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Ambleside Primary School on the Web

http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/

As I often visit Ambleside, I couldn't really miss out this excellent example of what can be achieved by a primary school with Web access. There are over 500 pages of news, children's work, links, interactive activities, etc; plus the CYBERKIDS COMPUTER CLUB children's webpages, online ICT lessons, links and a huge collection of video games; there are open-ended interactive learning activities online and possibly the only 'live' school webcam in the UK — as I write, the view is updated every three minutes so that no one misses a single gripping second of broad bean growth! In the teachers' area there are QuickTips for ICT with simple ideas to make the best use of your computers in class; lesson ideas — a selection of effective lesson ideas involving the Internet and e-mail; and WEBWISE tutorials and downloads with information for those making a website or using the Internet in school. Judging by their own site, these might be quite useful!

Ask Jeeves for Teachers

http://www.ajkids.com/Teachers.asp

ASK JEEVES FOR TEACHERS, a component of ASK JEEVES FOR KIDS, provides links to recommended sites in three broad categories - Teachers' Resources (for example, Where can I find lesson plans? Where can I find information on educational standards and policy making?) and Interactive Classroom Projects (Where can I find the Jason Project? Where can I find the Journey North project?) as well as Glossaries, Quizzes, and Science Questions (Where can I find a glossary of Internet terms? Where can I take a quiz about Harriet Tubman? Where can I take a quiz about Tigers?). On the front page there are examples from each category as well as a direct link to the standard AskJeeves query page. Confusingly, it seems from the front page that users would be led to three different resources or search areas(Teachers' Resources, Interactive Classroom, Glossaries, Quizzes, and Science Questions) in which to locate their own specific requirements but this is not the case. The examples offered may or may not be useful and unless the typed-in query specifically asks "Were can I find a quiz (or lesson plan or project) about ...?" the responses is likely to be less than helpful.

Bookworm Advice Page

http://users.aol.com/enolanng5/worms.htm

Advice for children, parents, carers and teachers on the best recent books for children. The page is divided into four age groups (babies and under fives; 5-7; 8-10; and 11-12) and two special interest groups: multicultural stories and stories with environmental themes. Books are listed by author with publication details, price and a short note on the story and content.

Candlelight Stories

http://www.candlelightstories.com/

The Candlelight Stories site offers a selection of audio stories, picture books and children's activities (such as a PenPals' Centre) as well as games and animations. On the "GrownUps" side there are also things to do! The front page suffers from having the titles printed in "dark yellow" on a cream background - which makes life a little difficult - and the picture books are a little slow to load owing to the large graphics. This said, the images are clear and the text is provided in bite-size chunks below each picture. The opening of one of the stories, "Sally was in no mood for distractions, and so her school bus roared right on by her" suggests that the vocabulary might be a little advanced but the site is interesting and an excellent example of electronic publishing for children.

Channel Four Learning

http://schools.channel4.com/

Clear design makes this site a pleasure to use although some pages have a lot of images which makes them slow to load. The home page uses a blackboard metaphor and offers a menu to programmes and resources; online resources; a weekly update; a bulletin board; the First Education Quiz, general information and a link to the main Channel 4 site as well as a short section headed "Latest News". The site is well organised and the programmes and resources page is again divided up with further links; this time to: Primary programmes; Secondary programmes; INSET programmes; an A-Z Index; a Subject Index; a Timetable; Night Time Transmissions; Subtitled Programmes; Resource Information and Help.

When you get to it, information on programmes is reasonably detailed and includes a description as well as scheduling information (both times of day and time of year), intended ages and a link to a list of relevant resources - some of which can be ordered online.

This is a useful site for any teacher wanting to browse the schools' programme schedules or get hold of accompanying publications.

Chatback Trust

http://www.tcns.co.uk/chatback

Chatback was set up in 1986 by the present Director, Tom Holloway, to provide an e-mail facility for up to 100 schools in the UK and abroad. Most are special schools and all cater for children who have some mental or physical difficulty with communicating. It now has electronic links with children from Argentina to Novosibirsk in Siberia. Schools are asked to form a school Chatback Club and each Club is given a mailbox for use by the class or group of children - thus the project encourages young people to correspond with each other for social interaction and, where a curriculum is being followed, for work on classroom subjects. Each month a series of projects is run; examples are Introducing Friends (a first education project for new users); Victorian Lives and Letters; a View from My Window and Memories of 1945.

Children's Literature: A Guide to the Criticism

http://www.unm.edu/~lhendr

A Web version of the very useful Children's Literature: A Guide to Criticism, by Linnea Hendrickson provides greater search capabilities than the old Gopher version. The guide indexes and annotates research on Children's Literature up to 1985 and is based on the print version published by G.K. Hall/Macmillan in 1987. Entries in either "Part A. Authors and Their Works" or "Part B. Subjects, Themes and Genres", can be searched by way of the menu item "Search Childrens' Literature Guide to Criticism". Other sections include Periodical Title Abbreviations; Books of Criticism Indexed; Indexes of Critics Authors, Titles, and Subjects; and an Appendix: Resources in Children's Literature. The Guide covers works as diverse as a historical survey of the alphabet book and an analysis of the young adult novels of Judy Blume and draws together significant articles, books, and dissertations of children's literature criticism. Update plans are being made, so few corrections have been made to the original text.

Children's Literature Web Guide

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html

Produced by David Brown of the Doucette Library of Teaching Resources at the University of Calgary, the site lists resources for children, parents, teachers and storytellers as well as researchguides. There are also links to Children's Literature Associations on the Internet and children's authors, illustrators, publishers and booksellers. There is even a section with children's writing and drawings. There are also comprehensive lists of bestsellers from Publisher's Weekly - sometimes with links to excerpts and publisher's notes. An excellent site with a lot to offer.

Children's Writing Resource Center

http://www.write4kids.com/index.html

A gathering place for writers for children with special reports, the latest children's best sellers and links to other important resources. Presented by Children's Book Insider, there is a mailing list/discussion group for children's writers and illustrators, an article on the real secrets of getting published, Children's Bestsellers from Publisher's Weekly, an ongoing survey in which site visitors may take part (plus results so far), free download files and links to other sites. A useful resource.

Collaborative Multilingual Encyclopaedia

http://www.en.eun.org/encyclopaedia/about/about.html

European Schoolnet has built a new teaching and learning tool as part of Netdays Europe 1999. This is a unique opportunity for teachers and students to be part of the community of schools working together in building a collaborative, multilingual, multimedia Encyclopaedia. Teachers and pupils from all over Europe can join the Encyclopaedia with their word and collaborate in building an invaluable learning tool for European schools! As it says, "Become an Encyclopaedist": anyone who has subscribed can choose a word - any term usually found in an encyclopaedia such as a common name, proper name, adjective, etc. - and then follow the steps until the word is published in the Encyclopaedia!

Each Word in the Encyclopaedia is inter-linked and has multilingual connections to help give richer meaning to each entry. An additional resource is also available for encyclopaedia-builders who prefer to publish their word on their own website, allowing their pages to be easily found by others on the Internet.

Database of Award-winning Children's Literature

http://www2.wcoil.com/~ellerbee/childlit.html

Lisa Bartle is the reference/user education librarian at the Lima Regional Campus of Ohio State University. She has compiled and indexed this database of award-winning children's literature which includes books that have been recognized with awards ranging from the ALA Notable Books for Children to the Coretta Scott King Award. Honorable mentions are also included.

Parents, teachers, and older children can access high quality book titles by keyword or phrase searching, or by using a form to indicate reading level, genre, language, historical period, and gender and ethnicity of the protagonist, among other elements.

Unfortunately for UK users, neither the Carnegie or the Kate Greenaway awards are included.

Dear Parents

http://www.dearparents.com/

Subtitled "Sound Advice on Learning and Technology", this site is a collection of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for parents. It is subdivided into Reading; Writing; Maths; Science; Social Studies; Foreign Languages; The Arts; Thinking Skills; Learning Styles; Your Child at School; Special Needs; Gifted Children; Homeschooling; Educational Software; Computer Use; Girls & Computers; Preschoolers & Computers; Kids on the Internet; and 'Other Topics'. Questions range from "How much homework is too much?" and "I'm running out of space for my preschooler's art" to more complex questions deadling with ADD and dyslexia or software for children with autism. In each topic area there is a page of questions from which to select; and then each question is then dealt with on a separate page - usually about a screen-worth of information, sometimes with links to other material. The site is US based and so has the expected bias, but contains some useful information.

Curiously, there is no obvious means of sending new questions apart from the "Send comments about the Dear Parents site to: dearparents@edmark.com." at the foot of the first page!

Educate the Children

http://www.educate.org.uk/

This Merseyside Web site has a useful collection of resources on numeracy, literacy, teaching strategies, lesson plans (and resources and work sheets), reviews (of software, books, etc), links to other Internet sites for education and useful addresses. This is a well-designed and very full Web site with most areas sub-divided by subject - there is plenty here for almost anyone! And if you feel like publishing, there is always the possibility of submitting your own lesson plan.

European Schoolnet

http://www.eun.org/

Set up in 1997 to promote European school Web sites and projects on the Internet, European Schoolnet is a large site with national pages (the UK pages are lost to those who do not recognise "NGfL" as a significant acronym!) as well as a main page with news, links and contacts. On the news front, please note that a repeat of Netd@ys: Netd@ys 98 has been announced for October. There is also a second, more general Netd@ys Website which offers the EU background to Netd@ys. Further information is available from Alain Dumort at EC - DGXXII

There is also a link to the European Virtual Teacher College (watch this space!) and to "Great European Projects". A potentially useful site.

Gareth Pitchford's PRIMARY RESOURCES

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/

The site contains resources - particularly in English, Maths, Science and Art - for use by teachers or parents. There is a separate section of "Advice for Parents" and, of course, links to other sites. This is a lively and well-designed site with a layout and style appropriate to primary-age group material. The selections of resources are good - if not huge at this stage. Art, for example has sections on portrait work and using sketch books with primary children as well as separate sections on work inspired by Cezanne, Klee, Picasso, Leger and Warhol. The English homework section is particularly rich in ideas.

Heinemann (UK) New Windmills Cover Competition Results

Web Site has been removed

Heinemann, like many publishers have an extensive site; theirs has added value in that it includes a within-site search engine. The address given above is to an index of winning and running-up cover images following a competition in which school children were encouraged to design a new cover for a favourite New Windmills book. The winning covers were used on the next reprint of the title in question and the winners received portable CD players. Heinemann note, and I can confirm, that the standard of entries was very high, making the selection of the three winners in each group (11-13 and 14-16) very difficult. The page links to fifty covers submitted by the children - three of which were (at the time of writing) by children in Penweddig Secondary School in the editor's home town!

Just for Kids who Love Books

http://www3.sympatico.ca/alanbrown/kids.htm

One of the linked, related sites from "Dear Parents", this is an omnibus work with details of series, authors and books that encourages children to write reviews of books they have read. The site uses Frames which may make it problematic for some older browsers but it does mean that there is a content/link index in the left hand column which is always visible. From here you can go and meet characters in series such as Berenstain Bears or Arthur (although these may be separate sites) or move to author pages with pictures and interviews, book lists and general information about their books. There is also material on Children's Bestseller List; How a Book is Made; Newbery Medal; Caldecott Medal; Advice For Young Writers; Writing and Illustrating Tips; and an area where you can Read a Book Online (this takes you to http://www.literature org/). It is not always clear that you have moved to a new site due to the Frames approach which means that new sites load within the Just for Kids border, but an interesting place to visit with access to a huge amount of material on favourite authors.

KidPub

http://www.kidpub.org/kidpub/

This is a place where children can publish their stories and poems. There are plenty of stories there for ideas, but do not expect the next PD James or a budding Martin Amis!

KidPub WWW Publishing is a cheerful site for the young and contains over 4,000 stories divided into two categories: Newest Stories and Older Stories (but goodies!). The menu also offers: KidPub Schools: Where classes publish their writing; Questions and Answers: Common questions about KidPub; The Story Form: Use this handy form to submit a story ... just fill in the blanks! and How to Publish Your Story: A more detailed description of how to send stories to KidPub.

Most authors range from 5 to about 12 years old; the following story was from one of the younger contributors:

A Weird Story
by Jade Corbin

Once there was a man hitchiking on the road. He was looking for some shelter as he came upon a farmhouse. He knocked on the door and waited. The man asked the two men who came to the door if he could please spend the night. The two men agreed to not only that, but they agreed to showing him a purple ape! The man, surprised, followed them into the house.

The man saw the purple ape and touched him. The ape roared and chased the man out of the house. The man ran behind a boulder to catch his breath as the ape came up to the man, tagged him and said,"you're it!"

KidsClick!: Web Guide and Search Tool for Kids by Librarians

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

KidsClick! comprises around 1,800 records for Internet resources of interest to kids that have been selected, annotated and categorized by a team of librarians. KidsClick! is trying to provide flexible and fast access to the best that the Internet has to offer kids of all ages. Records can be browsed by categories and sub-categories, and searches can be limited by a controlled subject vocabulary, reading level, and amount of illustrative material. Each record contains a descriptive (rather than evaluative) annotation; in many cases, these content notes are taken directly from the web sites themselves.

KidsClick! is said to be inspired by the Librarians' Index to the Internet, and was initiated by the Ramapo Catskill Library System under an LSTA grant. For the technically minded, KidsClick! is based on the SWISH-E search engine.

The development of the database started in late January, 1998 and records will continue to be added to the existing 1,800. Currently all records are added by librarians of the Ramapo Catskill Library System; however, it is possible that the web-based entry procedures could be used by trained librarians elsewhere.

KidsClick! Worlds of Web Searching

http://www.worldsofsearching.org/

The Ramapo Catskill Library System, developer of the KidsClick! search engine, has created a companion Web site in an effort to teach Web searching skills to upper elementary and middle school students (US grades 4-7). There are 10 sections to the guide - all written and presented in an easy to understand way. There are sections on:

• searching using pictures or numbers;
• keyword searching - spelling, Boolean logic, etc;
• selection vs. filtering searches; and
• multimedia searching.

This is a work in progress, so they suggest that if you have any constructive comments or suggestions, you could respond by e-mail.

Kids' Space

http://www.kids-space.org/

Like KidPub, the site is intended to encourage children to use the Internet by providing space for the publication of their work. The editors make the point that the onus really has to be on parents to help their children put up the kinds of things they want but pictures and stories are all welcome and children can correspond with one another by way of bulletin boards and e-mail pen-pals. The site is colourful, inviting and interactive - an excellent means of developing online skills.

Areas include: What's New? Kids' Gallery; Story Book; On Air Concert; Mail Office; Web Kids' Village; and Doctor's Office.

Kids Web

http://www.kidsvista.com/index.html

Kids Web - A World Wide Web Digital Library for School Kids is part of the Syracuse University Living Schoolbook Project and allows users to choose from a range of 19 main subject categories of educational interest. From these there are links to Web servers with images and/or information around the world. The owners say that users should not be put off by the 'kids' emphasis. There is something for everyone.

In The Arts, users can select from: Drama; Literature; and Music. In The Sciences, there is Astronomy and Space (lots of images here); Biology and Life Sciences; Chemistry; Science and Technology; and Weather and Meteorology. In Social Studies, the selection is Geography; Government; and History; while under Miscellaneous, there is Reference Material; and Sports. There is also a listing of schools on the Internet and The Classroom Internet Server Cookbook which explains how to set up a Web server in your classroom, as well as a collection of other sites set up for children.

Lion and the Unicorn

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/index.html

Published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, The Lion and the Unicorn is a critical journal of children's literature and culture which focuses on special issues and which was one of the first seven journals to be put online as part of Project Muse. Project Muse continues to digitize JHU Press journals at the rate of approximately one new journal per month. Published twice a year, The Lion and the Unicorn is a theme- and genre-centered journal of international scope committed to a serious, ongoing discussion of literature for children. The journal has become noted for its interviews with authors, editors, and other important contributors to the field. Further details and subscription information are given at this site.

Living Library

http://livlib.eduweb.co.uk/

The Living Library contains pre-selected curriculum collections; curriculum activities and a support area. Curriculum Activities are designed and written by teachers and offer a flexible and easy way to use web based resources in the teaching of curriculum subjects. There are activities in

• English:
  • Shakespeare
• Geography:
  • Earthquakes
  • Settlement and Population
  • Weather and Climate
  • Global Warming
• History:
  • War in the East
• Maths:
  • Data Collection and analysis
• Science:
  • The Eye

The pre-selected curriculum collections contain huge amounts of material for each subject. The material is subdivided into topics or time zones. A valid subscription is required in order to view articles within Living Library; there is a small charge.

National Curriculum

http://www.dfee.gov.uk/nc/

Intended as a parent-friendly explanation of the National Curriculum, this guide does no more than present the official explanations. It answers only basic questions such as which subjects children have to study or how progress is monitored and does not go into a great deal of detail. Headings include: How does the National Curriculum work? Do pupils have to sit national tests and exams? and Will there be any more changes in the National Curriculum? A site with few surprises.

National Grid for Learning

http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/

The DfEE's National Grid for Learning has been much publicised and its Web site is already beginning to provide a mass of useful material. There are three main areas available from the welcome screen: an introduction to NGfL, a Virtual Teacher Centre which requires registration and appears to offer a register of NGfL users but not much more, and a Standards and Effectiveness Database which offers further information in the areas of Target Setting, a Five-stage Cycle of School Improvement, Literacy, Summer Schools, Extra-curricular Provision, and Action Plans. The Database is planning to provide "succinct guidance, good illustrations of development in schools and research and inspection evidence." Although the site is currently a prototype, there is already a selection of potentially useful material and more is promised.

NUT

http://www.teachers.org.uk

"Leading the profession: first with the news, easy to use, updated daily" [so it says on the little business-card flyers] - winner of the TUC best website award. On the day I visited the site there were 22 news stories including "Nut News for Wales - The hand of No.10"; "Pupil behaviour and discipline" and "Key stage 3 literacy: the expansion of the national literacy strategy". The Feature of the Month was on salaries and performance-related pay (no surprise there!) and there were links to an online version of The Teacher as well as a host of sections covering health & safety; pay & conditions; professional development; training and so on.

If you are a teacher, there is plenty for you on this site!

Online Educator

Site is no longer available

This web site claims to be a bridge between the classroom and the "rich world of information and knowledge available on the Internet". It is intended as a supplement to the published version of The Online Educator, the monthly journal dedicated to making the Internet a useful classroom tool. Each month The Online Educator will offer teachers valuable ideas and lessons that involve using local computers and/or the Internet. Each week it will point to new places to visit in class travels along the Information Superhighway.

Educator Online offers both a print edition and an email version, and you can subscribe online via this site.

Online Guide to Education and Training in Scotland

http://www.ed.ac.uk/~riu/GETS/index.html

According to the top item on the menu, "About this Server", the information is for anyone who is thinking of studying in Scotland; considering relocating to Scotland; considering investing in Scotland and needing to know more about the education system that produces potential employees; or who wants to know exactly who to contact in the education sectors in Scotland. The Guide includes information on the different sectors in education, from pre-school to higher education; a summary of the way in which education in Scotland is funded, managed and evaluated; detailed information on the role and responsibilities of the educational agencies; and full listings with contact numbers for the 46 further education colleges and 23 higher education institutions (including the 13 universities).

The first page is simply a menu which directs users to: About this Server; some very general information about Scotland (including some famous Scots, weather and sport); Management of Education and Training in Scotland; a section on HM Inspectors of Schools/International Relations Branch; pre-school, school, further, and higher education areas; Language Learning; Teacher Education; Educational Agencies; the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges; information on The British Council (who helped produce the site) and a Glossary.

There is a lot of useful information in this site produced by The British Council and The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department; it is intended to provide the reader with an overall view of how education and training provision is managed in Scotland. The introduction notes that, "for specialised information on a particular issue, contact should be made with the appropriate agency, government department or institution."

Oxford Reading Tree

http://www1.oup.co.uk/oxed/ort/

As promised in the last issue, here is a short review of the Oxford Reading Tree, a widely used reading scheme in the UK with all the material published being extensivelt trialled in schools. The site opens with a brief introduction and offers separate areas for parents, teachers and children. Each area is colourful and easy to navigate with information and lists of resources. Some books, such as the "Dot-to-Dot" series offer sample pages to print and this along with the cover illustrations make for easy reviewing of material. The Parents section is new and includes a guide to the Oxford Reading Tree as well as details of the National Literacy Strategy.

Parents and Children Together Online

http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/menu.html

Parents and Children Together Online is a web-delivered magazine devoted to furthering family literacy by providing original stories and articles for parents and children to share together. It is a project of the Family Literature Centre at the ERIC Clearinghouse for Reading English and Communication (Indiana University). It is free and the first issue on the Web (it has been available in booklet/audiocassete form since 1990) includes three stories for Grades 4 to 6 and four for pre-Grade 3 as well as articles, classic stories (one in Spanish) and book reviews. ALA Booklist called it "a good parenting resource for public and school libraries."

School Leadership & Management (was School Organisation)

http://www.carfax.co.uk/slm-ad.htm

School Organisation is a well-established international journal that publishes articles, reports, news and information on all aspects of the organisation and management of schools and colleges and is mainly concerned with the improvement of practice. It is edited by Brian Fidler, Centre of Education Management, University of Reading, UK.

Areas of coverage include: staff appraisal and development; management effectiveness; modular curriculum, organisational development; improving performance; leadership, team-building and effective delegation; monitoring and review activities; management information systems; marketing; reorganisation and the management of effective change.

The magazine is available on the Internet via CatchWord Ltd, a global electronic publishing services company which specialises in the parallel- or re-publishing of scholarly journals. Customers may purchase either the printed copy or the electronic-access version of the journal at the standard subscription rate. Alternatively, customers may pay a supplementary charge for online access where a print subscription for the title is already in place. The site only offers information on subscriptions and contents pages, an order form, and a request form for an inspection copy.

SchoolNet UK

http://schools.sys.uea.ac.uk/schoolnet/

The blurb says that if you want to find UK primary and secondary schools with home pages on the World Wide Web, this is the place to start. The site is run by Eaton (City of Norwich) School and is sub-titled as a guide to the World Wide Web. In fact, there are links to some 25 primary, 60 secondary, and 6 tertiary schools plus educators home pages under the "Signpost". Other features of the site include information on the Vision 2020 Project - a debate by sixth formers; a list of UK school e-mail addresses (42 primary, 95 secondary, 10 tertiary, one special and 13 US Department of Defence schools listed); and information on resources for teachers. This includes information on the Chatback Trust (see below), Comenius Group, Penpals, Usenet news groups, AskERIC gopher services, and Fidonet connections (although live links are not always available).

Schools Adopt Monuments

http://www.rmplc.co.uk/guide/files/pegasus.html

Children from EU member states use heritage projects in their own countries to create online resources. European Parliament's Culture Youth and Media committee funded the project. At present the site is reporting on the Second Pegasus Workshop held at Canterbury High School and lists the schools which attended with details of the monuments they have adopted. St Peter's Methodist Primary School in Canterbury, for example has adopted The Greyfriars which is the remains of a small monastery adjacent to the school. "The children have used the buildings as inspiration for poetry, art works, dance and music." Hosted by RM plc (Research Machines plc), the site shows their customary attention to detail and quality.

Schools OnLine

http://sol.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/pages/schools_online/

This web site is basd at Anglia Polytechnic University and the project, which is funded until Easter and which will maintain the site until at least September 1996, involves over 60 schools across the UK in investigating the use of the Internet in a variety of ways. Schools OnLine delivers curriculum materials _ particularly in Sciences and Modern Languages _ as well as a selection of other material. Later in the project the participating schools will be involved in authoring their own Web pages and in collaborative projects. A reasonably well-planned site with enough graphics to make it interesting.

Stories from the Web

http://hosted.ukoln.ac.uk/stories/

An exciting new public library web site for children aged 8-11 has been launched. Stories from the Web is about stories, writing and reading and has been developed by the Centre for the Child, Birmingham Library Services, Bristol Library Service, Leeds Library and Information Service and the UK Office for Library and Information Networking (UKOLN). The web site is part of a Library and Information Commission funded project that is exploring how public libraries can use the web to provide reading promotion and development services to children in an electronic environment. The not-for-profit website allows children to read extracts of stories and poems from high profile authors online and then send in reviews, their own stories and enter competitions. Some of the authors involved include Laurence Anholt, Julia Jarman and Pete Johnson.

The launch of the website is the first stage of this exciting project which is being managed by the Centre for the Child in Birmingham Central Library. In the next stage of the project computer clubs for children will be held in libraries in Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds. These clubs will work through a programme of planned activities which will use the Internet as a tool to get children to read, borrow and buy more books. Stories from the Web will provide valuable research findings that will be shared with the wider library, publishing and education worlds.

Tales of Wonder

http://darsie.ucdavis.edu/tales/indextxt.html

The site links to a number of folk and fairy tales from around the world; it is organised by country, and in each case there is a bibliographic note indicating from what printed volume the tales are taken. The owner of the site describes the archive as "a small sampling of the rich storytelling art that is the common heritage of humanity".

Tall Tales on the Web

http://webalias.com/TallTalesontheWeb

A diary of storytelling events both in the UK and abroad inspired by Tall Tales at the Trip - a storytelling event held regularly at Nottingham's oldest pub, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. For those unable to attend at the pub, the page offers a diary of storytelling events in the UK and overseas as well as links to other storytelling pages.

Tele-School Online

http://www.teleschool.org.uk

Tele-School Online is divided into parents', schools', students' and teachers' areas plus a library; the site uses frames well but some are slow to load. In each of the four areas, there is a welcome message and four "Links of the Month". When I visited the site the parents were being offered the National Curriculum, the site for the National Association for Gifted Children and two sites dealing with the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) which can be used to block offensive material from a client computer; school sites were the UK Primary and Secondary schools of the month, Web for Schools and Tele-School's own list of Schools on the Internet world-wide. This is divided by country and, for comparison, UK claimed 24 primary and 76 secondary school links. Students had links to ChildLine, Kids Did This, the Eureka Museum for Children and the Oxford Reading Tree while the teachers' area linked to Tele-Training, Curriculum Materials in Education, Educational Resources Online and The School Page: Ideas for Teachers. The Library area is a list of all resources available on the site. Generally, a useful and well organised site although what links are available in the month you visit is largely a matter of luck.

THRASS: Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spellink Skills

http://www.thrass.co.uk/

This UK/Australian site has no introduction other than a brief (hidden at the foot of the page) overview of literacy for parents which includes a little on word-level teaching and graphemes and phonemes, as well as an introduction to the thirty or so THRASS resources: printed, audio, video and software resources used by teachers in over 8,000 schools worldwide, though mostly in Australia and the UK, for their Word Level Teaching of English. The entry page offers access to: 'Method', 'Training', 'Bulletins', 'Shop', 'THRASSnet' (adults0 and 'THRASSchat' (kids), a site map, a library and a contact page.

These variously offer access to information; courses; the THRASS monthly newsletter; charts, videos, CDs and jigsaws; and, in the library, a set of resources based in Australia or the UK. Not a huge amount of material and some of what is there is for sale, but certainly a site worth visiting if you are a parent, teacher or librarian involved with literacy.

UK Schools Resources Page

http://www.liv.ac.uk/~evansjon/home.html

Offers in-depth research with thousands of links to sites covering key curriculum areas. The site is organised by subject area and includes English, creative arts, music, teacher education, a newsletter and a discussion forum. The English resources listed include newsletters, text archives such as Guttenberg, the Shakespeare Homepage, Books Online, A Screenwriters and Playwrights Homepage, Britannica Online (subscription needed), ERIC, the Oxford University Press Oxford Reading Tree Site and a curious "Songs and Stories of Frogs".

Voices of Youth Project from UNICEF

http://www.unicef.org/voy/

The Voices of Youth Internet Project for the UN's World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen March 6-12, 1995) received over 3,000 messages from children and teenagers from 81 countries. Those messages are still available on-line at this site. No new messages are being accepted although it is expected to open for interactive message receipt again in the future. There are pages describing the original VOICES project and of messages indexed by country or topic (Environment, Human Rights or Population) as well as from world leaders. It is also possible to search for a message by the sender's name.