Tag Archives: foldable

281. Mathsconf5 resources

Hi to all those who went to Mathsconf5, in Sheffield.

If you liked the proportion snapdragon you can download it here: Proportion Snapdragon

If you liked the trigonometry snapdragon you can download it here: Snapdragon download

There are instructions for it here: Trigonometry Snapdragon

If you’d like a snapdragon template or instructions on how to fold it click here: http://mathssandpit.co.uk/blog/?p=667

If you want more foldables after the Paper Maths session, run by the lovely @MsSteel_Maths, I can recommend this resource: Foldables by Dinah Zike

(Note: this pdf is widely available and a version of it is free to download from Dinah Zike’s website, however if you represent Ms Zike and there is a copyright issue please contact me in the comments below)

269. Snappy Proportion

Proportion … it comes in so many forms and different students grasp different elements at different speeds. Differentiation hell!

What about a little resource that offers up 4x8x8 variations of question ranging from simple direct to proportion to inversely proportional to the square? It’s not a new app, it’s an old app – a fortune-teller snapdragon:

proportion_snapdragon

Print, cut and fold (see 92. Snapdragon Fun for instructions)

  • The first decision chooses level of difficulty – students pick a number and count through the opening/shutting process.
  • The second gives the information to calculate k (eg y=kx) – the number of open/shut moves is specified.
  • The third asks you to apply your equation to a hidden number.
  • Students increase the level of challenge as they do more questions.

Download the pdf here: Proportion Snapdragon

The editable version is available here: Editable Proportion Snapdragon

You may wish to enlarge the pdf on a photocopier to make it more manageable for bigger hands.

219. Good question, Bad question 1

It’s been a while since I’ve done a step by step instruction post, so I thought I would share this lesson on questions and surveys.

Objective

  • To understand bias in questions
  • To consider how to structure answer options.

Equipment

  • Exercise books or paper
  • Pens
  • Ruler/straight edge
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Step 1

Write out your usual headings: title, date, objective etc. Cut across the page to the spine. Stick the title page to the lower page.
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Step 2

Fold the lower half of the page in half and cut down the fold.
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Step 3

Fold the loose piece of paper into four equal pieces. Mark the fold positions in the book.

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Step 4

Draw horizontal lines across both the upper and lower pages. Cut the upper page to the spine along those lines to make four flaps.
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Step 5

Continue the horizontal lines on the lower page under the flaps
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Step 6

Label the flaps as shown
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Step 7

Give examples of bad questions, good questions, bad response boxes and good response boxes
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Step 8

Under each flap justify why each question or response is good or bad.
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Review

My class really enjoyed this activity – one of them even wrote it in their feedback. The following are examples from my class. You might even spot some RAG123 on their pages. Follow @ListerKev or search #rag123 on Twitter to find out more.
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86. Snapdragon & Resources

I’ve just started sharing resources on the Times Educational Supplement (TES) website.

The first resource is a typed up version of the Trigonometry Snapdragon.
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I’ve omitted the diagrams so you can have a discussion about what the different situations look like.
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Update: I am hosting my own resources now so you can download the snapdragon here: Trigonometry snapdragon v2

 

48. Percentage book

I’ve found that copying examples and methods into a useable revision resource can be tricky for younger pupils or those with concentration issues. They don’t refer back to their notes because they are either incomplete, unreadable, unfindable in their book or just lost.

I saw instructions for making simple books from a single sheet of paper and wondered if it was worth a try.

Non calculator percentage book

Making the book
Fold a sheet of paper into eight as shown. The sample here is A4, but I used A3 in class.

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Cut along the middle two quarters (blue line in the picture) and fold in half lengthways.

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Fold this into an X shape.

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Arrange into a book.

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Instructions
Clearly label the cover – you want your pupils to find this easily.

As we filled in each page, I explained why we did each process. Because their books were larger, the bottom of their pages had questions too.

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We covered 50%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 30% and the last page was a challenge/extension task: 17.5%.

The back page was left blank so that they could stick the mini-books into their exercise books.

Example

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26. FDP Pyramid

This nifty little pyramid summarises how to convert between fractions, decimals and percentages.

Equipment
A5 paper or lightweight card
Scissors
Pens
Glue/tape
Compasses & pencil

Make a square
Fold the paper over to make a perfect 45 degree angle. Cut off the excess paper to make a square.

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Fold & Cut
Unfold the square and fold the opposite diagonal. Cut from one corner to the middle along the fold.

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Label
Draw an X on one of the quarters next to the cut. You will glue this piece later.

Either side of each fold label ‘Fraction’, ‘Percent’, ‘Decimal’.

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Arrows
Using compasses and pencil, lightly draw two circles. Go over these lines with a pen to create one set of arrows going clockwise and one set anti-clockwise.

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Facts
Label each arrow with the correct conversion fact and example.

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Stick
Fold the X flap behind the next section and glue in place.

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Summary
This is a tactile activity which could be used on a wall display. It can also be collapsed down flat where it can be taped on one side into a book and ‘pop up’ when required.

19. Fraction Skills Foldable

This resource was designed to recap basic fraction skills as part of KS4 revision. The foldable covers:
1. Addition with common denominator
2. Addition with different denominators (butterfly method)
3. Subtraction with different denominators (butterfly method)
4. Subtraction with mixed numbers
5. Multiplication
6. Multiplication with mixed numbers
7. Division (reciprocal method)
8. Division of a whole number by a fraction

It also deals with equivalent fractions, simplifying and converting between mixed & improper fractions.

Each section has a title, method and example.

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This is a draft ‘teacher’ version. My students made theirs look really good with different colours, highlighter and their own examples.

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Note: this isn’t for teaching a full understanding of fraction manipulation, just summarising facts.