TES Maths Back to School

Craig Barton

Cover all bases and kick-start another year of teaching maths with this selection of stimulating activities

Happy new school year! September is back and so are your students, all of whom seem to have forgotten every ounce of mathematical knowledge they once had.

So, get the new term off to a flying start with this selection engaging, mathematically sound and, dare I say, even fun exercises, designed to make the return to school as painless as possible. And for even more inspiration, why not visit the GCSE maths hub, jam-packed with resources that have been hand-selected by the Tes Maths panel?

As always, a big thank you must go to the generous and incredibly talented members of the Tes Maths community, whose resources make time fly and provide invaluable support for teachers all year around. It’ll be Christmas before you know it!

Craig Barton, Tes Maths Adviser

 

First lessons

  • Back-to-school activities
    Ease younger learners into KS3 with this cross-curricular icebreaker, in which they’ll get to know their peers through estimating, measuring and recording each other’s heights.
  • Mathematical name cards
    Warm up your new students’ brains with collection of easily adaptable questions. Once completed, they also double up as handy name cards.
  • Maths rich task
    Ideal as an introductory lesson for Year 7s, this activity can be accessed by all abilities and includes an extra challenge for more-able learners.
  • Connecting times tables game
    Develop pupils’ multiplication skills and encourage a healthy dose of competition with this twist on a classic game.

 

Problem-solving challenges

  • Problem-solving cards
    Expose students to non-routine problems and encourage them to communicate their methodology with this collection of challenging questions.
  • Puzzle sheets
    Suitable for the first few lessons, these challenges are ideal for helping pupils to think more deeply and work productively with their peers.
  • Question of the day
    Introduce the new GCSE specification and challenge learners to answer one non-routine problem a day with this comprehensive pack.
  • Lock problems
    Covering a wide range of topics, this themed activity adds a fun twist to testing understanding as learners solve a series of questions.

 

Post-16 exercises

  • Algebra skills sheets
    As learners make the jump from GCSE to A-level, ensure basic algebra and number skills are up to scratch with this range of questions, complete with solutions.
  • Year 12 skills evaluation
    Test prerequisite A-level skills and identify pupils who are in need of more support with this introductory assessment.
  • Core 1 algebra introduction
    Recap your Year 12s’ understanding of algebra and set the tone for learning in the year ahead with this match-up activity.
  • Indices tasks
    Test students’ understanding of indices at a higher level and identify any common misconceptions they may have with this collection of exercises.

 

Leave a Reply