Investigation or project

Boxes is a very useful hands-on diagnostic assessment activity ideal for the start of term. Covers many aspects of Measure Shape and Space including estimatiung, measuring, rounding, area and volume. With ideas for L1-2 extension. Also suitable for underpinning Functional Maths.

09-10 Football Season is a wonderful way to engage mixed ability groups of footie fans!
Covers formulating an argument, discussion, recognising points of view – facts & opinions, writing sentences & paragraphs.
Maths aspects include extracting information from tables, averages, ratios, and addition & subtraction.

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.

Smarties graphs and pie charts is yet another adaptation of our ever-popular resource. This version is aimed at L1-2 and covers pie charts, bar charts, averages and tallies.

M&Ms Investigation is an adaptation of the 2007 L1-2 Smarties resource from Judith White – it is particularly useful now as it seems that sadly the Smarties factory now uses an accurate counter and all tubes contain the same number of sweets! Covers bar charts, pictograms, tallies. Also discusses averages and analyses collective data.

Smarties Challenge makes a great general revision activity for L1 – L2. Covers averages, representing data, pi, fractions, percentages and more. With extension tasks.

Measures portfolio / workbook is a semi-structured set of investigations that would be ideal as an end of topic (common measures) informal assessment for L1-2 students. Covers length, weight, capacity, money, time, area and shapes.
The investigative approach also makes this ideal for underpinning L1 and L2 Functional Maths

A great set of activities and questions. The first is based on a children’s design project and is aimed at L1 (with L2 extension activities). Plus two other practical L2 investigations ideal for horticulture (planting bulbs in flower beds) and construction (building a pathway with slabs). Estimating and working out exact costs are also covered.

Investigate the possibility of a college stocking fairly traded products in its canteen. Covers many reading, writing, ICT, numeracy, speaking and listening skills inc. data handling, report writing, creating charts and questionnaires, giving a presentation, etc. Ideal for embedding all three functional skills (or literacy, numeracy and ICT) especially for business students.

A web research project that covers money and general reading / research / writing skills. You must plan a trip for 15 pre-school children.