Mr Baxter's Website

Welcome to MrBaxter.com!

This episode's phrase: Wow, nearly halfway through the school year!!! So much to do…

Main page | Teaching resources | QuickChess

UPDATE Feb 7^th: New version of MathsBox. Now with added PupilTracker goodness!

Welcome to the repository of knowledge that is my website.

I am a Primary teacher currently at St Saviours in Westgate, Kent and previously Graveney Primary School near Faversham. I am a keen user of ICT in lessons and believe it is an invaluable resource to aid teaching and learning in the classroom.

I believe that all pupils can achieve when given the right motivation and every lesson should be one that I would like to be taught. I have a slightly odd sense of humour, I am a huge Arsenal FC fan, make plenty of references to Star Wars and have a love of arcade games from the 80's

Quirks aside, this website is a link to some of my popular resources such as MathsBox™ , SuDoku Excel and more recently Monkey Maths!

*** Monkey Maths has been improved!*** It now has word versions of the words instead of the symbols. Perfect for testing maths vocabulary and because you can adapt the difficulty, it has been popular across Key Stages 1 to 3! Click on the link...

Comment: This software has proved incredibly useful reinforcing the maths vocabulary and has been the most popular Maths Starter in lessons. For example, all children know what to do when asked '6 add 3' but need to think a little more when asked 'What do you add to 3 to make 11?'

Invaders (56 KB PDF file)

And I have written a short novel. It is just over 2000 words and was the result of a topic that my Year 5s and 6s were given for terms 3 and 4. Each pupil was expected to write a 2000 word adventure story in 10 weeks (It proved a challenge to some!) and, quite foolishly of me, I promised the class I would also write a story. (I mean... it's not like I have enough to do!)

The story is called 'Invaders'. It is set in the near future when mankind has established a base on Mars. However, all is not as it seems on the desolate red planet... They story is written for ages 10 up. It has been split into 3 chapters to make it small enough to use in a class lesson. It is a mix of Sci-Fi, mild horror, adventure and a subtle eco message. (Most of my class liked the description of the... well, I will not spoil it for you. You will have to read it yourself!)

***QuickChess*** Chess has become increasingly popular and yet it is often a difficult game to get started with. While browsing the many variations of chess on the internet, I came across a version called 'Quick Chess'. It is played on a 5x6 board, uses fewer pieces and game can be played in about 10 minutes. Follow the link or click the picture.

Main page | Teaching resources | QuickChess