularly difficult. The material is written by examiners and teachers and reflects key areas of the examination syllabus.

BBC Education Scotland
The secondary school section is packed with subject materials for learners and teachers. See Standard Grade Bitesize for revision help with 12 subjects and Higher Bitesize for nine subjects, now including Gàidhlig. There are also plenty of interactive resources in the 14+ section for English, history, modern studies and geography.

BBC Learning
Wide range of subject areas and resources for schools, colleges and adults, with online learning courses in many areas and plenty of useful web links.

BBC Shakespeare Home Page
Find out about 'One Night of Shakespeare' taking place on 3 July 2005 with performances by young students across the UK. 'Sixty Second Shakespeare' is looking for schools to create their own 60-second interpretation of an act, scene or complete Shakespeare play.

BBCi - The Big Read
See the list of the nation's top 100 best-loved novels. Each title on the list has a biography of the author.

Book Maze
Book Maze is a new database aimed at helping teachers and librarians gather together accurate and detailed information on specialist study books. Suitable for Intermediate 1, 2 and Higher English.

BrainPOP
BrainPOP is a subscription-based provider of animated educational videos for pupils and teachers that may be suitable for use by Support for Learning staff. The movies explain concepts (science, maths, English, social subjects and technology) in a voice and visual style that is accessible and entertaining to both children and adults. There are some free movies to try out, and a two-week free trial subscription. It’s also available in Spanish.

Britain in Print
Britain in Print aims to provide free access to information about the rich collections of early British books held in some of the UK’s most important libraries. The site also provides free online learning materials. Resources currently available include 'An Introduction to Printing', 'The Testament of Cresseid' and 'Shakespeare Online'.

British Library - Learning
Learning website from the British Library contains wonderful multimedia resources for teachers and students to explore online. This website has interactive movies, discussion points and worksheets useful in many subject areas, from history and English to the sciences.

British Library - Turning the Pages
This online gallery contains some of the most significant books in history. It ranges from the oldest printed book, to the first atlas of Europe and the original 'Alice in Wonderland'. By clicking, holding and dragging the computer mouse, the reader is effectively able to turn the pages as if reading the original manuscript.

Channel 4 Programme Notes for Twelfth Night
These notes accompany 4Learning’s version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, available on DVD. This version is an exciting contemporary telling of a complex tale. Designed for students at Intermediate 1, 2, Standard Grade and Higher, the programme notes examine the making of the film in terms of art, business and language. They also contain activities and useful web links for the play.

Channel 4: Homework High
A Channel 4 website offering help with homework, subjects covered are English, Maths, Science, Geography, Languages and History. The site includes a Study Skills section as well as a team of experienced teachers to help solve homework problems..

Common Errors in English
A list of the words most commonly misused and misspelled in the English language. The 'list of errors' is very useful - clicking on any of the words provides a definition of what it should be and why it is wrong.

Contemporary Writers in the UK
A searchable database, managed by the British Council and Booktrust, with profiles and images of some of the UK and Commonwealth's foremost living writers, plus bibliographies, critical reviews and details of prizes won.

Converse
Innovative resources for teaching English literature, designed through collaboration between teachers, pupils and Cambridge University English Faculty. Resources include articles, interactive games and a full teachers' handbook. Suitable for Higher and Advanced Higher.

Creative Thinking and Goal Setting
A new resource for teachers, lecturers and Scottish educationalists on creative thinking and goal setting. Find out about reversal thinking, the six thinking hats, lateral thinking, brainstorming, and dreams and goals. To access this site you need a password available from customer services at enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk.

Edwin Morgan poems
Text and audio downloads of poems by Scots Makar Edwin Morgan, widely acclaimed at Scotland's greatest living poet. The poetry readings are performed by admirers of his work including writer Liz Lochhead, Professor Jim McGonigal, Hamish Whyte and the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Liz Cameron.

Encyclopedia Mythica
A searchable database of all mythical creatures as well as gods, heroes and villains of the ancient world. It is also a 'who's who' of myths and classic names.

Englishbiz Shakespeare for GCSE
Resources relating to the life and times of Shakespeare, with notes on 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Explore Ibsen
A virtual walk in the spirit of Ibsen. Experience 11 of Ibsen's most famous plays in a new dimension, read original letters he wrote, listen to his most famous speech, and visit the University of Oslo and the National Theatre.

GTCS: Supporting and Guiding Probationer Teachers
Support and guidance for Scotland's probationer teachers.

Higher and Advanced Higher Contemporary English Literature
This website lists fiction titles published in the last 20 years which are suitable for specialist study. It has summaries of books, an indication of the themes covered, basic biographical information on the author, and links to websites.

Higher Still Notes
This website has been created and built by two sixth year students using both their own notes and their teachers' notes for students of Higher maths, chemistry, English, physics, information systems, modern studies and business management, and Higher and Advanced Higher computing. It has useful material for each outcome.

Highland Schools Reading Webs
This site highlights some the best books published recently for young people studying English literature. The books have been arranged by genre and author. There are reviews by students and hundreds of links to literature websites.

Intute
Free online service created by a network of UK universities and partners. Web resources for education and research in the database are evaluated and described by subject specialists.

Kevin's Playroom
An education portal produced and maintained by children! It is arranged by subject and has links to hundreds of useful websites. There is a special 'WB' symbol on resources that work well on interactive whiteboards.

Muriel Spark Archive
This website showcases the National Library of Scotland's Muriel Spark Archive, providing a unique insight into Spark's life and work. There are images of documents such as diary entries, letters from famous writers and her amusing curriculum vitae from 1953.

Musselburgh Grammar School Weblogs
Read the weblogs created by the pupils - highly recommended are the blogs on the visit to Auschwitz and the visit to France to see the Normandy landings beaches. The weblogs are accessible to everyone, allowing any pupil, teacher or website visitor to add comments. This award-winning website is an excellent example for everyone of what can be achieved by a team approach within a school.

My Study Guide
This website provides key resources, revision aids, textbooks, study guides and many web links to support learning, revision, coursework and exam performance. Suitable for Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and 2, and Higher levels.

National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE)
Dedicated to good practice in the teaching of English, this website offers events, news, publications, links, reviews and membership details.

NTS Mary Stuart resources
Resources to enhance enjoyment and understanding of Friedrich Schiller's play 'Mary Stuart' provided by the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS). Includes a critical commentary on the play, a short biography of Schiller and interviews with the writer, director, designers and composer.

Penguin Classics
Penguin's teachers' and readers' guides designed to stimulate discussion on the classics. Test your knowledge of the classics in the 'trivia quiz'.

Perfect Papers
Supplier of practice papers for teachers and lecturers. Materials for Int 1, Int 2, Standard Grade, Higher and Advanced Higher can be ordered online and downloaded

Poetry - Study Ireland
This BBC Northern Ireland website is aimed at 14-16-year-olds who are studying poetry. It features the work of eight contemporary Irish poets and contains audio and video clips as well as teacher's notes and suggestions for follow-up work.

Poetry Archive
The Poetry Archive is a treasure trove of English-language poets reading their own work and was set up to help make poetry more accessible, relevant and enjoyable to a wider audience. There are lesson plans and activities for all stages and for other areas of the curriculum, such as history.

Quoteland
This online dictionary enables you to look up quotations on hundreds of topics provided from hundreds of well-known authors.

Remember Me
This is the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to commemorate the 1.7 million people who lost their lives in both World Wars. It includes activities using text, statistics, photographs and original texts, as well as a searchable database of some of those who died and details of the cemeteries in which they are buried. The materials would be suitable for history, English and citizenship.

Representative Poetry Online
This poetry database enables you to look up the full text of poems by author, title, keyword or first line.

Revision World
Revision World is a free resources for pupils and teachers providing revision notes, questions and downloads across a range of subjects.

Scotland's Culture
This service enables users to find Scottish cultural resources. It provides access to electronic resources (websites), print resources (books, manuscripts, etc.) and collections of resources, which can be either electronic or print. It also contains funding and events information.

Scottish Book Trust
In addition to the author and book search areas, this website has a dedicated children's and young people's area.

Scottish Corpus of Texts and Speech (SCOTS)
This website is an online collection of written and spoken texts of the languages of Scotland, from Broad Scots to Scottish English. It aims to give an accurate picture of the complex linguistic situation today. You can search it by author name, word, phrase or by geographical area.

Scottish Poetry Library
Information, activities, games, resources and poems from the Scottish Poetry Library to inspire young people of all ages. Free resource packs available for teachers.

Scottish Short Stories
The BBC has six contemporary short stories written by famous Scottish authors, such as Ian Rankin, Anne Donovan and Bernard MacLaverty. The stories were featured in the BBC's Higher English 'Scottish Short Stories' programmes in 2004, with the aim of encouraging students to pick up and read at least one of the stories. They are available to download free in PDF format and are suitable for Int 2 and Higher English.

SFEU Information Gateway
The Scottish Further Education Unit offers a good range of subject-related web links that are useful for both staff and students in colleges and schools. All resources are practitioner-reviewed and have star ratings.

SLAINTE: Scottish Writers Project
Biography and reviews of 42 Scottish authors, past and present, chosen by pupils in Scotland for the Scottish Writers project at the Scottish Library Association. Includes interview transcripts, images, video and links to other resources, including a database of 79 Scottish authors.

Sonnets from the Portuguese
The National Library of Scotland has published online Phoebe Anna Traquair's illuminated manuscript of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 'Sonnets from the Portuguese'. The artist has lavished each page with vivid watercolours and decorative motifs, and added gold leaf to great effect. Expert commentary provides background on the manuscript and on the artist herself.

Stagework
The Royal National Theatre has produced a rich media resource which draws upon its productions to create learning resources. The videos of rehearsals and performances, and interviews with cast and backstage teams (e.g. set and costume design, lighting and carpentry) would be of particular interest to drama students. The lesson plans include teachers' notes and activities, plus plot synopses, worksheets, and excerpts from the playscripts. The resource is also suited to teachers of English, citizenship, art and design, history, religious studies and ICT.

Study Skills and Strategies (Leckie & Leckie)
A publication providing information about brain compatible learning, study environments, study techniques and time management.

Teachit
Teaching resources for English - drama, media studies, lessons online.

Teachit's English Teaching Resources
Try the interactive self-marking activities for learners, including quizzes, spelling tests and worksheets for English and media studies.

Texts in Context
This is a rich and unusual collection of over 400 British Library texts. It enables students to explore how English language and style have continually evolved and changed over time. Digitised versions of original handwritten documents and recordings (with transcripts) are provided on topics such as shipwrecks and smuggling, tourism, recipes, dictionaries, dialects and colonial life. All texts are listed with a commentary on their potential for teaching and learning, and there is advice for teachers on how to select texts to work with.

The Cone-Gatherers
This BBC website has four extracts from Robin Jenkins' novel 'The Cone-Gatherers', looking at theme, character, style and structure. It can be used to support both Higher and Intermediate 2 level, and can also help with development of close reading skills. Please note that a support pack for 'The Cone Gathererers' is available in the NQ e-library.

The Learning Centre
Bellshill Academy's Learning Centre has helped students to use sound engineering software to produce digital audio files of Wilfred Owen's famous war poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est'. In the 'Projects' section of the website you can listen to a narration of the poem, with the sounds of war in the background.

The National Archives
The National Archives of England, Wales and the United Kingdom has one of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning a thousand years of British history, from the Domesday Book of 1086 to government papers recently released to the public. The Art of War section has high-quality illustrations from World War II, including comics and magazines, and many examples of propaganda. You can also download the wills of famous historical figures, including Shakespeare and Lord Byron, some free and some for a small fee.

The Open University: Openlearn
Free and open educational resources for learners and educators around the world from The Open University.

The Oxford Shakespeare
The full works of Shakespeare (including 37 plays and 154 sonnets) can be viewed online free. The site has a search facility to help you find a quotation by typing in a keyword or phrase.

Web English Teacher
This US website enables teachers of English to share ideas and to benefit from the work of others. It has hundreds of useful resources at a variety of levels for literature, literacy, speech, drama, grammar and writing. '91 Ways to Respond to Literature' would be a useful starting point. However, the user would have to persevere with the navigation for this website to be beneficial.

Web Reviews 4 Teachers
This new resource has links to over 1000 educational websites for many subjects, selected and reviewed by teachers working in Scotland. Each website has a full description plus a teacher's review and usage comments. In addition, websites are mapped to subject, course and unit for NQs, and subjects and elements for Standard Grade.

It must be emphasised that inclusion of these web links does not in any way represent endorsement by Learning and Teaching Scotland, nor are we responsible for the content of external websites.