Fun resources for the mathematics classroom featuring puzzles, investigations and other challenging activities.
Many of these activities open up opportunities for further investigation .
Listen for that unexpected question from your student and be prepared to follow it especially if you, as a teacher, don't know the answer or where it will lead!
Fun resources for the mathematics classroom featuring puzzles, investigations and other challenging activities.
Many of these activities open up opportunities for further investigation .
Listen for that unexpected question from your student and be prepared to follow it especially if you, as a teacher, don't know the answer or where it will lead!
Algebraic substitution, expressions, evaluation.
Students have to evaluate a set of linear expressions given the values of the variables.
A teacher's guide is supplied and the answers are given.
This comprehensive pack contains resources to introduce students to Conway’s Game of Life. Watch configurations of dots die, survive and give birth. This recreational mathematics topic has fascinated thousands of people since its discovery in 1970.
The pack contains four worksheets with student activity Challenges, a 5-page Teacher’s Guide with answers to all the Challenges and an accompanying suite of 4 Grid Templates. It is suitable for students of all ages and ranges of ability.
The Guide also gives advice as to suitable classroom approaches, further extension work and reference to videos and software.
Worksheet 1 introduces the idea of Neighbours, Worksheet 2 focusses on death from loneliness and overcrowding. Worksheet 3 tackles the birth of dots. Then Worksheet 4 brings all the rules together and the activities focus on finding the next generation for various configurations. Still Life patterns are also explored.
The emphasis throughout is on activity, exploration and extension work. Much of the activity is suitable for group work.
Reference is made to suitable motivational videos and to an excellent free open-source software package (Golly) for further exploration.
There are three Cross-number Puzzles provided in this worksheet resource: Puzzle A, Puzzle B and Puzzle C. They are in increasing order of difficulty. All clues involve a mixture of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions. Puzzles A and B involve operations with two fractions or mixed fractions. It is possible to complete each of these two puzzles by ignoring the division clues. The clues in Puzzle C all involve operations with three fractions. Knowledge of the order of operations is essential to solve this third puzzle.
There is an explanation given on each puzzle sheet of how fractions or mixed fractions are to be entered in the grid
The full answers to the three puzzles are given in the Notes for Teachers along with a few relevant notes regarding the puzzles.
Students use the cut-out sheet to make a set of 12 pentominoes. This puzzle pack has 20 shape templates. Each shape can be created using all 12 pentominoes. The shapes are themed as rectangles (including squares) with holes in them.
The Teacher's Guide gives solutions for all puzzles and some advice for helping students who are stuck.
3x+1 conjecture, Collatz problem, Syracuse problem, Kakutani's problem, Hasse's algorithm,
Ulam's problem.
This worksheet investigates a simple number recurrence algorithm: if it's odd multiply by 3 then
add 1 but if it's even then halve, repeat. Students use the algorithm to complete missing
numbers on the sheet. Very detailed background is given in the guide along with answers.
Great to give students an understandable but unsolved (as yet) problem!
Sequences, sequence notation, recurrence relations, number calculations.
Students completing this cross-number puzzle are eventually required to calculate just over the first thirty Fibonacci and Lucas numbers. 'nth term' notation is used and recurrence relations are given. The calculations involved are addition, subtraction and a few basic multiplications.
The Teacher's Guide gives the answers to the puzzle. Also outlined are some further investigative activities exploring the many relationships between the two sequences of numbers.
Linear equation solving, solutions.
Students are required to solve linear equations then write the value of the solution in the crossword grid. All equations have variables on both sides. The nature of the task encourages students to check their solutions.
The teacher's guide gives some advice concerning strategies. The answers are provided.
This resource consists of two cross-number puzzles suitable for Year 6 upwards (P7 upwards in Scotland). Geometric diagrams are given illustrating the first few triangular numbers. To solve both puzzles the student will need to calculate particular triangular numbers, The largest required is the 41st. Clues use a basic algebra subscript notation for each triangular number.
The Teachers Guide outlines three possible approaches to the completion of the worksheet ranging from "brute force" calculation to more investigative approaches involving the triangular number formula.
The answers to the puzzles are also supplied in the Teacher's Guide.
This resource consists of a cross-number puzzle whose solution involves the calculation of hexagonal numbers. Geometric diagrams are given for the first few hexagonal numbers. Students will then have to devise methods to calculate larger such numbers.
The Teachers Guide outlines three possible investigative approaches to these calculations. One involves generalising using the given geometric patterns. The other two approaches involve investigating numerical patterns which then leads to the construction of a nth term formula. One is through patterns in a difference table and the other involves patterns in the numerical factors of the hexagonal numbers.
The answers to the puzzle clues are also given in the Teachers Guide.
Factors, factorisation, prime numbers, investigation.
Diagrams of incomplete factor trees are given for the student to complete. There are then
follow-on tasks exploring the fact that one number may produce differently structured trees.
In the Teacher's guide an investigation is outlined based on the activities covered in the worksheet.
All answers are given.
In the first activity students complete the given factor trees. Further activities involve students creating similarly structured factor trees for further numbers then differently structured trees for all the previous numbers. Suggestions are made to link the activities to the prime factorisation of numbers.
The Teacher's Guide supplies answers to all the activities with a few additional notes.
Students have to complete a cross-number puzzle whose clues are all the addition of two fractions. Instructions are given on the worksheet as to how to enter a fractional answer in the grid.
The answers are given in the Teacher's Guide along with a few relevant notes regarding the puzzle.
This resource consists of 5 worksheets and a 6 page Teacher’s Guide. These worksheets explore the amazing symmetries occurring in the decimal expansions of prime reciprocals. Students investigate the cycles of digits in these expansions and complete beautiful cyclic diagrams, templates of which are supplied in these worksheets. The primes 3, 7, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31 and 37 are explored. Hidden patterns are revealed and a connection between the number of cycles and the length of the cycles is discovered.
The completed diagrams are given in the Teacher’s Guide which also contains the outline of an investigative approach to the topic. Details are given of the various stages of the investigation and how the worksheets may be incorporated. Various extensions are suggested including the use of a spreadsheet.
This is a fascinating topic which will provide rich and rewarding mathematical experiences for the students.
Students have to complete a cross-number puzzle whose clues are all the subtraction of two fractions. Instructions are given on the worksheet as to how to enter a fractional answer in the grid.
The answers are given in the Teacher's Guide along with a few relevant notes regarding the puzzle.
Students have to complete a cross-number puzzle whose clues are all the multiplication of two fractions. Instructions are given on the worksheet as to how to enter a fractional answer in the grid.
The answers are given in the Teacher's Guide along with a few relevant notes regarding the puzzle.
This activity consists of a Crossnumber Puzzle which is completed by solving 22 quadratic equations. Instructions are given regarding the method for entering solutions onto the grid. All the quadratic equations have 1 as the coefficient of the x-squared term.
The answer to the puzzle is provided in the Teacher's Guide along with a few relevant notes.
Students explore the symmetry properties of the pentominoes then create symmetric shapes using pairs of pentominoes.
A cut-out sheet is provided for making the set of pentominoes. There are then 4 worksheets which include finding axes and centres of symmetry, completion of a pentomino summary sheet, discussion of bilateral and rotational symmetry and order of symmetry.
There are 3 pages of a Teacher's Guide which give full answers to all the activities. Possible approaches to lessons are given and useful extension activities are outlined.
This word search grid contains the names of 50 famous mathematicians. Students are asked to give the direction, coordinates and name. Geographical directions of the compass are used for how you read the name and coordinates of the position of the starting letter are asked for. Templates for filling in this information are given below the grid.
The three page Teacher's Guide contains the full solutions, guidance on possible approaches and uses for the word search and also a page of crib sheets whose use is also explained in the notes.
This activity consists of a Crossnumber Puzzle which is completed by solving 18 quadratic equations. Instructions are given regarding the method for entering solutions onto the grid. All the quadratic equations have an x-squared coefficient that is not 1.
The answer to the puzzle is provided in the Teacher's Guide along with a few relevant notes.
A Cross-Number Puzzle based on Factory Town Tycoon (a Roblox game). The pupil’s Information Sheet provides: a list of Players and their current wealth; buying/selling prices for some goods; a simple production line example. Students are required to interpret the clues, extract relevant data from the Information Sheet and then to do the necessary calculations (manually or with calculator)
Students who are not familiar with the game will not be at a disadvantage as the puzzle is self-contained.
The Teacher’s Guide gives the answers by means of a completed grid. The actual calculations required to solve each clue are given. This allows the teacher to easily judge the difficulty level involved and whether calculators should be allowed. There are also descriptions and suggestions for use in the classroom and for further extension work.