mr barton maths

Venn Diagrams are a fantastic activity structure to practice core maths skills whilst also helping develop mathematical reasoning and communication.

In each case, students need to find examples for each region. Some of the regions may be impossible, in which case they must think of a reason why.

Support

If students find any of the Venn Diagrams too challenging to start with, there is an option to do a sorting exercise: one example from each region is given, and students must decide where it belongs. They can then start to think about their own examples from each region.

Challenge

If students finish the Venn Diagram task, then here are some extension questions you can give them:

  1. Can you think of additional examples for each region?
  2. What is the biggest/smallest example you can think of for each region?
  3. What is the most interesting example you can think of?
  4. Which region has the fewest/most possible examples?
  5. Can you create your own Venn Diagram on this topic that has exactly one impossible region?

Teachers: I have written a post containing lots of tips to help make Venn Diagrams more effective here.

Students: Begin by sorting the examples into the correct region. Then try to come up with some examples of your own.

Parents: Work through the regions together. Check each other’s examples. How many examples can you come up with for each region?

NUMBER

Positive Integer basics

  1. Odd and even numbers
  2. Positive integers to words
  3. Integer place value
  4. Ordering positive integers

Positive Integer arithmetic

  1. Number bonds
  2. Mental addition
  3. Mental subtraction
  4. Times tables
  5. Order of operations

Factors, Multiples, Primes

  1. Factors, Multiples, Primes
  2. Prime factorisation
  3. Highest common factor and Lowest common multiple

Negative numbers

  1. Ordering positive and negative integers
  2. Ordering negative integers
  3. Adding and subtracting negative numbers
  4. Multiplying and dividing negative numbers

Rounding and Estimating

  1. Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000
  2. Rounding to Decimal Places
  3. Rounding to Significant Figures

Decimals

  1. Decimal place value
  2. Ordering Decimals
  3. Adding and subtracting with decimals
  4. Multiplying and dividing with decimals

Fractions

  1. Simplifying and equivalent fractions
  2. Ordering fractions
  3. Fractions of an amount
  4. Adding and subtracting fractions
  5. Multiplying fractions
  6. Dividing fractions

Percentages

  1. Percentage of an Amount
  2. Percentage Increase and Decrease
  3. Fraction, decimal, percentage equivalence

Ratio

  1. Simplifying and Equivalent Ratios
  2. Sharing in a Ratio

Surds and Indices

  1. Powers and Roots
  2. Laws of Indices
  3. Standard form
  4. Simplifying Surds
  5. Operations with Surds

ALGEBRA

Formula

  1. Substitution

Brackets

  1. Expanding single brackets
  2. Expanding double brackets
  3. Factorising into single brackets
  4. Factorising quadratic expressions
  5. Completing the square

Equations

  1. Linear equations
  2. Quadratic equations
  3. Simultaneous equations

Inequalities

  1. Linear inequalities
  2. Quadratic inequalities

Coordinates and Graphs

  1. Coordinates
  2. Straight line graphs
  3. Quadratic graphs

Sequences

  1. Linear sequences
  2. Non-linear sequences

GEOMETRY

Shape properties

  1. Properties of triangles
  2. Properties of quadrilaterals
  3. 3D shapes

Perimeter, Area, Volume

  1. Perimeter and area
  2. Surface area and volume
  3. Perimeter, area and volume

STATISTICS

Averages and range

  1. Mean from a list of data
  2. Median from a list of data
  3. Mean, median, mode, and range from a list of data

Probability

  1. Probability of a single event
  2. Probability of combined events