Teaching Resources
Planning your lessons can be a painstaking process.
Searching for free teaching resources can take hours. It’s not because there aren’t many websites, but it doesn’t help that every resource you want to access comes with the gruelling process of having to subscribe to each one…but where are the best places to search for free resources for teachers?
All you need is a push in the right direction, towards the websites that are worth taking the time to consider.
We are asked on a regular basis by our teachers whether we can recommend any websites worth skimming through for ideas for lessons, so we put together our favourite options below for you!
Hopefully, this will save you the hassle of spending hours trying to find the perfect teaching resources platform and stop you from subscribing to every website you come across before you see the value of the material!
1. edHelper (www.edhelper.com)
edHelper provides a wide variety of content, including worksheets, printable, themes and other materials you might find useful on its website. With a selection of fun activities for your class, you’ll find it very difficult to move away from this one!
2. Scholastic (www.scholastic.com)
Scholastic has a large selection of resources to choose from, including our favourite section ‘Books and Authors’ – here you can find book talks, lessons, author studies, videos and discussion guides for a variety of books ideal for your class, and create book lists based on reading levels and other themes.
If you choose to subscribe with this website, you can also get a free monthly newsletter of what’s new in books and teaching with books!
3. Primary Resources (www.primaryresources.co.uk)
If you’re looking for a more targeted website regarding teaching resources (more specifically, primary), then this website should help you find everything you need.
With a wide variety of subjects including English, mathematics, science, PE, music, languages, art, and many more, Primary Resources focuses on areas you need per year of the class, and also includes some lesson plans for S.E.N and assemblies.
4. TES (www.tes.com)
TES has long reigned as a resource site for teachers, by teachers. Reaching millions worldwide, you should be able to find everything you need on this site, including popular blog posts discussing lesson ideas.
Registering on the site is free. Get tips and insights, as well as discounts if you become an Author through the website, publishing and selling your resources! TES also gives you plenty of ideas for shops to visit for more specific material.
5. Teacher’s Pet (tpet.co.uk)
Teacher’s Pet is a website we’ve comes across a lot recently. With a range of resources, services, apps and products, this is certainly an impressive creation.
The tone of the site comes across as being so helpful, and it’s easy to operate. One awesome feature the site also has in store includes a handy classroom calendar that will let you see what events are happening around the world, so you can coincide with your lessons.
Oh, and just to give you an idea of how popular Teacher’s Pet actually is (and this is probably just half of it), the site’s Facebook page has easily acquired over 239,000 fans! Wow…
6. Lesson Planet (www.lessonplanet.com)
Lesson Planet is one of the most user friendly free teaching resource websites around. With around 150,000 resources to choose from, it’s one of the largest resource databases. The site is only free for 10 days – but as long as you plan ahead, it’s very simply to navigate so you can find the material tailored to your needs.
7. SEN Teacher (www.senteacher.org)
If you\’re looking for teaching resources to use as an SEN teacher, then this website is perfectly tailored to match. SEN Teacher has printables, specialist links, free software downloads and search tools for all types of special education. It’s also used by many parents and teachers of younger students.
Although you can find other websites including SEN resources, using a website specific to the needs of the class will save you lots of hassle whizzing through others with a wide range of material.
8. Teaching Ideas (www.teachingideas.co.uk)
Teaching Ideas is a very friendly-looking website at first glimpse, and the design of the site is simple and very welcoming.
The website caters to your needs per subject, and also includes themes and other topics you may be considering. If you head over to the website now, it’s currently running a competition to win books for your class! All you have to do is enter their competition and submit your entry! The competition includes using a lesson they have come up with, so already you’re winning!
9. Twinkl (www.twinkl.co.uk)
Everyone who searches for lesson plans online will have come across Twinkl, and if you haven’t, you should really go take a look. A bright and efficient website, it’s one of the most trusted platforms for teaching material.
Twinkl gives you a wide variety of options during your visit, allowing you (and schools) to become a member (it’s well worth it)! You can create your own resources to share with other teachers, or you can take a look around for yourself to find the best suggestions for your own plans.
With a fantastic range of material, Twinkl will help save you SO much time and transform your lesson, so you can concentrate on the delivery. If you’re going to spend hours searching for lesson plans online, do it here.
We hope our selection of helpful websites will save you a lot of time and hassle combing through a bundle of suggestions, and hopefully, if you’re running out of ideas, you’ll be bursting with creativity once you’re done with these!
We strive to help equip our teachers as much as we possibly can at Connex so that you can perform at your best every time you work in one of our schools.
If your main concern is how you’re looked after and supported by your agency, why not give us a call today to hear exactly how we work with you to fully prepare you for a day on supply: 0845 266 0650
Did you find this blog post helpful? Perhaps you have a few sites that you swear by for teaching resources? Leave a comment below!
