It's the start of a new school year. You have a new class that you have not taught before and you really want to make a good start. Do you get straight into the scheme of work or do you spend the first lesson laying down the law? Do you have a good idea of what the pupils already know or is it still one of the great unknowns?
This page contains some suggestions, some resources to help you create a good impression and establish a good culture for learning.
Introduction
Setting out the basic rules for learning and the Dos and Don'ts of the classroom.
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Equipment
There is nothing worse than finding we can't do today's construction activity because half the class have no rulers.
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Exercise Books
A diagram with suggestions for how the pupils should set out work in their exercise books.
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Homework Problems
Suggestions for how pupils can get help if they find they can't do their homework.
What Do You Already Know?
These activities show you, the teacher, what your pupils can already do and what they may have forgotten.
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BTS (Back To School)
You have four minutes to write down as many equations as you can involving B, T and S.
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The story of ...
Be creative and come up with as many facts about a number as you can think of.
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Four's Independence
A clock face containing only the number 4. Can you make a clock face containing any other single number?
Improve Your Times Tables
Let's begin with the basics, skills that will underpin learning for the rest of the year.
Develop Your Memory
These memory activities do not rely on previous learning so it's a level playing field.
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Number Recall
Can you improve your ability to remember telephone numbers?
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Kim's Game 1
This is the Maths version of the traditional memory game. Memorise 10 mathematical facts then recall them as they disappear from view.
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Ancient Mysteries
This activity requires students to memorise fifteen numbers in a three by five grid.
Produce A Display
Activities that will produce beautiful displays for those empty walls. Many more ideas here.
Mathematical Vocabulary
Find out the range of mathematical words your pupils know and can remember from last year.
Extra-Curricular
Start the year learning about some ideas that are not in the normal mathematics curriculum.
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Freemason's Cipher
Find symmetric words in this ancient cipher.
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Siam Symbols
Can you work out what each of the strange symbols represents in these calculations?
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Happy Numbers
To find out whether a number is happy or not, square each of its digits, add the answers and repeat. If you end up with 1 the number is happy! How many other happy numbers can you find?
Numbers in Words
Here are some nice Starters all requiring the ability to write numbers as words.
Calculator Skills
Let's begin the year by becomming a little more familiar with the device that will be used frequently.
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Broken Calculator
Some keys are missing from this calculator. Just how useful is it?
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Four Gone
An activity involving a broken calculator which is missing the four button. Can you evaluate the given expressions without using the four?
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Six Keys
Use just six calculator keys to make a total of 20. In how many different ways can it be done?
Investigations
Mathematical investigations are open-ended and could take quite a long time.
Play A Game
Show from the beginning of the year that games can support learning in Mathematics.
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Remainder Race
A game involving chance and choice requiring an ability to calculate the remainder when a two digit number is divided by a single digit number.
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Square Pairs Game
A game for two players who take turns to select two numbers that add up to a square number.
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Hexblock Hunter
The mathematical version of TV's Blockbusters game show. Find the mathematical words from the clues.
Solve A Puzzle
Puzzle solving strategies can be applied to many of the mathematical topics that will be studied this year.
Revise A Concept
Reactivate the parts of the brain that worked so well last year but have slowed down over the summer.
Start the Scheme
Let's not waste any time and get straight into the scheme of work for the year.
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Topics
Jump straight to the list of topics to find what is available for the first topic on the scheme.
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Curriculum
This is another good place to find the activity that matches your learning objectives.
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If you know exactly what maths activity you are looking for you can search for it here:
Jumeirah Year 6, Twitter
Thursday, September 1, 2016