Basically colouring by numbers, but with questions on Pythagoras' theorem. Actually created by one of my pupils!

The last of five complete lessons on linear sequences. Looks at patterns of squares or lines that each form a linear sequence. Adapted from a resource by another TES user called flibit (who has made some excellent resources). Printable worksheets included.

A collection of 5 activities involving square numbers that I’ve accumulated over the years from various sources: a puzzle I saw on Twitter involving recognising square numbers. a harder puzzle using some larger square numbers and a bit of logic. a sequences problem that links to square numbers a mini investigation that could lead to some basic algebraic proof work a trick involving mentally calculating squares of large numbers, plus a proof of why it works Please review if you like it or even if you don’t!

A complete lesson (or maybe two) for introducing the circumference rule. Activities included: Starter: Prompts for pupils to discuss and share definitions for names of circle parts. Main: Link to an online geogebra file (no software required) that demonstrates the circumference rule. Quickfire questions to use with mini whiteboards. A worksheet of standard questions with a progression in difficulty. A set of four challenging problems in context, possibly to work on in pairs. Plenary: Pupils could discuss answers with another pair, or there could be a whole-class discussion of solutions (provided) Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on bearings problems with an element of trigonometry or Pythagoras’ theorem. Activities included: Starter: Two sets of questions, one to remind pupils of basic bearings, the other a matching activity to remind pupils of basic trigonometry and Pythagoras’ thoerem. Main: Three worked examples to show the kind of things required. A set of eight problems for pupils to work through. Plenary: A prompt for pupils to reflect on the skills used during the lesson. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on generating equivalent ratios and simplifying a ratio. Activities included: Starter: A set of questions to remind pupils how to find equivalent fractions and simplify fractions. I always use fraction equivalence to introduce ratio, so reminding pupils of these methods now helps them see the connections between the two topics. Main: A matching activity where pupils pair up diagrams showing objects in the same ratio. Examples and quick questions on finding equivalent ratios (eg 2:5 = 8:?) A matching activity on the same theme. Examples and a set of questions on simplifying ratios. A challenging extension task, using equivalent fractions in a problem-solving scenario. Plenary: A final odd-one-out question to reinforce the key ideas of the lesson. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson looking at slightly trickier questions requiring Pythagoras’ theorem. For example, calculating areas and perimeters of triangles, given two of the sides. Activities included: Starter: A nice picture puzzle where pupils do basic Pythagoras calculations, to remind them of the methods. Main: Examples of the different scenarios pupils will consider later in the lesson, to remind them of a few area and perimeter basics. Four themed worksheets, one on diagonals of rectangles two on area and perimeter of triangles, and one on area and perimeter of trapeziums. Each worksheet has four questions with a progression in difficulty. Could be used as a carousel or group task. Plenary: A prompt to get pupils discussing what they know about Pythagoras’ theorem. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on how to use a protractor properly. Includes lots of large, clear, animated examples that make this fiddly topic a lot easier to teach. Designed to come after pupils have been introduced to acute, obtuse and reflex angles and they can already estimate angles. Activities included: Starter: A nice set of problems where pupils have to judge whether given angles on a grid are acute, 90 degrees or obtuse. The angles are all very close or equal to 90 degrees, so pupils have to come up with a way (using the gridlines) to decide. Main: An extended set of examples, intended to be used as mini whiteboard questions, where an angle is shown and then a large protractor is animated, leaving pupils to read off the scale and write down the angle. The range of examples includes measuring all angle types using either the outer or inner scale. It also includes examples of subtle ‘problem’ questions like the answer being between two dashes on the protractor’s scale or the lines of the angle being too short to accurately read off the protractor’s scale. These are all animated to a high standard and should help pupils avoid developing any misconceptions about how to use a protractor. Three short worksheets of questions for pupils to consolidate. The first is simple angle measuring, with accurate answers provided. The second and third offer more practice but also offer a deeper purpose - see the cover image. Instructions for a game for pupils to play in pairs, basically drawing random lines to make an angle, both estimating the angle, then measuring to see who was closer. Plenary: A spot the mistake animated question to address misconceptions. As always, printable worksheets and answers included. Please do review if you buy, the feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on inverse operations. Includes questions with decimals, with the intention that pupils are using calculators. Activities included: Starter: Four simple questions where pupils fill a bank in a sum, to facilitate a discussion about possible ways of doing this. Slides to formalise the idea of an inverse operation, followed by a set of questions to check pupils can correctly correctly identify the inverse of a given operation and a worksheet of straight-forward fill the blank questions (albeit with decimals, to force pupils to use inverse operations). I have thrown in a few things that could stimulate further discussion here - see cover image. Main: The core of the lesson centres around an adaptation of an excellent puzzle I saw on the Brilliant.org website. I have created a series of similar puzzles and adapted them for a classroom setting. Essentially, it is a diagram showing boxes for an input and an output, but with multiple routes to get from one to the other, each with a different combination of operations. Pupils are tasked with exploring a set of related questions: the largest and smallest outputs for a given input. the possible inputs for a given output. the possible inputs for a given output, if the input was an integer. The second and third questions use inverse operations, and the third in particular gives pupils something a lot more interesting to think about. The second question could be skipped to make the third even more challenging. I’ve also thrown in a blank template for pupils to create their own puzzles. Plenary: Your standard ‘I think of a number’ inverse operation puzzle, for old time’s sake. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please do review if you buy, as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on solving two step equations using inverse operations. Does include some decimals, as I wanted to give a more complete example set and make it hard for pupils to just use trial and error to find solutions. As such, I would let pupils use calculators. Activities included: Starter: A set of questions to check that pupils can evaluate two step expressions like 2x+3, given a value of x Main: A prompt to discuss the differences between two equations (a one step and a two step with the same solution), to get pupils thinking about how they could approach the latter. Examples and a set of questions on using inverse operations to reverse a two step flowchart and solve its corresponding equation. These have been deigned to further reinforce the importance of BIDMAS when interpreting an algebraic expression, so the emphasis is on quality not quantity of questions. A more challenging task of pupils trying to make an equation with a certain solution. Designed to be extendable to pupils looking for generalistions. Plenary: A prompt to discuss a few less obvious one-step equations (eg x+8+3=20) Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A set of challenging activities using Pythagoras’ theorem. Activities included: Starter: Given two isosceles triangles, pupils work out which one has the larger area. Main: Examples/practice questions, followed by two sets of questions on the theme of comparing area and perimeter of triangles. Both sets start with relatively straight forward use of Pythagoras’ theorem, but end with an area=perimeter question, where pupils ideally use algebra to arrive at an exact, surd answer. Plenary: Not really a plenary, but a very beautiful puzzle (my take on the spiral of Theodorus) with an elegant answer.

A complete lesson on connected ratios, with the 9-1 GCSE in mind. The lesson is focused on problems where, for example, the ratios a:b and b:c are given, and pupils have to find the ratio a:b:c in its simplest form. Assumes pupils have already learned how to generate equivalent ratios and share in a ratio- see my other resources for lessons on these topics. Activities included: Starter: A set of questions to recap equivalent ratios. Main: A brief look at ratios in baking, to give context to the topic. Examples and quick questions for pupils to try. Questions are in the style shown in the cover image. A set of questions for pupils to consolidate. A challenging extension task where pupils combine the techniques learned with sharing in a ratio to solve more complex word problems in context. Plenary: A final puzzle in a different context (area), that could be solved using connected ratios and should stimulate some discussion. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for first teaching pupils how to express a number as a product of its prime factors using a factor tree. Activities included: Starter: Three puzzles relating to prime numbers, intended to increase pupils’ familiarity with them. Main: Examples and questions (with a progression of difficulty and some intrigue). Plenary A ‘spot the mistake’ question. No worksheets required and answers included throughout. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on prime factors. Intended as a challenging task to come after pupils are familiar with the process of expressing a number as a product of prime factors (see my other resources for a lesson on this). Activities included: Starter: Questions to test pupils can list all factors of a number using factor pairs. Main: Pupils find all factors of a number using a different method - by starting with the prime factor form of a number and considering how these can be combined into factor pairs. Links well to the skill of testing combinations that is in the new GCSE specification. Possible extension of pupils investigating what determines how many factors a number has. Plenary: A look at why numbers that are products of three different primes must have 8 factors. No worksheets required and answers included throughout. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for first teaching how to compare fractions using common denominators. Intended as a precursor to both ordering fractions and adding or subtracting fractions, as it requires the same skills. Activities included: Starter: Some quick questions to test if pupils can find the lowest common multiple of two numbers. Main: A prompt to generate discussion about different methods of comparing the size of two fractions. Example question pairs on comparing using equivalent fractions, to quickly assess if pupils understand the method. A set of straightforward questions with a progression in difficulty. A challenging extension where pupils find fractions halfway between two given fractions. Plenary: A question in context to reinforce the key skill and also give some purpose to the skill taught in the lesson. Optional worksheets (ie no printing is really required, but the option is there if you want) and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on finding the area of a sector. Activities included: Starter: Collect-a-joke starter on areas of circles to check pupils can use the rule. Main: Example-question pairs, giving pupils a quick opportunity to try and receive feedback. A straight-forward worksheet with a progression in difficulty. A challenging, more open-ended extension task where pupils try to find a sector with a given area. Plenary: A brief look at Florence Nightingale’s use of sectors in her coxcomb diagrams, to give a real-life aspect. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for introducing the trapezium area rule. Activities included: Starter: Non-calculator BIDMAS questions relating to the calculations needed to area of a trapezium. A good chance to discuss misconceptions about multiplying by a half. Main: Reminder of shape properties of a trapezium Example-question pairs, giving pupils a quick opportunity to try and receive feedback. A worksheet of straight forward questions with a progression in difficulty, although I have also built in a few things for more able students to think about. (eg what happens if all the measurement double?) A challenging extension task where pupils work in reverse, finding measurements given areas. Plenary: Nice visual proof of rule by relating to the rule for the area of a parallelogram. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review it if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on the equation of a circle with centre the origin. The intention is to get pupils familiar with not only the format of the equation of a circle, and a derivation of the equation, but also problems involving coordinates on a circle. Activities included: Starter: A related question where pupils try to identify which of three given points are closer to the origin, before considering what must be true if points are a given distance from the origin. Main: The starter leads directly into a clear definition of the equation of a circle, followed by a set of quick diagnostic whole-class questions to check for understanding. Example-question pairs of increasingly difficult problems involving coordinates on circles, followed by a set of three worksheets. The last one is more of a mini-investigation, with opportunities for pupils to conjecture and generalise. Plenary: Three final puzzles to check for understanding. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson for first introducing the ratios sin, cos and tan. Ideal as a a precursor to teaching pupils SOHCAHTOA. Activities included: Starter: Some basic similarity questions (I would always teach similarity before trig ratios). Main: Examples and questions on using similarity to find missing sides, given a trig ratio (see cover image for an example of what I mean, and to understand the intention of doing this first). Examples, quick questions and worksheets on identifying hypotenuse/opposite/adjacent and then sin/cos/tan for right-angled triangles. A challenging always, sometimes, never activity involving trig ratios. Plenary: A discussion about the last task, and a chance for pupils to share ideas. Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!

A complete lesson on increasing or decreasing by a percentage. Activities included: Starter: A template for pupils to work out lots of different percentages of £30 Main: Examples and a set of straight-forward questions making percentage changes. A connect 4 game for pupils to play in pairs, taking it in turns to work out percentage changes and win squares on a grid. A few questions to discuss about the game. A puzzle where pupils arrange numbers and percentage change statements to make a loop. Plenary: Some examples looking at making a percentage decrease a different way - eg decreasing by 25% by directly working out 75% Printable worksheets and answers included. Please review if you buy as any feedback is appreciated!