Author Archives: Richard

Fractional Indices

Download the PowerPoint here. This is my first post of the term. I guess I’ve started a week late. The reason is quite simple, I think I’ve got a bit of resource writer’s block! This PowerPoint is fine. It’s got an example problem pair. A discussion (which I’ve found a useful bit in my lessons.… Read More »

Adding and subtracting directed numbers

Download the PowerPoint here. OK. So this is a big one. Firstly, I have found teaching negatives difficult in the past. Teaching the rules is a bit useless. ‘Two negatives make a positive’ often leads students to doing things like -5 – 9 = 4 (or similar). I avoid the rules like the plague. I… Read More »

Calculating bearings

Download the PowerPoint here Bearings is a topic that I’ve taught really badly in the past. It’s due to a number of factors (teaching measuring, use of worksheets) but mainly I think due to a lack of thinking on my part about the different processes and skills contained within bearings work. I often lumped all… Read More »

Equivalent fraction diagrams

Download the file here Based on reading Viable Maths by Peter Mattock. When I do equivalent fractions but I rarely do it with the aid of a diagram or a frame like I have here. I haven’t extended this to algebra, but I imagine it would not be difficult to do so.

Index Laws : Division

Get PowerPoint here Completing index law week here. I added some whiteboard questions/rapid fire questions as I felt I didn’t have enough build up. As in the last few PowerPoints I spent time thinking about the questions I ask and the skills required. An SSDD type question. I need to add more of these to… Read More »

Indices : Power Law

Get the lesson PowerPoint here. Going with Jo Morgan’s suggestion of doing the power law after multiplying rather than after dividing. I wrote some challenging questions. There’s also a hinge question and some timed questions. I also moved on to changing bases. Because it’s really easy and a lovely way to introduce the idea of… Read More »

Multiplying indices

Get the PowerPoint here Again, a lot of stuff is stolen from Jo Morgan’s great work. I mean, I’m never going to make something as beautiful as this. I wrote some questions. I think they’re quite nice. And I put some discussion slides in again

Index Notation

Download the PowerPoint here. So … I can’t claim that I’ve done much original work here. Most of this is stolen from Jo Morgan’s indices in depth presentation. Sorry Jo! Normally I make a lot of stuff from scratch, but Jo’s work here is so good that I can’t really improve on it. If you… Read More »