This is an activity where you have to calculate missing sides and angles for computer software designers, based upon Link's Crossbow Training on the Wii! There is an extension where they have to produce general formulae where there are different ways of calculating the same thing depending on what you are given.

Using the fighting game of Tekken can you help the programmers calculate the missing angles in each move? This is designed to be a starter of an angles lesson, not a challenge. I have done a Smart Board version to save on printing.

Another fish related effort after finding the missing angles using circle theorems. Ideal for online lessons and in-person ones too; students like the cheesy jokes despite their protestations to the contrary.

A simple ordering task with numbers in the ten thousands using the average attendances in the PL from 2013-14. Very simple, no bells or whistles, just a task.

I had a request for a link to a One Direction song on one of these and I'm nothing if not compliant. I have linked to the ironically title 'Best Song Ever'. And the link: 'direction' and lines.

This PowerPoint and three codebreakers takes students through bases; this should help students understand why we carry/borrow when calculating mentally.

I did a worksheet on the quadratic formula where questions build up from entering values into the formula to working in reverse from formula to original quadratic equation and I was looking at some completing the square questions and thought I could do the same with this. I have put 10 increasingly challenging questions initially with blanks to fill in before moving on to a “Challenge” section where the coefficient of x squared is not 1.

Answer the questions on surface area of cubes and cuboids and reveal the punchline to a fish joke. These work well in class, online or as a homework and offer some reassurance as students find their answers in the table allowing the teacher to help those who really need it.

Working forwards, backwards, repeated percentage change etc using multipliers. It does what it says on the tin.

Answer the questions, reveal the punchline to a joke. The graphs are both linear and non-linear.

No real imagination here, just a quick worksheet to stop the students bisecting a horizontal or vertical and bisecting a right angle. Don't expect anything fancy people...

The two classic adverts and some maths questions on them regarding volume etc.

The infamous terrorist 'The Mathematician' has planted more bombs. Answer the problems, pick the right answer then scan the QR code associated with that answer. The song or artist that appears contains a number which is part of the code required to defuse the bomb. Riddled with 80s classics! Enjoy!

Interpret a couple of scatter graphs and get a properly cheesy joke…

Describe the transformations of the letters to spell the word 'MATHS'. It was an idea suggested by one of my Year 11s that seemed decent.

These are supposed to prevent students using their calculators to do these entirely as they ask for the solution to be in a form that the calculator won’t give exactly. The jokes are predictably cheesy and they get increasingly difficult as you go through them.

As ever, do the maths, get a punchline to a joke.

Using the Trivial Pursuit board, here are some maths questions based upon angles, polygons and probability. Designed as a starter or plenary activity. Inspiration came from the excellent blog http://matheminutes.blogspot.co.uk/ which is well worth a look!

I found a graph on the BBC News website showing the breakdown of the cost of fuel in Britain and thought that the students could calculate the percentage of each cost from the price of one litre.

The more circle theorems resources the merrier… The usual thing: answer the questions, find the punchline.