This is a good resource for pupils beginning in algebra, especially those who like to know exactly what's going on and why. The left hand column of the resource gives written examples showing that, for example, 3 x a x a can be written as 3a(squared). It proves this by working the same example through with numbers. 3 x 4 x 4 = 3 x 4(squared) = 48. The right hand column requires the pupil to have a go at writing a simplified algebraic expression based on the pattern in the left column. There is room to do a 'numbers version' if that helps. At the bottom, there is a challenge to work the idea backwards, expanding expressions such as 6fg to find out what's really going on inside that expression.

A matching activity where pupils need to match an algebraic expression e.g. xy into words e.g x multiplied by y.

If I have six sweets and increase them by a half, what fraction would I have to reduce the result by to get back to the original 6 sweets? This resource was made as a way of explaining a KS3 exam question I found, which used this idea but with x amount of sweets.

These three games are a good introduction to algebraic terms and expressions and are designed for two players. In two of the games, the question cards will have something like b + b + a + a and the players need to see if they have the simplified answer 2b + 2a on their grid. In the third game, the question card might show yz + z and the pupil needs to expand it to y x z + z to see if they have it on their grid.

This resource is designed for groups who are in the early stages of column addition. It is used a bit like a smartboard (although it's in word) as its examples need to be worked through with the children. Visually, the questions are shown with arrow cards to help show that adding 2 and 6 in the tens column is the same as adding 20 and 60. This also helps if you are then able to provide this resource children to use 'hands on' in the lesson. For questions that require carrying, the appropriate 10 or 100 is available at the bottom of the page to drag up in to the questions. The first questions are TU + TU with no carrying, reaching HTU + HTU with carrying by the end.

Lists of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs to be sorted into the correct boxes in a table. Use one column of words each time for a SPAG starter activity.