Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

Whilst I designed this resource for Adult Numeracy learners, it has found much use over the years across the maths cohorts I've worked with from pre-GCSE to ESOL, and with GCSE learners.

It is in Excel format - 3 tabs for different activities and the second Excel file is the solution sheet.

The sheets are formatted to print off as A4 landscape to allow learners to have their own copies to work on.

This has always worked well as a starter activity with learners in small groups (or teams) and having a competitive edge.

This is a set of worksheets in a MS Excel workbook that deals with fractions.
- Sheet one: a set of pictures (pie charts) that shows fractions from halves to tenths
- Sheet two: equivalent fractions with two pie charts, learners can input fractions and see if they are equivalent by looking at the shape of the pie charts
- Sheet three: starting to look at fractions being equivalent to decimals with two pie charts one for fractions and one for decimals

My class of adult learners were struggling to associate fractions with real world scenarios so I created this worksheet based on honest situations.
The questions are diverse in difficulty from Entry level 2 to Level 2 making it a good worksheet as a starter or revision.
Editor’s note
With curriculum mapping and answers

Functional skills maths.
Extract information from mileage and distance (network) diagrams. Complete a mileage chart.
Editor’s note
With worked solutions, pop up help and a final challenge question.
Ideal as an introduction or for revision.

An introductory PPT based task to find the value of the three words in ‘Happy New Year’, given certain values for each letter. This is followed up by a set of question cards on calculations with the letters of Happy New Year and an algebra worksheet with the same given values, using BODMAS.

An interesting meld of description, investigation, paired discussion and tasks.
Ideal introduction to L1 averages – also useful at high E3.
Adapted from one page of Nikki Gilbey’s Data Collection and Averages – functional tasks (listed below under See also).

A counting game along similar lines to Snakes and Ladders. Learners will learn turn-taking, following instruction & basic counting skills. In addition, they will pick up social and communication skills along the way.

(Print onto A3 – a dice and counters needed)

Editor’s note
A PPT version is also included to enable the game to be played on a smartboard.

The main resource has four pages. Three of the pages contain a chart and a brief to a group of students to discuss and write some sentences saying what the chart tells them. The twist is that each group of 3 students has a different chart drawn from the same data as the groups next to them. The fourth page has the table from which the charts were drawn.

The charts used are: dual/clustered bar chart comparing types of drink sold on two days. A stacked/composite bar chart and a percentage bar chart of the same data.

This is an adaptation of Murder at the Grange, which my students have always enjoyed.

I wanted to extend the work on calculating with time, so learners have to use and extend timetables and calculate multi-stage journey times. I also thought it would be good to have some female characters!

Quick addition warm up exercise using one and two digit numbers.
An Excel worksheet with an explanatory introductory PPT (with answers).