A set of challenging activities using Pythagoras’ theorem. Activities included: Starter: Given two isosceles triangles, pupils work out which one has the larger area. Main: Examples/practice questions, followed by two sets of questions on the theme of comparing area and perimeter of triangles. Both sets start with relatively straight forward use of Pythagoras’ theorem, but end with an area=perimeter question, where pupils ideally use algebra to arrive at an exact, surd answer. Plenary: Not really a plenary, but a very beautiful puzzle (my take on the spiral of Theodorus) with an elegant answer.

A complete lesson on the theorem that the angle at the centre is twice the angle at the circumference. For me, this is definitely the first theorem to teach as it can be derived using ideas pupils have already covered. and then used to derive some of the other theorems. Please see my other resources for lessons on the other theorems. Activities included: Starter: A few basic questions to check pupils can find missing angles in triangles. Main: A short discovery activity where pupils split the classic diagram for this theorem into isosceles triangles (see cover image). If you think this could overload pupils, it could be skipped, although I think if they can’t cope with this activity, they’re not ready for circle theorems! A link to the mathspad free tool for this topic. I hope mathspad don’t mind me putting this link - I will remove it if they do. A large set of mini-whiteboard questions for pupils to try. These have been designed with a variation element as well as non-examples, to really make sure pupils think about the features of the diagrams. A worksheet for pupils to consolidate independently, with two possible extension tasks: (1) pupils creating their own examples and non-examples, (2) pupils attempting a proof of the theorem. Plenary: A final set of six diagrams, where pupils have to decide if the theorem applies. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on using sin, cos and tan to find an unknown side of a right-angled triangle. Designed to come after pupils have been introduced to the trig ratios, and used them to find angles in right-angled triangles. Please see my other resources for complete lessons on these topics. Activities included: Starter: A quick reminder and some questions about using formulae triangles (e.g. the speed, distance, time triangle). This is to help pupils to transfer the same idea to the SOHCAHTOA formulae triangles. Main: A few examples and questions for pupils to try, on finding a side given one side and an angle. Initially, this is done without reference to SOHCAHTOA or formulae triangles, so that pupils need to think about whether to multiply or divide. More examples, but this time using formulae triangles. A worksheet with a progression in difficulty, building up to some challenging questions on finding perimeters of right-angled triangles, given one side and an angle. A tough extension, where pupils try to find lengths for the sides of a triangle with a given angle, so that it is has a perimeter of 20cm. Plenary: A prompt to get pupils thinking about how they are going to remember the rules and methods for this topic. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated! Error on previous version now fixed. If you have bought this already and want the amended version, please message me and I will email the file directly.

A complete lesson on using an nth term rule of a linear sequence to generate the first 5 terms in the sequence. Activities included: Starter: Questions to check pupils can evaluate simple algebraic expressions. Main: Introduction to the idea of an nth term rule. Example-question pairs, giving pupils a quick opportunity to try to generate sequences and receive feedback. A set of questions on generating the first 5 terms of increasing sequences, with a progression in difficulty and an extension task. A similar task for decreasing sequences. Plenary: A ‘spot the mistake’ question. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on the 1/2 absinC area rule. Doesn’t include ‘reverse’ problems (I’ve made a separate resource on this). Activities included: Starter: A set of questions on area of triangles using bh/2. Main: An area question for pupils to attempt, given two sides and the angle between them. If they spot that they can use SOH to get the perpendicular height, they have effectively ‘discovered’ the 1/2absinC rule. If they don’t spot it, then the rule can be easily explained at this point. A set of questions designed to be done as a class using mini whiteboards, progressing from identifying the correct information needed to calculate area, to standard questions, to trickier questions (see cover slide for an example). A two-page worksheet (I’d shrink and print as one page) with a similar progression in difficulty, for pupils to consolidate. Includes a suggested extension task in the comments box of the powerpoint. Plenary: A closer look at question one from the worksheet, which links to the graph of sine.

A complete lesson on the theme of the formula for 1+2+3+…+n, looking at how the rule emerges in different scenarios. Activities included: Starter: A classic related puzzle - counting how many lines in a complete graph. After the initial prompt showing a decagon, two differing approaches to a solution are shown. These will help pupils make connections later in the lesson. This is followed by a prompt relating to the handshaking lemma, which is the same thing in a different guise. Pupils could investigate this in small groups. Main: A prompt for pupils to consider the question supposedly put to Gauss as a child - to work out 1+2+3+…+100. Gauss’s method is then shown, at which point pupils could try the same method to sum to a different total. The method is then generalised to obtain Gauss’s rule of n(n+1)/2, followed by a worksheet of related questions. These include some challenging questions requiring pupils to adapt Gauss’s method (eg to work out 2+4+6+…+100). Plenary: A final look at the sequence Gauss’s rule generates (the triangle numbers). Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on the equation of a circle with centre the origin. The intention is to get pupils familiar with not only the format of the equation of a circle, and a derivation of the equation, but also problems involving coordinates on a circle. Activities included: Starter: A related question where pupils try to identify which of three given points are closer to the origin, before considering what must be true if points are a given distance from the origin. Main: The starter leads directly into a clear definition of the equation of a circle, followed by a set of quick diagnostic whole-class questions to check for understanding. Example-question pairs of increasingly difficult problems involving coordinates on circles, followed by a set of three worksheets. The last one is more of a mini-investigation, with opportunities for pupils to conjecture and generalise. Plenary: Three final puzzles to check for understanding. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on generating equivalent ratios and simplifying a ratio. Activities included: Starter: A set of questions to remind pupils how to find equivalent fractions and simplify fractions. I always use fraction equivalence to introduce ratio, so reminding pupils of these methods now helps them see the connections between the two topics. Main: A matching activity where pupils pair up diagrams showing objects in the same ratio. Examples and quick questions on finding equivalent ratios (eg 2:5 = 8:?) A matching activity on the same theme. Examples and a set of questions on simplifying ratios. A challenging extension task, using equivalent fractions in a problem-solving scenario. Plenary: A final odd-one-out question to reinforce the key ideas of the lesson. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on using Pythagoras’ theorem for 3-dimensional scenarios. Activities included: Starter: Two questions involving a spider walking along the faces of a cuboid. For the first question, pupils draw or use a pre-drawn net and measure to estimate the distance travelled by the spider. This leads into a discussion about finding exact distances using Pythagoras’ theorem, followed by a second question for pupils to apply this method to. Main: Highly visual example and quick questions for pupils to try on finding the space diagonal of a cuboid. A set of questions with a progression in difficulty, starting with finding space diagonals of cuboids, then looking at problems involving midpoints and different 3D solids. An extension where pupils try to find integer dimensions for a cuboid with a given space diagonal length. Plenary: Final question to discuss and check for understanding. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on drawing nets and visualising how they fold. The content has some overlap with a resource I have freely shared on the TES website for years, but has now been augmented and significantly upgraded,as well as being presented in a full, three-part lesson format. Activities included: Starter: A matching activity, where pupils match up names of solids, 3D sketches and nets. Main: A link to an online gogebra file (no software required) that allows you to fold and unfold various nets, to help pupils visualise. A question with an accurate, visual worked answer, where pupils make an accurate drawing of a cuboid’s net. Rather than answer lots of similar questions, pupils are then asked to compare answers with others and discuss whether their answers are different and/or correct. The same process with a triangular prism. A brief look at other prisms and a tetrahedron (the latter has the potential to be used to revise constructions if pupils have done them before, or could be briefly discussed as a future task, or left out) Then two activities with a different focus - the first looking at whether some given sketches are valid nets of cubes, the second about visualising which vertices of a net of a cube would meet when folded. Plenary: A brief look at some more elaborate nets, a link to a silly but fun net related video and a link to a second video, which describes a potential follow up or homework task. Printable worksheets and answers included where appropriate. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A set of questions in real-life scenarios, where pupils use SOHCAHTOA to find angles an distances. Activities included: Starter: Some basic SOHCAHTOA questions to test whether pupils can use the rules. Main: A set of eight questions in context. Includes a mix of angle of elevation and angle of depression questions, in a range of contexts. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson or two on finding equations of tangents to circles with centre the origin. Aimed at the new GCSE specification, although it could also be used with an A-level group. Activities included: Starter: Two recap questions on necessary prerequisites, the first on equations of circles, the second on equations of perpendicular lines. If pupils really struggled with this I would stop and address these issues, rather than persist with the rest of the lesson. Main: A set of questions on finding the gradient of OP, given some point P on a circle, followed by a related worksheet for pupils to practice. A follow-up ‘reverse’ task where pupils find points P such that the gradient of OP takes certain values. The intention is that pupils can do this task by logic and geometric reasoning, rather than by forming and solving formal equations, although the task could be further extended to look at this. The focus then shifts to gradients of tangents, and finally equations of tangents, with examples and a related set of questions for pupils to practice. An extension task where pupils find the equation of the circle given the tangent. Plenary: A spot the mistake question. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on finding an angle in a right-angled triangle using trig ratios. Designed to come after pupils have been introduced to the ratios sin, cos and tan, and have investigated how the ratios vary. Please see my other resources for complete lessons on these topics. Activities included: Starter: Provided with the graph of y=sinx, pupils estimate sinx for different values of x and vice-versa. Main: Slides to introduce use of scientific calculators to find accurate values for angles or ratios. Examples of the basic method of finding an angle given two sides. Includes graphs to reinforce what is happening. Quick questions for pupils to try and provided feedback. A worksheet of questions with a progression in difficulty. Starts with standard questions, then moves on to more challenging ones (eg finding the smallest angle in a non-right-angled, isosceles triangle). Plenary: A final question to check pupils’ understanding, but also with a combinations/logic element. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for introducing the trapezium area rule. Activities included: Starter: Non-calculator BIDMAS questions relating to the calculations needed to area of a trapezium. A good chance to discuss misconceptions about multiplying by a half. Main: Reminder of shape properties of a trapezium Example-question pairs, giving pupils a quick opportunity to try and receive feedback. A worksheet of straight forward questions with a progression in difficulty, although I have also built in a few things for more able students to think about. (eg what happens if all the measurement double?) A challenging extension task where pupils work in reverse, finding measurements given areas. Plenary: Nice visual proof of rule by relating to the rule for the area of a parallelogram. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on gradient as rate of change, that assumes pupils have already learned how to calculate the gradient of a curve and are familiar with distance-time graphs. Designed to match the content of the 9-1 GCSE specification. Examples and activities on calculating average gradient between 2 points on a curve and estimating instantaneous gradient at a point, in the context of finding rates of change (eg given a curved distance-time graph, calculate the speed) . Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on using knowledge of gradient to find the equation of a line perpendicular to a given line. Nothing fancy, but provides clear examples, printable worksheets and answers for this tricky topic. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on using knowledge of gradient and y-intercept to plot a line, given its equation. Progresses from positive integer gradients to fractional and/or negative gradients. Examples, printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for first teaching how to find a fraction of an amount. Activities included: Starter: A matching activity, where pupils pair up shapes with the same fraction shaded. Main: Some highly visual examples of finding a fraction of an amount, using bar modelling. Some examples and quick questions for pupils to try (these don’t use bar modelling, but I guess weaker pupils could draw diagrams to help). A set of questions with a progression in difficulty, from integer answers to decimal answers to some sneaky questions where the pupils need to spot that the fraction can be simplified. An extension task where pupils arrange digits (with some thought) in order to make statements true. Plenary: A nice visual odd-one-out puzzle to finish, that may well expose a few misconceptions too. Optional, printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on using knowledge of gradient to find the equation of a line parallel to a given line. Examples, activities, printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for first teaching how to add and subtract fractions with different denominators. Does include some examples and questions involving simplifying at the end, but doesn’t include adding or subtracting mixed numbers. Activities included: Starter: Some quick questions to test if pupils can find equivalent fractions and identify the lowest common multiple of two numbers. Main: Some examples with diagrams to help pupils understand the need for common denominators when adding. A recap/help sheet of equivalent fractions for pupils to reference while they try some simple additions and subtractions. At this stage, they aren’t expected to find LCMs ‘properly’, just to find them on the help sheet. Some example question pairs on adding or subtracting by first identifying the lowest common denominator, starting with the scenario that the LCM is the product of the denominators, then the scenario that the LCM is one of the denominators, and finally the scenario that the LCM is something else (eg denominators of 4 and 6). A set of straightforward questions with a progression in difficulty. The hardest ones require students to simplify the answer. A challenging extension where pupils must find four digits to fit a given fraction sum. Plenary: A final example designed to challenge the misconception of adding numerators and denominators, and give a chance to reinforce the key method. Worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!