Functional Maths - numbers and the number system

A worksheet which gives students practice in naming and calculating the fractions most often seen in recipes. 1/2, 1/3 cup etc.
This worksheet can be accompanied with a ‘hands on’ exercise. eg: measuring 1/2, 3/4 cup of rice etc. You need: a tray, a marked measuring cup, a cup and a jar of rice or other suitable medium.
Ideal for, and mapped to, Entry 2 and 3 Adult numeracy and Functional Maths.

Adapted from old BBC Skillswise worksheets, this PPT presents different ways of adding and subtracting (numberlines, rounding and splitting).

A detailed lesson plan accompanied by a PPT and a lesson objective checker sheet. The lesson recaps place value and introduces students to decimals and using money in practical situations.

A set of cards where learners have to find fractions of money. I use this as a paired game where the learners share the cards between them, then both turn over one cardeach. They work out how much their card is worth then the “winner” or person whose card is worth more keeps both cards. Play continues until 1 player has all the cards.

This lesson is designed to embed adding and subtracting, ratio and proportion, etc. whilst looking at the important issue of alcohol consumption and units. Students are able to look at the RDA of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, etc. in the introductory PPT. They can then complete maths worksheet which involves calculating and adding units, converting units and reading data.
It includes a video clips, visual imagery and written notes.
Fully mapped to, and ideal for, L1 Functional Maths.

Introduce the topic using the Smart Notebook activity.
8 identical pages, each with a blank number line, a movable arrow to show the position of the number to be rounded and a sentence at the bottom to state what is happening.
Learners can fill in the ends of the number line to see what values are relevant to the question i.e. rounding 23 to the nearest 10 would be either 20 or 30 as an answer. Then they can move the arrow to the position needed, 23, then see which value the number is closest to.

Find out and record everyone’s favorites from a diverse list of foods. Use as an icebreaker in any Entry Level literacy, numeracy, Functional Skills or ESOL lesson.

Also ties in well with lessons on diversity, healthy eating, collecting data, making / taking simple surveys, tallies, counting, asking questions, etc.

Mapped to Functional Maths and SfL adult numeracy, Functional English (speaking, listening and communication) and SfL adult literacy.

A cheerful and very clear PPT introduces the idea of multiplication to E2-E3 Functional Maths learners. Accompanied by a 3 page worksheet. Two pages of number problems and one page with a mix of multiplication, addition and subtraction ‘word’ problems.

Another great worksheet in the never-ending Smarties series. Three level 2 tasks covering evaluating one number as a fraction of another, and adding and subtracting fractions. You will need at least one tube of Smarties.

An original idea to engage FS students in decimals. Involves extracting information from tables and adding up decimals. Also useful for catering / hospitality students as it contains an element on responsibility when serving of drinks.
Ideal for embedding Functional Mathematics.
Note: this resource was the inspiration for the Working with Alcohol units (see below).