The Mathematical Word Hunt This activity is perfect for KS2, Y6 Transition Day, a Y7-Y8 lesson or a weak Y9-Y11 group. Pupils will complete three colour-coded maths activities. For each activity, a series of maths questions will be displayed around the room. Each question has two possible answers, with each answer linked to a different letter. Pupils must move around the room, solve each question and identify the correct answer. The letter associated with the correct answer should then be recorded on their answer sheet. Once all questions have been completed, the collected letters will spell a mathematical keyword backwards. Pupils must reverse the letters to reveal the correct word. Green Activity – Addition and Subtraction • Slides 7–17 will be printed on green paper and displayed around the room. • These questions focus on addition and subtraction. • Slides 1–2 will be printed on green paper and given to pupils as their answer sheet. • Pupils solve each question and use the correct answer to identify the corresponding letter. • The letters will spell COMMUTATIVE backwards. • Once completed, pupils reverse the letters to reveal COMMUTATIVE. Pupils then move on to the orange activity. Orange Activity – Multiplication and Division • Slides 18–28 will be printed on orange paper and displayed around the room. • These questions focus on multiplication and division. • Slides 3–4 will be printed on orange paper and given to pupils as their answer sheet. • Pupils solve each question and use the correct answer to identify the corresponding letter. • The letters will spell ASSOCIATIVE backwards. • Once completed, pupils reverse the letters to reveal ASSOCIATIVE. Pupils then move on to the blue activity. Blue Activity – Mixed Operations • Slides 29–40 will be printed on blue paper and displayed around the room. • These questions focus on all four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. • Slides 5–6 will be printed on blue paper and given to pupils as their answer sheet. • Pupils solve each question and use the correct answer to identify the corresponding letter. • The letters will spell DISTRIBUTIVE backwards. • Once completed, pupils reverse the letters to reveal DISTRIBUTIVE. Staff Role Staff should encourage pupils to show their working, check their answers carefully and work independently where possible. The final mathematical word provides pupils with a useful way of checking their answers, as an incorrect answer may result in the letters not forming the correct word. The activity is designed as an engaging maths treasure hunt/codebreaker, allowing pupils to practise their arithmetic skills while moving around the room and working towards uncovering three key mathematical words: COMMUTATIVE, ASSOCIATIVE and DISTRIBUTIVE. Once the lesson has been completed

The Number Hunt Challenge The Number Hunt Challenge is a fun and engaging whole-school numeracy activity that takes place throughout the school day. Y7 – Y11 pupils receive a differentiated booklet filled with numeracy and mathematical questions to solve. All staff members – from teachers and support staff to canteen and premises staff – wear a numbered card around their neck, with each number representing the answer to one of the questions. Using their mathematical skills, pupils solve the questions and then hunt around the school during their free time to find the staff member displaying the correct answer. Once found, they record the staff member’s name in their booklet. This exciting challenge creates a real buzz around the academy, encouraging pupils to think mathematically beyond the classroom and demonstrating that numeracy is an important life skill. It also provides a fantastic opportunity for staff to get involved, helping to promote a whole-school culture where mathematics is celebrated and enjoyed by everyone. To add to the excitement, prizes can be awarded to pupils who participate and achieve 100% correct answers in their completed booklets. The Resources The Number Hunt Booklets – in this PPT pack there are 5 differentiated pupil booklets (one for Y7, Y8, Y9, Y10 and Y11) and one for staff members. The only thing that needs to be adapted is everything highlighted in yellow. This can be completed once you have finalised the ‘Teacher Name, Number and Answers’ Excel Spreadsheet. Teacher Name, Number and Answers – this Excel spreadsheet contains: • Column A: Staff names – this column needs to be updated with the names of staff members in your school. • Column B: Assigned numbers • Answers for every pupil booklet’s Page 1 challenge (Factors of 96, Multiples of 7, Prime Numbers and Square Numbers). If your school has more than 123 staff members, additional rows can be added. If your school has fewer than 123 staff members, reduce the number of staff assigned to the Factors of 96, Multiples of 7, Prime Numbers and Square Numbers categories, as all other answers are required for the activity to function correctly. Teacher Name Cards – Match each numbered card to the correct staff member using the spreadsheet. Once matched: • Print the cards. • Laminate them. • Cut them out. • Punch a hole at the top. • Thread string or lanyards through them. These cards should then be distributed to staff members, who should wear them throughout the day of the challenge. The Number Hunt Assembly – This PPT explains how the challenge works and introduces the activity to pupils. It can be delivered during a whole-school assembly or shared with form tutors to present during tutor time. The Number Hunt Booklet Answers – This PPT contains the complete answer set for all booklets. Staff names should be updated to match those listed in the Teacher Name, Number and Answers spreadsheet.