Open Evening

Open Evening flavour is underway. In this postal service I desire to portion a few ideas for activities that a Maths Department tin run. Before I produce so, it's helpful to intend well-nigh the operate of Open Evenings.

According to the Good Schools Guide, this is why a raise should attend an Open Evening: "They may non genuinely reverberate twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours life at a schoolhouse (this volition endure schoolhouse at its best) but they'll give yous a flavour of what's happening too allow yous to soak-up or repel the atmosphere. They are your run a peril to receive got the upper-hand, acquire a experience for the schoolhouse too chat amongst pupils too staff. Do view to a greater extent than than i school, it’s useful to compare too contrast. Remember it's non but schools that select too select pupils, parents select too select schools too; thence seize the night!".

Amongst the advice that the Good Schools Guide gives to parents well-nigh what to produce on the night, nosotros receive got the following:

• Quiz youngsters well-nigh how much assistance they acquire from teachers, whether lessons are fun, noisy, long... Are they allowed to beak inwards class? What happens if mortal is beingness a nuisance? 
• Is outstanding piece of work rewarded? Is homework ready (and marked)? 
• What happens if they don’t empathise the piece of work or honor it also easy?
• If children are labor activities especially inwards the marrow subjects such equally maths, enquire if this is park fodder. The agency a kid responds (or instructor flaps) may endure to a greater extent than telling than the responses they give.

In my experience, it's rare for parents to enquire questions similar these. Nevertheless, it's worth telling staff too students that this is the sort of affair they may endure asked.

I was real interested inwards what Mel (blank clock templates too offering children the chance to pattern a maths clock. You could receive got a large empty display board available thence they tin pivot upward their designs.

2. Four Fours
Write the next on a whiteboard or flipchart for the numbers 1 - 20:
4 4 4 4 = 0
4 4 4 4 = 1
4 4 4 4 = 2
4 4 4 4 = 3
etc

Have a educatee helper trial board pens too instructions. Children receive got a become at filling inwards the operations. They honor this quite challenging. Parents savour it too.

Possible solution - @edfromo

3. Estimation Games
As I mentioned inwards my most recent gems post, estimation develops disclose feel too work solving skills. Children could guess the weight of a large pumpkin, the value of coin inwards a scandalize or the disclose of sweets inwards a bowl. Alternatively, convey inwards an assortment of circles or rings (plates, saucers, large hula hoops, polo mints) too enquire children to estimate, thence measure, the circumferences.

Speaking of circles, children could endeavour to trace a circle freehand, amongst your educatee helpers judging their accuracy. This is real a skillful learning chance for your students because the
judging involves circle theorems, thence yous could receive got GCSE students produce the judging equally an extension to their circle theorem lessons.

4. Shapes
@sxpmaths suggests a fun game of human quadrilaterals. In pairs, children receive got to cast diverse quadrilaterals amongst their arms/legs/bodies. 

If yous receive got access to an interactive whiteboard, how well-nigh the bang-up game 'Shape Shoot' from flashmaths.co.uk?

Another shape game involves children writing downwards the hollo of a shape on a post-it too sticking it to the caput of a educatee helper, who thence has to guess what the shape is using upward to 10 yes/no questions.

5. Lowest Number Competition

My schoolhouse holds a 'Lowest Number Competition' which ever goes downwards well. Each kid completes the sideslip below too puts it inwards a sealed box. The side yesteryear side twenty-four hours nosotros sort though the responses - there's ever lots of 'ones' from children who receive got missed the betoken (or perchance they've tried to endure clever too assumed that no-one else would give such an obvious answer! Worth a try!). The winning disclose is ordinarily inwards the belatedly teens or early on 20s. The Maths Department tin also produce a sweepstake on what the winning disclose volition be.

Read this Twitter discussion for more opened upward eventide activeness ideas.

There's lots to a greater extent than yous could produce - tangrams, code-breaking, giant magic squares... I'm certain readers of this postal service volition receive got bang-up ideas to portion - if yous do, delight move out a comment. 

Sign by Blackpool Sixth Mathematics Department @BSMathsDept