Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

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.

This resource is adapted from, and complements, the L1/2 resource with the same title created by Claire Douglas (see below).

The activity is based on recent changes to the minimun wage (Nov 2011). Students have to read the information given on the shop employees’ ages and new minimun pay to work out how much the staff are paid for their work.

I used this activity with my E3 students and they enjoyed it.

I made these files to help my E1 students become familiar with this question format before doing the assignments.

I had found in previous years that though they managed comparatives orally and could eventually make up sentences including them, they were confused by these questions in their assessments.

I hope someone else can find them useful.

Editor’s note
Fully mapped to the Functional Maths coverage and range statements and the E1 process skills. With extension ideas.

I designed this activity as my level 1 learners needed more practice in solving word problems involving addition and subtraction and with reading numbers as words.

I have used a range of vocabulary to indicate the operation required eg. less than, difference, increase and decrease. My learners are mostly parents but the resource would be useful in any area of learning.

I created this powerpoint to help my students learn the parts and uses of graphs and charts. They can also revisit it on Moodle to remind themselves of labels etc., while revising for the exam.

Editor’s note:
Covers tallies, pictograms, bar charts (vertical, horizontal, single, dual), pie charts, line graphs, conversion graphs and scatter graphs.

A powerpoint used as a starter with all ESOL maths groups to check the spelling of numbers. I created it for E1 / E2, but always use it as a check with E3 – L2 at the beginning of the year. They all enjoy it and never complain it should be for babies. It could be used for ESOL, Literacy or Numeracy classes.

A selection of smileys are shown on each slide. Clicking reveals the number (as a digit) and a further click reveals the number spelt out as a word. Would be good used with small individual whiteboards.

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 Sport Relief task which looks at the dates of the events and the cost of buying products from the Sport Relief shop. It includes reading a calendar and working out the days/weeks left until the event. It also includes questions on comparing, adding, subtracting (working pout change) and halving money. Learners have to read prices from the Sports Relief shop and decide what to buy with a given amount of money.

With answer sheet, and fully mapped to the E2-E3 Functional Maths criteria.

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.