Maths
Guess Who? gets a trigonometric twist
What is it? In this resource, andy_gillen gives the classic board game Guess Who? a mathematical makeover. Instead of trying to work out which character your opponent is looking at, this version of the game asks you to do something much more exciting: figure out which trigonometric curve your partner is holding. To find out, students must ask questions about amplitude, axis crossing points, the period of the graph and so on.
How can it be used? The game includes a set of scaffolded hint cards to help players get started, but students also have the opportunity to devise questions of their own. Can they come up with a series of questions that can be used to correctly identify any graph, for example? Alternatively, you could use the format of this activity to create a version based on a different maths topic - for example, one in which students identify numbers from their features, or quadrilaterals from their properties.
Find it here: bit.lyTrigGuessWho
Craig Barton is an advanced skills teacher at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton and a TES secondary maths adviser. Find him on Twitter at @TESMaths
English
Understanding the persuasive language of ads
What is it? This comprehensive unit of work on advertising was designed with Year 8 in mind, but can easily be adapted for other ages. The work booklet provides pupils with cultural reference points to grab their attention and builds on their existing knowledge of persuasive writing. A section on slogans allows the teacher to draw out linguistic features of real slogans and gives pupils the opportunity to create their own.
How can it be used? The resource encourages pupils to think creatively, with a task that requires them to advertise undesirable products, such as bricks or mouldy trainers. Weaker groups might require some group discussion first, but once they get into their groove, pupils often produce responses that display far more creativity and humour than they realised they were capable of.
Find it here: bit.lyPersuasiveLanguage
Jon Sellick is an English teacher and head of sixth form at Range High School in Formby, Merseyside
Science
IVF lesson proves fertile ground for ethical debate
What is it? This week’s science resource comes from rclifford12. Though originally intended for use in religious education lessons, it is an ideal introduction to the ethical issues surrounding in vitro fertilisation.
How can it be used? The PowerPoint presentation comes with one supplementary sheet providing statistical data, and another listing family case studies that can be cut up into six individual units. While the presentation contains scientific information on the different types of IVF, the accompanying material allows students to engage with the topic and discuss the ethical dimensions of the process. I recently used this resource with my Year 11 class and was pleasantly surprised by the considered and mature discussion that followed.
Find it here: bit.lyIVFLesson
Aimee Mckeon is head of key stage 3 science at Shirley High School in Croydon, South London
To offer suggestions, email helen.amass@tesglobal.com
