This is an example maths trail that can be used with Year 5 that focuses on number. These cards can be attached around the playground or the hall if it is raining. They work like loop cards, so the answer to the previous question is in the rectangular box in the top left-hand corner of each card. Pairs of pupils should start at different cards. The number in the bottom right-hand corner is a way to identify the card and is not related to the answer or the order in which the cards should be answered. Pupils use these numbers to fill in which cards they have answered and the order of the cards that they have found.

Pupils can struggle when it comes to word problems. SPOT encourages them to first write a sentence containing a blank for the answer which then has to be revisited at the end to ensure that the actual question asked has been answered. They are then encouraged to create a picture or image using visuals such as a bar model, manipulatives, or even themselves if appropriate. They then work out the operations needed using this image and then that need to test if this is sensible when they fill in the answer in the original sentence.

Approximately 3 activities to get your pupils thinking about this irrational number on Pi Day.

This Powerpoint resource (consisting of 70 interactive slides plus printables) builds on pupils’ familiarity with pattern using sequence patterns as a starting point for generalization. As letters are introduced, when finding general rules for a growing pattern, they will have many possible values thus emphasising the use of letters as variables. A range of models and images, interactive activities and games are utilised to encourage reasoning and develop understanding. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Problems are used to allow the application of generalising in a range of situations. Visual sequences are created according to a given rule. Sequences with a constant difference are linked to multiple sequences and graphed to show relationships. Pupils continue a range of sequences using cubes or square paper while using tables to explore emerging patterns. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

Getting outside for PE during the summer term usually involves some form of athletics, even if only in the form of practice for the fast-approaching Sports Day. This presents an excellent opportunity to practise measuring which is such an important, but sometimes neglected, part of teaching measures. Also, we obtain relevant data that can then be used back in the classroom. Links are provided for the world youth record data used in this Power point. Pupils can compare their times to this data.

Earth’s Rotation Day takes place on 8th January each year. Do pupils know that the Earth rotates once every 24 hours? This presentation looks at whether we are likely to experience a 25 hour day during our lifetimes, given that the rotation of the Earth is gradually slowing. Research has looked at Earth’s rotation over long periods of time so although occasionally the Earth’s rotation speeds up, the pattern over many years is that it is very gradually slowing down.

The grid can be printed out and laminated for individuals or displayed on a working wall. Regular use will help pupils to learn the multiplication facts as well as highlighting the patterns within and between multiples. Printing in colour allows the symmetry pattern to be seen clearly – only half the facts need to be learnt due to the commutative property of multiplication.

This Powerpoint resource (consisting of 83 interactive slides plus printables - a total of 235 slides) explores multiplication and division for younger pupils and emphasises the links between the two operations. A range of models and images, interactive activities, games and problems are utilised to encourage reasoning and develop understanding. Patterns in multiples of 2, 5 and 10 are linked to the number line. Arrays are introduced to move pupils on from repeated addition. Doubling and halving are used to introduce scaling. Grouping and equal sharing are experienced through context problems. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

All pupils will strengthen their understanding by investigating the multiplication facts in this interactive PowerPoint presentation which includes looking at: patterns and links within multiple groups; images and use of arrays; showing how facts can be worked out from other known facts; and demonstrating how these patterns and links - as well as the commutative property (3 x 4 = 4 x 3) and associative property (2 x 4 x 2 = 2 x 2 x 4) - can be used to construct a multiplication grid. The presentation contains 84 slides as well as notes, which provide further information on the learning of multiplication facts and ideas on how to use the resource.

Practise addition and subtraction of integers using this twenty card maths trail for 9 to 11-year-olds. Pupils can work in pairs using number sense to decide how best to perform the calculation. Pairs can start at any point on the trail since the cards form a loop where the answer to one calculation can be found on a different card. Answers and suggested solutions are included.

The SATs arithmetic paper presents 36 questions to be completed in 30 minutes. Pupils therefore need to work efficiently and accurately. When marking maths assessments, it can be very frustrating when pupils get the answer wrong when we know that they understand how to carry out a particular calculation. This can often be due to a careless error that a pupil has overlooked since they are not asking themselves, ‘Is this answer reasonable?’ For this reason, it is useful to look at questions and answers and ask pupils to explain why particular answers cannot be correct, without carrying out the actual calculation. That is the focus of this PowerPoint presentation. It is worth removing any writing materials, including whiteboards, so that pupils cannot work out the actual calculation but have to rely on reasoning and estimates they can complete in their heads. 45 interactive slides each containing 4 cards that are flipped to reveal a calculation. An incorrect answer is provided for each calculation. Printables and suggested reasons for why the answers are wrong are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist busy teachers with details of suggested errors that have been made to produce the incorrect calculation.

Practise addition and subtraction of integers using this second twenty card maths trail for 9 to 11-year-olds. Pupils can work in pairs using number sense to decide how best to perform the calculation. Pairs can start at any point on the trail since the cards form a loop where the answer to one calculation can be found on a different card. Answers and suggested solutions are included.

Get into the festive spirit while providing your students with the opportunity to apply reasoning to maths tasks in the days leading up to Christmas. They can be used at the start of each day, or when there is a convenient slot. Alternatively, they can be incorporated into the daily maths lesson. Paired work is encouraged since the discussions that result when working together help to clarify students’ thoughts and ideas. Each slide contains notes that give advice on how to use the activities, what to look out for, and answers where applicable. The zip file contains three Power point presentations (45 slides each) designed for KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2. The 24 activities for each age group make use of games and problems such as comparing feet and height lengths with reindeer lengths, estimating the speed that Santa travels around the world, which numbers of buttons can be used for decorating snowmen when split between a given number of children, and deciding which party table to sit at in order to get the most chocolate.

This interactive Powerpoint (consisting of 18 interactive slides plus printables) helps pupils in lower KS2 to add and subtract fractions. Adding and subtracting fractions is not something that pupils are likely to experience very often in real life (we would be more likely to use their decimal equivalents), so this is a rather abstract topic. It is best to start with manipulatives then link this use to examples without manipulatives. Statements are used to provoke discussion since pupils need to explain why they agree or disagree with the statement or give examples of the circumstances when the statement is true or false. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides for the games are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

This interactive Powerpoint (consisting of 36 interactive slides plus printables) helps pupils in upper KS2 to add and subtract fractions. Adding and subtracting fractions is not something that pupils are likely to experience very often in real life (we would be more likely to use their decimal equivalents), so this is a rather abstract topic. Pupils can start with manipulatives, if needed, then link this use to examples without manipulatives. In Upper KS2 pupils add and subtract fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers, using the concept of equivalent fractions. Pupils should be familiar with equivalent fractions before working on adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

This interactive Powerpoint (consisting of 46 interactive slides plus printables) helps pupils to compare fractions. When asked to compare or order fractions, pupils sometimes automatically think about finding common denominators, and in some cases, this is what is needed. However, there are also situations where pupils can use reasoning, such as when the fractions have the same denominator, the same numerator or can easily be compared to 1 or ½. Using fraction circles, fraction strips, fraction walls and number lines can help pupils to understand these ideas initially before moving towards working abstractly with fractions once they understand why a method works by using visual images. Statements are used to provoke discussion since pupils need to explain why they agree or disagree with the statement or give examples of the circumstances when the statement is true or false. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides for the games are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

This interactive Powerpoint (consisting of 38 interactive slides plus printables) helps pupils to understand equivalent fractions. One of the confusions for pupils when learning fractions is that they consider the numerators and denominators as positive integers rather than as representing the relationship between the part and the whole. This can be a problem for equivalent fractions since pupils can struggle to understand that fractions containing different numerators and denominators can be equivalent since they see the numbers as different. Pupils need to understand that fractions refer to relative amounts rather than focusing on the two separate numbers (the numerator and denominator) and that fractions answer how much, rather than how many. Using fraction circles, fraction strips, fraction walls and number lines helps pupils to see the connections between the different fractions and their relation to each other and the whole. While using these visual resources, pupils often start to spot how to create equivalent fractions and to make this more explicit, sequences are used to develop this idea of using multiples and factors of the numerator and the denominator. Simplifying fractions is associated with making fractions simpler rather than changing them so using the term reducing is avoided since pupils can associate this with the fraction being smaller and different from the original fraction. Statements are used to provoke discussion since pupils need to explain why they agree or disagree with the statement or give examples of the circumstances when the statement is true or false. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides for the games are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils. Typical SATs style questions are also included as practice at the end of the presentation.

One of the reasons for some pupils’ confusion when learning fractions is that they consider the numerators and denominators as whole numbers rather than as representing the relationship between the part and the whole. In this PowerPoint (consisting of 9 interactive slides plus printables) there is an emphasis on recognising the whole unit and the relationship between the parts and the whole unit. Sometimes, shapes and single pizzas are the predominant images used when working on the recognition of fractions, so these activities include multiple pizzas as the whole unit, paper folding - which can then be related to fractions on a number line - and the use of counters as an introduction to fractions of quantities. Misconceptions are explored, such as the idea that the same fraction can produce a different number of counters, or a different number of pieces, depending on the whole unit. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

This interactive Powerpoint (consisting of 57 interactive slides plus printables) helps pupils to understand area and perimeter which students can often find confusing. This resource initially focuses on the ideas of area being the covering of space in two dimensions and perimeter as being the boundary around an area of space. Pupils are encouraged to use various units for the measure of area, prior to appreciating why squares are the unit of measure that is commonly used. Once pupils are comfortable with these ideas, they are encouraged to find areas by considering the number of squares in a row and the number of rows, thus linking the idea of area to multiplication. Ultimately this will lead to the use of a formula for calculating areas of rectangles, followed by the calculation of the area of triangles and parallelograms. Statements are used to provoke discussion since pupils need to explain why they agree or disagree with the statement or give examples of the circumstances when the statement is true or false. A range of models and images, interactive activities and games are utilised to encourage reasoning and develop understanding. Click on the thumbnails above for menus. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides for the games are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. Misconceptions are explored, such as the perceived connections between perimeter and area, and why 8m² should be referred to as eight square metres rather than eight metres squared. Practical applications of area are introduced such as thinking about how much green space people need within urban areas, how much it would cost to replace school carpets and how long it would take to clean the windows of the Shard building in London. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.

This Powerpoint resource (consisting of 52 interactive slides plus printables) enables pupils to recognise two-digit numbers before focusing on understanding that the first digit represents groups of 10. A range of models and images, interactive activities and games are utilised to encourage reasoning and develop understanding. Click on the thumbnails above for menus. Games are also included to consolidate ideas and promote discussion by justifying choices. Instructions and demonstration slides are provided, as well as printable resources, so that the games can be played as a whole class or within groups. The rules and numbers can be changed to suit the stage of the pupils or to focus on a particular objective. Number line activities are used to emphasise where numbers are positioned in relation to each other. Grouping into tens shows pupils how this helps when counting and how it relates to the representation of two-digit numbers. Partitioning activities are included which enable flexibility when calculating. Pupils count from any two-digit number (e.g. 23) and jump backward or forward in 10s since this helps them to see the digits pattern in the sequences. Printables and answers are included to minimise preparation time. Each slide has accompanying notes to assist teachers when working on the development of concepts with pupils.