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Can you help with my maths lesson, please?

16 replies

LaBelleDameSansPatience · 15/10/2013 06:35

I have an observed maths lesson on Friday. I am part time and because of the way the school is organised, go into the year 4/5 class once a week to do a maths lesson, so I can't prepare them for this.
It will be based on multiplication skills practice and needs to be fun, interactive, differentiated, pacey etc while moving the children's learning on 'almost all children ... substantially' (All obvious, really; that's what every lesson must be.)
The ability varies from y2 kind of level ie some still working on bonds to 10 to confident y5 level.
I have 6 ipads to use, as well as laptops for one group.
Any ideas ? I am usually OK with maths lessons, but it is the observed nature and the fact that HT and maths leader will be sitting there with a clip board.

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sashh · 15/10/2013 10:45

Start with what you would normally be teaching and use that for the baseline.

A game of fizz/buzz - do they still play that? put them in mixed ability groups and have the groups answer.

Half formed idea here - could yo make a human check out and have them scan and multiply?

I'm thinking cards with things toke "three tomatoes", "2 tins of beans" have a child reading out the cards.

Have other children with pictures, so "three tomatoes 5p each" child with a picture of tomatoes stands up (You could have pics available on ipads) then the 'human checkout' has to start, so three children have to stand up as tomatoes then then the ' multiplication calculator' (group of students) have to write down 5 X 3 (maybe wo this on IWB or small white boards) then the 'adder' calculator group has to add 15p tot he running total.

The adding group could also add 5p 3 times while the multiplication group multiply - this will show the link between multiplication and addition.

If you like the idea let me know and I'll try to work out finer points.

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BatmanLovesIckyBarry · 15/10/2013 14:45

Use a pack of cards between pairs as a warm up? Each pair given a times table (depending on ability), as they turn the cards over they have to say their times table number times the number on the card?

Inverses for more able for main lesson? Arrays for lower ability?

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 16/10/2013 06:19

wow ... Two really interesting ideas ... Could maybe have multiplication squares on the table for less confident pairs with cards and get them to write down their calculation on white boards for checking later, or completely oral and unchecked?
I really like the checkout game but it is a class with some very very silly boys and I think I will do that at some point without the clipboards in the classroom. Will definitely do it, though.
any ideas for a simple-to-arrange challenge with inverses for the more able year 5s?

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bodiddly · 16/10/2013 06:34

I'm not a teacher but my ds' class has recently been learning tables and square numbers through rhymes. They've all been making them up and it seems to have stuck. Things like "here come the 7s standing in line, 7 x 7 is 49" "here come the 8s knocking on the door, 8 x 8 is 64". Maybe you could let the children come up with something similar?

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FunkyBoldRibena · 16/10/2013 20:33

A set of cards with all the numbers between 1 and 100 on them. Split into 6 groups with an ipad on each table or 12 groups that share the ipad.
Deal the cards.
They have to design a poster on each table, to show how as many ways of making each number on their cards. Ipad for checking working out.
Visual, reading the number, aural, talking and discussing the multiples, kinaesthetic, holding the cards and making a poster. Literacy make some of the numbers into the words (thirty three rather than 33), numeracy, obviously and IT, checking working out with the ipad. Then get them to present their posters back to the group and discuss what they found out and which were prime (no multiples).
Resources, cards done on excel and printed on card, 10 to a page. iPads. Pens and paper.

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 17/10/2013 08:57

So you would tell each table that they can only multiply to make the numbers? Otherwise they could spend the hour doing long and complex additions. Sounds very good!!
Also rhymes .... from really not looking forward to doing this one hour a week, I am actually regretting not having more lessons so that I can try out all these ideas!

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 17/10/2013 08:58

Still need to work out the differentiated challenge for the most able, though .....

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SheerWill · 17/10/2013 09:15

A few things we've been picked up on recently in obs are:

  • too much teacher talk
  • regularly revisit the learning objectives rather than just at the beginning and end.
  • Ensure children are demonstrating their learning - really showing what they can do.
  • progress should be seen and explicitly talked about within the first 20 minutes e.g. what are their next steps/targets to get to the next level.
  • You might not have a chance to see their books being part time but ours are looked at and it is expected that marking is responded to by pupils e.g. corrections, questions answered etc.
  • Differentiation needs to be effective and challenging for all students.
  • TAs must be actively involved at all times - not sitting around watching the teacher teach.


We are expecting the big O any time so quite intense, but hope this helps.
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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 17/10/2013 09:58

So are we; hence the panic!!Thank you! Thing is, in maths, their next steps are so general because there are so may areas ... or do I need to say, 'You have mastered the 3x table .. your next step is to double this for the 6x table'?

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FunkyBoldRibena · 17/10/2013 19:02

So you would tell each table that they can only multiply to make the numbers? Otherwise they could spend the hour doing long and complex additions. Sounds very good!!

Well, yes or this wouldn't work [you said it was multiplication skills practice]. Differentiate it for the highers by getting them to pick out the prime numbers, and making them the team leaders for each table; or separate them out of the others and give them harder numbers to do and include the primes in their group...so they have to do a separate prime number poster.

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 17/10/2013 20:07

that's what I thought ... Just a bit anxious, as you can probably tell.

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FunkyBoldRibena · 19/10/2013 07:18

What did you do in the end and how did it go?

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 21/10/2013 06:31

I did an exercise in recognising and comparing patterns in multiples that I saw on Teachers TV (as recommended by mner), following a starter which was intended to be based on a dice rolling game on tesiboard, but my laptop crashed after about one minute, so I quickly handed out dice and let them roll two dice and multiply the numbers together in table groups.
Lesson went down very well and I was told that the starter was much better and more active than the one I had planned. Whole lesson went v well although they didn't stay to watch the end which was the clever bit when it all came together.
Thank you so much, everyone - I now have a great bank of ideas and will be preparing sets of cards, etc, for the next time I am doing multiplication.
Trouble is, next week I have to do a one off about counting forward and backwards in tenths .... also to differentiate for year 5 and the SEND children .... I have to jump about the whole time and can't follow on from the week before.
TA was involved and books were monitored as you said!

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ThisIsBULLSHIT · 21/10/2013 18:54

I am a year 1 teacher but we recently had training on maths and I switched off slightly for the multiplication bit but did remember the bit when he talked about using every day things to teach it.

So, to get a tick for models and images, take things in that have a natural array, egg boxes, Lego pieces, fairy cake trays, ice cube trays, etc maybe that could be an exploratory challenge for your level 2s? You could set them a task of sorting the things into groups and see what they notice? And what multiplication facts they can derive from what they find?

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ThisIsBULLSHIT · 21/10/2013 18:55

Counting backwards and forwards in tenths needs a counting stick and post it notes!

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LaBelleDameSansPatience · 21/10/2013 21:58

Yes, I must dig out my old broom counting stick ... really like the idea of natural arrays ... I don't teach year one but have some v low ability year 4's.

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