5 Maths Gems #24

Hello as well as welcome to my 24th gems post - this is where I part five education ideas I've seen on Twitter. I'm going to endure curt as well as sugariness today... I'm meant to endure marking!

1. Angles inwards Parallel Lines
I'm ever on the await out for expert questions that I tin purpose inwards bird as well as hence I was pleased when Cliff Pickover (@pickover) tweeted the work below. This volition do nicely for my Year 7s when they come upward to revise angles. I don't recall they've seen the 'hatch mark' used for equal angles earlier (only equal sides) as well as hence it's a expert do inwards interpreting tone too. Answers are on page half dozen of this document. By the way, if you're non already next Cliff, I highly recommend his tweets.

2. Algebra Countdown
I was browsing @stephenbodman's lovely resources on his website secondarymaths.wikispaces.com when I spotted Algebra Countdown. This is an activity based on the TV programme Countdown, but instead of numbers students are given algebraic terms. Set upward the Countdown Clock as well as run the activity inwards Excel on your Interactive Whiteboard. It's a actually prissy activity for practising simplifying algebraic expressions.

3. Isometric Fractions
I was looking at the cool pads of sticky-backed graph newspaper on www.instagraphs.com (only available inwards USA as well as Canada) as well as spotted an interesting approach to education fraction improver as well as equivalency using isometric grids (see pic below). The grid simply helps students to depict as well as combine equal sized parts, but anything that helps students empathize the concept of a mutual denominator is worth considering.

4. Circle Theorems Badges
Cameron Fehr (@MrFehr_SVC) shared this pic of the circle theorem badges he uses to vantage his students.

Cameron made these himself using a badge maker. His students tin earn them past times (for example) correctly reciting the quadratic formula. Cameron really helpfully shared his files here (where there's lots to a greater extent than award-related things to explore).

5. Artistic Mathematics
@MrMathsTeacher shared fantastic pictures of Piet Mondrian-inspired graphs of horizontal as well as vertical lines. I dear this idea.

6. Imperial Measures

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bonus jewel this week, particularly for my American readers. We don't purpose cups as well as quarts inwards the Great Britain but if nosotros did, I'd detect a purpose for this fantastic diagram. It helps us visualise the relative sizes of each unit of measurement as well as response questions similar 'how many teaspoons are inwards a gallon?'.

Reading!
I desire to recommend 3 posts this week... Craig Barton (@tesMaths) updated his 'Links to the Best Maths Websites inwards the World' - it's good worth a read, every bit is his extensive listing of maths resources - Essential Freebies.

Lucy Crehan (@lucy_crehan) shared this lovely post from the 'I am Malala' website. It features pictures of classrooms all over the globe - I actually enjoyed reading it.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. I'm utterly exhausted! My babe is 8 months quondam straight off - volition she ever sleep? Roll on half-term! :)

5 Maths Gems #57

This is my 57^th update from the basis of Maths EduTwitter. If you're non a tweeter, or if you're wondering whether you've missed anything, here's a summary of to a greater extent than or less of the latest ideas too resources for instruction maths.

1. Artful Maths
Clarissa Grandi (@c0mplexnumber) has created the delightful website artfulmaths.com. It provides resources too inspiration thus that children tin dismiss sense the beauty of mathematics. There's a large department on how to deliver arty maths lessons on topics such equally Celtic Knotwork, Mazes too Labyrinths, too Insect Symmetry. There's likewise display ideas for maths classrooms, guidance on running an origami club, recommendations of puzzle games too lots more. Do cheque it out.

2. GCSE Paper 2
This precious rock has a express shelf life but is withal worth sharing for those of y'all who run across (or email) your Year 11s betwixt at nowadays too their minute GCSE newspaper on Thursday. Numerous helpful teachers convey created 'best guess' papers for the upcoming exam, based on the topics that came upward inward Paper 1. Superstar Emma Bell (@EJmaths) has collated them here. The collection covers both Higher too Foundation for Edexcel, OCR too AQA. It's good worth sharing the relevant papers amongst your students thus they tin dismiss focus their examination grooming on the topics that are most probable to last tested.

Some of these papers are from novel website onmaths.com - this website forthwith marks students' answers thus is peculiarly useful for independent study. Thanks to Nikki (@mathszest) for starting fourth dimension making me aware of this website.

3. Odd + Odd 

I but beloved this cute 'proof' shared by @ProfSmudge.

4. Maths Quickies
The Twitter account @MathsMastery tweets a daily #MathsQuickie like the illustration shown below.

Thanks to Mark Greenaway (@suffolkmaths) for pulling together these questions (and their answers) inward PDFs too PowerPoints - they tin dismiss last downloaded here. 

5. Parallel Lines
Don Steward has shared yet to a greater extent than or less other fantastic resources on his wonderful weblog Median. His PowerPoint too tasks for angles inward parallel lines are excellent.

Update

If you're doing whatever revision amongst GCSE, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grade or Certificate of Further Maths students over the coming weeks, create cheque out my growing collection of revision clocks.

If you're currently instruction Year 10 too thus y'all mightiness last interested inward my recent post: Useful GCSE Questions from Linked Pair Papers.

Tom Bennison's summertime number for Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grade teachers at nowadays has a website. The East Midlands KS5 Mathematics Day is on ninth August 2016 - it looks similar an first-class number too I promise to run across y'all there.

Have y'all signed @MathsMrCox's petition to demonstrate your opposition to the proposed Year vii SATs resits yet? It's of import that nosotros create whatever nosotros tin dismiss to brand our views known, rather than stand upward dorsum too grumble virtually bad conclusion making. Please sign!

I've had a lovely one-half term celebrating my youngest daughter's minute birthday. We were really lucky to create goodness from a gratis trip to Legoland, inward render for having a quick await at their maths schoolhouse trips. I was hugely impressed yesteryear the workshop nosotros saw (they got my four yr one-time programming robots!) too volition write a weblog post virtually it soon. Although a household unit of measurement solar daytime out at Legoland is rather pricey, the schoolhouse trips are really reasonably priced.

I'll exit y'all amongst this lovely puzzle from @YohakuPuzzle. Fill inward the cells amongst dissimilar factors to learn the products inward each row/column.

Easy Symmetry Activeness Alongside Paint

Here's an tardily action alongside symmetry that is fun (but tin become messy).

This projection is actually fun alongside almost whatsoever age!  I had fun doing it : )

As y'all utter well-nigh symmetry alongside your students y'all can

• Discuss the x-axis as well as the y-axis (and fifty-fifty say them well-nigh the positive as well as negative sides.
• Talk well-nigh prepositions: Right, left, above, below, beside, adjacent to, etc.
• You tin hash out how your globs of pigment changed cast a bit.  In my illustration at that topographic point are forthwith four split parts of blue, ii cherry-red shapes, as well as ane xanthous shape.  
• To laissez passer on older kids a challenge, they tin stair out as well as pinpoint the parts that did non come upwards out just symmetrical ; )

Have fun alongside symmetry!  Drawing alongside symmetry is besides fun, only I notice the pigment as well as hence tempting : )

See y'all Thursday, where I promise y'all tin link upwards alongside MaTh action Thursday!

P For Polygon! (A To Z Challenge)

P--we are getting close the destination of the alphabet--whew!

I chose P to speak well-nigh polygons.  Polygons are basically two-dimensional multiple-sided figures.  Many polygons tin last made to last composite shapes.  When I looked upward polygon on Wikipedia I idea it was interesting at that topographic point are fifty-fifty polygons that self intersect.

My oldest nipper enjoyed making polygon art.  He would brand a bunch of dots on a newspaper at random, together with hence connect unopen to of the dots alongside a ruler for a perfectly at in i lawsuit line.  Then he would plough them into animal/creatures.  I happened to all the same accept a re-create of this slice from 4 years ago...

Do yous produce anything alongside polygons?