Number patterns & sequences for Functional Maths

Submitted by Maggie Harnew on 17 April 2017.

Although many learners find patterns and sequences (including odd & even numbers) straightforward, there is a sizeable proportion that really struggle – particularly those with dyslexia and/or dyscalculia.

This resource grew from my frustration at the lack of practice material available for this topic at Entry Levels 2 and 3 in my one to one support sessions. There is generally only one question on this topic per FS assessment, and I found it difficult to come up with real life functional problems off the top of my head.

The resource is split into three topics: odd & even numbers (E2), number patterns (E2-3), number sequences (E3-L1). Each section starts with Find out More. This is followed by Check you understand underpinning practice (context free) and a final Real life problems section with sets of contextualised questions (Activity Holiday, Delivery Services, Pet Shop, Village Fete, Cinema, Fitness Watch, Garden) that can be used for practice, revision or assessment purposes.

At the end of the resource there is also a large set of mixed functional problems for revision or assessment purposes.

This is a lengthy, highly focused resource and I do not recommend using it all at once with a single student or group! (Please see teaching notes within the resource).

Many of the questions have been adapted from those found in Edexcel’s admirable selection of past papers. A couple (bird feeder & mini cheese questions, respectively) are adapted from the very few I found from other awarding bodies (OCR and City and Guilds ).