Category Archives: Download

212. Crack the Code 1

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I love the worksheets produced by danwalker on TES resources. Basically a set of results are combined to make a numerical code. You could have a ‘Kilner’ stye jar with a changeable combination padlock and a prize locked inside as motivation.

Image credit: www.waragainstwork.com

Image credit: www.waragainstwork.com

I’ve started using this style of activity with sleepy sixth formers, unmotivated low ability Year 10 and excitable Year 9s. Dan Walker has released the following activites on TES resources:

Parametric Equations

Binomial Expansion

Percentages

I’ve now created a Code sheet for Number Patterns. It covers term to term rules, using an Nth term rule, finding an Nth term and finding a specified term.

Number Patterns Crack the Safe (pdf)

211. Hidden Rectangle problem

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Cool vectors can be exciting! They can describe the motion of a particle, they can represent the acceleration of a rocket, they can tell you about the angle an impact takes place at!

3D axes

Uncool vectors describe lines, they can intersect, they could be perpendicular, they could even describe skew lines in three-dimensions. Not quite as exciting. It isn’t difficult to see that revising standard C4 vectors can be a tad dull. How about an investigation? An investigation without an obvious answer. A question so simple that the answer is a single number. It’s the steps in between that make things interesting…

  • I asked my A-Level class to find the area of a rectangle … simple so far, how is this worthy of C4?
  • The rectangle is bounded by four vector equations … ok, points of intersection, line segment length, bit of Pythagoras there
  • The vector equations are 3D … ooh, that makes it a bit harder
  • There are eight equations to choose from … that’s mean, that means finding the angle between lines, checking for skewness, identifying parallel vectors
  • There are plenty of ‘red herrings’ … now that is just unfair (great!)

The solution to the problem is a simple surd. If you do ‘Crack the Code’ or ‘Locked Box’ problems you could use the digits under the square root sign as your padlock code.

You can download the worksheet and teachers notes here: C4 Vectors Hidden rectangle (pdf)

Depending on the engagement/ability of the students this could take between 20 and 40 minutes. It would also make an easy to assess homework.

210. Most Wanted Percentages

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I’ve been looking at how to teach percentage increase and decrease at Key Stage 3. If you can find 20%, you can obviously increase by 20% by adding it on. But does this reinforce the misconception that percentages are an addition, rather than multiplicative, function? I’ve started teaching multipliers for increase and decrease to a wider range of pupils, so it makes sense to introduce the concept earlier. I’ve used finding 120% as a way to increase by 20%. It opens up discussion as to why this works and pupils can form their own ideas on how to decrease.

muppets

Image Credit: www.te

To reinforce and practice the idea of increase and decrease by percentages I’ve created some ‘Muppets’ themed Top Trumps cards (not licensed). You can download them here: Muppets Top Trumps (pdf)

There are only eight cards, but you could print out one set per pupil and shuffle them.

207. Is it on the formula sheet?

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In the Autumn term I put together a booklet of all the Trigonometry and Differentiation rules that you need for the Core 3 (Edexcel) exam. It was a summary of key facts and highlighted what you need to learn vs what is on the formula sheet. The original post was 155.Trigonometry&Differention including links to the booklet.

One term on, at the request of students, I’ve produced the same kind of booklet for Core 4 Integration and Differentiation. Even if you don’t do the Edexcel exams, they are still helpful revision tools.

You can download the booklets here:

C4 Differentiation & Integration (docx)

C4 Differentiation & Integration(PDF)

 

202. Curling your A-Level

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Whilst watching the Winter Olympics it occurred to me that the sport of curling would be an excellent discussion starter for teaching the motion of particles, momentum & impulse.

  • The motion of the curling stone on ice relates to F=ma.
  • The moment the player pushes off the hack, whilst still pushing the stone relates to the motion of connected particles.
  • The collision of stones relates to momentum and impulse.
  • The action of the sweeper changes the friction.

On YouTube I discovered this physics video by NBC Learning. They have many videos explaining the Science of the Winter Olympics.

I  pulled my ideas together in this Prezi, which allows plenty of student discussion: the task is blank for your own resource as I used a textbook.

193. Resource of the Week – Reflective Detentions

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This splendid resource by ealdor, on TES Resources, was recommended on Twitter last year. It is a Reflective Detention sheet. Pupils spend time in detention reflecting on what they did, why it wasn’t appropriate and what they will do to improve. The teacher then keeps the sheet as a record of the event. They can then be referred to at Parents Evening and in Departmental/Pastoral interventions.

image

Image credit: teachers.saschina.org

Personally I have used these sheets since September and they have provided me with a constructive talking point at Parents Evening. In fact, one parent described them as handwritten confessions that their child couldn’t talk their way out of. Thank you ealdor!