Shape, space & measures

Maths

Primary

Pirate Kate uses geometry to find buried treasure, for KS2 maths

Pirate Kate has lost her map and needs to find her hidden treasure, in this fun drama which provides an idea for use in Key Stage 2 maths lessons. To find the buried treasure, primary pupils need to use their knowledge of geometry, degrees and angles.

Angles: Pirate's Lost Treasure

Pupils learn language skills through real-life maths situations

Follow KS2 pupils with language difficulties at Christ Church Primary School in Birmingham as they use maths in real life situations to further their knowledge of numeracy. Making subjects relevant to pupils' lives is now an integral part of learning. As an EAL school, Christ Church uses maths as an opportunity to give pupils confidence when speaking English in public. Focusing on perimeter and area, see how the upper group of pupils have already progressed in their learning, as complex problem-solving calculations are now tackled with a greater confidence and ease. Learn how participation and relevance can enhance pupils' understanding of key subjects and life skills.

Calculating

Make maths fun with activities and games

This programme shows how the resourcefulness of teaching assistants at one primary school is supporting maths both in and out of the classroom. The TAs at Glenbrook Primary School have developed games and activities to help teach maths. Sue's card game reinforces some essential basic skills for "counting-on" and "change from a pound" exercises. She also monitors the school maths challenge to see which children are struggling with mental arithmetic. Sophie uses the mini computer Roamers to do some work with angles, distance and estimation, as well as using art on the walls and in the class to help with times tables. Elaine adapts a variety of playground games to add a maths element and develops some games for wet play days.

Fun with Maths

Creative approaches to teaching KS2 maths, science and literacy

Three teachers bring KS2 maths, science and literacy to life for Year 3 and Year 4 pupils, as their creative, cross-curricular lesson plans include using music and dance to teach anatomy and tessellation. Music can be used to teach human anatomy to Year 4 pupils, as shown by Kirsten Graham, Key Stage 2 teacher at Horfield Primary School in Bristol. Using the song Dem Bones, the class discovers basic anatomy and then learns the matching scientific terms. Finally Kirsten gives the pupils a puzzle of paper bones which they piece together to make a human skeleton. In a maths lesson on tessellation, Kirsten encourages learning of shapes, space and measures by setting her Year 4 pupils the challenge of creating their own tessellated picture. She then introduces two songs and the children learn that music can also be tessellated. Rachel Milsom and Charlotte Butcher bring their Year 3 classes together and, using the text The Village that Vanished, the children re-enact scenes through dance. With feedback and group assessment the pupils gain a better understanding of the text.

Human Body, Reading and Tessellation

A maths lesson about shapes is analysed by experts

Two education experts analyse a primary maths lesson for a mixed ability class, looking at the teacher's techniques for encouraging independent learning. Teacher trainers Malcolm Reed and Alison Fletcher watch one of the Teachers TV Uncut Classrooms programmes, where teacher Pritti Poole takes her class through a lesson on 2D and 3D shapes. For the main activity she splits the class into five groups based on ability and, in effect, teaches five mini lessons concurrently. Malcolm and Alison evaluate her methods of teaching, focussing on Pritti's techniques for helping the children to become independent learners, whatever their ability. This programme is part of a series where experts provide helpful insights on classroom practice, which can be put to use by all teachers.

Independent Learning - KS1 Maths

An imaginative approach to interlinked learning at primary level

See how interlinked learning can be brought to life, from travelling in space to diving into the deep sea, at Frogwell Primary School in Wiltshire. Frogwell uses an interlinked learning approach to bring together different curriculum areas under a general theme. For the children, this means that every term their classrooms are transformed into stimulating environments reflecting that term's theme. In Carol Snowden's Year 1 class the theme is under the sea, and we see children write their own fishy poetry. Year 3's classroom, meanwhile, is transformed into Nasa Mission Control, complete with space shuttle, rocket and space suits. In linking all their learning to the theme of Earth and Beyond, Year 3 teacher Mandy Turner covers the measuring and applying element of the National Strategy for Mathematics by getting the children to make their own space suits.

Interlinked Learning at Frogwell Primary School

How does a teacher assess progress? 

This programme looks at how teachers assess progress. Aston Tower, Birmingham, serves the inner city. Here, Year 2 teachers, Melanie Grant and Vanessa Clarke are anxious about how they can accurately build up a picture of children's skills at the end of Key Stage 1. They've worked with maths consultant, Val Worcester, to design active assessment opportunities. Looking at shape, Melanie encourages discussion with a small number of children. In money, Vanessa works with a small group on an activity, using real coins to pay and adding the coin values together in pairs. In calculation, a group throws bean bags at printed numbers. They add the numbers mentally or with the support of resources they must choose for themselves. In capacity, the children play in water to find out how much juice they need to fill 30 party cups, one for each child.

KS1/2 Maths - Goodbye SATs, Hello Assessment 1

Follow a lesson on 3D shapes through the eyes of a Year 4 pupil

Follow the progress of Year 4 pupil Kyane as he learns about 3D shapes. What does his behaviour tell us about what it's like to learn from his unique perspective? Kyane, a pupil at Erdington Hall Primary near Birmingham, is regularly absent from school due to asthma. As a result he is often behind with school work and not socially integrated in his class. In an effort to deal with these problems, Kyane has been provided with an individual education plan and an individual behaviour plan. He also receives a good deal of attention in the classroom from his dedicated teacher Harriet and teaching assistant Julie. Watch as Kyane and his class begin their numeracy lesson by warming up with "brain gym". They then take part in a mental maths exercise, drawing 3D shapes and identifying polygons, before eventually constructing their own 3D shapes from nests. It's a challenge to keep Kyane focused on the task but he demonstrates an understanding of what polygons are and displays creativity in constructing them, even if he does get angry and frustrated in the process.

KS1/2 Maths - Learning Maths with Kyane

Lesson on two dimensional shapes using whiteboards

At Scotts Primary in Hornchurch, Havering, Gary Clapperton is revising the geometry of two dimensional shapes with his Year 6 class. He is using digital photographs of the local area that the children have taken. These have been saved on his interactive whiteboard which is used extensively. Gary is making a distinction between explicit shapes, those that can be clearly identified and drawn onto the photographs (the "real life story") and implicit shapes, those that can be found by mathematical abstraction (the "maths story"). The children draw round the explicit shapes on their own photographs. Some demonstrate to the class on the interactive whiteboard, which promotes class discussion to identify parallelograms and isosceles triangles. The properties of rectangles are revised, relating them to the ratio of the length of the sides. Gary revises the properties of triangles using ones children have found in their photographs during group work.

KS2 Maths - Geometry

Review of lesson on 2D shapes with whiteboards

Petula Allen, headteacher and former mathematics adviser, helps Gary Clapperton review his lesson on Geometry with Year 6. Petula had some reservations about the use of pupil photographs where perspective may have caused some problems, but has been impressed at the children's positive response to images they have taken themselves. Petula reflects on how useful the whiteboard is and they look in detail at how it enhanced Gary's explanation of ratio. The way that the shapes can be moved and re-sized in proportion was found by both to be an especially effective use of ICT. The whiteboard was a powerful motivational tool, the children wanted to come to demonstrate to the whole class. They discuss the common difficulty of getting children to estimate angles accurately. Some of the "real life" shapes had the disadvantage that they did not give clear delineation.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Subjects

> Primary Maths

> Shape, space & measures