What is it?
Secondary Maths Collection 4 looks at fractions, decimals and percentages. Put together by maths teacher Craig Barton for the TES, it is made up of his top 10 resources. Fractions, decimals and percentages can often be a painful topic to teach, he says. There are so many rules, techniques and concepts for pupils to grasp that it can be hard to keep them engaged and enjoying the lessons.
Getting started
Mathsenders is a fantastic look at the use of number operations and percentages to work out how much income Heather from EastEnders has in her pocket at the end of each year. Collective Memory - Equivalent Fractions introduces or revises equivalent fractions and simplifying. There are gaps for the pupils to fill in and even a deliberate mistake.
Fractions and percentages crop up again in a GCSE unit from CIMT, where a favourite activity of Mr Barton’s compares the national lottery with premium bonds. There are also fractions loop cards, which are simple, effective activities that can engage even the most reluctant of pupils and quickly highlight any misconceptions the class might have. Another unit on fractions (MEP - Year 7 - Unit 10) has some nice ideas for introducing fractions to P7s - the activities pdf is particularly commended. And Fraction Mistakes has deliberate mistakes in it - one of the best ways to assess pupils’ understanding and deepen their learning, says Mr Barton.
Taking it further
Other resources in this collection include Pick 3 Numbers Version 2, Add Subtract Decimals, and Would you rather . Percentage Puzzles.
Where to find it
www.tes.co.ukmaths-fractions.
