Clive is having a go at a couple of ratio and proportion tests but making mistakes as per usual; he desperately needs your help to set him straight. These are designed to create discussion in class using common mistakes. There are two tests, the second being more challenging than the first. The first concentrates on ratio whilst the second concentrates on proportion.

This is an activity designed to et students thinking about ratio but changing one value in a ratio to get another ratio. There are four ratios on each slide which get steadily more challenging and should create discussion. This also brings multiples and factors into play as well as simplifying/equivalent ratio.

Clive is tackling number in these two tests, including properties of number, HCF, LCM, prime factors, Venn diagrams and the product rule for counting. As ever he is making mistakes and needs help from your classes to help him correct his errors and then explain what he did wrong so that he (hopefully) doesn’t make the same mistakes again. This is designed to create discussion.

More fish jokes to be discovered having done some maths; there are two to do here, the first dealing with integers that satisfy inequalities (including number lines) and the second that deals with solving inequalities. I use these at various different times of a lesson but clearly the choice is yours whether you use them or not and when! They are always popular even though the groans over the jokes get louder each time.

Clive is tackling two tests on surds and indices; the second is more challenging than the first. As usual he is making mistakes and needs your students’ help to explain what he has done wrong and show him how he should have completed the questions correctly. These activities are designed to create discussion and develop understanding and model the new style “spot the error” questions that now appear in many exams.

There are four slides (and a template so you can create your own); there are 3 or 4 digits and students need to achieve certain number properties using add, subtract, multiply or divide and brackets where necessary. Many of the properties can be achieved in multiple ways (I think!) so this should create some discussion and allow for some challenge. I have given an example of a solution for each but there are more so students can demonstrate their thinking.

Two fish jokes to figure out; the first codbreaker asks students to find prime factors and the second is on finding HCF or LCM. I use these as starters, plenaries and main tasks as they are self-marking; this means that they have been useful for online learning/lessons too.

Clive is looking at some questions on linear graphs, but as usual he is making mistakes that your classes need to help him with, explaining what he has done incorrectly so that he (hopefully) doesn’t make the same mistakes in the future. This is designed to encourage discussion and help students to develop a deeper understanding of the topic.

More fish jokes having simplified some algebraic expressions; The first one is using just one variable, the second uses two. These offer incentive to complete the sheets (to find the joke) beyond just finishing and whilst the students often groan at the jokes they secretly love them (I have convinced myself).

Another fish joke revealed upon converting some metric measures. Self-marking so useful both in class or online.

Using the “Impossible” game show format where each question has three options: a correct answer, an incorrect answer which would be correct in a different concept and an impossible answer. There are 12 questions tackling transformations, surds, quadratics, inequalities and more. Students need to calculate which is the correct answer, which is impossible and which is incorrect but “partially right” so this should encourage discussion in class and develop a deeper understanding.

I wrote this for new students joining Year 8 to do over the summer (if they wanted to) given that they hadn’t attended school due to lockdown for a few months. Each of the twelve topics is typical Year 7 topics and each sheet is self-marking whether is forms an image, questions and answers match or a punchline to a joke, so students can work independently and ensure that they are not rusty in September. Topics include angles, area, averages, directed numbers, HCF/LCM, probability, properties of number, ratio, sequences, simplifying expressions, solving equations, substitution. If they get stuck, each sheet has a QR code that when scanned using a smartphone takes you to a short tutorial video. There are two activities for each topic (24 activities in total) and answers are provided; if printed out as a booklet the answers are on the reverse of the question sheet.

This time we combine ratio with fish puns; the first is basic sharing and simplifying, the second is some worded, slightly more challenging problems and each comes with a (slightly lame?) fish gag. Self-marking and useful as a starter, plenary or main task and this format worked well during online lessons.

I wrote this for new students joining Year 9 to do over the summer (if they wanted to) given that they hadn’t attended school due to lockdown for a few months. Each of the twelve topics is typical Year 8 topics and each sheet is self-marking whether is forms an image, questions and answers match or a punchline to a joke, so students can work independently and ensure that they are not rusty in September. Topics include angles in polygons, averages, bearings, equations of lines, quadratics, inequalities, percentage change, perimeter/area/volume, Pythagoras, speed, transformations. If they get stuck, each sheet has a QR code that when scanned using a smartphone takes you to a short tutorial video. There are two activities for each topic (24 activities in total) and answers are provided; if printed out as a booklet the answers are on the reverse of the question sheet.

I wrote this for new students joining Year 10 to do over the summer (if they wanted to) given that they hadn’t attended school due to lockdown for a few months. Each of the eleven topics is a typical Year 9 topic and each sheet is self-marking whether is forms an image, questions and answers match or a punchline to a joke, so students can work independently and ensure that they are not rusty in September. Topics include bounds, circle theorems, compound measures, equations of line, indices, percentage change, trigonometry, sequences, simultaneous equations, quadratics, standard form. If they get stuck, each sheet has a QR code that when scanned using a smartphone takes you to a short tutorial video. There are two activities for each topic (22 activities in total) and answers are provided; if printed out as a booklet the answers are on the reverse of the question sheet.

I wrote this for students entering Year 11 to do over the summer (if they wanted to) given that they hadn’t attended school due to lockdown for a few months. Each of the eleven topics is typical Year 10 higher topics and each sheet is self-marking whether is forms an image, questions and answers match or a punchline to a joke, so students can work independently and ensure that they are not rusty in September. Topics include algebraic fractions, completing the square, compound measures, cumulative frequency, functions, negative/fractional indices, proportion, simultaneous equations, surds, transformations, tree diagrams. If they get stuck, each sheet has a QR code that when scanned using a smartphone takes you to a short tutorial video. There are two activities for each topic (22 activities in total) and answers are provided; if printed out as a booklet the answers are on the reverse of the question sheet.

This is essentially forming and solving equations using angle facts and percentage change skills. I have used angles at a point on line, angles in a triangle, quadrilateral and a pentagon. Each gets more challenging as it goes in a bid to scaffold the activity.

Two more fish jokes to be discovered; the first deals with y=mx+c (what is the gradient? what is the y-intecept?) whilst the second could be considered a little more challenging as students have to find equations given two lines but I have done it so a sketch would be possible as long as you can calculate the gradient. Ideal for lockdown lessons or classwork/homework as they mark themselves.

Various calculations involving fractions, decimals and percentages; students need to change an element of each to meet the requirements listed. Many of the answers can be achieved in numerous ways so this should create discussion and challenge. Answer slide that wasn’t complete is now complete…