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?
This is a lovely set of 8 mini investigations, all set on the mysterious Hyperbola Island. The investigations cover a wide variety of key mathematical topics including factors and multiples, properties of shapes, solving equations, area and perimeter, and even providing a lovely introduction to solving simultaneous equations. I also like the fact that many of the investigations are somewhat open-ended, allowing students to attack them any way they like, but with plenty of opportunity for the teacher to offer guidance and structure where needed. Oh, and answers are provided!
How can it be used?
I find students of all ages love stuff like this. Even though students and teachers alike are fully aware that the same old maths has been cunningly disguised in a sugary coating, it doesn’t seem to matter – there seems to be an unspoken agreement that everyone will buy into it. Indeed, my Year 8s absolutely loved this. I got them into pairs and set them off on their voyage. I ran the activity like a relay, where they had to present the correct answer to Investigation 1 before they had access to Investigation 2. I challenged the one group who had finished to create a 9th Investigation, and out came the compasses and angle measurers for a nightmare loci task! I thoroughly enjoyed this lesson.
Thank you for sharing!
Craig Barton
Download Hyperbola Island: Mini Investigation Tasks
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