This leads students through basic angle facts through parallel lines, polygons and then onto forming and solving equations or writing angles using algebra.

This leads on from 'Misleading Graphs' where the students have to draw a graph in an effort to convince a Small Business Manager to give them a loan.

Can you calculate what the workers in each box are doing on the mathematical building site? It's essentially function machines but where you have the answers but need to find the rules.

This covers adding and subtracting vectors and multiples of vectors before moving on to describing journeys using vectors. This is essentially a load of questions on vectors but they should encourage discussion in class. Typo corrected

Four sets of four problems where students have the answer but there are blanks in the questions which require filling in. This is designed to create discussion in class and hopefully provides natural differentiation (stretch the “top end” by finding the general solution where possible compared to finding a single solution). I will be using these as starters or plenaries as I believe they will develop deeper understanding of topics, but feel free to use them as you like.

The students are given the answer and asked to fill in the gaps in the question. Topics used involve probability, equations, simultaneous equations, fractions, percentages, ratio, speed, distance, time and many others. Some of the questions allow for multiple answers so discussion could be had. Designed to be used as starters/plenaries to get the grey matter moving. The Christmas theme runs through every question and is a tad tenuous at times but there you go.

Five slides each with five questions that students must decide whether the given answers are correct or not, explaining their reasoning. There are questions on equivalence, fraction/percentage of an amount, calculations, percentage change etc. These are designed to create discussion in class.

Six slides each containing five questions where students need to decide if the answer given is correct and explain how they have arrived at their conclusion. Topics include whether a coordinate lies on a line given its equation, y=mx+c, equations of curves (quadratics, cubics, reciprocals), gradient, These are designed to generate discussion in class.

There are four trees where students can work from bottom to top, choosing an appropriately challenging start point if they wish. This is “introduction to algebra” stuff, I will do expanding and factorising on a separate file but these could offer nice starters or plenaries. It contains adding/subtracting as well as multiplying variables and collecting like terms.

This is an exercise in finding the best way of buying what a customer wants given four different “deals” on pricing. You can buy more than required but not less which should add an extra bit of challenge. Workings are essential and I have provided answers on a separate slide each time. There are five to work out and this should lead to nice mathematical discussions. I have also put this in a format that could be used easily online if this is desirable.

This is an attempt to relate algebraic questions that children struggle with to worded questions they can all do. It is designed to start you off, building up from 'I think of a number' to a full blown linear equation.

A task based on card shuffling from QI from a video posted on Twitter by @bobloch. What possible order could the cards be in in each case?

Show it for 20 seconds then they have to remember it exactly. I put the picture of me on there so they would concentrate on their reproduction rather than staring around the room, but feel free to change it to a picture of your choice!

The idea is Mr Barton's, but this is my probability contribution. Show for 30 seconds, they then get down what they can remember. Show a few times until they think they&'ve finished then check their against yours. Simples!

A student gave me the title (pun on 'The Hunger Games' - original was 'The Number Games'), I did the rest. Five different sets of questions in a functional style for students to work through either individually or in pairs/teams.

This takes students through expanding a single bracket, factorising a single bracket, expanding two brackets and factorising quadratic expressions. Hopefully this should lead them in manageable steps to factorising quadratics, including a few with the coefficient of x squared being greater than 1. When I find errors I have corrected them...

With the new curriculum in mind I did this. Students must use their knowledge of parallel and perpendicular lines to fill in blanks but this could lead to discussions about different ways to write equations of lines etc. Errant negative signs on number 4 corrected (I hope).

I got a request to do an activity using the A Team, both old and new. This is it! Convert each unit so that either 'old' or 'new' A Team understands. The numbers are pretty simple and it is designed to be a starter or plenary.

I am about to tackle rearranging formulae (a topic so many find difficult) with my Year 10 class so came up with this in an attempt to make them more comfortable with playing with algebra; it should also encourage discussion about different ways of doing it.

Five HCF and LCM functional questions using the characters from Phineas and Ferb. All put together in a PowerPoint and including answers. Now with a link to the Phineas and Ferb theme tune! Typos corrected.