This idea is from Craig Barton and is an excellent one (check them out his at website); essentially it is four questions based on the same information. There are four here which use perimeter, area, Pythagoras, equations of lines, coordinates, vectors, equations of circles, expanding brackets, solving equations as well as other topics. This really should create discussion and a deeper understanding of the topics covered on top of ensuring that students actually read the question. I hope these are worthy! I will be using these as starters or plenaries.

This is designed to get students thinking rather than just blindly following a mathematical recipe. There a four sets of 4 problems which all have the same answer (given in the centre of the screen). Each question has a blank for the students to fill in and sometimes there is more than one answer for the blank. This particular one covers probability, percentages, fractions, ratio, angles, equations, equations of lines and other topics. I will be using these as starters to get students thinking from the off and will produce more if they work!

This is designed to get students thinking rather than just blindly following a mathematical recipe. There a four sets of 4 problems which all have the same answer (given in the centre of the screen). Each question has a blank for the students to fill in and sometimes there is more than one answer for the blank. This particular one covers fractions, decimals, percentages, sequences, probability, expressions (algebra), quadratics, standard form, indices and other topics. I will be using these as starters to get students thinking.

I’ve called this an “Advent” calendar as I couldn’t think of a better name, but I have little intention of using it in the run up to Christmas only. There are 24 questions which you can choose to display; students have a go and can then check their solutions with the model answer slide. Topics include bearings, averages, expanding and simplifying brackets, angle problems, transformations, proportion, simultaneous equations, similar shapes, indices, surds, circle theorems, algebraic fractions amongst other topics. Questions are from Edexcel past papers.

I had this idea whilst driving home tonight thinking that I could do with some more stuff on bearings. The idea is for student to practice all the skills involved in bearings problems (angle properties on lines, around a point, triangles and parallel lines as well as scale) and then move on to solving some actual bearing problems. I have designed it in the shape of a wall to show that we build up to the summit. Obviously with this topic, scale is more of an issue but I hope it’s useful… (error corrected)

This covers from simple finding pairs of integers up to completing the square, including completing the square and the quadratic formula. I will put solving graphically on a another one as there wasn’t room here.

All the skills required for sequences up to and including summing arithmetic sequences and geometric sequences.

This takes students from fairly straightforward area and perimeter questions (trapeziums, circles etc) through compound shapes and on to cones, frustums and hemispheres including finding the height in terms of the radius for a cone. I have tried to cover all bases with it including density and capacity problems.

This (hopefully) covers circle theorems from basic up to one proof questions using circle theorems. There should be enough variety to cover all bases.

This leads students through basic angle facts through parallel lines, polygons and then onto forming and solving equations or writing angles using algebra.

This takes students through all the skills required to solve simultaneous equations graphically (only linear graphs), by elimination and by substitution including one linear and one non-linear up to GCSE level. Work from the bottom building the skills up to the most complex style of question.

This is an activity based on the daytime quiz show “Impossible” where a question is asked and three options given: one correct, one incorrect but could be correct if the question was slightly different (partial answer), and one that is impossible (cannot be the answer). This is designed to be a discussion/reasoning activity where students find the correct answer then discuss why the other two options are impossible or incomplete. Topics include HCF, fractions, percentages, bounds, standard form, ratio, proportion, indices.

The two bands are comparing notes with regards being in a band in different eras. The 1D boys work in metric, The Stones in imperial. Can you convert units between metric and imperial (and vice versa) for each band?

This leads on from 'Misleading Graphs' where the students have to draw a graph in an effort to convince a Small Business Manager to give them a loan.

This was an idea I had in a bid to get the students to explain their thinking mathematically. Error corrected!

Celebrity cracker eating - order the fractions to see who wins each heat and the series. Increasing difficulty of common denominator.

A student gave me the title (pun on 'The Hunger Games' - original was 'The Number Games'), I did the rest. Five different sets of questions in a functional style for students to work through either individually or in pairs/teams.

Geometry worksheet activity: Cut out the facts on triangles and quadrilaterals and put them in to groups: Always True; Sometimes True; Never True.

Three slides with different differentiation problems. The first asks students to differentiate, find a gradient and equation of a tangent at the given point; the second asks the same but the equation of the normal at the given point; the third asks students to find the turning/stationary points. I have thrown in a bit of integration (by stealth) as well just as a challenge… and this could be used for IGCSE or A/AS Level.

This is designed to add some "real life" and to enhance to a sequences lesson. It links into the golden ratio and has a link to a YouTube video on the subject. There are invitations to calculate the golden ratio and to draw the Fibonacci spiral.