I taught in a range of schools for many years before moving into FE, where I found creative and imaginative approaches just as rewarding with adults. Most of my resources are concerned with giving control to the learner, through a range of methods. Some are great for just giving them experience of examination questions, and the chance to discuss these with other learners. I now concentrate on spreading the range of creations from UK KS1 to KS4, and across the Common Standards.
I taught in a range of schools for many years before moving into FE, where I found creative and imaginative approaches just as rewarding with adults. Most of my resources are concerned with giving control to the learner, through a range of methods. Some are great for just giving them experience of examination questions, and the chance to discuss these with other learners. I now concentrate on spreading the range of creations from UK KS1 to KS4, and across the Common Standards.
A powerpoint quiz covering all the aspects of KS2 algebra, and great for revision in KS3 or older.
Pupils should be taught to:
• use simple formulae
• generate and describe linear number sequences
• express missing number problems algebraically
• find pairs of numbers that satisfy an equation with two unknowns
• enumerate possibilities of combinations of two variables.
To find a big bundle of activities and worksheets covering the full specs in year 6, look at my resource for sale at
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/maths-ks2-algebra-full-bundle-of-resources-to-cover-the-entire-specs-great-for-ks3-revision-11254418
A comprehensive set of slides in PowerPoint that puts the concepts into context and gives simple investigations for learners to try. Some teaching, some learning.
Dividing a fraction by a fraction.
Ever wonder why we 'flip and multiply'? Not many people seem to do so, and learners are too happy to follow the rules, and forget the rules. 'When do I do this and when do I do that?'
Here is a colourful diagrammatic presentation that recaps on dividing by unit fractions, then goes on to illustrate why we multiply by the denominator, and divide by the numerator, ie 'flip and multiply'. Give your learners the 'why' and they might remember the 'when'!
Questions at every point for class discussion and teacher explanation, and a set of questions at the end for learners to try, with full answers.
Plus differentiated worksheet, two exercises, one just proper fractions, one mixed numbers.
Questions culled and adapted from some very old papers, which means that none of the current learners will have seen these. Actually, very little changes, although these are the more basic end of the scale - some of the new ones may be trickier, but these are great for the lower grades.
KS2 Maths - Year 3 Equivalent Fractions:
Year 3 equivalent fractions.
recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators
Colourful powerpoint for sharing with a whole class, or for printing slides for cutting out and matching the shapes. You can buy them but they cost £25 a set of magnetic ones!
Lots of questions to match shapes to fraction concepts, and activities for the learners to do, including writing fraction chains and colouring in a fractions wall. Great for revision in later years.
‘Work interchangeably with terminating decimals and their corresponding fractions (such as 3.5 and 7/2 or 0.375 or 3/8); change recurring decimals into their corresponding fractions and vice versa.’
A simple investigation into which fractions terminate and which recur, on PowerPoint and in Word, with a big set of results in PowerPoint to encourage class discussion.
A PowerPoint presentation of the method, with some examples to do as a class or individually, plus a worksheet of fourteen questions, with answers. A clear and fully supported lesson.
I’ve also included a pdf version of everything, since MS Office can be a problem on different systems.
Year 4 - Geometry – properties of shapes
Two separate bundles of activities covering (a) triangles and (b) quadrilaterals, all for the new KS2 specifications. Specifically written for Year 4, they can easily be used at any level. In Word for editing or PDF for clear copies. Activities, worksheets and assessments, plus a short presentations on triangles and quadrilaterals. The presentations are included as PowerPoints and PDFs, to ensure at least one will open on any computer.
Statutory requirements
Pupils should be taught to:
• compare and classify geometric shapes, including quadrilaterals and triangles, based on their properties and sizes
Notes and guidance (non-statutory)
Pupils continue to classify shapes using geometrical properties, extending to classifying different triangles (for example, isosceles, equilateral, scalene) and quadrilaterals (for example, parallelogram, rhombus, trapezium).
Pupils compare and order angles in preparation for using a protractor and compare lengths and angles to decide if a polygon is regular or irregular.
An extremely useful resource that has almost unlimited application.
I've taken the GCSE Maths specifications for 2015 and converted them into MS Word tables, landscape and portrait, mostly fitting on to one side for each area - number, algebra, etc.
They can be used for planning lessons, schemes of work, cutting and pasting into lesson aims and objectives, or for recording pupil/learner achievement on each objective.
In Word they are very adaptable, and columns can be added as required, for dates etc.
The motivation for this was the difficulty Foundation learners have with averages of grouped data, and no doubt many Higher learners too. I’ve spent years trying to demonstrate the interval in which the median lies, and watched learners who appeared to follow the method for mean of grouped data, only to watch them go to pieces on tests. So this time I went for kinaesthetic and colourful, my main aim always.
The documents are in Word so you can cut my photo if you want.
I’ve thrown in a couple of real questions, and there are plenty more about, but very easy to make up in this style.
All images (c)2015 Colin Billett
Lots of resources covering fractions in KS2, so great for revision in KS3 and Foundation GCSE.
Equivalent fractions, ordering fractions, and four rules of fractions. Addition and subtraction moves from same denominator, through one denominator a multiple of the other, to different denominators. Multiplication and division develops in the same way - simple stages. I've lots of stuff free on fractions, so check the free stuff first if you like. Save 77%!
A big bundle of assorted resources for full lessons to teach area and perimeter in UK primary schools. Rectangles, squares, parallelograms, triangles. All with full NC specs.
Covers everything for years 4, 5 and 6.
Great for revision in KS3 or GCSE foundation and Functional Skills
Four great bundles of stuff for developing skills and understanding in the area of probability. Great for introducing topics in Years 7, 8 and 9, and for revising skills later on. All you need up to and including GCSE Foundation and Higher.
Plus two-way tables, which are a great way of giving opportunities for practising probability knowledge and skills.
Pythagoras, and trigonometric ratios of sin, cos and tan. Introduced and developed in a variety of ways covering everything on right-angled triangles for KS3 high flyers and GCSE revision, up to the top end of Foundation. Lots of presentations, worksheets and assessment material.
Everything you need for a lesson (or two) on creating, reading and interpreting histograms. Starter activity on PowerPoint on finding the areas of rectangles drawn on a co-ordinate grid, and finding missing lengths; a presentation in PowerPoint on creating, reading and interpreting a histogram with three examples, with equal class intervals and unequal class intervals; learner activities, with questions in Word or PDF; a plenary presentation in PowerPoint to check learning; and a lesson plan to make the whole thing complete.
Suitable for high achievers at KS3, or Higher Tier at GCSE now and for the 2015 specs.
Can be uploaded to a VLE for the learners to follow themselves.
Big bundle of worksheets/activities to revise or practise trigonometry of right angled triangles, with Pythagoras and sin, cos and tan for finding lengths of sides or angles. In Word or PDF. Great for homework or assessment of learning in the classroom. Now on KS3 but always needs revising in KS4, especially on the new GCSE 9-1 specifications.
• apply Pythagoras’ Theorem and trigonometric ratios to find angles and lengths in right- angled triangles
