Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

A 12-question test, designed for an Adult Numeracy class consisting largely of ESOL speakers.
Covers the terms “import” and “export”, since these often crop up in exams. Also mean, mode, median and range, and the meanings of “discount”, “under”, “approximately”, “difference” and “enlarged”. A little fraction revision, too: students have to identify 1/3 as “one-third”.

Students design a board game to demonstrate their learning. This can incorporate IT skills (Word template provided below) or can be done with paper, card and pens.

I originally did this with an E2E group and it proved popular. It’s an alternative to the “design a poster” task to review learning. The instructions are set out as a board game. it can be used for literacy, numeracy, ICT or ESOL.

A power point and interactive cards to introduce the students to reversing calculations / formulas.

The animated PPT demonstrates the basics of how to rearrange formulae and use reverse calculations to self check answers.

The cards with symbols, can be used to physically rearrange the formula showing the moves of each symbol. These allow the tutor to spend some time talking the less able students through the process. Students can then use the card to complete a short worksheet.

Page 1: 8 maths questions relating to olympic torch
Page 2: Picture quiz: who is carrying the torch?
Page 3: Picture quiz: famous UK landmarks.
Page 4: UK cities – anagrams
Page 5: Answers

• Quizzes on pages 2 and 3 make good ice breakers and can also be used for SL&C discussion prompts.

A set of cards that can be used to play a game where students have shares in a small company. Each group of three players receives ‘market updates’ in the form of cards that require them to divide a number in a ratio, or find the value of an amount given the value of part of the amount. Students are encouraged to keep full financial records. As a differentiation task for confident students, it is possible to calculate the percentage change in value of the shareholding at the end of the game.

A set of cards to cut out and ideally put in plastic balls or a jazzy box. Aimed at E2- E3 Functional Skills learners as an ice breaker, introductory lesson or for revision. Students need to work out the question and identify the maths skills they are using to answer it. Best printed onto card.
Questions are aimed to appeal to young adult students – e.g. clubbing, Facebook, food, mobiles, etc.
Questions cover the 4 operations, money, time, shapes and more.
26 cards. Includes Functional Maths mapping chart.

The package contains a range of worksheets and activities for E1-L1 Functional Maths.

A set of cards where learners have to find percentages of money.
Note that it is percentage of not off – this should be discussed.

Use as a paired game. Learners share the cards between them, then both turn over one card each. 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.

Adapted from Emma Shaw’s Fractions of quantities top trump cards see below.

An activity to explore money management and negative numbers. Be prepared to signpost students if need be.

The activity starts with discussing who is most likely to get into debt and then by recognising that anyone can if they don’t have good money skills.

A game to help learners get to grips with the likelihood of selecting a particular thing at random. Students practise expressing probabilities as fractions, decimals and percentages. This activity avoids the taboos on dice and cards that some learners have. It also revises concepts such as multiples and “greater” and “less than”.

1 page cards to be cut out – give one set to each student (or pair of students), 1 page for student to complete, plus an answer sheet.