Single event probability

Get the PowerPoint here.

I am aware I’m kind of uploading a rag-tag bunch of random resources at the moment.

I’m making lessons for what I’m teaching and uploading the ones I feel are polished enough to be shared.

Started this one with a bit of a brainwave. I’m always astounded by pupil’s lack of knowledge about simple facts I feel they SHOULD KNOW. Like weeks in a year, cards in a deck etc. But this makes no sense. How can I be ALWAYS surprised? Surely by now I’ve internalised it that this is just something a lot of kids don’t know! So rather than get grumpy, I added a little bit of a check at the beginning of this lesson.

Something I’ve been working on for a while. Making this explicit.

Rest of the lesson is pretty standard. Although pretty.

One number as a percentage of another

Download the PowerPoint here.

I’m teaching percentages at the moment and as I do so, I’m updating my slides. I’ll mention what I’ve updated here.

This PowerPoint I’ve split up from ‘percentage change’ and made them two separate lessons.

I’ve added example problem pairs. Instead of trying to do everything at once. I had a real think and there’s 3 skills here.

  1. One step – > Simply multiplying or dividing once to get /100
  2. Two step -> First finding the factor of 100 and then multiplying or dividing to get /100
  3. Having to divide and convert the decimal

I’ve split them up into the four different skills. I also added some whiteboard work so pupils could practice 1 and 2 step, as there wasn’t quite enough fluency bits on these.

I also added some questions like 60/50. It occurs to me that I don’t ask enough of these type of questions, so students don’t become used to seeing things like 125% and often then can’t express these.

Comment appreciated.

Division of algebraic fractions

Download the PowerPoint here.

I know this is usually covered in multiplying as one lesson, but I think there’s room to slow down.

Example problem pair


A card sort! (kinda). The idea here is that you don’t need to cut the cards out, just project them and ask the kids to copy them down in the right order. Suppose you could print and use a card sort.

Card sorts were in fashion for a bit. So were Tarsias. Then they went out of fashion. I love a Mathsloop.

They are difficult in terms of behaviour and making sure that all children are engaged. I’m really lucky in my current school that the pupils are awesome. Give them a task and they’ll try their best.

I still think there’s value in getting kids to talk to each other about the mathematics. Varied diet and all that.

There’s also another task and an applied problem and a learning check.

Rearranging formulas and equations

Download the PowerPoint here.

This is a big one! It’s at a minimum 3 lessons, probably 4.

Starts numerically

I like this

Next is something I have added after listening to the Mr Barton podcast with Naveen Rizvi. I realised I didn’t spend enough time talking about what the subject means!

Some example problem pairs come next, and two activities. One on making sure that you can put the steps in the right order, one a simple grid of questions (although thought about and grouped properly). There’s also some mini-whiteboard work.

I should have added more questions on using just a single step, I think. Maybe I’ve moved too quickly. This is on my to-think-about list for the next time that update this resources. Of course, comments on this post or to @ticktockmaths on twitter are highly welcome.

Some stuff on using this with scientific formulae.

Moves on to using factorising including an activity and a ‘write the missing line of working’ activity.

Finally, multiplying across, regrouping, and then factorising.

This section is a tad underdeveloped (it does have a learning check, though), but the PowerPoint was getting quite long.

Multiplying algebraic fractions

Download the PowerPoint here

Last lesson for a bit. It’s half term next week and my wife will kill me if I plan resources on holiday.

Decided to just to multiplying as one lesson. Don’t know if that’s too slow, but I think it’s worth practicing the skill. I quite like my second activity here.

When I come to add more to this resource I will add a section on multiplying and then factorising. I didn’t do it now because I think the class I planned this for will not get that far.

For the first time I used someone else’s questions. I used @littlemissdwyer’s typed up questions from a Victorian textbook because they were better than anything I would have written.

  • I think this is nice!

I started uploading some stuff to TES. It’s still not as nice as having them all as OneDrive links that update automatically as I change them, though.

Compound shapes with circles

Download the PowerPoint here.

Went with an 80s look for the opening picture.

I’m quite proud of these pictures I drew in GeoGebra. Feel like I’m getting the hang of drawing these.

Admit it, they’re lovely

Moved some stuff around from the perimeters of sectors PowerPoint into this one. Includes a prior learning check thing.

That’s an entire new module done. Feel like I’m making progress with these. More importantly, I feel like I’m getting quicker at doing them.

Simplifying algebraic fractions

Lesson PowerPoint here.

Really tried to think through this topic and really break it down.

As I have been doing, I added some whiteboard work, too.

Quite like this small activity I’ve put in there.

I like little things like this. Breaks things up a little bit.

Missed the fact that one of my resources on TES was Mr Barton’s resource of the week! That’s nice.

Noticed, though, that it’s not the up-to-date version that’s linked on this site.

I am aware no one uses this site, and that it’s better to have stuff in one place, but it’s annoying having to update stuff on TES every time I improve a resource (it automatically does it here). I don’t think I’ve got the time to maintain an account on TES and here. But TES is where people see stuff.

Mmmmmmmm.

Areas of triangles

Lesson PowerPoint here.

This is a little different from regular lessons. There’s a worksheet (here) to go with it. I usually try and keep everything in one file, but here it just didn’t quite work. I’ve added pictures of the worksheet to the PowerPoint to make the questions easier to go through.

I really think the triangles worksheet is the best one I’ve ever done. I really tried hard to think through the difficulties and progression of it. Reinforcing the skill, rather than moving onto a new skill.

I tweeted recently

And it’s true. I was reminded of this listening to the new Mr Barton Maths podcast with Naveen Rizvi.

In my lessons this week I’ve tried to make little GeoGebra applets that give you random questions. I will link them as ‘Whiteboard work’ on my PowerPoints. Here’s a sheet with applets for circumference and area of circles. I’m no GeoGebra whizz, but everyone can learn.

Naveen is bloody brilliant at thinking things through. Have a look at the attached booklet on that page. It’s fantastic. Students struggle to make an unknown the subject. No wonder. We don’t spend enough time talking about what ‘the subject’ means. When I come to teach this next, my PowerPoints are definitely getting updated.

Areas of sectors

Powerpoint is here

I have circles and compound shapes to go and then that’s circles done.

I made some pretty big changes to my area of a circle PowerPoint after doing some questions. There’s now a bit about choosing either the area or circumference formula, as this is an aspect students found really difficult. I’ve also added some questions about finding areas in terms of pi and some more compound shapes.