Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

This resource was created for Adult Literacy Entry 3 Learners but can be used with mixed ability groups from E2 – L1. It includes reading comprehension and related exercises covering many curriculum areas, based on the Guy Fawkes Night theme.

The first section is a comprehension based on the history of Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night. The text is suitable for E3-L2. Questions cover general comprehension, punctuation, homophones/spellings, proper nouns, alphabetical order and dictionary work. Some questions are also suitable for E2.

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.

I have found that many numeracy students get scared when you mention terms like percentages or fractions. I therefore developed this introductory activity for my new level 1 numeracy students. They are mostly young parents who were disengaged at school and have no mathematics qualifications.

They are usually nervous when they attend the first session so I try to boost their confidence and reassure them that the course will not be like school.

This worked well as a bit of revision on measuring for a mixed class E2-L2. Also makes a good warm-up activity.
I’ve used different colours for easier and harder answers, so you can differentiate when you give the cards out (blue ones are supposed to be a bit easier, red ones a bit harder, and purple in between).

Five wonderful sets of multiple choice revision questions covering Level 1 ratio, mean & range, fractions, percentages, and number (mostly place value & rounding). Each set consists of 9 cards and is individually mapped to the numeracy curriculum.
Cut up into cards and use as required. Use individual sets for targeted revision or mix with other sets of cards for general revision.

A set of posters / cards / checklists designed to prompt discussion, check learning and keep a record of student progression. Designed for Entry Level Functional Maths and English learners in an FE setting but suitable for all levels and subjects.
This resource was inspired by discussion on the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics) site about “understanding versus doing” and I would like to thank the forum members for their ideas and feedback.

A 16 piece jigsaw puzzle where the triangular pieces form a parallelogram. Learners to match up questions on fractions of money to the correct answers. Use for revision or as a warm-up activity.

Whatever their original format, all Tarsia jigsaws can also be printed out as flashcards / dominoes.

You will need Tarsia Formulator in order to use this resource. To download this excellent free educational tool visit Hermitech
See our Good Software – Tarsia Formulator entry for more information.

An excellent, detailed lesson plan – focusing on expressing one number as a fraction of another but also touching on other fraction topics.The two hour plan includes a good mix of hands-on practical activities (such as sorting and matching) combined with teacher input, worksheets, discussion, etc.

A really unusual reading comprehension exercise that also tests a range of maths skills (dates, large numbers, distance, etc.). Although the general reading level is around Level1 it is based on an Australian news article about a lottery winner and contains a lot of unfamiliar Australian vocabulary. Thus it also stretches Level 2 learners. An optional glossary is provided; this includes words such as swag, Slikpik, shire and half a dozen more.

Step by step method for using this very clever, little-known method of working out those tricky times tables from 6 to 9. (The method relies on the user knowing his or her “easier times tables” well so is not suitable for the complete times-tables novice. Very clear slides with lots of illustrated examples.
Please note you must have the Smart Notebook software installed on your computer in order to open, view and use the Notebook resource http://smarttech.com/