January, 2010 | Maths Blog

Coming soon: 3x table, division and decimal fractions

Next week we will have a slightly harder worksheet than the last one published on the three times table. This page does not have a number line to help and the questions are asked in different order eg 6 x 3 or 3 x 6. This could be used as a timed challenge for those who are gaining confidence in learning the table.

Also coming up soon a straightforward set of questions on dividing 2-digit numbers by ten, with remainders. It is aimed at children in Year 2 who are just getting to grips with division and know their ten times table. We will also be publishing a good revision worksheet on place value and the use of thousandths.

Year 2 Maths worksheet: Lines of symmetry

Folding to create symmetrical patterns is a popular past-time in schools. These maths worksheets for year 2 are quite tricky as they ask children to colour the correct spots on the other side of the line of symmetry to make sure that the shape is symmetrical.

Pegboards are a useful aid to this work, as is a mirror, which can be laid along the line, or axis of symmetry to see how the pattern continues.

Lines of symmetry (1)

Resource of the Week: Measuring using the metric system

Thanks to MathSphere and Mathsgogo for these two worksheets which show how much easier the metric system is than the old Imperial system. Take length for example: no 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard or 1760 yards in a mile. It’s all tens, hundreds and thousands! By Year 4 (8/9 yrs old) children should know the standard units of measurement for length, including the abbreviations.

mm (millimetres) cm (centimetres) m (metres) and km (kilometres) .

They should also know that:

1 kilometre = 1 000 metres

1 metre = 100 centimetres or 1 000 millimetres

1 centimetre = 10 millimetres

These facts really do have to be learned, but it is not too difficult as they are all multiples of 10, unlike the old Imperial system!

They should also be developing their understanding of what is the best unit to use: eg what is the most suitable unit to measure the length of the garden?

It is not so easy to find real life situations where kilometres are used – certainly in athletics, cycling races etc, but unfortunately our roads are still signposted in miles – but that issue is for another whole series of blogs!

Why standard units?

Using kilometres and millimetres

Year 5 Maths Worksheet: Square Numbers (2)

This is the second in our series of square number maths worksheets for Year 5. It is an interesting and worthwhile exercise asking children to see if they can make a square out of 10 or 12 smaller squares (not overlapping etc) using plastic or card squares. Rectangles are possible, but not squares.

They can then be asked to find which numbers can be made into a square. This can be done either with smaller squares or as dots in an array.

There are several ways that questions involving square numbers can be phrased, including:

What is 4 squared?

What is the square of 4?

What number multiplied by itself makes 16?

Square numbers 2

Year 1 Investigation: Snowflake numbers

Still chilly outside so a little ‘snowflake’ number investigation suitable for Year 1 children (5-6 yrs old). Given the numbers 1, 3 5 and 7 what addition sums can be made? Encourage working in a logical way.

The second question asks how many different answers can be made when subtracting. There are less possible different subtraction answers than addition.

Snowflake number investigation

Year 6 Maths Worksheet: Reading decimal fractions (1)

$reading_decimal_fractions 1$

By Year 6 children should have a good understanding of place value, including decimals. Decimal fractions are often best taught in the context of money, but this only covers tenths and hundredths. This maths worksheet looks at thousandths as well. There two main parts: 1. writing the value decimal fractions in words and 2. writing decimals in digits.

Just like whole numbers a digit becomes ten times smaller when it is moved one place to the right after the decimal point, so the digit 6 in 0.467 is 6 hundredths and the 6 in 0.356 is 6 thousandths.

Reading decimal fractions (1)

How do you say 2010?

How are you saying the new year 2010?
There seems to be some debate about this. Some are saying ‘two thousand and ten’ whilst others are saying ‘twenty ten’.
‘Twenty ten’ is similar to the last century when we said dates such as 1990 as ‘nineteen ninety’ but few people used this way during the first decade of the new century eg 2008 was not often said as ‘twenty eight’.
Of course the children around here in the south will just say’ twenyten’ because as far as they are concerned there is only one t in twenty (tweny)!

Let us know what you think.

Resource of the Week: Year 4 bar charts

Don’t forget that we have a growing number of resources on data handling, including the bar chart or bar graph. These pages are aimed at Year 4 children. The vertical bars represent the number of people going out on a boat. Each bar is completely separate from the others.

It is important that children get used to naming the horizontal and vertical axes and that these axes should always be named.

The hardest part of interpreting this bar chart involves the number of people shown on the vertical axis. The numbers go up in twenties, but of course there are intermediate values. The number of people on the 11.00 boat is more difficult to read and only a close approximation between 120 and 140 can be made. As it looks just less than half way to the next interval an estimate of just below 130 would be very accurate.

It is important not to just look at the graph but to also make some suggestions as to why the results are as they are. Why did the 12.00 boat have the least number of people on it, but the 1.00 boat have the most?

The second worksheet has similar problems, but the numbers on the vertical axis go up in tens rather than twenties.

Free Y4 maths worksheet: Bar charts (pg 1)

Free Y4 maths worksheet: Bar charts (pg 2)

Year 5 Maths Worksheet: Square Numbers (1)

This maths worksheet uses a 10×10 tables square to show the patterns involved with square numbers. All the square numbers lie diagonally from top left to bottom right.

Once children have seen the pattern and worked out all the square numbers from 1 to 100 it is a good idea to encourage them to learn the numbers off by heart, as if in a list.

This page is probably best suited to year 5 children.

Square numbers (1)

Times tables: 3x table starter

Here we have a worksheet on the 3x table which is ideal for those children just beginning to get to grips with learning tables. It includes a number line to help those who are still ‘counting on’.

The 3 times table is one of the harder tables to learn, as there is little in the way of pattern, but answers do alternate between odd and even. It is usually learned after the twos, tens and fives.

A good way of checking if an answer is correct is to see if the digits add up to 3, 6 or 9. eg 24: 2 + 4 = 6.

This page can be found in our Four Rules section, under multiplication/tables.

3 times table starter