A FREE sampler of my Maths Starters resources. There are a number of cost effective options for purchasing these resources: - a bundle of 3 PowerPoints - a mega bundle of all 6 PowerPoints This is part of a set of top rated, “turbo-charged” (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question… “I’ve finished… what should I do now?”). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a “mathematical brain” (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James

This is Part 1 only. This complete topic comprises 7 by 1-hour lessons, broken down into two parts Part 1 - The fascinating History of Numbers tally marks, Sumerians & Babylonians Egyptians and Romans Mayans and Hindu Part 2 - Binary numbers the binary number system - how it evolved and how it works how computers use binary numbers, looking at text and images Each lesson comprises: a fully animated PowerPoint with explanatory slides loads of embedded videos (to extract, click here) worksheets and self-evaluation documents I have used it very successfully with students in years 5 through to 7 (with slight modifications), and all have absolutely loved the topic. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: numbers, binary, ascii, bitmap, transistor, computer, programming, coding, algorithm, digital, image

A triangular number counts objects arranged in an equilateral triangle. I think this is pretty much all you’ll ever need on the topic of Triangular Numbers - with 11 self-contained worksheets! It uses animated PowerPoint presentations to drive the session , and is accompanied with Worksheets and answers. ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - I have delivered these lessons successfully on numerous occasions. Before I publish, my lessons are tested in the classroom by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. Let me know if you have any questions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). Search words: maths, numeracy, numbers, square numbers, squares, sequences, patterns, worksheet, triangular numbers

Fractions - love them or hate them, they're part of life!! This resource uses the Tangram shapes to explore fractions and equivalence in a fun (yes!) and visual way. It can be used an an exploratory introduction to your fractions module. Included is a Word document with 5 pages of investigations, an answer grid, a PowerPoint with various resources for you to adapt, and a downloaded youtube video ("A Sage's Journey The Story of Tangrams").

I think this is pretty much all you’ll ever need on the topic of Square Numbers - with 13 Worksheets!! It uses animated PowerPoint presentations to drive the session with Worksheets and answers. ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - I have delivered these lessons successfully on numerous occasions. Before I publish, my lessons are tested in the classroom by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. Let me know if you have any questions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). Packages in this series: Square Numbers, Triangular Numbers Search words: maths, numeracy, numbers, square numbers, squares, sequences, patterns, worksheet

This is a FREE background presentation to my series of Maths Starters resources. There are a number of cost effective options for purchasing these resources: - a single PowerPoint (there are 6 in the series) - a bundle of 3 PowerPoints - a mega bundle of 6 PowerPoints This is part of a set of top rated, "turbo-charged" (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question... "I've finished... what should I do now?"). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a "mathematical brain" (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY "classroom-tested" - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: math, numeracy, numbers, arithmetic, starters, challenge, brain, stimulate, problem, mental, thinking, abstract

This is Part 2 only. This complete topic comprises 7 by 1-hour lessons, broken down into two parts Part 1 - The fascinating History of Numbers tally marks, Sumerians & Babylonians Egyptians and Romans Mayans and Hindu Part 2 - Binary numbers the binary number system - how it evolved and how it works how computers use binary numbers, looking at text and images Each lesson comprises: a fully animated PowerPoint with explanatory slides loads of embedded videos (to extract, click here) worksheets and self-evaluation documents I have used it very successfully with students in years 5 through to 7 (with slight modifications), and all have absolutely loved the topic. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practising teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximise their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: numbers, binary, ascii, bitmap, transistor, computer, programming, coding, algorithm, digital, image

So much of mathematics benefits significantly from a knowledge of tables – addition, multiplication, division, equivalent fractions, area, perimeter, time, money, ratio, proportion, percentage, …. And yet, so little time is devoted to what may be deemed the old school approach of memorizing tables. Whilst time is undoubtedly at a premium in today’s expanding curriculum, spending time to learn tables ensures that all subsequent areas of mathematics can be learnt more quickly and efficiently, saving time in the long run. Typically, too many students answer the question “what is 6 x 4” with strategies such as using repeated addition on their fingers to go from 4 to 8 to 12 to 16 to 20 to 24, or by doubling 3 x 4. Whilst these are admirable and acceptable ways of working out the answer, they are overly time consuming and prove that the student has NOT memorized their table. Since instant recall of tables facts is so beneficial, the goal should be for the student to have cast the entire table to memory and to then be able to state the answer instantly, and without any hesitation. These sheets are designed with this in mind - to help students MEMORIZE the multiplication tables. As students progress from column 1 through to column 5 for each table, they are continually repeating the table and thereby gaining greater exposure to it, and in most cases, this is in itself part of the memorizing process.

This is part of a set of top rated, “turbo-charged” (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question… “I’ve finished… what should I do now?”). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a “mathematical brain” (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: math, numeracy, numbers, arithmetic, starters, challenge, brain, stimulate, problem, mental, thinking, abstract

This is part of a set of top rated, “turbo-charged” (just take a look), self-contained (what every teacher craves), stimulating (genuinely loved by students and also great for VERY high ability students) morning starters, each with a main task, plus an extension for those who solve the challenge more quickly (this should avoid the question… “I’ve finished… what should I do now?”). Each challenge is self-explanatory, and should take approx. 15 - 30 minutes to investigate/solve. The tasks are presented in a visually exciting PowerPoint (which I loved creating), with a logical progression of clues guiding students towards the solution. The slides are animated where appropriate to provide clearer explanations and are designed to encourage students to adopt a “mathematical brain” (no sledgehammers allowed! - a slogan my students now associate with me!). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and a BIG BIG thanks for looking (as a full time practicing teacher, I KNOW how time consuming this process can be). ALL my postings are FULLY “classroom-tested” - before I publish, my lessons are tested by both myself and colleagues, rigorously evaluated and discussed, and continually updated to maximize their effectiveness. But there is always the possibility of error and room for improvement, so do please provide constructive feedback. Teacher/Author: Barrie James Search words: math, numeracy, numbers, arithmetic, starters, challenge, brain, stimulate, problem, mental, thinking, abstract