Resource of the Week | Maths Blog

Resource of the Week: half way between

Today I’m looking at a resource which has proved to be very popular and on the face of it this looks quite a simple task. However, many children (and adults) find it very tricky to work out what half way between two numbers is. Often there is a lot of ‘trial and improvement’ going on in people’s heads as they guess their way towards finding half way.

Two methods make the task fairly straightforward.

For method one a number line is very useful to start with. Put a finger of the left hand on the first (lower) number shown on the number line and a finger of the right hand on the second number. Then move the left hand finger one place to the right and the right hand finger one place to the left. Repeat this until the two fingers meet – that is your half way number.

The second way of finding half way involves two steps:

step 1: add the two numbers.

step 2: halve the answer.

This is the better method as it works for all numbers, not just those shown on the number line.

This page can be found in our Year 3, Counting and Number section

Half way between_(1)

Resource of the week: Money and place value

$decimal fractions and money$

Money is a great way to reinforce place value with decimals. For example in the total £3.45 the digit 4 has a value of 4 tenths or 40p. Money makes it very easy to show tenths (a 10p coin is one tenth of a pound) and hundredths (a one pence coin is one hundredth of a pound).

This page looks at this in more detail, showing that ten pence can be written in two ways; either as 10p or as part of a pound £0.10. There are two further things to remember here:

1. that we should always have two digits after the decimal point when writing fractions of a pound eg £0.30 not £0.3.

2. that we should not include both the pound and pence sign when writing amounts in pounds eg £0.30 is correct but £0.30p is not. it is 0.30 of a pound, not 0.30 of a penny.

This is just one worksheet from a great selection in our Counting and Understanding Numbers section within our year 4 maths worksheets. Why not go and have a look at what else is freely available?

Decimal fractions and money

Resource of the Week: Year 2 symmetry

Folding to create symmetrical patterns is a popular past-time in schools, but understanding reflective symmetry can be quite tricky. These maths worksheets for year 2 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. Watch out for children who just copy the image rather than show the reflection.

More can be found in our year 2, Understanding shape section.

Symmetry_1

Resource of the Week: percentages

This week’s resource of the Week highlights 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.

Anyway, as to the maths: remember that many percentages can be worked out ‘in your head’ by remembering that 10% of an amount is equivalent to dividing the amount by 10. At this stage we will only be dealing with whole tens so it is probably the best approach. Later more complicated percentages will be found by dividing by 100 and multiplying by the percentage.

To find 20% of £350.

Find 10% of £350, which is £35

If 10% is £35, then 20% will be £35 x 2 = £70.

Percentages (pg 2)

Resource of the week: Valentine’s Day Maths

Looking through the range of resources it occurred to me that Valentine’s Day is coming up shortly. Sometimes it’s nice to have a change and special occasions such as Valentine’s Day allows us to do this. Here we have a maths worksheet suitable for Year 3 children with a Valentine Day’s theme. It is a subtraction page but all the missing numbers have to be put into the special Valentine hearts. There are also a couple of Valentine word problems.

The easiest way to do most of these subtractions is by adding on from the smaller number, once again showing the special relationship between addition and subtraction.

Thanks to urbrainy.com for letting me use this page from their vast supply of worksheets, including more on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine subtraction

Resource of the Week: Make 18

Here is a worksheet that makes children think a little bit more. It shows a number sentence with two numbers that total 18. It asks what the two numbers could be.

The first thing to look for with this is children who use a logical or methodical approach. Usually children will write down the first answer that comes into their heads. That is why I have provided two blank number sentences at the top of the page. However, once they have done this they should start to revise their thinking and try to approach the task in an order so that they will know when they have reached all the possible answers.

This activity can be extended using different numbers eg 19 or 20 and it is a useful exercise in helping children learn these pairs of numbers ‘off by heart’.

It can also be extended by allowing halves, which makes it quite a bit harder.

This can be found in the year 3 resources.

Addition number sentences: add 18

Resource of the week: division as sharing

Our resource of the week this week looks at early understanding of division. Division is usually the hardest of the four rules for children to learn, but in the early stages it is quite straightforward. Children often come across division for the first time when sharing, usually between two. The key concept,of course, is that the sharing is done equally. So, for example, 6 sweets shared between 2 children implies that the sharing is equal and they both receive the same number.

By far the best way to practice sharing is to use practical apparatus or use real life situations: e.g. share the strawberries equally between two, share or deal the cards equally etc. Usually this is done on a ‘one for you and one for me’ type process until there are none left. This maths worksheet replicates a practical situation, with the ultimate aim that children begin to remember the answers, which, of course are the inverse of multiplication.

Be careful when sharing that it is not always done into two, as some children begin to think that to share something it can always be divided by 2 and no other number.

Division as sharing (pg 1)

Resource of the Week: Maths SAT questions

For anyone in Year 6 the Maths SAT tests will be coming up before too long! Don’t forget that we have a whole section of past questions and answers, including great explanations of the best ways to approach each question. Invaluable help to achieve those higher levels!

This week I am highlighting are two questions from the Maths SAT Paper 2011 Paper B. The first involves equivalent fractions and the second angles and shape.

The answer to Question 8. 3/4
One mark awarded for a correct answer.
Equivalent fractions accepted as is 0.75.
Suggested method:
This question is another reading a number line problem and if children can count in quarters it is an easy mark. Firstly, it has to be recognised that the number line is showing quarters (1/2 is equivalent to 2/4 and 1 is equivalent to 4/4) making the missing number 3/4.

The answer to Question 9. A and D.
One mark awarded for a correct answer.
The letters can be given in either order. Both need to be given with no incorrect angles added.
Suggested method:
Answering this question correctly depends on 3 things:
Firstly, a recognition of the conventions for labelling angles, using the arc.
Secondly, a knowledge that an obtuse angle is larger than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees.
If either of these are unknown it becomes purely a guessing game. (Some children do think that the angle depends on the length of the lines rather than a measure of turn.)

Thirdly, if these are known, then the obtuse angles still need to be recognised. One way to do this is to slide a right angle (eg a corner of a piece of paper) into the angle to see whether it is smaller or larger.

Why not visit ks2-maths-sats.co.uk for free SATs papers and a great SAT revision programme?

Questions 8 and 9 from SAT Paper B 2011

Questions 8 and 9 answers and suggested method 2011 Paper B

Resource of the Week: Christmas maths activities

It’s getting very close to Christmas now and with many activities going on in school why not try a little Christmas maths as well?

This page is quite an open ended challenge as all the possible combinations of presents need to be found. There are four items with prices; a set of beads for £2, a box of chocolates for £3, a bag for £5 and a bottle of perfume for £7.

The task is to find as many different combinations of presents that can be bought for up to £10. The key here is that the whole £10 does not have to be spent.

So 3 sets of beads and a box of chocolates is one possibility, costing £9 in total.

As usual, look for well a well organised logical approach.

This page can be found in the year 4 Using and Applying Maths category.

Christmas presents

Resource of the week: scalene triangles

This week we take another look at types of triangle. A lot of work is done on triangles in Primary Schools and by year 5 and 6 most children are familiar with the properties of right angled triangles, equilateral triangles and isosceles triangles. An equilateral triangle has all three sides equal and all three angles equal; an isosceles triangle has two equal sides and two equal angles. However, fewer children know about the scalene triangle. A scalene triangle is one which has no sides the same length and no equal angles. Right angled triangles could also be scalene if all the sides are different lengths.

Thanks to MathSphere Ltd for this worksheet: and there are many more similar pages, both on their site and part of the ‘It’s All Figured Out’ CD.

This page can be found on the blog in the Year 5 section under Shape.

Go to our year 5 shape resources