The following resource has been kindly shared on the TES Maths website. It is available to download for free by registering. And to access all the lovely Resource of the Week (ROTW) resources, just click here

What is it?
There are few things more annoying in the world of maths – and possibly life in general – than when students drop silly marks because they don’t understand what the question is asking. The sounds of past students telling me “I didn’t know what product meant, sir”, or “We haven’t been taught to evaluate, to I left it out” haunt me most nights. Over the years I have tried to tackle this by running one-off “Maths Literacy” lessons, but the trouble is, like most things, unless students are exposed to these crucial words regularly, pretty soon they forget. So, how to we solve this problem? Well, this lovely resources goes a long way towards the answer. It is a selection of 8 weeks’ worth or key words, which the students are challenged to discuss what they mean and then create their own question using one of the words.

How can it be used?
The author suggests using this lovely resource during form/tutor time, and that immediately set off a default warning in my head – but what if the tutors are not maths teachers? Well, fear not! Each selection of words comes complete with some examples of how they could be used, which can offer both support to any students are struggling, and also to the teacher who may be delivering the session. Spending five minutes a week using this resource could well help students pick up a few incredibly valuable marks in their final GCSE exam. We are rolling it out at our school after Easter.

Thanks for sharing!
Craig Barton

Download Developing Mathematical Vocabulary

View the author’s other resources