The focus of all of the resources on this website is to promote conceptual understanding by starting with context first. This makes them ideal low threshold, high ceiling lessons. Please read the notes below on how to use them. These resources and this idea is new and untested so feedback is welcomed! Please visit the website for more info on how to use these resources. (Some resources are borrowed or adapted from other places - Credit where it's due)
The focus of all of the resources on this website is to promote conceptual understanding by starting with context first. This makes them ideal low threshold, high ceiling lessons. Please read the notes below on how to use them. These resources and this idea is new and untested so feedback is welcomed! Please visit the website for more info on how to use these resources. (Some resources are borrowed or adapted from other places - Credit where it's due)
The âWhyâ: Why do we count a value of less than zero?
This lesson starts by introducing the idea of a bank statement with money going and out of an account in different ways. At one point, a standing order for ÂŁ100 comes out when only ÂŁ99 exists in the account. It may be worth explaining what a standing order is although some will understand this implicitly. Debt is in fact the origin of negative numbers which is why the lesson starts here.
It then goes on to use other real life examples including temperature and moods.
Some mastery tasks are included in this from the White rose SOW including the number line and problem solving activities.
Activities included:
Bank Statement Starter
Temperature Explanation
Number Lines Activity
Temperature around the world
Adding & Subtracting Negative numbers
Mini Whiteboard Activity
Moods
Walking in a line to Multiply
The âWhyâ: Why do we count in 10âs?
This lesson builds on the understanding of Place value and includes a recap of this if the first place value lesson wasnât used.
When asking students, âWhy do we count in tens?â the suggestions around the room are often âBecause we doâ or âBecause thatâs the system that makes senseâ. Students are often surprised to learn that it is likely due to the convenience of having 10 fingers.
Showing the pattern that leads to anything to the power of 1 and 0 also allows students to understand that this pattern goes on in both directions forever.
Once there is a good understanding of negative powers of 10, a task framing the usefulness of this to Motorsport lap times is included as extension. There is also a short introduction to standard form which students often see on their calculators.
Activities included:
Pocket Money Starter
The History of Number Systems
Place Value Recap
Counting in Tens
Definition of Powers
Multiplying by Powers of 10
Dividing by Powers of 10
Negative Powers
Standard Form
Motorsport
The âWhyâ: Why does subtraction work the way it does?
This lesson starts with a worded problem about peopleâs heights. This is to introduce the idea of a real world application of subtraction as well as unit conversion and problem solving skills. Next is an introduction to inverse operations. This explained as being one of the most beautiful and simplistic ideas in all of mathematics; that anything that can be done one way can also be done in reverse. This is shown through bar models and fact families.
As an extension of the work on addition, mental subtraction techniques such as partitioning and compensating are covered as an âI do, you doâ followed by some practice questions of each. Then, move on to written subtraction. This is one of very few slides where the answers havenât been provided. However, a place value grid has been provided to talk through the answers and techniques. There is then some practice (with grids) that does include the answers and some problem solving questions as extension.
There is then a slide addressing a misconception that is often built in by teachers; that you âcanât take 3 from 2â. This isnât strictly speaking true. If you take 3 from 2, you get negative 1. There is then an example of how, if you are secure in your understanding of place value, you can subtract using these numbers.
There is then explanation and practice for subtracting decimals. Although this will have been modelled earlier, this will be the students first chance to practice. Again, the first screen is an âI do, you doâ (without answers) and then practice (with answers). There is then an example of how bar models and fact families can be used to solve algebraic expressions and lastly, some problem solving tasks using algebraic skills.
Activities included:
Worded height starter
The beauty of inverse functions
Partitioning and compensating mental subtraction
Written subtraction practice
Problem solving
Place value subtraction
Subtracting decimals practice
Using bar models for algebra
Algebra problem solving