Algebra brings the worlds of letters and numbers together, and as a result it can be difficult for students to grasp. Help learners to get their heads around the topic with these resources.

1 Treasure trail

What is it? A treasure hunt that leads students on a mission to simplify equations

What users say “I used this with my class of 10- to 11-year-olds. Working in pairs, all of them were able to take part and grasp the concept of simplification.”

bit.lyTreasureTrail

2 Game on

What is it? An interactive activity in which students search for algebraic solutions

What users say “Fantastic resource. Works very well for revision, starters and mini-plenaries. Thanks for taking the time to develop this.”

bit.lyMathsGameTime

3 Area of expertise

What is it? A lesson on forming expressions for area and perimeter

What users say “A brilliant resource - a great thinking skills lesson.”

bit.lyAreaResource

4 Sandy solutions

What is it? An activity that uses the concept of Egyptian “sand dancing” to teach children about transformations of graphs

What users say “My students were still talking about it hours after the lesson was over.”

bit.lyGraphActivity

5 Collective recall

What is it? A collaborative memory task to help teams of students practise simplifying expressions

What users say “We used this to build up big picture posters for revision and for finding out base knowledge, but it would be great for much more focused work, too.”

bit.lyCollectiveRecall

6 Ahead of the curve

What is it? A game in which students have to pick the equation that matches the pictured graph

What users say “Useful plenary or revision aid. Easy to use.”

bit.lyCurveGame

7 Trump card

What is it? A Top Trumps game using algebraic equations

What users say “Brilliant resource. Great for practice and even the lower-ability students can play without assistance.”

bit.lyTrumpsGame

8 Question time

What is it? Four PowerPoint quizzes covering topics such as graphs and equations

What users say “I used this with my 11- to 14-year-old groups of high- and middle-ability students. They absolutely loved it. Excellent resource.”

bit.lyAlgebraQuiz

9 Excel in maths

What is it? A spreadsheet activity for writing and solving linear equations

What users say “Looks great - clearer than me scrawling on the board!”

bit.lyExcelInMaths

10 Proof positive

What is it? A set of algebraic proofs for students to use as templates for their own work

What users say “This great resource will help students sequence their proofs and promote discussions.”

bit.lyPositiveProof.