Photocopiable Investigations

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Welcome to hours of mathematical enjoyment!

(Ages 6-9): The Egyptian Triangle (£0.60)

Discover the special triangle that the Egyptians used in their buildings, while learning about how simple decimals work, the importance of accurate measuring and how to work systematically to solve a problem.

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(Ages 7-10): How big is the room? (£0.70)

How do you introduce decimals to young children? This practical investigation works a treat, and also gives you the opportunity to discuss accuracy in measuring, averages and perimeter!

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(Ages 7-10): How Many Hula Hoops? (£1.00)

How many hula hoops (the small, crunchy variety!) would it take to stretch from the school to Big Ben in London?

Investigate metres, converting to km, using conversion tables and working with BIG numbers!

Highly motivating!

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(Ages 8-11): Maps and Scales (£0.90)

Find real life distances from measured distances on a map. Learn practical measurement skills for straight or curved distances. Practise estimating, finding averages and using conversion tables to work out real distances from the map scale. Easily adaptable to suit pupils of different ages and differing levels of ability.

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(Ages 8-11): Shadow Clocks (£0.80)

Investigate how the length and direction of a shadow change during the course of a day. Learn about compass directions, symmetry, practical measurement using a metre stick, time (am/pm) and use of a table to display results.

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(Ages 8-11): How far is it round the world? (£1.00)

Create a table relating distances on a globe to distances in real life and then use this to calculate distances between places around the world. Covers concepts in measurement, averaging to minimise errors and the use of conversion tables.

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(Ages 9-12): How much snow would fill the classroom? (£1.00)

Estimate distances, work with volume of cuboids, convert metric volumes - cm³ - litre - m³, measure with metre sticks, minimise sources of error, average using the median, draw diagrams, round numbers and find out about significant figures. Wow!

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(Ages 9-12): Perimeter and Area of Triangles & Quadrilaterals (£0.80)

You may be able to calculate the perimeters and areas of a rectangle and a triangle, but can you explain why the formulas work?

Build on this to explore other quadrilaterals: rhombus, kite, trapezium and parallelogram.

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(Ages 9-12): Pythagoras Puzzle (£0.40)

Have fun making this simple puzzle which very beautifully illustrates Pythagoras' Theorem that the sum of the squares on two sides of a right-angled triangle = the square on the third side.

Make and solve the puzzle and then through measuring areas discover Pythagoras' Theorem.

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(Ages 9-12): How tall is that building? (£0.80)

An outdoor team challenge to estimate the height of a building, either by counting bricks, using shadows or using similar triangles. Covers skills in estimating, measuring, minimising errors and ratio.

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(Ages 10-13): Train Journey (£1.80)

Investigate how to use train timetables, calculate journey times, interpret maps, measure distances, use averages and work with scale.

Create an information booklet about a forthcoming train journey.

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(Ages 10-13): Flights (£1.20)

An investigation into flight times for an aeroplane between different places. Covers map scales, averages, conversion tables and speeds.

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