Enhancing the Teaching of Mathematics

These resources have been compiled as a result of a group of teachers getting together led by Charlie Dawson (HoD @ Northgate High)

Excel is a much under used resource and in particular it can be used for modelling a wide range of situations including statistical graphs, reflection, statistical experiments, sampling for coursework, investigating quadratics, simulating projectiles and number puzzles amongst many others.  The following files are designed to inspire and to provide a starting point, they are a resource and not part of a lesson plan, how you use them is up to you.  Some of the files require you to press the F9 key to generate new data.

If you want to put together your own interactive spreadsheets then Rob Simpson has put together a tutorial to lead you through the process - Click here

There are other sources of Excel based resources which can be found at the bottom of this page.
Number

Calculation

  1. Multiplication Game - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    An interactive multiplication game for two players. This game is played on an interactive whiteboard. Hit the answer to the multiplication question before your opponent and score a point. Get one wrong and lose a point! Settings available to customise questions.
  2. Multiplication Grid Puzzles - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Produces random grid puzzles to solve. Choose the range of numbers and the operation.
  3. Times Tables - Mark Greenaway
    Randomly generated times tables grids, answers can be revealed a row at a time.
  4. Number Target Boards - Mark Greenaway & Charlie Dawson
    A range of boards for use as a focus for questioning - Press F9 for a new board
  5. Number Line - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    An interactive number line. Change the start and end values or change the interval. Show/hide the numbers on the line.
  6. Negative number line - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Show negative numbers moving up and down a number line. Show/hide the numbers and/or their position on the number line.
  7. Calculating with Negatives - Charlie Dawson
    Using the four rules with negative numbers, choice of operation or mix of operations (Number Tab at bottom) - hide and reveal facility
  8. Long Multiplication - Mark Greenaway & Charlie Dawson
    This spreadsheet solves long multiplication problems in 4 different ways.

Fractions, Decimals, Percentages and Ratio

  1. Percentages Spider - Mo Ladak & Mark Greenaway
    Calculate a range of percentages that you choose of a number that you select.  Hide/reveal the answers.
  2. Percentage Problems - Charlie Dawson
    Percentage of and Percentage Increase/Decrease problems with the ability to hide/reveal.
  3. Fractions - Charlie Dawson
    The four rules using Fractions - hide/reveal steps in the working out
  4. Fractions ratios decimals and percentages - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Compare equivalent fractions, ratios, decimals and percentages. Change a grid of squares to represent a proportion. Show or hide the fractions, ratios, decimals and percentages.
  5. Fractions Grid - Mark Greenaway
    Adjustable grid from 1 by 1 up to 10 by 10, user can colour in cells in a choice of 4 colours
  6. Percentage increase and decrease - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Use and find percentage increase and decrease, including reverse percentage problems. Show/hide any of the values.
  7. Successive Percentage Changes - Rob Simpson & Mo Ladak
    This allows you to explore the effect of two successive percentage changes
  8. Ratios - Mark Greenaway
    Splitting amounts into ratios, randomly generated different levels of difficulty and with the ability to hide/reveal different values

Place Value

  1. Rounding - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Round numbers to nearest 100, 10, 1, 0.1 ... Represent the number on a number line. Show which digit is important in deciding whether to round up or down. Show/Hide digits.
  2. Rounding - Charlie Dawson
    Rounding numbers to a certain number of decimal places or significant figures
  3. Times & Divide by Powers of 10 - Mark Greenaway
    You select a start number and then identify either the operations or the resulting number, with the ability to hide/reveal cell values
  4. Times & Divide by Powers of 10 - Mark Greenaway
    You set the upper and lower values on a number line split into 10 equal parts.  Each of the two sheets has 3 additional parallel number lines (x10, x100, x1000 and divide) Hide/Reveal any of the numbers on the 4 parallel number lines
  5. Estimation - Mark Greenaway
    Would make a good introduction to the Golf Courses above.  Requiring only multiplication to score a goal if the answer is within limits you can set.
  6. Standard Form - Charlie Dawson
    Randomly generated Standard Form conversions with the ability to hide/reveal the normal form or either part of the standard form.

Other Number Work

  1. Multipliers - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Use and find multipliers from one number to another. Randomly selects original number and multiplier according to user settings. Show/hide different values.
  2. Trial and Improvement - Wentworth      Troon      Belfrey      Augusta - Charlie Dawson
    Four Golf Courses, each comprising 18 holes where you have to find the answer to a problem within given limits.  In order of difficulty starting with the easiest.
  3. Loans & Savings Calculator - Mark Greenaway
    Explore the effect of different interest rates, amounts loaned or payments made when you have a mortgage or a credit card.  Plus how long will it take to save up for ...
  4. Number Bases - Mark Greenaway
    This coverts between number bases and calculates in any number base (+, - or x)

Algebra

Expressions

  1. Substitution - Charlie Dawson
    Substitution into simple expressions, can also be used for solving simple equations depending upon what you hide/reveal.

  2. Simplifying Simple Expressions - Charlie Dawson
    Using the four rules with simple expressions, choice of operation or mix of operations (Algebra Tab at bottom) - hide and reveal facility

Sequences

  1. Guess - Charlie Dawson - Instructions
    Series of 8 problems highlighting the link between the table     graphs, tables, patterns and formulae. Each problem gives you a letter that comprises part of an anagram

  2. Guess the Connection - Charlie Dawson
    Random problems highlighting the link between the table     graphs, tables, patterns and formulae.

  3. Sequence generator - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Investigate various sequences with this interactive workbook. Show/hide values and formulas, change the settings to suit the class. Contains linear, quadratic, exponential and fibonacci sequences.

  4. Sequence Blanks - Mark Greenaway
    Randomly generate linear sequences with numbers missing, hide or reveal individual cells

Coordinates & Straight Lines

  1. Coordinates - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Enter coordinates to draw shapes on the grid. Use the first or all four quadrants.

  2. Straight line Graphs - Mark Greenaway
    Change the gradient and intercept and explore the effect on the resulting graph.  Option to hide/reveal all or some of the information leaving just the graph.

  3. Guess the Connection - Charlie Dawson
    Random problems highlighting the link between the table     graphs, tables, patterns and formulae.

  4. Straight Lines - Mark Greenaway
    Enter a value for m and c and then change x and see the effect on y, hide or reveal whatever you choose

  5. Straight Line Generator
    Hide or reveal the equation of randomly generated straight line graphs

  6. Which line? - Mark Greenaway
    Press F9 and randomly generate a point and three straight line equations, decide which line the point lies on

  7. Find the Equation - Mark Greenaway
    Enter any two coordinates and then use this to discuss the equation of the resulting graph

Solving Equations

  1. Trial and Improvement - Mark Greenaway
    A self checking spreadsheet that requires students to complete all the necessary steps to solve Trial & Improvement problems.

  2. Simultaneous equations - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Investigate the graphical solitions of simultaneous equations. Alter the equations and see how the graphs change and how this affects the intersection point.

  3. Sum Triangles - Charlie Dawson
    Number Pyramid with challenges at different levels

Quadratics

  1. Product and Sum - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Finding the products and sums of numbers or the numbers which give a target sum or product

  2. Quadratic expressions - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Investigate the different forms of a quadratic expression and their graph.

  3. Multiply & Factorise Quadratics - Mark Greenaway & Charlie Dawson
    3 levels of questions where you can hide/reveal any part of a quadratic expansion

  4. Graphs of Quadratics and Solution of Simultaneous Equations such as x2 + 3x - 5 = 4x + 1 by drawing a curve and a straight line.  Includes a a hide/reveal table for the quadratic curve - Charlie Dawson

Proportionality

  1. Proportionality - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Investigate direct, inverse and square proportionality. Interactive workbook, containing table of values, graph and equation.
Shape, Space and Measures

Measures

  1. 12 & 24 hour clock - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Displays the time shown on an analogue clock in digital format using both 12 and 24 hour clock. Show/Hide digital clocks.
  2. Measuring - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    An interactive scale. Change the scale by altering the size of the divisions. Includes negative numbers to look at temperature. Alter the size of the measurement.
  3. Speed - Distance - Time Calculations - Mark Greenaway
    The 1st tab has values for distance, speed and time, you can hide any of the values and use for questioning.  The 2nd tab has 10 randomly generated questions.  Again hide any values you wish and press F9 to generate a new set of questions.

Properties of Shapes

  1. Quadrilaterals - Mark Greenaway
    A puzzle where you are required to enter the missing coordinates to form a given quadrilateral

Mensuration

  1. Area & Perimeter of Polygons - Mark Greenaway
    Change the size of the diagonal and the number of sides of the polygon and "discover" the ratio of pie.

Transformations

  1. Transformation Golf - Duncan Keith www.subtangent.com
    Complete a round of golf using reflections, translations and rotations.
Handling Data 

Averages

  1. Averages - Mark Greenaway
    Set of 3, 4 or 5 numbers with averages displayed.  Hide or reveal any of the values
  2. Averages - Matt Nixon www.kangaroomaths.com
    Randomly generate a set of 5 integers between limits you set with the averages calculated. You can hide or reveal any of the values by clicking on the cell.
  3. Mean, Median & Range - Mark Greenaway
    The spreadsheet randomly generates a set of results and displays the Mean, Median and Range.  You are required to select a set of numbers that match these results.
  4. Averages from Frequency Tables - Mark Greenaway
    Randomly generated frequency tables allowing you to talk through the process of finding the averages.  The steps can be hidden or revealed.
  5. Moving Averages - Mark Greenaway
    This generates sets of 8 pieces of data and allows you to draw a 2, 3, 4 or 5 point moving average.  You can hide or reveal any of the data and view the graph with and without the moving averages plotted.

Handling Data Graphs

  1. Comparing BoxPlots
    You can draw and compare up to 4 boxplots by entering the min, max and quartiles.
  2. Correlation - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Investigate correlation. Produces randon data based on your settings. Comment on correlation, outliers and relationships. Extends to A'Level Statistics including PMCC.
  3. Data Set 1 - Goals per game - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Compare several sets of football related data. Interactive features include automatic sorting, all summary values calculated, colour cells or boundaries between cells, view box plots for the data.
  4. Data Set 2 - Daisies per sq metre - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Same as above, but for flower related data, (well, sort of!)
  5. Data Set 3 - Stamps in a week - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Interactive frequency table. Includes group totals for calculating mean and cumulative frequencies for finding the median. Show/hide values.
  6. Data set 4 - Colours of cars - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Compare Frequency diagram and pie chart for qualitative data. Show/hide the data or the graphs.

Simulation

  1. Random Number Generator - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Random numbers generated between limits you set and displayed to an accuracy of your choosing
  2. Coupon Collecting - Mark Greenaway
    This spreadsheet allows you to simulate collecting coupons or gifts from cereal packets. You can specify any number of coupons from 1 to 10.
Probability
  1. Racing - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Roll the Dice to move the cars! Which will win? Change the rule to move the cars, change the maximum number on each die. Investigate combined probability.
  2. Space Diagrams - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    Create space diagrams for investigating combined probability. Includes finding the sum, difference, maximum and minimum of two numbers.
  3. Spinner - Rob Simpson www.maths-it.org.uk
    A random spinner with user defined outcomes.
  4. Tree Diagrams - Mark Greenaway
    Randomly generate questions involving green and red cubes with and without replacement, hide/reveal facility in place.  Also problems involving decimals and sheets so you can enter your own fractions or decimals.
  5. One Armed Bandit - Mark Greenaway (adapted from - The Bandit by Rob Simpson)
    An interactive one armed bandit! Change the settings to make the bandit more or less likely to pay up
Other Sources of Excel Files 

More Excel worksheets covering lots of topics

www.mathsfiles.com/Excel.htm
Ten Maths Activities using Excel
www.maths-it.org.uk/Resources.htm
 Wow Maths
Mr Gallinaghs Maths
www.numeracysoftware.com/xm.html