Advanced Maths Lesson Starters

Here is a list of advanced Maths lesson starters suitable for students studying for A Level, IB, Advanced placement etc. In addition, many of the 'Starter of the Day' activities are easily developed for the more able student.

Main Starter of the Day Page Search for Starter by Topic

Alphabetical list

Showing only Place Value Advanced Starters

Show all Advanced Starters

Divisible by 11: Can you prove that a three digit number whose first and third digits add up to the value of the second digit must be divisible by eleven?  [Topic(s): Algebra, Place Value]


Reverse Connection: Find a general rule for the difference between a two digit number and that same number with the digits reversed.  [Topic(s): Algebra, Place Value]


Unlucky Seven Eleven: Follow the instructions to multiply a chosen number then explain the result you get.  [Topic(s): Number, Place Value]


3 Advanced Starters

 

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Complete Index of Starters

Highly Recommended

Advanced Refreshing Revision

Advanced Refreshing Revision

Every time you refresh the page you get different revision questions for whole class retrieval practice.

The short web address is:

Transum.org/go/?to=refresh

 

Also Recommended

Uniqueness Game

The Uniqueness Game

A fun and engaging whole-class game! Challenge students to find unique examples for each category that no one else has discovered. It's a fantastic way to deepen their understanding.

The short web address is:

Transum.org/go/?to=unique

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Recently Updated

Xmas Light Sum

Xmas Light Sum

Arrange the coloured lights to create a balanced pattern where the total of each colour matches the target numbers. So far this activity has been accessed 4284 times and 253 Transum Trophies have been awarded for completing it.

 

Exam Style Questions

Still looking for an Advanced Starter? Try an Exam Style Question. There are hundreds to choose from.

Exam Style Questions

Yes past paper questions can make ideal Lesson Starters. Have them projected onto your whiteboard and your students can start working as soon as they sit down. The (I)GCSE Higher/Extended and the IB questions have fully worked solutions that you can reveal line by line when you go through the questions with the class. All this saves you valuable time at the beginning of your lesson.

Here are some questions I like as Starters to get you going:

Two circles just fit side by side in a larger circle. What fraction of the larger circle do they cover? more...

One is added to the product of two consecutive positive even numbers. Show that the result is a square number. more...

The diagrams below show a sequence of patterns made from red and yellow tiles. more...

This Venn diagram shows the relationship between the sets of numbers. more...

Twitter and the media were buzzing with comments about a particular question about Hanna's sweets. more...

Calculate the area of the front face of the dart board. more...

A restaurant offers 6 starters, 14 main courses and 5 different desserts. more...

Find the length of the elastic band that fits around three crayons. more...

The graph shows the height of water in a container over a period time. more...

This draft emoji design includes a circle and a kite. more...

Minerva's Revenge is the longest rollercoaster in the Funville Theme Park. more...

Windthrup bought a car for £9500 which depreciated by 6% in the first year. more...

Match the equation with the letter of its graph. more... Exam Style Questions

 

Maths Riddles:

Yes, mathematical riddles make great lesson starters too.

Animals at the Oasis: Calculate the number of animals gathered at the oasis according to the clues.  [Topic(s): Arithmetic]


Audible Riddles: Listen to these audible mathematical riddles and use your ingenuity to figure out the answers.  [Topic(s): Audible]


Bus Driver: A riddle about a bus driver on quite a busy route.  [Topic(s): Calculation]


Calendar Clue: Find the murderer from the clue written on the calendar  [Topic(s): Calendar]


Calendar Riddle: Work out the date of my birthday from the clues in rhyme.  [Topic(s): Number, Factors, Multiples, Square]


Company or Crowd?: If two's company and three's a crowd, what's four and five?  [Topic(s): Riddle]


Cube Ages: Calculate the mean age of the two fathers and two sons with the given clues.  [Topic(s): Cube Numbers, Average, Mean]


Doctor's Son: The doctor's son's age does not add up!  [Topic(s): Inverse]


Does not add up!: Why would eight and five add up to one?  [Topic(s): Addition]


Fractions of Animals: What is three sevenths of a chicken, two thirds of a cat and 50% of a goat?  [Topic(s): Fractions]


Fried Eggs: How many eggs remain after the events that took place in the kitchen?  [Topic(s): Riddle]


Fruit Snacks: Work out the numbers of each type of fruit bought for snacks  [Topic(s): Simultaneous equations]


Growing Fast: How can it be that Percy will be 16 next year when he was only 13 the day before yesterday?  [Topic(s): Age, Time, Riddle]


Moses' Roses: How can ten roses be planted in five rows of four?  [Topic(s): Roses, Rows]


Rejuvenate: A girl was 16 years old in 2010 but just 8 years old in 2018  [Topic(s): Calendar]


Rosie's Cube: How many of the small cubes does Rosie need to complete the big cube?  [Topic(s): Volume 3D Shape]


Sharing Apples: Share five apples between five children while leaving one in the basket.  [Topic(s): Division]


Ship's Ladder: How many rungs of a rope ladder remain above the water line after the tide has risen two metres?  [Topic(s): Ship]


Sibling Count: How many boys and how many girls are there in the family?  [Topic(s): Fractions]


Smart Animals: Who is most likely to be able to work out the square root of 121?  [Topic(s): Square root]


Sums With Hundreds: When is eighteen hundred minus fifty the same as seventeen hundred plus ten?  [Topic(s): Hundreds]


The Blue Arrows: What is the smallest number of jets that could have been in the formation according to the sighting information?  [Topic(s): Planes, Jets]


Tricky Takeaway: Take away some of the letters in a word to get a surprising result.  [Topic(s): Letters, Subtract]


Two Coins: What two coins add up to 70p (one of them is not a 50p coin)  [Topic(s): Coins, Money]


Wandering Bear: A bear walks south, east then north and finds it is back where it started. What colour is the bear?  [Topic(s): Bear]


 

Featured Activity

ChristMaths

ChristMaths

Christmas activities make those December Maths lessons interesting, exciting and relevant. If students have access to computers there are some online activities to keep them engaged such as Christmas Ornaments and Christmas Light Up.

Feedback

Colleen Young, Twitter

Saturday, February 10, 2018

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