Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

This exercise can be used in several different ways.  The cost of living crisis has hit everyone and this one pot pasta dish can save on gas/electric by making everything in one pan.  The main idea is to cost the ingredients as it is, but then think of alternatives to the original recipe. Then if you double the recipe up, how much are you saving by buying 500g of mince?  How much are you saving by buying a 4 pack tin of tomatoes?  Look at the different prices of dried pasta.  Look at how much frozen mince is.  This is about converting g - kg too.

Two Excel spreadsheets to track students performance in Functional Skills Maths and Functional Skills English from Entry Level 1 up until Level 2. Can be used by teachers and I also send electronically or print them off and give students to complete themselves. 

An ESOL lesson embedding numeracy, diversity and British values, centred on the Spring Equinox and three festivals which happen around / on this day - Purim, Holi and Shunbun No Hi. Learners collect unfamiliar words on a vocabulary sheet and ask and answer questions to elicit meaning / explanation. There is a powerpoint to introduce the topic, using acronyms eg 7DIAW  - Seven Days In A Week to elicit key words, and lead to an explanation of what the Vernal Equinox is and when it is.

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.

I wrote this to add to Timings in a Salon by Carrie Bray (see link left) as I needed to encourage my higher level students in the same area.

I started the session by giving students terminology which they had to define, then work out how much it was worth if a=1p b=2p etc. (see PPT).

I used then used tasks to recap on 24 hour and analogue time next then used the attached worksheets alongside Carrie's worksheet.

I then provided a Tarsia puzzle at the end to recap on time.

Editor's notes

This aural check was used to assess learners before they attended my intensive 1:1 support / revision sessions for the Level 1 Functional Maths exam. These were generally students that I had not met or taught before.

A comprehensive list of Level 1 maths topics and descriptions.

Students to match the correct description to each topic. Then RAG (red, amber, green) rate their skills for each one using colour stickers. You can then use results to work on “Top 3 trickiest” skills, etc.

Editor’s note Ideal for start of the term or year, and also for final revision.

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.

This activity encourages ESOL students:
- To communicate with each other while moving around the classroom,
- To revise Past Simple (questions and answers),
- To practise basic numeracy (subtraction).

With extensive teachers’ notes