December, 2009 | Maths Blog

Resource of the Week: Christmas tree puzzle

It doesn’t seem like a year ago that this little Christmas maths puzzle was posted, but Christmas is now just around the corner (although our local garden centre would have me believe that it started in early October!).

This puzzle looks quite easy but can cause a lot of problems. Probably suitable for older children, or even mums and dads! It asks to put the digits 1 to 9 in stars around a Christmas tree so that each side of four stars adds up to the same total.

There are a number of solutions, the one shown just an example.

Christmas tree stars

Maths worksheet: Multiplication word problems for Year 2

This worksheet looks at multiplication word problems taken from real life situations. All the questions can be answered if the 2x table is known. There are picture illustrations on this page to help. Some children may use these to count up in twos, but being able to count up is not the same as knowing tables off by heart. Children who know the two times table will be able to answer far more quickly than those who have to count; and speed is something we are looking to encourage with mental maths.

Multiplication: word problems for year 2

Year 6 maths worksheet: Converting metric units

By year 6 children will be very familiar with the metric system, but here is a worksheet which should test their knowledge and ability to convert from a larger metric unit to a smaller one. It involves converting metres to centimetres, centimetres to millimetres, kilograms to grams and litres to millilitres.What makes it more tricky is that all the larger measurements use decimal fractions as well as whole units. This of course, needs careful multiplication by 10, 100 or 1000 and ‘adding a nought’ just won’t work!

Year 6: Converting larger units to smaller_(pg 1)

Coming Soon: Metric system, multiplication and negative numbers

By year 6 children will be very familiar with the metric system, but next week we have a worksheet which should test their knowledge and ability to convert from a larger metric unit to a smaller one.

We also continue with our series of multiplication for Year 2 with some multiplication word problems taken from real life situations. All the questions can be answered if the 2x table is known. There are picture illustrations on this page to help.

We also have the second page on placing negative numbers on a number line, probably best suited to year 4 children. This time the questions asks for an arrow to be drawn to the correct position on the number line for each of the numbers shown.

Percentages for year 5 (pg 2)

Here is the second of our percentages worksheets for Year 5. It is typical of the English that we manage to write per cent in two different ways. Unlike the Americans who use percent we use two words per cent, apart from when we write percentage when we put it altogether. Continue reading “Percentages for year 5 (pg 2)”

Resource of the Week: game: cross numbers

Maths games can be great for improving knowledge and this one we borrowed from the mathsphere.co.uk site, which is part of their extensive free resources.

Feeling confident about 2x, 5x and 10x tables? Why not have a go at this cross number? Just drag the numbers across to the correct squares. Easy peasy if you know your tables! If you get stuck the answers appear in red, but only for a short time.

[flash http://mathsblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/crossno3.swf]

Year 2 Calculations: Multiplication and shopping

Setting up a little shop and buying and selling things has always been a great part of early maths, but usually this activity is limited to adding up and giving change. It can be used equally well to reinforce multiplication skills, as this worksheet shows. Continue reading “Year 2 Calculations: Multiplication and shopping”