5 Maths Gems #18

Most of my readers likely already subscribe to Chris Smith's lovely maths newsletter. Full of instruction ideas, puzzles, jokes in addition to mathematical trivia, it's a joy to have every week. Chris has been producing the newsletter since 2007 when he was a wee NQT. Amongst other things, the newsletter is a fantastic machinery for sharing expert practice.

Chris directly has over 900 newsletter subscribers. This calendar week he published his 303^rd issue. I've solely been subscribing for a twosome of months but Chris was sort plenty to part his entire dorsum catalogue alongside me, which I've actually enjoyed reading. The ideas inward my weekly gems posts are commonly sourced from Twitter, but today I characteristic my v favourite ideas from the get-go 100 issues of Chris's newsletters. Huge thank you lot to Chris for allowing me to create this!

1. Factorising
Here's a lovely thought for introducing factorising.

2. Connecting numbers
This is a actually prissy starter action to railroad train ideas relating to number properties.

3. Learning past times Rope
This is keen for exploring polygons.

4. Finding a Route
Another prissy starter activity.

5. Revision notes

In Issue 27, Chris featured an thought from TES which is designed to encourage students to revise for tests.

“I gave each pupil an A4 sail of newspaper alongside their mention in addition to my signature on it in addition to told them they had a essay coming upward in addition to they were allowed to select the blank page inward alongside them. It was upward to them what they did alongside the page. If they wrote on it, fine, if they didn't, fine. Immediately ane of the to a greater extent than troublesome pupils shouted out, “Great! I'm going to re-create downwards all the examples from my book.” Objective ane achieved. They were going to revise.

At the terminate of the test, I collected their sheets to expect at them inward to a greater extent than detail. It was real rewarding when pupils pretty much demanded that they got them back. Objective 2 achieved. My pupils directly value all of their revision notes."

Puzzles

Each of Chris's newsletters features a puzzle - here's 2 that I peculiarly liked (answers are at the bottom of this post):

And finally, 2 bits of trivia:

That's it from Chris's newsletters for now, but I volition select you lot to a greater extent than or less to a greater extent than newsletter gems afterwards I've read the side past times side 100 issues. Don't forget to follow Chris on Twitter in addition to email him if you'd similar to have his weekly newsletters.

What I've been upward to
I've had a busy in addition to emotional week. My motherhood larn out is coming to an terminate in addition to I'm keen to start planning lessons. I don't select my timetable yet, in addition to thence am eagerly awaiting intelligence of what classes I'll hold upward instruction inward 3 weeks. On Tuesday I hosted #mathscpdchat which was all most mutual mathematical misconceptions - you lot tin read a summary here. On Wed I had a project interview inward which I taught a lesson on indices to a Year 8 shape - it was fun to hold upward dorsum inward the classroom in addition to I'm pleased to nation I got the job, in addition to thence volition hold upward moving schools inward May to perish an Aspiring Lead Practitioner. I was likewise real proud to select an article published inward Academies Week most the novel maths GCSE in addition to the associated problems alongside recruitment. Feedback in addition to comments are real welcome.

Puzzle answers: 1. r = 29  2. Pi/2