A quick but very useful match-up activity that makes a good starter activity for financial literacy or employment skills courses - and it's bound to prompt discussion.
Editor's note
Written for an Australian audience but I have added a UK version on page 2. Learners can draw lines to match the items or, for a reusable resource, the page could be laminated and/or cut into 12 cards.
Level
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
Functional Maths
General numeracy / maths
Popular topics
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
A short workbook I created to 'test the maths water' before teaching maths to a group of adult and young ESOL learners. It covers almost everything in the Entry Level 1 curriculum with exam style tasks/ questions linked to C&G Functional Skills Maths assessments.
I usually use it with groups as a gentle introduction to the idea of maths and it forms a good diagnostic for the things they need to learn. It also lets me see how motivated they are to study maths!
Editor's notes
Level
Entry Level 1
Maths
General numeracy / maths
FM Simple one step problem(s)
FM E1.1 Read, write, order, compare numbers to 20
FM E1.2 Use whole numbers to count up to 20 items including zero
FM E1.3 Add numbers which total up to 20, & subtract numbers from numbers up to 20
FM E1.4 Recognise & interpret the symbols +, – and = appropriately
FM E1.5 Recognise coins & notes, write them in numbers with the correct symbols (£, p) where these involve numbers up to 20
FM E1.6 Read 12 hour digital & analogue clocks in hours
FM E1.7 Know the number of days in a week, months, & seasons in a year. Name & sequence them.
FM E1.8 Describe & make comparisons between measures of items inc. size, length, width, height, weight, capacity
FM E1.9 Identify & recognise common 2-D & 3-D shapes inc. circle, cube, rectangle (inc. square) & triangle
FM E1.10 Use everyday positional vocabulary to describe position & direction including left, right, in front, behind, under & above
FM E1.11 Read numerical information from lists
ESOL
General ESOL
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
Reading and related activities focusing on a simplified version of a BBC news article reporting the results of the 2021 Australian Census. Ideal for practising reading strategies including: relating images to text, using headings, skimming, scanning and using context to predict. My (Australian) students found it challenging but were engaged in the content. Lots of possible ways it could lead into other written and oral activities. Numbers and a graph involved so can also be used to revise numeracy concepts such as percentages and extracting information from graphs.
Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
General literacy / English
FE READING main points & detail
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
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.
Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
Maths
FM Context free underpinning
FM E3.14 Use & compare measures of length, capacity, weight & temperature using metric or imperial units to the nearest labelled or unlabelled division
FM L1.20 Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
FM L2.14 Convert between metric & imperial units of length, weight & capacity using a) a conversion factor & b) a conversion graph
Devised for L1 as a first lesson for ratio utilising practical applications for ratio understanding. Please print the last slide as a worksheet to accompany the PPT.
Editor's notes
Introductory example using a KitKat bar, followed by other everyday applications including screen wash, hair tint and paints. Also (very nicely) covers equality & diversity with discussion about the proportion of White British players in the 2018 England squad.
Level
Level 1
Maths
FM Contextualised underpinning
FM L1.17 Work with simple ratio & direct proportions
Level 2 Time revision. A PPT that takes E3-L2 learners step by step through an Edexcel L2 2017 exam question about a diving competition.
The exam question is broken down into three separate tasks, each with extra extension questions.
In addition each task has a suggested time limit which encourages learners to manage their own time in exams. Can also be printed as a worksheet: select slides 4-9 and print 1 slide per page in landscape, fit-to-page mode.
Editor's note
Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
FM Complex multi-step problem(s)
FM E3.12 Read, measure & record time using am & pm
FM L1.20 Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
AN MSS1/E3.3
AN MSS1/L1.3 Calculate with and convert between units of time
Straightforward probability questions for L2 Functional Maths (dice, playing cards, socks, pens, etc.). Includes useful practice with simplifying fractions.
Plus an interesting extension question.
Level
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
Maths
FM L2.27 Express probabilities as fractions, decimals & percentages
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
Level
GCSE L1-5
Level 2
Level 1
Maths
N2/L2.3
N2/L2.1
Adult Numeracy N2/L2.2
Adult Numeracy N2/L1.3
GCSE N10 (Work interchangeably with terminating decimals & their corresponding fractions)
Some real world scenarios given a twist to incorporate fractions, decimals, percentages & ratios.
By the end of the worksheet, students will have a better understanding of when they would use each format in the real world and have developed their critical analysis skills.
