Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

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 challenging warm-up for Level 2 students. Create flow charts and calculate with units of time.

A 40 question practice paper written to provide challenging extra practice after a group of learners participated in a very difficult L2 numeracy test (the levels of the national test certainly do seem to be erratic at times, and definitely harder than when it was first introduced).

Unlike the national test, the questions in this test are not multiple choice – making it equally suitable for initial assessment, homework or revision. All areas of the curriculum are covered (i.e. number, measures and data handling). An answer sheet is included.

A 4 week scheme of work for OCN E3 Garden Horticulture. Great example of embedding aspects of all three Functional Skills into a vocational course. 4 × 2 hour sessions covering identifying weeds and vegetables; sowing seeds, bulbs and tubers; and preparing growing beds.
With detailed E3 Functional Maths,English and ICT mapping charts showing embedding of measuring, internet searching, reading instructions, writing plant profiles, etc.

Ideas for a revision class on the theme of making a cake. I have included a cake recipe by Delia Smith and some prices of cake ingredients and items for cake decorating.

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/

This Powerpoint presentation describes, with examples, a simple method to convert between metric units. The method is based on a table similar to a place value table.

Lovely warm-up or “taster “ for L1-2 level groups. The idea could easily be adapted for Entry Level groups.
Just as the quote on the resource says:“The value of the problem is not so much in coming up with the answer as in the ideas and attempted ideas it forces on the would be solver.”
See comments below for some suggested answers. Please add your own answers or suggestions for other suitable groups.