Sparklebox Teaching Resources

Make your classroom sparkle with Sparklebox

I recently came across the Sparklebox site when I was looking for some teaching resources to help children learning to read, and I wish I'd discovered it months ago. It's saved me so much time and effort that I normally put into making my own teaching materials. All of the resources are totally free and can be downloaded immediately. If you download their toolbar you get access to a few extra resources too.

	Starfall Learn to Read Phonics Book Set: Zac the Rat and Other Tales! Price: $15.02 List Price: $23.50
	Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K Deluxe Edition Price: $22.45 List Price: $79.99
	Reader Rabbit Learn to Read With Phonics (Preschool & Kindergarten) Price: $4.50 List Price: $24.95
	Nick Jr. Ready-to-Read Boxed Set: Learn to Read with Dora and Friends! (Ready-to-Reads) Price: $5.39 List Price: $9.99

Why Sparklebox?

I think what really makes Sparklebox stand out among other teaching resources sites is the extremely high quality of the printable materials. Most of them come as PDF documents which makes them very easy to resize and print out. This contrasts with many of the other sites which only offer web pages which can be very difficult to print properly.

Although aimed at UK parents and teachers there are materials there which will be suitable for all Englsih-speaking countries. The topics include literacy (phonics and sight words), numeracy and lots of general interest themes, aimed at children under the age of 7.

They are high quality teaching resources for classroom teachers, parents and homeschoolers. I love the great ideas for creating an exciting and stimulating classroom environment by making colorful wall displays - check out the photo gallery to see what real teachers have done - they're truly inspirational.

Other recommended sites with great teaching resources

SEN Teacher
Excellent quality colorful printables, all FREE! Most of the resources can be customized to suit your needs.
Math Worksheets
A small collection of quality printable resources to help with math.
Time for Time
Worksheets for learning to tell the time. These are great as they can be customized to suit your exact needs.
Family Learning Educational Resources
Useful site for busy teachers and parents.
Enchanted Learning
Lots of educational activities. Many are free, but there is also the option to join (good value) and gain access to hundreds of additional resources.
DLTK Kids
Mainly craft activities, arranged by topic. Some excellent ideas here for teachers and parents to try.
First School
A great collection of FREE printable activities for kindergarten and nursery schools.
Letters and Sounds Resources
Free printable resources for the Letters and Sounds phonics programme.

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Teaching Resources in the News

Download resourcesTimes Education Supplement7 hours ago
This is a single lesson plan and resources for teaching sounscapes and tension. The pupils seemed to enjoy it and although its only one lesson it could be made into a scheme of work on the horror genre or tension. Hope it proves useful.
Evaluations have little role in promoting better teachingWashington Post2 days ago
Those unfortunate people in the District might worry about the quality of their teachers and wait anxiously for the results of the school system's controversial new evaluation of classroom techniques and test score improvement. But those of us in the Washington area suburbs don't have to worry...
Christian Living Resources, Bible Study Tools, Jesus ChristCrosswalk.com27 hours ago
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Extracting excellenceBangkok Post - Thailand's English news22 hours ago
Recently, three experts from Singapore, the UK and Finland shared the elements behind the educational success of their countries at "The 1st International Conference on Learning and Teaching & Educa 2009", an event to develop and foster quality teachers and education, hosted by the Faculty of Education of Burapha University and its partners at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition ...
Teaching young people about water conservation essentialThe Shawnee News-Star27 hours ago
Shawnee City Manager Brian McDougal said the city is “poised to address the challenges that lie ahead,” and Steve Nolen, interim finance director, said that is partially because of services the city provides, such as water.
India Sets March Target for Education Legislation, Sibal SaysBloomberg30 hours ago
Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- India will introduce by March legislation to increase the quality and reach of higher education, Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibal said today.
Teachers join kids on sick listPrince George Citizen Online19 hours ago
School District 57 staff has been hit as hard as the student population by the flu. It is no longer clear whether people have H1N1 or some other strain of the flu, said Dan Haley, SD57's human resources manager, but the rate of illness is indeed higher this year. "We ran some numbers. They looked at the first week of November last week and this first week this year, and we have 40 more teacher ...
Schools work on work force diversityThe Capital27 hours ago
The face of the staff at county public schools is becoming a bit more diverse, as officials try to add more minority and male educators to a mostly white and female teaching force.