Tag Archives: activity

188. Top Teachmeet Trumps Resource

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I’m currently trying out ideas from the #mathsmeetnorthwest TeachMeet. Emma Weston did an excellent presentation on ‘Marking for motivation and progress’. She inspired me to look for a Top Trumps activity for my class – they needed some consolidation of solving equations with an unknown on each side and with brackets. I found this brilliant solving equations Top Trumps by Dusher on TES resources.

The Marvel comic themed algebra cards have three tiers of difficulty and went down a storm. My class would have happily played all lesson, if I had let them.

 

Who would have thought that equations could be so engaging?

187. Clever circles

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Here is a quick, multi-function resource for you: a set of overlapping circles for angles, pie-charts and fractions/percentages.

Equipment
Card
Scissors
Pencil
Straight edge or ruler
Pair of compasses
A 360 degree protractor printed on paper (or a tracing paper protractor cut out)

Construction
1. Cut out three identical circles and the paper protractor.

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2. Stack them on top of each other and put the pointy end of the compasses (or a drawing pin) through the middle. Wiggle it around to make a bigger hole – please don’t stab yourself.

3. Draw a radius on the circles.

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4. Cut down each radius on the circles and the 0 degree line on the protractor.
5. All done!

Activity 1: Angle Estimation
Slot two circles together:

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Estimate the orange angle.
What could the blue angle be?
Show me an acute angle.
Show me a blue 170 degree angle.

Activity 2: Reading a protractor scale
Slot the protractor into a circle:

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How big is the blue angle?
Show me an 80 degree angle.

Activity 3: Pie-charts
Slot the three circles together:

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What could this pie-chart represent?
Show me a pie chart with two equal sections

Activity 4: Fractions and percentages
Use three circles again:

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Estimate what percentage is purple.
What fraction could the blue section represent?

186. Fantastical algebra

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Have you ever played the parlour game ‘Fantastical Creatures’? Click for a lovely description and example of it by Little Cotton Rabbits.

I’ve adapted this concept for teaching aspects of number and algebra.

Topics
Basic arithmetic
Inverse operations
Order of operations
Setting up simple equations
Using brackets with numbers/letters
Solving single sided equations

Equipment
Strips of paper – one sheet of A4 makes about 6 strips
Coloured pens (optional)

Basic instructions
1. Write an instruction on the top of the strip (portrait orientation). Label it (a).

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2. Fold over the strip twice to hide the writing. Write (b).

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3. Pass on the strip, do not unfold it.
4. By the ‘(letter label)’, write the next instruction. The letters help you keep track of how many times it has been passed on.
5. Fold over the strip twice and put a label for the next letter of the alphabet.
6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 as required.

The beauty of this activity is that each problem is constructed by a group of pupils and they are in control of the level of difficulty.

Activity 1: Setting up simple equations

Follow the basic activities with the following instructions:
(a) I think of a number and write an instruction
(b) & (c) Now I write an instruction
(d) The answer is write a number
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Pupils fold the puzzle up tight and either pass it on one last time or hand them in (to be randomly distributed).

Pupils unfold their mystery puzzle and construct the equation, step by step. My pupils quickly realised the importance of simplifying, but many forgot the importance of using brackets. This was a useful misconception to identify.

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Pupils then use inverse operations to calculate the unknown.

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The algebraic operations and numerical operations can then be compared.

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Activity 2: Problem solving

This follows the same structure as the equation activity, but pupils are describing a geometric problem. In the examples the blue sections are up to the pupils to choose.

Example 1
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Example 2

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In the second example pupils can visualise the problem as well as using algebraic terms.

Activity 3: Number Skills

This activity can also be used for setting up BIDMAS problems by omitting the algebra.

183. New Year Resolutions

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Why not get your students to make a New Year’s Resolution?

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Image credit: someecards.com

There are so many little things that we remind students about, so how about getting them to take responsibility?

Start by discussing what they think you nag them about. When students peer review, what annoys them about each other’s work? Extend the conversation to include why these things are important.

Now the tricky bit: making the resolutions.

Get your students to pick two targets – an achievable one and a challenging one. They should be carefully worded and give a reason.

Example
I will show my working out so that I can get all the marks I deserve.

The resolutions should be clearly written on their books (maybe on the front cover?) and a copy should be handed in to you – hand out small sheets of paper for this.

The Future
We all know that resolutions often don’t last. So how can you support your students?

There was a reason why the students handed in a copy of their resolutions. Put them in a jar or box on your desk. Once a week, make your starter a resolution reflection. You could just give your students time to self evaluate or discuss their progress in pairs.

Alternatively you could dip into the resolution jar and pick out a resolution. You could generally discuss that resolution or ask who has a similar resolution and find out how they are getting on.

The key thing is to revisit and also recognise the progress students are making with their resolutions. They’d also make a nice talking point for Parents Evening.

The Twist
If you are asking your class to make a resolution, what would yours be?

Update
Check out these thoughts on resolutions and downloadable resolution templates from
Kev Lister’s blog

99. Factor Races

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I rather like teaching prime factor decomposition as you can assess lots of numerical skills within the topic. I can easily cover:
*Division
*Tests of divisibility
*Multiplication
*Quick recall of multiplication facts
*Prime numbers
*Factor/Multiple misconceptions
*Powers & Index notation
*Venn diagrams*
*Products
*HCF & LCM¤
*Vocabulary related to all the above

Many people already use prime factor trees to teach this topic, but if you are unfamilar with them here is a quick summary:

Find two numbers that multiply to give the top number.

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Repeat for each branch, circling the prime numbers. These are like the fruit on the end of the branch.

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Repeat until every branch has ‘fruit’ at the end.

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Write out the factors, in numerical order, as a multiplication.

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Collect like factors into index notation.

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And that’s how to make a prime factor decomposition tree.

The Race
You will need as many pupils as you can standing at your board, all equipped with a whiteboard pen. Depending on which room I am in, I get about 10 pupils out.

Their team mates sit near them – it is up to you as to whether calculators are allowed. Only the person at the board can write.

You call out a number and every team must work out the prime factor decomposition on the board. The winning team is the first to write the number as a product of prime factors.

Teaching Point
Once everyone has completed the task, leave the calculations on the board. You can now ask for comments and corrections. The class should notice that even though the number was split up differently, they all got the same answer. If they didn’t, the class can check for errors.

I like to use this as a plenary or a recap starter. It effectively demonstrates that even though your brain chose to breakdown the calculation differently, you are still correct. This can be a confidence boost to those pupils who think there is only one possible method and don’t ‘get’ that method. Maths is about the strategies and skills to solve problems, not just one approved technique.

¤ To be covered in the next blog post