Welcome to Seomra Ranga, the Hub for Primary School Resources. For the overseas visitors “Seomra Ranga” means “classroom” in the Irish language.
Seomra Ranga has been successfully providing tried and tested resources for primary school classrooms since 2007. Since that time, the site has gradually built up a strong following amongst educators as a repository of quality teacher-created resources. The resources on the site, which support all areas of the curriculum, are arranged in accordance with the curricular provisions of the Irish primary school….
Children’s Books Forever
Children’s Books Forever is a website that has free downloads of children’s books. The books are downloadable in .pdf format, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC/Laptop in order to view the books. The site includes picture books and books for early readers all by American author Hans Wilhelm. The books are intended for use as a whole class exercise using a digital projector or IWB. They can also be included into Powerpoint files. The illustrations in the books are high quality and attractive. The print in some of the books is quite small and some children may have difficulty reading it from a distance. However, it may be possible to organise the class to be near the whiteboard when reading one of these books. It’s a site well worth a visit and is probably most suitable for the junior end of the primary school. You can view the books at:
European Geography Tutor
European Geography Tutor
European Geography Tutor is a piece of freeware available for download from the internet. At 432KB, it’s a relatively small file for downloading. It downloads quickly and installs quickly. The programme window has a map of Europe on the left and a list of 39 European countries on the right. There are three ways to use the programme. Firstly, the pupil can simply explore the countries of Europe. This is done by simply moving the mouse over a country, which highlights the country in colour. The name of the country is written on the country and it is also highlighted in the country list on the right. When pupils are comfortable with the names of the countries, they can take a take a quiz. The programme asks pupils to find a country in random order by clicking on the country on the map. Alternatively, a second quiz highlights a country on the map and asks pupils to identify the country in the country list.
The programme is simple enough to learn and pupils should have no difficulty understanding how to play the game. However, the three activites mentioned above are the only activities which pupils can play, so there is little variety in the activities. Another drawback is that the programme window is in the centre of the screen and cannot be maximised. This means that the pupil cannot view the map of Europe in its entirety and must scroll up/down or left/right to find a country. Nevertheless, teachers may find the programme useful to help pupils learn the countries of Europe. The programme can be downloaded at:
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/task/freeware/European_Geography.exe
Clock Face
Clock Face
Clock Face is a freeware programme based on a solitaire type game for teaching the time. It is a downloadable file of only 456KB, so it downloads and installs relatively quickly. The programme window has a clock face. Beside each number on the clock is a bundle of four cards, with a card in the centre. You start the game by clicking the card in the centre. The cards have a time written on them eg. “Half past”, “20 Minutes past” etc. You have to drag and drop the card onto the correct position on the clock. If you place the card in the correct position, it goes to the bottom of that pile and you click the top card and repeat the process.
Just as in a normal deck, there are 52 cards – four cards for each position on the clock and four “Clock Centres”. These are cards with a spot in the centre – they are sort of like “lives”. The object of the game is to reveal all 48 time cards before revealing the four “Clock Centres”. The game is over when you have placed all the cards in their correct positions or when you have revealed all four “Clock Centres”. You earn points for every card placed in its correct position, and the faster you do this, the more points you earn.
This programme is easy to download and install and quite easy to play. It is most suitable for middle and senior standards in the primary school as it requires the pupil to know all positions on the clock in analogue time. The game can be downloaded from:
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/task/freeware/Clock-Face.exe
Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee is a spelling programme that is played online without the need to download anything onto your computer. It is split up into eight sections (Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-8, 9-10, 11-12) with three levels in each section. Each level has a short story with blank words, like a cloze exercise. The story is spoken aloud so that the pupil hears the missing words in context. The pupil then has to type in the missing words. You can choose to hear the missing words as often as you like. In older sections you can be given the word meaning as a hint. When a level is completed you get a score and you can see which spellings you got incorrect. You can then choose to go on to the next level or to re-do the level again.
It should not cause too many difficulties but the story is spoken with an American accent. Because it is also an American based programme there may be some words particular to the US eg. “garbage”. However, these are minor difficulties which do not detract from the overall usefulness of the programme. The programme is most suitable for use in the primary school. The fact that it teaches spellings in a context is an advantage. It is also a programme that can be re-visited again and again to see if spellings learned in the programme have been retained. The programme is also suitable to be used as a class lesson using an IWB. The programme can be accessed at:
IronHead MathFlash 12
IronHead MathFlash is a freeware maths flashcard programme that can be downloaded as a 2.08MB zip file. It is used to practise the four main mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It is suitable for use with all age groups and all abilities in the primary school. Drills can be set up by the teacher to focus on a particular set of tables that are being learned by the pupils. The drills can be set up for pupils to answer a certain amount of questions or to answer as many questions in a particular time. Tables are flashed in large print in the centre of the screen. Three possible options for answers are given underneath. The pupil must click on the correct answer as quickly as possible. When answered correctly, the next flashcard appears immediately.
Pupil records can be set up when using the programme. This piece of freeware should be downloaded and installed by all primary schools. It is easy to download, easy to install and easy to operate. All in all, a very useful piece of freeware. This programme can be downloaded at:
http://www.download.com/IronHead-MathFlash/3000-2053_4-10064706.html
Multiplication Facts
Multiplication Facts is a freeware programe that can be downloaded as a zip file from the internet and installed on your PC. It is a 2.3MB file which downloads quite quickly using a broadband connection. The programme is perfectly suited to middle and senior classes in the primary school to practise multiplication tables. Tables covered are fro 0 to 12. You can choose to study each set of tables first on screen to learn them. You can also click on any particular table (eg. 7×5) and the programme will show a pictorial representation of it. When a pupil is confident that they have learned the particular set of tables, they can practise them with a timed test. You select which set of tables to be tested on and the programme will look for the answers to be typed in. You will get a report on how many were answered correctly in one minute and this will also be expressed as a fraction. You can also choose to practise without the timer. A random selection of tables can be chosen to be tested. For the teacher, a worksheet of tables can be printed off.
This programme would be suitable to recommend to parents to install on a home computer to practise tables at home. This is an easy programme to install, easy to understand and easy to use. It’s definitely one that should be used by primary schools. The free programme can be downloaded at:
Webwise
Webwise is a website on Internet safety created by the NCTE. It deals with many topics surrounding the theme of internet safety: safe surfing; cyber bullying; chatroom safety; safety when texting; safety in social networking websites; risks in file sharing and blogging. It has a downloadable internet safety video. It has resources to help schools with internet safety: sample AUP’s (Acceptable Use Policy); information on internet safety legislation; information on filtering software.
It has two specific learning modules for primary schools: “Surfwise” and “Chatwise”. Surfwise deals with safety when surfing the internet. Chatwise deals with the risks when divulging personal information online. Both modules include notes for teachers, activity sheets accompanying lessons, online animated videos, quizzes and puzzles. The modules are aimed at children aged 6-12 years, so with adaptation they can be suitable for children from first to sixth classes. The site also has numerous publications that can be downloaded: booklets, posters, information for parents. This site should be considered to be used in SPHE lessons and linked to any work being done in the school on internet safety. The site can be accessed at:
Daisy Maths 4
Daisy Maths 4 is a freeware programme giving children lots of practice in learning maths skills. It is aimed at children aged 3 – 12 so it is ideally suited to the primary school. It covers topics such as basic number, counting, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, tables, fractions, time, graphs, angles. The programme needs a recent version of Java to be installed to allow the programme to work. If you do not have Java, there are instructions on the page to help you download it.
There are 13 different levels of activity and each level covers a range of maths activities. There’s a lot of repetition involved, the rationale being that children need lots of practice to consolidate the learning. By clicking on the daisy in the top left of the screen, you access all the 13 levels of activity. After choosing a level, topics for that level appear on the left of the screen. Click one of the topics to begin the exercises. There are right and left arrows at the top right of the screen to navigate through the exercises. By clicking on the smiley face in the top right of the screen, it lets you know if your answers are correct.
All in all, Daisy Maths 4 is a very useful programme for the primary school. It is suitable for all age groups but perhaps especially for children who experience difficulties in maths and need lots of practice. The programme may be downloaded free from:
