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A short, snappy starter which refreshes pupil’s mental arithmetic skills and provides a healthy mix of challenge and competition. This starter is suitable for all maths classes in secondary school and those in KS2. The task is this: Using digits from 1-9, make an addition with two 3 digit numbers to make another 3 digit number. Each digit from 1-9 can only be used once (carrying is allowed). . This could be done as a competition to encourage group work where pupils (in teams) are set a certain amount of time and must come up with as many different additions as they can. This starter is also useful for generating discussions as the pupils may notice certain patterns in the answers (i.e. the digits of the final answer always add up to 18) and the commutative law of addition (3 + 5 = 5 + 3).

A set of sample learning objectives for teaching a Year 8 KS3 Maths class about Polygons (Classifying and Properties of). Differentiated objectives/outcomes are shown for the topic, literacy links, real world applications of the topic are displayed so that pupils can see the relevance of what they are learning as well as homework, merits and lesson questions pupils should be able to answer. This is an easily adaptable resource which can be changed and formatted to display any topic in the KS3 and GCSE Maths curriculum.

A set of sample learning objectives for teaching a Year 10 GCSE Maths class about Surface Area of 2-D Shapes (drawing and interpreting). Differentiated objectives/outcomes are shown for the topic, literacy links, real world applications of the topic are displayed so that pupils can see the relevance of what they are learning as well as homework, merits and lesson questions pupils should be able to answer. This is an easily adaptable resource which can be changed and formatted to display any topic in the KS3 and GCSE Maths curriculum.

A handy glossary of terms (separated by each of the 4 strands of Mathematics: Number, Shape, Handling Data and Algebra) which will be very useful for pupils for revision purposes and act as a reminder for when they forget the meaning of key terminology. Suitable for both KS3 students or those studying foundation at KS4. Links excellently with Literacy and promotes the use of this within Mathematics.

A handy resource with 3 separate diagrams of circles showing each part clearly labelled as well as diagrams of basic 2-D shapes and their area formulae. Although mainly suitable for students at KS3 Maths, this resource would also specifically those pupils in KS4 studying Foundation. It is especially useful for those pupils who struggle to retain information and acts as a handy prompt to remember key formulae.

A teaching sheet on ratio which defines what ratio is and provides worked examples of cancelling down ratios, representing them in the form 1:n and n:1 and answering questions which require the student to share a quantity (money, number of sweets etc.) between people in a given ratio. This teaching sheet is very accessible and presented in a simple, consistent easy-to-understand manner. Methods to answer each question are structured very clearly and are explained. It could be used to introduce a topic of ratios or provide worked examples to assist students in tackling questions on the topic. It will be of general use to students in Years 8-10 but may also assist Year 11 students who are aiming for a grade 5 in Mathematics.

A simple resource demonstrating how to calculate the area and circumference of a circle with worked examples clearly illustrating the methods behind answering the question. At the beginning of the resource, children are reminded of the precise definitions of Circumference, Diameter and Radius. Students can use this resource to help them with working out the area and circumference of a circle and and also for revision too. Primarily this resource should be aimed at those pupils in KS3 Maths, though older pupils may benefit from this as a refresher of some basic skills.

This resource (for KS3 and GCSE Maths classes) is a worksheet for students on drawing straight line graphs. It could be used in-class, set for homework or to summatively assess pupils’ progress. It allows for effective differentiation as questions progress in difficulty. Topics covered in this resource include: drawing straight line graphs, equations, co-ordinates, properties of 2-D shapes and sequences.

This resource is a worksheet on Interpreting Bar Charts that is suitable for use in KS3 and GCSE Maths classes. It could be used in-class, set as homework or to summatively check pupils’ understanding of the topic. The worksheet allows for effective differentiation as the questions gradually progress in difficulty and links with literacy in getting pupils to explain and justify their answers.

This is a useful resource (suitable for KS3 and GCSE classes) which is a worksheet on linear graphs. This would work well as a baseline to check pupils’ prior knowledge of linear graphs, for use in class or to refresh pupils knowledge. It allows for effective differentiation as question progress in difficulty. Topics covered by this resource include: equations of linear graphs, co-ordinates and properties of 2-D shapes.

This is a very useful test which can be used for either KS3 or GCSE Maths. It can be used as to summatively check of students’ understanding of the topic, set as homework or used for revision purposes. The test contains a mixture of calculator and non-calculator questions and also contains some worded problems. Topics covered include fractions, decimals and percentages, conversions, multiplication and division, calculator use, factors and multiples, square and cube numbers, prime factor decomposition, formulae and area and perimeter of 2-D shapes.

This is an incredibly useful resource for students of a glossary of all the key words and terminology used in exam questions in KS3 and GCSE Maths. This is excellent for improving students’ exam technique, as a revision aid and developing their literacy skills. A definition is provided for each key word alongside a worked clear example. In my practice I gave this to pupils as a handout and it was very helpful for revision purposes and greatly improved their exam technique.

This resource contains a set of questions and revision notes for pupils on acceleration and velocity-time graphs in GCSE Maths (Mechanics). Pupils are provided with worked examples and formulae to calculate the acceleration and displacement from a velocity-time graph before attempting a set of questions themselves. This resources builds strong cross-curricular links with literacy and developing pupils’ knowledge of mathematical notation and formulae.

This is an excellent resource of the old level descriptors pupils have to meet/fulfill in KS3 Maths. It’s very useful in helping teachers formatively assess pupils’ progress and acts as a aid for self and peer assessment. Each level is structured by clear outcomes of operations and activities across all 4 areas (number, geometry, algebra, data handling) students must be able to complete to meet the criteria for achieving the level. As well as boosting cross-curricular links I also used this resource as a poster/wall display and a handout for pupils to self and peer assess their progress.

This is an investigation (including teacher notes and worksheets) which is suitable for GCSE maths students, though higher ability KS3 students should be able to complete it. The problem students have to answer is ‘Can you find a formula to find out the total possible number of half-time scores if you know the full-time score of a football match?’ Probability is the main topic covered (listing outcomes, formula for total number of outcomes) as well as algebra topics such as expanding brackets, sequences, factorising and generalising formulae. Pupils can probably work on this independently with some teacher input in setting up the investigation and prompting pupils.

An investigation (including teacher notes and worksheets) into the origins of square numbers which guides students to generate the square numbers sequence and observe the patterns within it. This investigation would be suitable for a wide variety of age groups including KS2, KS3 and GCSE. In terms of differentiation, earlier stages of the investigation (looking at the patterns in the square numbers) may be more suitable for lower ability learners whereas the latter stages of the investigation (finding the nth term of a quadratic sequence) should stretch higher ability students. Topics covered in this resource are mental arithmetic, properties of numbers, nth term (quadratic) and sequences.

This is an interesting investigation which mainly covers the topics of rearranging formulae, expanding brackets and simplifying expressions. However, there are some links to ICT as the words input and output are introduced to students. The pupils are asked to think of a domino and using all the possible digits on the domino as input (if the numbers on the domino were 1 and 6: A=1 and B=6) into a given algorithm find an output. The pupils are then asked to find a formula which connects the input and output. This investigation is very logical and gets students to see patterns, but there is also a very logical, satisfying solution to the problem which is sequential and hopefully gets students to appreciate the rigor of mathematics.

This is a great revision source for KS3 and KS4 pupils on triangular numbers. The resource includes a definition and explanation, patterns which can be found in the sequence, how to find the nth term of the sequence and worked examples of exam questions involving triangular numbers. Depending on the ability of the class, you may wish to differentiate; the opening part of the resource is suitable for less able learners whilst the later part of the resource should stretch more able students. Other topics linked with this resource include finding the nth term of quadratic sequences, generating sequences and properties of numbers.

A useful revision aid on all the 2-D shapes whom students will encounter in the KS3/GCSE Mathematics curriculum, with notes on their properties and different types of shapes. Also includes a section on polygons for higher ability learners.

Teacher notes on an investigation on areas of triangles, also covering topics such as simplifying surds, Pythagoras’ Theorem, congruency and algebraic formulae. The problem the students must solve is ‘When the perimeter of a triangle is 20 cm and it is an isosceles triangle, how many possible triangles can there be?’. Students find this out through working out the area of each possible triangle and seeing a pattern. An extension is also included in this resource which gets pupils to work out the total possible number of any triangle (not just isosceles) with a perimeter of 20 cm. Students then work to find a link between the base length of the triangle and the number of possible triangles which can be drawn with that base length. A worksheet is included for each activity as well as notes and guidance on how to conduct the investigation with pupils.