Using Probing Questions in Mathematics lessons Year 8 Level 5 Assessment Criteria What do you think?

Click on a link to Jump to the Assessment Criteria you are looking for. Assessment Criteria for Year 8 Level 5 Using and applying mathematics to solve problemsUsing and applying mathematics to solve problems Numbers and the number system Calculations Algebra Shape, space and measures Handling data

Using and applying mathematics to solve problems Identify the necessary information to solve a problem; represent problems and interpret solutions in algebraic, geometrical or graphical form.

Bacteria in a petri dish double the area they cover every day. If the dish is full after 16 days, on what day was only one quarter of it full? There’s a lot of information there. I wonder what’s important? I’m going to work out a quarter of 16. I don’t think there’s enough information here

2 1 I wonder what the half time score was? What would happen if the final score was different? I’m going to work out all the possible half time scores.

A boy ate 100 cookies in total in five days. Each day he ate 6 more than the day before. How many cookies did he eat on the first day? Where do I start? I’m just going to guess. I think I could use algebra.

Bugs Bunny has three carrots of lengths 10cm, 12cm and 15cm. How can he use these carrots to mark off a length of 17cm? I wonder if I could use symbols? I think I’ll draw a diagram. I wonder what other measurements Bugs could get?

Numbers and The Number System Add, subtract, multiply and divide integers.

What about multiplying and dividing? I think you’re both wrong! I think addition always makes numbers bigger I think subtraction always makes numbers smaller!

Did you use more than one operation? I can guess what keys you pressed to get that answer! Hey! I got – 144. Did you use +, –, x or ÷ ?

What if x was a – 0.2? What order would they go in if x = – 2? If x = 2, I can put these cards in order

Calculations Use standard column procedures for multiplication and division of integers and decimals, including by decimals such as 0.6 and 0.06; understand where to position the point by considering equivalent calculations

Hey, Look! 37 X 64 is I know you’re wrong without even doing it! If she’s wrong, how do you work it out without a calculator? Well I think she’s about right!

Hey, Look! 64 X 37 is I can work out a calculation that gives 23.68! Can you work out a dividing calculation that gives 3.7? I wonder if there are other calculations that give 2368?

Algebra Simplify or transform linear expressions by collecting like terms; multiply a single term over a bracket. Substitute integers into simple formulae.

I can think of lots of expressions that give the same answer as this! Do any of your expressions include brackets? What do you look for when you have an expression to simplify? 4p + 3q - 2

There! I’m done! 4(a + 2) = 4a + 2 3(p – 4) = 3p (5 – m) = -10 – 2m I think you made some mistakes! I need some tips when you have to remove brackets.

I know what’s behind the Post It notes! I can think of other expressions that give 6 – 8x I wonder if something like this could make 6 – 8x? 10 4(1 2x) 10 4(1 2x) = 6 – 8x

If I make x = 2, I can tell which cards match. Would they still match if I made x = 5? Would it make sense if x = -3?

I think that when x = – 1, y will equal – 7. I can think of another formula that give y = –7 when x = –1. The way these guys talk gets me all confused! “When x equals something then y equals something” WHAT!!??! y = 5x - 2

Shape, Space and Measures Transform 2-D shapes by simple combinations of rotations, reflections and translations, on paper and using ICT; identify all the symmetries of 2-D shapes. Use units of measurement to estimate, calculate and solve problems in everyday contexts involving length, area, volume, capacity, mass, time, angle and bearings; know rough metric equivalents of imperial measures in daily use (feet, miles, pounds, pints, gallons).

How can I transform the First Pattern to the Second Pattern? I can transform tile A2 using reflection then a rotation. What information do you need to rotate an object? I wonder what stays the same and what is different when you reflect objects?

I think I know about how many pints this is. I can make up some hard questions about these containers! I know that 1 cm 3 of water weights 1 gram. I wonder how much all this water weighs? How do you change millilitres to Litres?

Handling data Estimate probabilities from experimental data; understand that: –if an experiment is repeated there may be, and usually will be, different outcomes; –increasing the number of times an experiment is repeated generally leads to better estimates of probability..

Here are the results of my experiments I think all these dice are unfair. I don’t think you can tell which one is fair and which one isn’t fair. I don’t even understand this table!

Thanks to Emile Pinco, Head of Mathematics at Churchdown School, for compiling this resource Based on material from the Secondary Strategy’s ‘Focused Assessment Materials’ (APP) and ‘Progression Maps’ Some images from