Six maths "spiders" designed to test whether students can substitute in to formulae correctly. The spiders get increasingly difficult and are designed so that they have to think and possibly discuss their answers rather get on a "substitution treadmill". I know people use these for starters/plenaries and I have used them as tasks in lessons.

Erica is struggling with differential equations and regions bounded by two curves. Seriously, she needs some help so please get your students to explain what she has done and correct her homework. This gives students the opportunity to demostrate their understanding.

Four maths "spiders" of increasing difficulty designed to make students think a littel. Tne first two allow students to invent their own original expressions which should lead to good discussion in class where students demonstrate the depth of their understanding. This does get on to expanding brackets and simplifying.

This is designed as a starter/plenary and should encourage discussion in the room. It works through from basic simplifying to add/subtracting to simplifying with quadratics as the numerator and denominator. There are 8 in total.

This is an activity taking students through nth terms of arithmetic sequences, summing arithmetic sequences and nth terms of quadratic sequences. Different pieces of information are given each time to ensure that students develop understanding rather than get in a rut and performing a process. This should lead to discussion in class between students and teacher.

I needed something for students to plot quadratic, cubic and reciprocal functions on that wouldn't mean that half the lesson is taken up with drawing axes. I added exponential functions at the end as an extension. It literally does what it says on the tin stopping short of circles, and hopefully some might be able to draw conclusions from the positions of the functions.

Beginning with relatively easy equations and building up to equations with fractional parts on both sides of the equals sign. I am writing this for a new class so that I know where to start on equations, but the anagrams are always popular too, offering an incentive to finish. Typo corrected.

The usual terrible joke revealed having dealt with partial fractions with mixed numbers (a remainder) and partial fractions with (x+n)^2 on the denominator.

Clive is tackling a bit of substitution but making mistakes again. Your students' task is to help Clive sort out his errors and explain to him what he's done so that he doesn't make the same mistakes in the future. Ideal for starter or plenaries and encourages discussion.

Clive is having a go at simplifying expressions, without complete success. Your task (or more accurately, your class' task) is to help Clive correct his homework and explain where he's gone wrong. Good for starters or plenaries and encourages discussion.

Erica is struggling with iteration and Newton-Raphson, as it's on the new "Pure 2" syllabus. Can you help her sort out her homework answers and explain what she's done wrong?

This is designed as a plenary or starter and should encourage discussion regarding the equation of a circle and it's centre/radius. Four different matching activities to try out of increasing difficulty.

Clive is doing some homework involving error in measurement and is getting a bit confused. He has made some mistakes that you need to correct and explain to him where he's gone wrong; the homework contains just stating bounds as well as calculations that require thinking more carefully about. This really makes students check their explanations and generates good academic discussion in my experience as well as allowing students to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge.

Six different "spiders" moving through rectangles, triangles, trapeziums, circles and compound shapes. These are designed to prevent students hgetting in to a rut when answering questions and to encourage discussion. Ideally used as starter or plenary but could be used as a set of questions to consolidate new learning.

A bunch of codebreakers (the usual terrible joke) having solved a load of algebra problems involving functions, arithmetic sequences, inequalities, substitution and other algebra topics. These can be used as a starter or plenary or even part of a main task in a lesson.

This takes students through simple angles properties (straight line, triangle, full turn etc) to parallel lines to angle properties of polygons and finally to circle theorems. These are not designed to fill a lesson with practice but as starters or plenaries which lead to discussion. The matchings reassure students that their answer is correct or that they may need to check their answers carefully; I have found that the "spare" question is checked far more carefully than with an exercise from a text book.

This takes students through six matching activities, three on finding sides and three on finding angles. Designed to create discussion and to be used as a starter/plenary but use how you wish if you choose to download it.

I have so few resources for a lesson on 3D views that I felt I had to write one and this came to mind. The usual cheesy joke having found all the answers. Depending on the class I do this with I may allow multilink usage or I may not; you will know your class better than I.

Just the three "spiders" on bearings, of increasing difficulty. The final spider asks students if they can write the question based upon the information given which may lead to a nice discussion in class.

I have split this into two types: substitution involving rearranging and algebraic rearranging (four of each, each getting increasingly difficult). The substitution spiders are pretty straightforward but the algebraic ones should lead to discussion in class and will allow students to demonstrate (or not) that they fully understand the topic.