Print materials
To get started, read the Assessment Guide.
Each task includes a task worksheet and teachers guide (containing all the required materials) and a presentation for projection (optional for most tasks).
| Task name | Time (mins) |
Suitability ** (N.C. level) |
Task & guide | Presentation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 110 Years On | 45 | 5-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils use mathematical reasoning to estimate the number of descendants a girl who lived 110 years ago might have today. | ||||||
| 2 | Bunting | 45-60 | 5-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils work out how much material is needed to make bunting to go round a garden. | ||||||
| 3 | Candle Box | 30-60 | 4-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils design a 2D net for a box, given a 3D picture of the box. | ||||||
| 4 | Cats and Kittens | 45-60 | 5-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils work out how many descendents one female cat could produce in 18 months. | ||||||
| 5 | Counting Trees | 30-60 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils devise a method for estimating the numbers of trees in a plantation then use their method to estimate the numbers of two different kinds of tree. | ||||||
| 6 | Day Out | 30-60 | 4-5 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils are asked to choose the best trip using survey data and then cost it. | ||||||
| 7 | Fares not Fair | 45-60 | 6-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils determine whether the rates for taxi fares, set by a local council, are fair in relation to the changing cost of fuel. | ||||||
| 8 | Fish Dish | 30-60 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils plan when they should start preparing a meal in order to have it ready by a stated time. | ||||||
| 9 | Fruit Pies | 60 | 6-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils use their knowledge of area of circles and rectangles to solve a problem. | ||||||
| 10 | Geoboard Squares | 30-60 | 6-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils Investigate patterns in the number of nails on a geoboard used to form a square. | ||||||
| 11 | German or English | 45 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils use pie charts to decide whether a code is more likely to be in German or English. | ||||||
| 12 | Golden Rectangles | 30-60 | 4-6+ | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils work out how adventurers can maximise the area in which they can dig for gold given a fixed perimeter. | ||||||
| 13 | Hilbre Island | 30-60 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils determine the optimum time to visit Hilbre Island, taking account of given considerations. | ||||||
| 14 | Hot Under the Collar | 20-40 | 7-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils compare two rules for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit, one accurate and one approximate. | ||||||
| 15 | Ice Cream | 30-60 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils plan quantities they will buy in order to maximise their profit from selling ice creams at a school event. | ||||||
| 16 | Lottery | 20-40 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils decide whether or not a lottery will be a good way to raise money. | ||||||
| 17 | Magic Sum Puzzle | 30-60 | 5-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils analyse a numerical puzzle, solve some examples and then deduce that a further example is impossible. | ||||||
| 18 | Mobile Phones | 20-40 | 6-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils compare two different mobile phone tariffs and decide when one is cheaper than the other. | ||||||
| 19 | Olympic Cycling | 30 | 3-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils interpret and apply data through devising questions (and answers) relating to lap times in a cycling race. | ||||||
| 20 | Patchwork Cushions | 30-60 | 6-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils are asked to find a method for calculating the number of triangles and squares that are needed to make cushions in different sizes. | ||||||
| 21 | Problem Page | 45-60 | 6-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils interpret the graph provided to give advice on the statistical ‘acceptability’ of age gaps in relationships. | ||||||
| 22 | Public Transport | 30-45 | 5-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils analyse a newspaper article, evaluating its (mathematical) claims and identifying its flaws. | ||||||
| 23 | Rods and Triangles | 30 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils work with the properties of triangles through combining a range of rods to make different types of triangle. | ||||||
| 24 | Royal Liver Clock | 45 | 6-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils apply their knowledge of circles and show their ability to estimate appropriately. | ||||||
| 25 | Security Camera | 30-60 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils select the best position to put a security camera in a shop. | ||||||
| 26 | Smoothie Box | 30-60 | 6-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils measure a bottle and then design a box that will hold 12 bottles. | ||||||
| 27 | Soft Drinks | 30-60 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils compare two sets of data with different sample sizes and consider how the testing procedure could be improved. | ||||||
| 28 | Speedy Santa | 30-60 | 4-7 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils determine the amount of time Santa can spend at each house in the UK when delivering presents on Christmas Eve. | ||||||
| 29 | Spinner Bingo | 30-60 | 6-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils analyse a simple game and plan a winning strategy. | ||||||
| 30 | Sports Bag | 20-40 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils design a sports bag, and show all the measurements they will need to make. They also plan how they will waste the least material. | ||||||
| 31 | Taxi Cabs | 20-40 | 5-5 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils plan a trip for a large party using two kinds of taxi cab. They try to decide how many of each cab they need to minimise the overall transport costs. | ||||||
| 32 | The Z Factor | 45-60 | 3-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils determine how long it would take a panel of judges if they saw every act that auditioned for the ‘Z factor’ programme. | ||||||
| 33 | Three of a Kind | 30-60 | 3-8 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils use their knowledge of geometry to describe a pattern. | ||||||
| 34 | Tuck Shop | 30-60 | 4-5 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils are asked to draw graphs to represent data and to critique an erroneous interpretation of the data. | ||||||
| 35 | Youth Hostel | 30-60 | 5-6 | DOC | PPT | |
| Pupils work out the best way of allocating dorms at a Youth Hostel to a group of children and adults. | ||||||
Notes
**The level suitabilities are provided to give teachers an idea of the pupils for whom the task is suitable. They are not precise limits on the level of possible outcomes from the task. When used in the type of classroom activities described in the Professional Development, the tasks are suitable for a wide range of ability and the level of difficulty can be regulated by the amount of support given by the teacher or by peers.
PDF files can be read with Adobe Reader available free from www.adobe.com or the Preview application supplied with Mac OS.
PPT files can be read with Microsoft Powerpoint or OpenOffice.
DOC files can be edited with Microsoft Word, OpenOffice and many other word processors - but we recommend that you use the PDF files for reliability unless you wish to customise the documents.