Maths Explorer is a program that allows mainstream students in Years 3 and 4 to collaborate with their peers and work together to decide how they explore a problem, regardless of their abilities.
Teachers are given a Resource Kit four times yearly to prepare for each Contest Paper. Each kit contains videos for students to watch with an accompanying activity sheet to complete. There are 10 task cards with questions for students to solve. Hints and answers are included.
There is also a practice paper for students to complete that comes with detailed solutions. The practice paper has ‘Exploring’ problems for everyone to solve and ‘Extension’ problems for students who are ready for a challenge.
The Resource Kits prepare the students to complete four Contest Papers throughout the year. Students can complete these papers in small groups.
Please explore below to learn more about the program and to download example resources.
Sample Resource Kit:
Here is a sample Resource Kit. It includes two videos for watching in class, five task cards with hints and answers, and a practice paper for your students to complete in small groups. There are detailed solutions for teachers to refer to.
Sample Activity Sheets: For Video 1 & 2
Download and print these Activity Sheets for your students. They will complete them as they watch the strategy videos.
Sample Strategy Video 1: Eliminate all but One Possibility
In this first video, your students will be introduced to the concept of solving a problem by eliminating all but one possibility. They will complete the first Activity Sheet with the Piggy Bank challenges towards the end of the video.
Sample Strategy Video 2: Strategies to Eliminate all but One Possibility
This video demonstrates strategies for students to use to solve problems as the challenges become more complex. Towards the end of the video, students will be prompted to solve two problems using the logic arrays included on the second Activity Sheet.
Sample Task Cards
Each Resource Kit contains 10 task cards with problems for students to solve. We have included five for you and your students to sample. There is a version of each problem ready to print, either with or without a hint for students.
Sample Practice Paper: Including detailed solutions
Here is a Practice Paper to download for your students. Students can complete these papers in small groups. You may like to allow students 30 minutes to complete the paper as this is the length of time they are given to complete a Contest Paper.
Sample Contest Paper:
Here is a sample of a Maths Explorer Contest Paper. As well as the question pages, there are two bonus pages included that have diagrams and images to support students to accurately solve questions 3C, 3D and 3E. These can be printed and handed out to students along with the questions.
The file also includes detailed solutions for teacher reference.
We hope you enjoy our sample of Maths Explorer. For further information about Maths Explorer, visit our Maths Explorer Program Page or download our Primary School Program guide.
