Here you will find fully-resourced mathematical art lessons as well as displays I have created to brighten up my classroom and support my students’ learning. I have archived my modular origami projects here, and offer some advice on using origami in lessons or setting up origami clubs. And there is also a page where I recommend some of the beautifully elegant logic and visuo-spatial iOS puzzle games I have happened upon and enjoyed.
https://www.artfulmaths.com/about.html
MathsBot’s Manipulatives
MathsBot is a recent discovery of mine which has a few great tools aimed at older maths learners – on loading, it displays resources for GCSE pupils, for example.
However, it also has a section of online manipulatives which are great to use in the Primary classroom – particularly one which may be lacking somewhat in concrete resources.
Now, I know that online and virtual pictorial representations are no substitute for
Right now, there are 12 available:
- algebra tiles
- bar modelling
- counters
- counting stick
- Cuisenaire rods
- Dienes blocks
- fraction wall
- geoboard
- number frame
- pentominoes
- place value counters
- unit box
Of those, a handy way to create place value counters and Dienes blocks, will prove invaluable to me.
Link: mathsbot.com/#Manipulatives
ITPs for modern times
Old folk like me will probably remember the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) Interactive Teaching Programmes (ITPs) – some of which were great and some of which were horrible.
It turns out, they were great tools to show loads of mathematical ideas on whiteboards – but because they were made in the late 90s, and in Flash, lots of them no longer work.
Ted Burch of mathsframe.co.uk has very kindly remade them all in html5
The reworked programmes should work on tablets and most modern devices.
There are currently 25 remade tools which are all available for free here:
Link: mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/category/586/ITPs
Free Download: Mathematical Vocabulary Flashcards
The following ten files are a straightforward set of mathematical vocabulary flashcards. I have grouped them by topic and have written on in small lettering where in the curriculum the term is introduced.
A sample page from the addition and subtraction group is shown below. All of the pages share the same design.
Feel free to share with colleagues – I would love to know how they are being used.
Addition and subtraction vocabulary
Algebra vocabulary
Data & statistics vocabulary
Fractions, decimals & percentages vocabulary
General & problem solving vocabulary
Geometry (position and direction) vocabulary
Geometry (properties of shape) vocabulary
Measure vocabulary
Multiplication and division vocabulary
Number and place value vocabulary
Tessellation: M.C. Escher – Metamorphosis Machine
The work of M.C. Escher is full of tessellation and he was inspired – he referred to a ‘mania’ he had – to fill a page with shapes.
With this site, you can make your own metamorphosis and techniques which Escher developed by hand over the years are built into the ‘Metamorphosis Machine’.
Children can make their own Escher work and become part of the endless metamorphosis.