This unplugged activity, from the CS4FN team at Queen Mary University of London, helps learners to understand variable assignment and operations. They use the idea of variables as boxes as the basis of a group activity, developing their use of logical thinking to trace variables through programs.

The...

This Study Plus unit from the National Strategies develops an understanding of volume and surface area of 3D objects through exploring nets.

There are opportunities for practical work in all of the lessons. The unit looks at perimeter, area and volume in context. In addition, there are opportunities to...

Boxes and bottles come in all shapes and sizes. These Cre8ate maths activities explore some of the mathematics behind packaging decisions taken by manufacturers, they provide a platform for students to make conjectures and find efficient ways of recording results to justify claims they have made. In Boxing stock...

This resource contains two excel programs; ‘Removing and Collecting Like Terms’ and ‘Multiplying Out and Simplifying’, each containing a series of interactive spreadsheets designed to explore how to deal with brackets.

Braille is a system of dots which enables blind people to read and this resource, from the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching, provides the opportunity for students to explore the patterns used in this code. The activities are designed to prompt class discussion and mathematical thinking, while engaging...

This unplugged activity from Peter McOwan and Paul Curzon mingles computer science with biology. A group activity is used that mimics the firing of neurons within the brain. These trigger other neurons to fire – these can be compared to AND gates in logic circuits.

The ‘brain in a bag’ kits used in the...

The use of different types of signals is hugely important in all areas of healthcare. Signal processing engineers are involved in everything from extracting information from the body’s own electrical and chemical signals to using wireless signals to allow search-and-rescue robot swarms to communicate with each...

Alexandra Park School met with a student baker. Their work with her was mostly a focused practical task (FPT) about the ingredients and processes used in bread making.
Students were also shown how bread is made in batches on an industrial scale. Students were involved in the STEM Ambassador’s bread making...

Sydenham School met a STEM Ambassador who is a food product technologist. The visit provided students with insight into food, cooking and nutrition, including basic hygiene during practical sessions, target markets, research, generating ideas, making, product evaluation and sensory evaluation.
Students...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the unit called ‘Energy’. This B unit provided enough material for six double periods in the third year of secondary school (year nine). The teachers’ guide included eight worksheets to supplement the students’...

Students are presented with increasingly challenging algebra problems to solve. Each wall consist of three bricks in the lower row, two bricks in the middle row and one brick on the top row. Students complete the wall by adding two algebraic terms to find the term which sits in the brick above. However, in most...

The BrickPi is an add-on board for the Raspberry Pi. It is used to interface with Lego Mindstorms sensors and motors to create robots and other projects. This small collection includes practical tips to get started.

This activity from Cre8ate maths investigates the lines of horizontal and vertical weakness in walls. Initially students are shown four walls and have to identify the lines of weakness in them, before finding the smallest rectangular solution which has no lines of...

These activities from Cre8ate maths sets challenges which require pupils to be constructive, creative and think strategically about simple structures.

Working in groups of 3 or 4, students create structures from a...