For Colin Foster’s main website, click here.
|
|
50 Mathematics Lessons: Rich and Engaging Ideas for Secondary
Mathematics "This collection is a 'must have' for every teacher who wants to inspire students to be excited by mathematics, yet not stray too far from core topics. Every lesson contains key insights into mathematics, using ideas, links and contexts which are mysterious, fun, silly, bizarre, practical and historical." Anne Watson, Professor of Mathematics Education, Oxford University
“This is an excellent book, which no
mathematics department should be without. Its 50 self-contained lessons offer
amusing, fascinating and mathematically worthwhile tasks which are supported
by excellent teacher notes. Most books are not worth recommending, but this
is different.” “A set of very good tasks indeed ... This is a great resource.” “The activities are very varied and very accessible to busy
teachers without being patronising in terms of their mathematical content ...
The book would make a very useful resource for teachers in a secondary school
or possibly even the top end of Key Stage 2.”
|
Extra materials described in the book are available under each lesson below.
|
1 |
A Prime Example of A Code ·
a prime numbers code sheet: code
spreadsheet (see ‘alphabet’ sheet) ·
coded messages sheets: code
spreadsheet (see ‘code’ sheet) · a spreadsheet to help with coding: code spreadsheet (see ‘answers’ sheet)
· a program to make coding easy: click here to download
|
|
2 |
A Single Fold |
|
3 |
A Single Fold Again |
|
4 |
Benford’s Law · a spreadsheet using data that does and doesn’t conform: verifying Benford’s Law
|
|
5 |
Can We Play A Game? ·
an interactive version of the coin problem: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_139_g_3_t_2.html · a method for solving the coin problem in the smallest possible number of weighings: www.cut-the-knot.org/blue/OddCoinProblems.shtml
|
|
6 |
Catch 22 |
|
7 |
Colourful Expressions ·
a colour version of the table: colourful expressions |
|
8 |
Coordinate Transformations |
|
9 |
Digital Roots ·
a digital roots tables square: digital roots tables square · a sheet of 9-point circles: 9-point circles
|
|
10 |
Dot To Dot |
|
11 |
Every Number From One
Letter |
|
12 |
Every Possible Answer ·
a spreadsheet calculator: every possible answer ·
a continued fraction calculator: www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/R.Knott/Fibonacci/cfCALC.html |
|
13 |
Farey Sequences |
|
14 |
Fermi Questions |
|
15 |
Fibonacci Grids ·
the starting grid: Fibonacci
grid ·
a spreadsheet to calculate other grids: Fibonacci boxes |
|
16 |
Fractional Dice |
|
17 |
Happy Days |
|
18 |
Harshad Numbers ·
a spreadsheet generating Harshad numbers: spreadsheet |
|
19 |
I Don’t Believe It! ·
a Word file containing the ‘claims’: I Don’t Believe It |
|
20 |
If A Tree Falls In A Forest
... |
|
21 |
In The Money ·
coin statistics: www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coinage/CurrentSpecifications.asp |
|
22 |
In The Money Again ·
coin statistics: www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coinage/CurrentSpecifications.asp |
|
23 |
It’s Snowing! ·
beautiful snowflakes: www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/photos.htm ·
make your own snowflake: http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/symmetry/snow.htm |
|
24 |
Lattice-Point Triangles · a spreadsheet calculator: area of triangle from coordinates
|
|
25 |
Logarithmic Spirals ·
the starting shape: quadrilateral |
|
26 |
Macfarlane’s Law |
|
27 |
Meanness ·
the AlphabetCalculator program: click here to download |
|
28 |
Ninety-Nine Zillion Gazillion ·
zooming in on the planet: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/ |
|
29 |
Odd One Out ·
a spreadsheet calculator: calculating
averages |
|
30 |
One Of Our Vertices Is Missing! · a spreadsheet calculator: missing vertices
|
|
31 |
One Straight Cut
|
|
32 |
One Thousand Dice · pricing information: www.royalmail.com
|
|
33 |
One-Hundred-And-Ten Percent ·
the flow chart: percentages
flow diagram ·
the spreadsheet table of percentage changes: multipliers and what they do |
|
34 |
Optical Illusions 1 ·
optical illusions: image file · many other optical illusions: www.keepmeamused.com
|
|
35 |
Optical Illusions 2 ·
optical illusions: image file · many other optical illusions: www.keepmeamused.com
|
|
36 |
Pieces of Chocolate
|
|
37 |
Playing At Transformations
|
|
38 |
Round The Back · a template for the arrow card: arrow on clock face
|
|
39 |
Shapeshifters
|
|
40 |
Sticky Polygons · a spreadsheet of results: sticky triangles
|
|
41 |
Striking Angles
|
|
42 |
Switching Switches
|
|
43 |
That Wheeling Feeling
|
|
44 |
The Bear’s Ring · a spreadsheet calculator: bearings and coordinates
|
|
45 |
The Time Is ‘Right’ ·
a spreadsheet calculator: clock
angles · a sheet of blank clock faces: blank clocks
|
|
46 |
Three Squares And A Triangle · masters for the shapes: 3 squares and a triangle
|
|
47 |
Timber! · handy 4cm×4cm squared paper: squared paper
|
|
48 |
Time To Reflect · a spreadsheet calculator: reflected time
|
|
49 |
Tricky Triangles · the starting image: tricky triangles
|
|
50 |
Twenty-Four Square Centimetres |
All materials on this page are © C Foster 2007.