| Archive for Primary Teacher Resource Centre - Forum A place to chat, share ideas or simply let of steam about current Education issues |
| firefox |
OMG! Maths panic - bottom set yr 6ArggghhhhhI've just been re-looking at SATs papers that my bottom set year six will be expected to sit (well, some of them) and panicked myself. Arghh. They can just about add and subtract on a numberline if they remember how, can sort of do grid multiplication and panic and go blank at anything that doesn't tell them EXACTLY what to do! How the hell am I meant to prepare them for this??!!? Any suggestions on the best/easiest/most basic things to get them good at to scrape them though? 
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| Knightrider |
How many of them have you got? They sound like our bottom set this year... I had a bottom set of 12 last year (not quite that weak...) and chose to put a huge focus on fractions, largely using cakes. A set of 24 fairy cakes to be precise, which could be moved around to show fractions of a number, what fraction had red jelly beans on top etc. The combination of cake and being able to move them was a winner!! From there I could move them on to decimals and percentages. This meant I could do lots of repetitive basic calculation work, but in a slightly different context to what they were used to.
I started every lesson with mini whiteboards and very simple, repetitive questions - draw me 2 parallel lines, what is 25% of 50, I buy 2 bags of sweets at 25p each so how much change do I get from £1, calculate the size of the missing angle (straight line or triangle). Lots and lots of repetitition, getting gradually more complicated. I took a view that my job was to build their confidence because that was their main problem - they had decided they couldn't do it and so they couldn't. When they started getting things right their mathematical ability grew dramatically! Our bottom set this year have had a lovely time working in pairs with a TA to make 1/2 scale models of themselves on backing paper - first they had to measure themselves with tape measures, then they had to divide everything by 2, then they had to use rulers to draw an accurate "person". In a subsequent lesson they had to measure the sides of the smallest and largest thing they could find (the smallest being a lap top key) and then calculate the perimeter of everything they measured - area was a step too far for them. Finally, I put a huge emphasis on mental maths. Using the Wigan tests (because they have them for all year groups so differentiation is easy) I did at least one a week with lots of talking about techniques. I think even the weakest can be trained to get about 8 marks - which strikes me as an easier way to get marks than most of the stuff on the other papers, and will stand them in good stead for all maths they do. Good luck - a group that weak can be really soul destroying. |
| Sploof |
I have a set like this. Had the same set last year and they ended up doing OK. Mostly I concentrated on mental maths - 4 rules and only taught them written methods around Easter. I did lots of confidence building and as much practical maths as I could think of. We also practised SATs questions from testbase when appropriate. We assess in Jan as a whole school, but that was the only test I gave them. Some ended up with L5! But supposedly I have the same this year - the range of levels they've come to me with is the same 2B - 3A, but they are much poorer and also much more disaffected and I haven't really found anything that works yet. |
| snoopy_145 |
I had a similar set last year same as above really. I used practical lesson if possible (cakes, smarties etc) Worked on four basic methods for 4 rules and made sure nearly everyone was secure on these and spent one week on things like space, shape and data handling as most already had some ideas on this. I used two really good website and used the past sats paper questions everyday and made sure we all used set methods. Also gave them a big confidence boost as it wasn't to scary for them when faced with real thing even managed to get a few Level 4's but mainly level 3's ! Also did lots of mental maths and timestable work.
http://www.grumbles.me.uk/ http://www.st-josephs-pickering.n-yorks.sch.uk/past_test_papers.htm Can't find 3rd site put will post if I come across it 
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| greyengine |
Think all this is really sound advice. Gertie's site was really helpful last year.
Also worth thinking about what happens when they take the test. Some might benefit from readers and if so, it's worth practising this in advance. There can be a lot of marks to be gained from the mental test too, so it's worth working on tables, number bonds, fraction/percentage/decimal equivalence type things. Found this list really helpful last year: http://www.stcuthberts.leics.sch.uk/info/homehelp/mentalmaths.pdf |
| psycho_jo |
great advice on here. I have mixed 5/6 lower ability maths group (the bottom group out of 3 sets).
Can someone just explain what you mean by the 4 rules? Do you mean the 4 operations? Seen this before and not sure am on the right wavelength! |
| greyengine |
Fairly sure that 4 rules does mean 4 operations. Important that children have secure methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. |
| psycho_jo |
that's what my big push this year is on. Am doing block E next and leaving C til nearer Christmas so I can get multiplication and division methods secure as now quite good on adding and subtracting, though will revise this weekly. |
| firefox |
Thanks guys. I've calmed down now and have planned on going over the 4 operations again (although division confuses them horribly) and working with ordering, money - word problems.
I've found with my particular group if I do anything even vaguely practical they revert to nursery aged and start hoarding the spheres and building towers and squabbling! They like tight guidelines and knowing exactly what to do!! 
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