I try to keep my language consistent to help students draw connections, and link new rules back to the original concept they’re built on. So: Area always involves ‘width x height’. Included: Two versions of a presentation and a handout for students to fill in as you recap the rules on area of 2D shapes. One version without circles included, and one that includes circles, linking them to the same approach. Suited for classes who’ve seen the rules before but need more practice, and could do with seeing that actually all the rules for area are essentially the same rule but with adjustments included. The activity includes showing the rule and going through one example for each shape. I think this really starts to pay off once you start presenting trapeziums as ‘average width x height’ and circles as ‘three and a bit’ times bigger than a square drawn in one of its quadrants. Note: The presentations were made as Google Slides that I’ve made available to view online for free at maths.mrhatchard.co.uk. I’ve downloaded them as Powerpoint files and included them here so that you can keep them forever, edit them, print slides out, etc, which you can’t do with the online versions.

A lesson on Frequency Diagrams: Bar charts for discrete or qualitative data Histograms/bar charts for grouped continuous data with equal width class intervals Frequency Polygons Includes: Examples in a Smart Notebook file with accompanying worksheets for them to do along with the teacher. Worksheets with two examples of each type of frequency diagram for them to complete independently. Model answers included. The Notebook file builds slide by slide, so you can start to fill in the next detail to show them how it works (start to label axes, use rectangle tool for bars, for example), and then skip to the next slide to show what it should look like when that step in the process is complete.

Presentation and Differentiated Worksheets that move from the basics of counting squares, extend to tricky problem-solving and prompt students to discover the formula for area of rectangles for themselves. Includes one Powerpoint that goes through the basic concepts, two worksheets (3 pages each) that go through the core content at slightly different paces, and a Challenge worksheet (2 pages) that has students working out rectangles without a grid, much trickier areas to work out, and drawing shapes that have to match multiple given properties. Note: The presentation was made as Google Slides that I’ve made available to view online for free at maths.mrhatchard.co.uk. I’ve downloaded it as a Powerpoint file and included them here so that you can keep it forever, edit it, print slides out, etc, which you can’t do with the online version.