50 maths lessons for more able learnersAges 9-11

"50 Maths Lessons for More Able Learners" is a new series of books that will provide a range of standalone activities covering the objectives for a two-year span but at a level more challenging to the more able learner.

Each lesson plan will focus on one specific aspect of maths, that will provide a range of group or independent activities and will be accompanied by a photocopiable sheet.

The activities should be planned and written in such a way that the material can easily be slipped into existing planning, used in isolation to extend understanding and can be handed by the teacher to the teaching assistant with little preparation by each.

Each title will address the principles of inclusion for more able pupils identified in "Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and Teaching in the Primary Years", DfES 2004.

These include: setting suitable learning challenges; and, responding to children's diverse learning needs.To do this effectively for more able children requires certain access strategies such as: accelerating progress through learning objectives; providing tasks that are more open-ended or extended in time and complexity; and, providing opportunities to apply learning objectives in less familiar contexts.

In addition, the lessons will be split between the seven strands of mathematics, identified by the National Strategy in the Draft Framework for Teaching Mathematics (Consultation document, DfES, April 2006).

The seven strands include: use and apply maths; count, compare and order numbers, and describe relationships between them; secure knowledge of number facts which can be recalled quickly and used appropriately; calculate efficiently and accurately; position and transform shapes, recognising and using their properties to visualise and construct; measure accurately using appropriate units, interpret and compare scales; and, process, present and interpret data to pose and answer questions.