BUZZ Teachers Notes Volume 1/Number 3 (June 2008)

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Cover: Which set has the fewest fish?

Application: A sorting puzzle Many similar fish are swimming around Buzz. It is necessary to sort them into three sets and count how many are in each set: which has the fewest number? Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
Pupils look at detail to find difference in shape and colour to sort and count.
Resources required: none
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Counting and understanding number. Estimate and then check by counting. Recognise differences. Problem solving: making observations and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
The differences between the three sets of fish are the colours; the thickest wavy line is blue, yellow or green. Ask the children if they can make an estimate of how many fish are in the picture (26), and then how many are in each set. Discuss the difficulty in estimating numbers over four or five (people of ancient times only counted one, two and many). Ask how they are to go about counting the three sets: what is the best strategy? How many can be recognised at a glance before they lose count? Does it help to count in threes? There are 9 of two sets, and 8 of the ones with green stripes.		matches/ same/ difference stripes, wavy lines sort, group, type, set many fewest, (in number) least (size of group) left, right top, bottom over/above under/below
Assessment strategy Accurate counting and estimating. Vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words. Back to Top

Page 2: Days of the week

Application: The main theme of this issue is time. The introduction page has a reasoning problem where pupils are asked to put the eight photos in the order they were taken. Each photo has a letter, which will spell out a word if the order is correct. Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can also be found in the online Answers.
Pupils put the days of the week in order, and recognise a.m. and p.m.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Use everyday language related to time, considering order and sequence. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
A good starting point would be to discuss days of the week and their order. How many days are in the week? What words describe the next day, the day before? Although this is quite a simple task, it requires children to look carefully to find the information they need. The first day of the week is now officially Monday in most of Europe (as opposed to Sunday) as defined by The International Standard for date and time. Before the mid 20^th Century it was widely considered to be the second day, and still is by many religious bodies. Tuesday appears twice, which gives the opportunity to talk about am and pm, and how it relates to noon and midnight. Ask, what time could it be when the picture of Becky in her tent was taken, or the one of Luke starting off on a walk? Talk about the difference in 7.30 am and 7.30 pm. Each picture tells a story, and discussion could be had about each one, encouraging oral skills: for example, lazy afternoons, evening, sunsets and the weather. The letters by each picture will spell out the word holidays, a useful self-checking device that comes up in other puzzles and activities in BUZZ.		Today Tomorrow Yesterday Next Before Days of the week Months of the year Midday Morning Afternoon Night Midnight Noon Early Late Evening
Assessment strategy Being confident in the order of days in the week and their position to each other. Knowing what is meant by am and pm. Vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words. Back to Top

Pages 4 and 5: The one-hour maze

Application: A maze invites the reader to find four different routes that will each add up to 60 minutes. Reasoning is required to decide on each of the destinations, and mental addition as the route is tested. The seagulls provide letters that spell out four simple words. Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
Pupils solve a problem that involves mental addition. Can be used to reinforce knowledge of the number of minutes in an hour.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Calculating with measures relating to time. Understand and use vocabulary related to time; know and use units of time and the relationship between them; counting up to 60 (adding 2 digit numbers), recognising blocks of time that add up to an hour. Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task. Back to Top
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
This maze may seem tricky to younger children, in that they have to work out themselves where they are going and the restrictions on the maze. Some may try to overlook the fact that each junction has minutes to add up. Help by suggesting they start with the walk to the lighthouse, which is given, and put in the secret word supplied by the seagulls in the check box. More confident pupils will be able to add up the amounts as they go, helping them to recognise the blocks of time within an hour. For those who find this difficult, suggest they write down the numbers as they go to help them with the addition. They could also look for pairs, such as 25 and 5, to make multiples of 10, which are easier to add up. Talk about how we refer to different amounts of time: half an hour, quarter of an hour, and which sections of the routes show these times, Ask, Can you find where to start to walk to the funfair in three quarters of an hour? Can you describe your route giving directions? What other routes can you find? What’s the longest route you can have without going back along the same path? Talk about other occasions we use time to measure distance: How long does it take to walk to school? To cycle up and down hills? To fly to another country? The check boxes will show the words supplied by the seagulls and confirm their routes are correct.		Time Hour :60 minutes Route Way Direction Distance Measure Addition Half an hour Quarter of an hour Three quarters of an hour left, right top, bottom along
Assessment strategy More able will be able to calculate the times mentally, and practise will improve this. By asking children to explain directions their vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words. Back to Top

Pages 6 and 7: Time Up

Application: Children are asked to read times in speech balloons and calculate back and forwards from an hour. They have to decide which canoe is due back first, and draw in hands on the clock faces for all the boats. Buzz and Fizz are hidden in the picture. Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
A word problem presents a real life context that involves representing and calculating time.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Simple word problems involving measure. Understand and use every day vocabulary related to time; know and use units of time and the relationship between them; read the time from clocks. Measure short periods of time. Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task. Develop mathematical ideas and methods to solve problems.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Many children may have had the experience of being on a boating lake and will understand having a limited hiring time. A discussion with older children could be had on when other occasions the measure of time is used in this way (for hired cars, equipment, holiday rentals, for example). Here they are asked to read words describing time. The task requires calculating adding on an hour and relating that to a clock face. Some simply require adding on an hour to the time they give, others need to be calculated with careful reasoning to work out when the canoe was hired, by using the time on the hut, and then adding on an hour to get the correct answer. For those needing a little help, start by asking what the time is in the picture. Use the example of Yasmin (number 1). Talk about where the hands would have been for different Buzz kids, Sasha (number 4) for example, tells us she started at 11.o‘ clock. Ask, how long has she been on her canoe? What time is one hour on? Luke (number 3) tells us he has had quarter of an hour. Ask, Can you show where the hand was quarter of an hour earlier on the clock on the hut? Use this to talk about how long an hour is less a quarter. Completing the clock faces will lead to conclusions: Ahmad is due back straight away. Ask, Who started together? (Jasmin, Luke and Becky all started at half past eleven for example.) Who is due back next after Ahmad?(Sasha and Lucy.)		Time Hour 60 / 30/ 15/ 45 minutes Measure Addition Half an hour Quarter of an hour Three quarters of an hour Clock face Minute hand Hour hand Longer, longest Shorter Shortest next
Assessment strategy Calculating time in a real life situation, being able to think about how they go about answering the problems and what process they use. Confidence in calculating forwards and backwards to an hour. Back to Top

Pages 8 and 9: Ups and downs

Application: A game based on the traditional snakes and ladders format, but using a limited number of moves (1 or 3) and using number facts. Answers are not required, but the activity invites investigating other rules to develop mathematical ideas.
Pupils look at number and calculating.
Resources required: 2 counters and a coin, or dice.
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Knowing and using number facts, counting and understanding number. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
This game is easily accessible from Year 2 up, although help may be required with explaining that moves can only be one or three moves, depending on the flip of a coin. If the flipping of a coin (or two different sided button) is difficult, a dice could be used, but with the proviso that numbers up to 3 mean only move one place, 4 to 6 mean move three places. The journey to the surface involves doubling, halving and knowing odd and even numbers. Ask if the game is better if you start from the boat. What happens? Having played a few rounds, encourage children to experiment with their own versions: different numbers to move or using the whole dice (how does this affect the time spent playing the game?). Discuss why rules are important and how they can change a game.		Add Forward Double Half Even Odd Back Subtract Next 3^rd last left, right up down
Assessment strategy Confidence in recognising number facts and counting. Back to Top

Pages 10 and 12: Matching Times

Application: An activity that involves reading the time from clocks, both analogue and digital, and looks at Roman numerals in that context. The second activity involves putting times in order. There is a self-checking box that gives a word used in the copy. Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
Pupils look at reading the time from clocks.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Understand and use the vocabulary related to time. Read the time from clocks, up to 12, and solve problems involving time describing how the problem was solved.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
A real life problem is presented on the first activity, in that the old clock face uses Roman numerals. Even the youngest pupil may not have too much difficulty in matching the two clock faces and thereby discover they can read Roman numerals. For a project, pictures of interesting clock faces could be collected: such as Big Ben, Town Halls, old railway stations (it may be noticed that some have llll instead of lV…). Recognising Roman numerals may be an easier task than knowing the time on the face is 10.15. For those who have difficulty in this, they may find doing some of the other activities in BUZZ relating to 60 minutes, quarter of an hour, half an hour and so on, helpful. This can be related to the way the big hand shows the minutes in an hour. Reading digital time is usually easier, and all the times here show hours before 12.00 noon (the full 24 hour clock is introduced in the story at the end of the magazine). Ask, where might they see digital clocks (for example, the microwave, radio alarm)? This could lead to a discussion of the 24-hour clock, and the occasional (rare) use of am and pm on digital clocks. Putting the times in sequence requires some care, discuss which come first: 7.30 or 7.45? The word they will see spelt out is numerals, which is used on page 10. You may need to explain that this word means the words or symbols used to represent numbers.		Time Hour 60 / 30/ 15/ 45 minutes Measure Addition Sequence Half an hour Quarter of an hour Three quarters of an hour Clock face Minute hand Hour hand Digital Noon Earlier Next Numerals
Assessment strategy Confidence in reading the time, both digital and on a clock face. Understanding mathematical vocabulary and recognising Roman numerals in context. Back to Top

Pages 12 and 13: Odds and evens

Application: A dot-to-dot activity that uses odd and even rules. Answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
Practice in addition and calculation, using number facts.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Counting and understanding number, knowing number facts.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Dot to dot puzzles are enjoyed by a wide age range of children, and serve a useful purpose as number recognition and sequence practice. This one requires more care, as there are two sets to join up, one using the rule of odd numbers and one with even numbers. The numbers go to 94 and 99. Ask, What would be the next number on the odd sequence? What other way could you describe the set of even numbers (multiples of 2)? Extension: An investigational activity that uses odd and even numbers can be found in BUZZ issue 1 (Sum Socks pages 4 and 5)		Odd (has a reminder of 1 when divided by 2) Even (divides by two exactly) Sequence Set Remainder Whole numbers Divide
Assessment strategy Confidence in adding and an understanding of number. Back to Top

Pages 14 and 15: Which Train?

Application: Children are invited to read a story, which involves reading simple timetables and calculating time. The story finishes with the reader being asked to complete the times Fizz and Buzz arrived, and how long Fizz had to wait. Brief answers are provided on page 15 of the magazine so that children can check for themselves, and go back to puzzles to look at them again if they missed something. Full solutions can be found in the online Answers.
Pupils look at time in a real life context and do some simple calculations.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Understand and use the vocabulary related to time. Read the time from clocks, and timetables. Solve problems involving time describing how the problem was solved.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Presenting children with timetables is usually reserved for Year 4, and the 24 hour clock for Year 5, but more able younger children should also be able to enjoy this story set in a real life context. Help could be given for the challenging element beyond simply understanding that Buzz is late again! (A previous story about time can be found in BUZZ issue 1 Which Pie? Page 14.) Discussion could be had on how train and bus time tables use the 24 hour clock, and how this avoids confusion (a brief explanation of the 24 hour clock is on page 15). The times are not complicated but help may be needed to understand the word, depart, and discussion could be had on how long the train journey to Sandy is, compared to the bus journey from Woody to Sandy. This would be a useful introduction to using real and more complicated timetables. Ask, Where do you see the 24-hour clock? Children may have come across them on television listings, computers, posters, electronic equipment, as well as digital watches. The clock face in the first picture shows ten to eleven, and in the last frame five past one. The clock faces are not vital to the understanding of the story, but present additional information, and an opportunity to ask what actual times are in the pictures. For those who have difficulty with reading the analogue clock, they may find doing some of the other activities in BUZZ, such as Matching Times, page 10, helpful. Ask, which train does Buzz want to catch? How long does he have to wait for the next train? What time does Fizz arrive at Sandy? This will help the reader when asked to fill in the boxes on page 15. The final question, asking the hands to be drawn in on the clock face, requires understanding the 24 hour clock, and help may be needed with younger children to explain this further (12 noon + 5).		Timetable Depart / arrive Hour 60 / 30/ 15/ 45 minutes 24 hour clock Measure Addition Midday Midnight Half an hour Quarter of an hour Three quarters of an hour Clock face Minute hand Hour hand Digital Noon Earlier Next Numerals how long will it take to? Analogue clock Late longer Add, addition, more, plus Sum, make, total difference
Assessment strategy This is a challenging activity as it involves a sophisticated level of understanding. Younger children tackling it with ease will be performing at a high level. Back to Top

Page 16: Curious Castle

Application: A picture puzzle that involves observation and reasoning. There are at least 23 different oddities to find. (The answers on page 15 of the magazine gives 10 things and the full list can be found in online Answers)
Can be used as an introduction to keeping tallies.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Counting, keeping a tally, describing position. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Some of the curious things will be easy to spot, so all children should engage easily with this puzzle. Some may not be so easy to recognise. Encourage children to use language to describe why something is odd: how do you know is it too hot for a snowman? Do daffodils grow in the sand at the water’s edge? Would a giraffe mix with the cows? An element of reasoning is required! Suggest keeping a tally as each oddity is found, to keep a count of their discoveries. Cooperation in sharing knowledge comes from comparing with each other to see which ones may have missed.		matches/ same/ different direction left, right top, bottom position over/above under/below beside next upside down tally count number how many
Assessment strategy By asking children to describe the location of the strange things they find their vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words. Understanding how make a record of the number they find. Back to Top

Worksheet: Buzz or Fizz? 3a and 3b (available online)

Application: Buzz and Fizz present a game where they spin to turn to face an object. Buzz only turns clockwise, and Fizz anticlockwise. A series of sentences have missing key words, which need to be filled in. Full solutions can be found in the online Answers
Understanding clockwise/anticlockwise as a direction and turns as part of a circle.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework Make and measure clockwise and anticlockwise turns. Read and write the vocabulary relating to position, describe turns inside a circle, or on a clock face. Solve mathematical problems.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Knowing the directions clockwise and anticlockwise is important in being able to read the time on analogue clocks. Filling in the sentences requires the reader to recognise the difference, and provides practice in using the terms: quarter turn, half turn, three quarter turn and full turn. In worksheet 3b the child is invited to add their own objects and write their own sentences to test on a friend. Deciding on their own instructions will encourage independent thinking and consolidate their knowledge. Extension: Children could play their own game of spin. Place four objects in a circle, allow a few minutes to look at the arrangement, and then blindfold the player. Call out directions, such as Make a quarter turn clockwise, then the player has to turn, remember where the objects are, and call out what object he or she is facing. Decide if the player returns to face south each time, or has to move on from each position. The directions could be varied to include times on a clock (6 o clock, 3 o clock and so on) and the compass points: north, south, east and west. It will be noticed that the direction of the turns is not always relevant, but could be used to add to the confusion, as in: turn anti clockwise to face West, or turn clockwise to face 9 o clock A more advanced game could be played with clock times: up to 12 objects could be placed around the player. Starting at the player facing 12: instead of calling out the hour, minute times could be given, such as: ten past, quarter to, twenty past, and only clockwise turns allowed. Encourage experimenting with what makes a good game: whether to have points scored, how long each player’s go is, how long to allow to memorize the objects. Encourage cooperation and agreeing on rules.		Full turn Half turn Quarter turn Three quarter turn Clockwise Anticlockwise North South East West position direction location left, right right angle 90° timing minute hand five past/to ten past/to quarter past/to twenty past/to Twenty five past/to
Assessment strategy The ability to use directions with confidence. Experiment with using other instructions will lead to having a good vocabulary related to position, and familiarity with the minute hand positions on a clockface. Back to Top