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Secondary Lesson Starters

There are 120 videos in this series of which 116 are currently available.

From maths at the seaside to functional skills for engineering and hair and beauty diplomas, these short video lesson starters for secondary students present learning in a fun and relevant way.

3 mins Lesson Starters - Architecture and KS3 Maths - Hidden Patterns in Durham Cathedral

Looking at hidden patterns in architecture at Durham Cathedral

3 mins Lesson Starters - Architecture and KS3 Maths - Finding the Golden Ratio in Durham Cathedral

Finding out about the Golden Ratio

3 mins Lesson Starters - Architecture and KS3 Maths - Symmetry and Circumference in Durham Cathedral

KS3 symmetry and circumference at Durham Cathedral

3 mins Lesson Starters - Architecture and KS3 Maths - Measuring Height in Durham Cathedral

Measuring columns at Durham Cathedral for KS3 maths

3 mins Lesson Starters - Architecture and KS3 Maths - The Floor Plan of Durham Cathedral

KS3 look at the architecture and maths in Durham Cathedral

2 mins Lesson Starters - Bullying Girls: Reenactment

Peer mentors attempt to stop a group of bullying girls

3 mins Lesson Starters - Bullying Girls: The Issues

Experts discuss the issue of girls bullying other girls

4 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Violence and Abuse - Gangs

Exploring the issues behind gangs and gang culture in Brent

4 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Violence and Abuse - Knives

A frank discussion of how a teenager got involved in knife crime

4 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Violence and Abuse - Anger

A frank look at how a teenager has dealt with his anger issues

4 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Violence and Abuse - Booze Bus

Start a debate on drinking alcohol in KS3 and KS4 PSHE lessons

1 min Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Violence and Abuse - Domestic Abuse

A young woman talks about an abusive relationship

3 mins Lesson Starters - KS3 Britain's Black History - Coffee Houses and the Slave Trade

How the popularity of coffee links back to British black history

3 mins Lesson Starters - KS3 Britain's Black History - Black Britons

A look at the first black people in Britain, and their impact

3 mins Lesson Starters - KS3 Britain's Black History - The Obelisk

Exploring the historical significance of African obelisks

3 mins Lesson Starters - KS3 Britain's Black History - Gold

A look at the origins of gold for KS3, tracing it back to Africa

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - In the House of a Survivor

A British concentration camp survivor talks about WW2

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - In Hiding, A Journey through Berlin

The life of a young Jew in Nazi Berlin for KS3 history

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - My Brother, In the Resistance

A German woman remembers her brother, a WW2 resistance fighter

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - Wannsee, Implementing the Final Solution

A focus on the Wannsee conference of 1942 for KS3 history

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - The Auschwitz Orchestra

A survivor's story of Auschwitz, for use in KS3 history classes

3 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust - A Pre-war German Jewish Family

Home movies show a German Jewish family in 1937-9 for KS3 history

4 mins Lesson Starters: Cyberbullying - Combating Cyberbullying: Posting Pictures without Consent

The consequences of posting pictures online without consent

4 mins Lesson Starters: Cyberbullying - Combating Cyberbullying: Inadvertent Bullying

The dangers of misinterpretation through text messages

4 mins Lesson Starters: Cyberbullying - Combating Cyberbullying: Suffering in Silence

Bullying through the medium of email and text messaging

4 mins Lesson Starters - Iraqi Refugees: Teenagers Talk

Iraqi refugees talk about how war has disrupted their lives

2 mins Lesson Starters - Iraqi Refugees: Teenager at Work

An Iraqi refugee talks about his working life

5 mins Lesson Starters - Iraqi Refugee Children: Dounia's Story

An Iraqi refugee talks about her new life

3 mins Lesson Starters - Iraqi Refugee Children: Ahmed's School

An Iraqi refugee talks about his school life

3 mins Lesson Starters - Iraqi Refugee Children: Ahmed's Home

Personal account of the home life of a refugee in Syria

4 mins Lesson Starters - Performing a Monologue: Voice

Famous actors give vocal help and advice in a drama workshop

3 mins Lesson Starters - Performing a Monologue: Gestures

Famous actors give help and advice to a drama student

2 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: Coming to Britain

Young refugees talk about their impressions of living in the UK

2 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: First Day at School

Refugees talk about their first day at a UK school

2 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: Fitting In

Refugees in the UK discuss the problems they face fitting in

3 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: Learning English

Refugees in the UK discuss the language barriers they face

2 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: Leaving Home

Refugees in the UK talk about leaving their home countries

2 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: Finding a School

Refugees discuss the struggle they can face getting into school

3 mins Lesson Starters - Refugees in the UK: School and Beyond

Young refugees talk about their hopes for the future

3 mins Lesson Starters - Computer Skills: Keyboard Shortcuts

Information on keyboard shortcuts

3 mins Lesson Starters - Computer Skills: Internet Search

How to do internet searches efficiently

3 mins Lesson Starters - Cyberbullying and Teenagers

The issue of cyberbullying is examined

3 mins Lesson Starters - Astronomy: Inside a Telescope

A rocket scientist tours a telescope in South Africa

3 mins Lesson Starters - Stem Cells: Wheelchair User

A wheelchair user discuss the issue of stem cell therapy

3 mins Lesson Starters - Stem Cells: Religious Angle

A pastor talks about the ethical issues around stem cell research

2 mins Lesson Starters - Child Abuse: Girl Speaks Out

A true account of child abuse

3 mins Lesson Starters - Managing Water in Kenya

How the need for water dominates the lives of a Kenyan family

5 mins Lesson Starters - Child Labour in India: Anil's Story

Anil talks about his life as a child labourer in India

4 mins Lesson Starters - Peace Process: Belfast Schools

Teachers talk about promoting integration in Northern Ireland

3 mins Lesson Starters - Fair Trade: Football Enterprise

How Fairtrade is supporting entrepreneurs in Pakistan

3 mins Lesson Starters - Fair Trade: Football Manufacture

How Fairtrade is affecting the lives of Pakistani villagers

4 mins Lesson Starters - World War I: Christmas Truce Reenactment

Re-enactment of the first world war Christmas truce

20 mins Lesson Starters - The Holocaust

Lesson starter ideas for teaching the Holocaust

1 min Lesson Starters - Holocaust and the Kindertransport: Vera's Story

Vera's story of travelling to the UK to avoid Nazi persecution

4 mins Lesson Starters - Holocaust and the Kindertransport: Otto's Story

Otto's story of escaping to the UK as a boy to avoid persecution

15 mins Maths Starters - Seaside

A range of absorbing maths starter questions with Isaac Anoom

15 mins Maths Starters - Travel

Isaac Anoom looks at the maths involved in travelling

15 mins Maths Starters - Shopping Mall

Quick-fire starter questions for Key Stage 3 maths

15 mins Maths Starters - Building Yard

Issac Anoom presents a selection of quick-fire maths questions

15 mins KS3/4 Maths for Pupils - Scrapyard Starters

Probability, ratio, symmetry, square numbers and circles

7 mins Lesson Starters - Engineering Diploma Functional Skills

Engineering lesson starters showing English, ICT and maths skills

7 mins Lesson Starters - Hair and Beauty Diploma Functional Skills

Hair and beauty diploma lesson starters showing functional skills

15 mins KS3 Physics - Sound

Physics lesson starters to be used on an interactive whiteboard

15 mins Lesson Starters - Antarctica

Five lesson starters on climate, tourism, and natural resources

15 mins Global Citizenship - Six Film Clips

Six lesson starters supporting Global Citizenship

1 min Sound Through a Medium: Wobbling Bubbles

The effect sound has on a bubble

1 min Sound in Slow Motion

What happens to sound when its speed is slowed down

1 min Sound Through a Medium: Flickering Candles

How sound can cause the flame of a candle to flicker

2 mins Sound Through a Medium: Shattering a Glass

A wine glass is shattered simply by sound

2 mins Sound : Waveforms - Four Octaves

How different sounds create a range of waveforms

1 min Sound: Hearing and the Ear - The Confusaphone

How sound reaches the ear

1 min Sound: Sonic Boom - Cracking the Whip

A whip travels faster than the speed of sound

1 min Sound: Materials - Brick and Foam

How different materials have an impact on sound

1 min Sound Using Body Parts

A range of sounds are created by only using the human body

3 mins Delivering Aid in Afghanistan

The problems of distributing aid in Afghanistan

2 mins Cyclone Warnings in Bangladesh

How Bangladesh copes with Cyclones

2 mins Landmines in Bosnia

How Bosnians deal with the problem of landmines

4 mins Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone

The problems facing Sierra Leone?s former child soldiers

2 mins Reuniting Families in Sierra Leone

How families torn apart by war in Sierra Leone are being reunited

2 mins Women Affected by War: Sudan

Examines the situation of women in war-torn Sudan

3 mins Surface Area: Octagon

How to work out the area of an octagon

2 mins Percentages: Price Discount on Suitcase

Explanation for calculating price discounts on goods

2 mins Percentages: VAT on Suitcase

A clear demonstration on how to calculate VAT

1 min Value for Money: Boxes of Teabags

Which box is the best value for money?

2 mins Value for Money: Mobile Phone Tariffs

Which mobile phone tariffs is the best value for money?

1 min Probability: Assorted Chocolates

Calculating the probability of picking a particular chocolate

3 mins Fractions: Using Reciprocals

Ordering fractions by using reciprocals

1 min Fractions: Cutting a Cake

A cake has to be divided equally into 12 pieces

2 mins Lesson Starters - Engineering Diploma - Inspiration

What inspires a mechanic to do her job

2 mins Lesson Starters - Engineering Diploma - Communication Skills

Examines the need to have good communication skills

2 mins Lesson Starters - Engineering Diploma - Numeracy Skills

The numeracy skills needed to be a mechanic

2 mins Lesson Starters - Engineering Diploma - ICT Skills

The ICT skills required by a mechanic

2 mins Lesson Starters - Hair and Beauty Diploma - Inspiration

The inspirational qualities needed for a hair stylist

2 mins Lesson Starters - Hair and Beauty Diploma - Communication Skills

A hair stylist shows the need for communication skills

2 mins Lesson Starters - Hair and Beauty Diploma - Numeracy Skills

The numeracy skills required of a hair stylist

2 mins Lesson Starters - Hair and Beauty Diploma - ICT Skills

The ICT skills a hair stylist needs are demonstrated

3 mins Lesson Starters - Ecosystems - Antarctica

A series of images of the continent

3 mins Lesson Starters - Ecosystems - Pros and Cons of Research

A summary of the issues on doing research in Antarctica

3 mins Lesson Starters - Ecosystems - Holes in Glaciers

Looks at the issue of holes forming in glaciers

3 mins Lesson Starters - Ecosystems - Tourism

Looks at the pressures tourism is creating on the continent

4 mins Lesson Starters - Ecosystems - Exploitation

How Antarctica could be affected by industrial exploitation

3 mins Lesson Starters - Writing a Monologue: Bride

A funny monologue shows the impact of a comedy script

4 mins Lesson Starter - Writing a Monologue: Crush

A comic monologue shows the effect of a good comedy script

2 mins Lesson Starters - Male Students Dance

Male trainee teachers learn to dance in a PE lesson starter

1 min Lesson Starters - Coreograph a Solo: Tsunami

Dance choreography for a solo piece

1 min Lesson Starters - Coreograph a Duet: Red Light

Two GCSE dance students choreograph a duet

15 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Life

PSHE lesson starters tackling the topics of sex, drugs and health

15 mins Lesson Starters - Secondary PSHE - Work

PSHE lesson starters looking at money, debt and employment

3 mins Lesson Starters - Careers: Rocket Scientist

A rocket scientist talks about why she loves her career

4 mins Lesson Starters - Elementary School in Ghana

A tour of an elementary school in Ghana

4 mins Lesson Starters - Sustainability in a Tanzanian School

Profile of a Tanzanian school that utilises sustainable resources

3 mins Lesson Starters - Himalayas: New School in Ladakh

A new school opens in a Himalayan village

2 mins Lesson Starters - Himalayas: Learning Hubs in Ladakh

How a remote Himalayan town provides basic education

2 mins Lesson Starters - Himalayas: Mobile Learning

How mobile learning is implemented in practice

4 mins Lesson Starters: KS3 English Speaking and Listening - Mum's Birthday

A birthday presents a dilemma in this open-ended drama

3 mins Lesson Starters: KS3 English Speaking and Listening - The Noise

An open-ended drama involving a baby left on a doorstep

4 mins Lesson Starters: KS3 English Speaking and Listening - The Letter

The possible consequences of a letter provide food for thought

4 mins Lesson Starters: KS3 English Speaking and Listening - Grandma's Junk

An open-ended drama to develop speaking and listening at KS3