Functional Maths

Topical practice with L1-L2 number and measure skills (plus a few at E3) and would make a good starter or homework activity. Most questions are based on recent data from the Big Freeze of January 2010. Topics include converting temperatures, converting between metric and Imperial units, proportion, negative nos. and percentrages.
The topical and problem solving nature also makes this very suitable for underpinning L1 and L2 Functional Maths.

Wonderful set of questions aimed at E3-L1 (with some questions slightly lower/higher). There is a good mix of straightforward maths and light-hearted Christmas problem solving – which also makes this ideal for underpinning Functional Maths.
Topics include whole numbers, fractions, data (tallies, averages), money and measures.

Home and Away flat budgeting is a practical task where learners must furnish a flat for someone going off to uni.
Ideal for underpinning E3 Functional Maths and includes full mapping to Entry 3 FM criteria.

Pudsey Collection is a topical and very practical problem solving set of tasks based on a Children in Need collection. Specially written for Entry 3 Functional Maths students and can be easily adapted to suit your own students / charity.

A fabulous 40 question practice paper written to provide challenging extra practice after a group of learners participated in a very difficult L1 numeracy test (the levels of the national test certainly do seem to be erratic at times, and definitely harder than when it was first introduced). Unlike the national test, the questions in this test are not multiple choice – making it equally suitable for initial assessment in both L1 and L2 classes. Covers all areas of the curriculum.

A challenging project where students must research, plan and cost a luxury garden. Includes scale diagrams, money, and shape and space problems (paving slabs). Extension options cover percentages and averages. Great for horticulture students or anyone with an interest in gardening.
Also ideal for L1-2 Functional Maths.
The project also involves web investigation (costs of garden materials) and writing a covering letter (selling the finished garden design) and therefore also covers Functional ICT and Functional English.

Buying herbs at the garden centre is based on packets of seeds and covers addition and subtraction of decimals (money), range and mean, and scale drawings. Great for horticulture students or anyone with an interest in gardening.
The problem solving nature of many questions and the drawing a scale diagram task also makes this ideal for E3-L1 Functional Maths.

Cocktail and smoothie ratios is a wonderful way to introduce ratio and proportion (also covers converting measures). Choose your favourites from the ‘menu’, work out ratios for the ingredients and calculate amounts required for multiples such as 6, 10 and 20 drinks, make up your own cocktail.
Adapted from Jodie Travis’s original version (see below). This adapted version includes a wider range of non-alcoholic cocktails / smoothies for students that do not drink alcohol.
Also ideal for underpinning L1-2 Functional Maths.

A fun paired dice game that really gets across the meaning and purpose of finding the mode, median and range of a set of data. Great for footie fans – who can choose their own name for the home team.

Everything you need for a great session – detailed 90 minute lesson plan, spider ratio resource and links to other resources used in the plan.