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.

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.

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 is a set of 6 sheets of increasingly difficult simultaneous equations designed to make students think and discuss how to work through their solutions by giving them different parts of the process. They include simultaneous equations that involve a linear and a non-linear equation. This is also designed to stretch at GCSE or could be used at the start of A level.

There are four "explosions" for students to deal with, each covering different types of algebraic fraction. The first slide involves simple indices and simplifying, the second involves adding and subtracting (find a common denominator), the third has algebraic expressions as denominators and the fourth involves factorising quadratics. These are designed to stop students getting in a rut of doing the same thing over and over again, plus they should (hopefully!) generate good mathematical discussions.

Eight matching activities, getting increasingly difficult, on various different formulae to rearrange. These are designed as plenaries or starters and should encourage discussion.

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.

Dounble homework this week for Clive as he tackles algebraic fractions; he's having a complete nightmare to be honest. Can your class help him out and explain where he's gone wrong? These are designed for starters or plenaries and encourage discussion in class. The second sheet is at a higher level (quadratics etc) than the first.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Erica is struggling with many aspects of the A level mathematics course and needs help from your students. What you have here is 17 of her homeworks, each with mistakes in solutions which your students need to find, correct and explain where Erica has gone wrong. These are purely designed to generate discussion and to allow students to demonstrate their understanding, whilst also allowing them to show their own methods of solving problems. These are all based upon the new A level curriculum.

This is a matching activity on bounds (it does what it says on the tin?), including the potential error in calculations. Ideal for a starter or plenary and should hopefully generate discussion and enable students to demonstrate 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.

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.