Maths Puzzles

I’ve been using math puzzles in lessons to inspire and engage the students. Instead of showing a key question, students have been solving math puzzles and working out the questions themselves! This then leads onto some meaningful and detailed discussions.

The boys love the competition and the use of colour coding each word makes it easier for students to focus on the math and get the discussions started quicker!

Sarah Cook

Solo Taxonomy

Solo Taxonomy is a great way to encourage pupils to reflect on their level of learning.

Using the hexagons in lessons, will help pupils to visualise the links they make between themes, ideas, characters etc. They can be differentiated so that lower ability pupils have a set of words given to them, while G&T would be encouraged to come up with their own words to link together.

Pupils working at the “Multistructural” stage are most likely to be your D grade pupils.

“Relational” is your C-B grades.

“Extended Abstract” is your A-A*s

I use Solo with pupils so that they become aware of how much analysis they put into their work and relate this back to the levels of learning - is their level of analysis enough to push them to a C grade (Relational Learning)? What do they need to do with their thoughts/hexagons to extend their answers (Extended Abstract)?

Elizabeth Hough

ABC Cards

ABC cards are coloured cards that students use when contributing to a discussion.They work really well in classes where students are keen to answer, but their answer sometimes lacks focus or relevance. The students raise the relevant card when they want to make a point, meaning that you can guide the direction of the discussion too.

A stands for 'add' so students use an add card when they want to add a point to the discussion that is separate to the last point. B stands for 'build' so this card is used when students want to develop what has already been said. Finally, c stands for 'contest' and is used when students want to disagree with the point that has just been raised.

Stephanie Lowry

Picking Up The Pieces…

In trying to ensure that Year 11 can see the connections between events in the novel/play being studied for Controlled Assessment and the language used within them, I used jigsaw puzzles to try to make it more visual.

The class was separated into two teams each with a separate puzzle. Each puzzle had half of its pieces used to represent a quote from the text. Students had to make the puzzle, then discuss and decide what that point was. (i.e. which event in the play/theme/character etc.) This point was then written on a new post it note and placed onto the adjoining puzzle piece. Once completed, the students disassembled the puzzle, jumbled the pieces and moved to the other team’s table (who had done the same). The challenge was then to put the second puzzle together focusing on the points and the evidence. After a discussion as to whether students agreed or disagreed on what the first team had said, all quotes were removed from the puzzles and stuck on the board. The puzzles were then disassembled again and put altogether on one table. Students then had to find the point to which the quote they selected from the board matched to assemble the puzzles as quickly as possible.

Louise Watson