BUZZ Teacher’s Notes Volume 3/Number 9 (June 2010)

Cover: Buzz

Application: A puzzle to find the pair of matching spaceships. 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 recognise differences and use a strategy to do the task.
Resources required: none
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
The challenge here is to look in detail at the patterns on the ships, which vary in colour and tone. Good observation is required, and most children will be able to do this without help, given a little time. Ask, how would you describe the position?		Matches/ Same/ Difference Left, right Top, bottom Over/above Under/below Next to Beside How many Count
Assessment strategy Confidence in solving problems involving patterns of colour. Being able to describe features. Vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words.

Pages 2 and 3: Introductory puzzle: Multiplying moon rocks and Contents

Application: The theme of Issue 9 is multiplication and division. The introduction puzzle shows the Buzz kids holding boxes of moon rocks. Spaces under each child allow the multiplication to be written in and the product. A panel at the bottom allows the children to write in the pairs of children that have the same number of moon rocks. 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 collect information, use multiplication and annotate their results.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Counting in context, estimating then checking. Understanding the operation of multiplication and that it can be carried out in any order. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
This is an opportunity to use simple multiplications, and see that the order of the operation does not affect the results. For children who are not comfortable with multiplication, this makes a good exercise in looking at repeated addition (for example, ask, how many lots of three is Ahmad holding, and how many lots of four is Kwok holding?), which leads to understanding that multiplication is repeated addition, and the inverse of the multiplication is the same (3 x 4 = 12 and 4 x 3 = 12). The panel at the bottom gives the opportunity for the children to annotate their findings, and match the pairs that have the same product. Extension questions: What other arrangement could be made for 12 moon rocks? (2 x 6). Which boxes have an odd number of rocks? Having made up the table, which pairs of Buzz kids have the least number of rocks? How many rocks altogether?		Arrangement/Array Multiplying Repeat addition Same as Altogether Total Product
Assessment strategy Recognizing that numbers in a multiplication can be in any order, that multiplication is repeated addition. Vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words.

Pages 4 and 5: Divide the kit

Application: The reader is asked to divide up the space kits between eight Buzz kids, and find the remainders when there are any. 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 sorting information and doing division to resolve the task.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Simple word problems involving real life contexts. Choose appropriate number operations and know and use simple division. 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
When tested it was found that this puzzle is complex enough to engage older children in Years 4 and 5 as it involves understanding the problem and then finding the information. The younger child may need some help with deciding how to resolve the task: even able children in Year 3 may find remainders a difficult concept. Children will enjoy looking for the items they have to count in the picture, including spotting where Fizz and Buzz are hiding. The illustration shows the quantities as arrays (as in the cookies) or piles (as in the patches) and this should help them recognise the multiplications (eg 4 rows x 8 ice cream pouches) that make up the amounts given. A practical use of cubes or objects to model the problem may help with the understanding of what is left behind.		How many Quantity Times Division Repeated subtraction Remainder Array Multiplication Repeated addition Rows Columns
Assessment strategy The ability to adapt to a real life situation, being able to think about how they go about answering the problems and what process they use. Confidence in calculating multiplication and division. Children achieving in this understanding in Years 1 and 2 would be working at a high level.

Pages 6 and 7: Robot info

Application: The reader is asked to answer questions about sets using an array of one hundred robot heads. 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.
Recognising tens and multiples of ten.
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Knowing and using number facts, counting and understanding number. Sorting and using multiples. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities	Vocabulary/keywords
This activity is accessible to all Buzz readers, as it mainly involves counting (and multiplying) in tens, and can be tackled on several levels. Remind children, if they use repeated addition, that multiplication will also resolve the task. Ask what other questions the Buzz kids at the control centre could be posed. The last question invites the reader to decide on a group of their own: it will most likely be the non- smiling robots, but a set could be further refined by colour: for example green non-smiling (of which there are only four), or three-eyed pink.	How many Numbers Tens Units Ones Hundred Even More than Less than
Assessment strategy Confidence in working with tens of a number of things.

Pages 8 and 9: Moon walk

Application: A maze of moon craters which requires knowing multiples of 5 and 2. 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.
Using multiplication facts.
Resources required: coloured pencils, two colours
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
Mazes are a good way to provide practise in recognising multiples. Buzz provides key points about the five times table and knowing when a number is a multiple of two. Children may not be used to having rules to obey when finding routes in a maze, unless they are avid readers of BUZZ! With younger readers, explain that there are two different rules. Talk about odd and even numbers and recognising numbers that halve exactly.	Multiples How many Quantity Repeated addition Multiplication Times Total Route Left Right Up Down Even Odd
Assessment strategy Confidence in recognising number facts using multiplication.

Pages 10 and 11: Remainder route

Application: A maze activity that challenges the reader to do divisions and follow the remainders. 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.
Solving a problem by finding remainders
Resources required: pencil
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Knowing and using number facts, division and understanding number. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
Following on from the maze on the previous page, this is another puzzle that requires following a rule to solve. The reader is required to discover which way the robot needs to go, but this time divisions at each box must be done and the remainder calculated to find the correct route. As remainders can be a difficult concept for children, the first one is shown. Ask, What is 3 times 2?, How many times does 3 go into 7? What is left over? Use cubes or objects to model if necessary. Children in Year 3 should be able to do these simple divisions mentally, but younger ones may need more help. The secret message (base reached) will confirm that an independent reader has followed the correct route.		Division Left over Remainder Times Total Route Left Right Up Down
Assessment strategy Confidence in recognising number facts and division, and understanding remainders.

Pages 12 and 13: Count down

Application: A ‘colouring in’ picture with rules to follow. 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.
Recognise rotation of shapes, do calculations and follow rules.
Resources required: colouring pens or pencils (ideally orange, yellow and red)
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Sort information from a list Recognise 2D shapes and their differences Multiplication and division, and understanding number, calculations. Recognising symmetry.
Activities	Vocabulary/keywords
Colouring in using a set of rules is good practise for using a table, and this colouring picture requires doing multiplications and divisions, drawing in squares and triangles and recognising rotations. The discovery that triangles can be combined to make interesting designs is rewarding. It is important to stress the rotation of the triangle in the ‘tiles’, as mistakes will change the outcome so that the final design will not look as much like a rocket as it should. Making the tiles up on a sheet of paper may help younger children to place their tiles on the correct squares. Ask, how do you describe which tile is which? Doing the calculations will help with learning simple multiplications by heart and recognize the words describing operations. The finished design is a good example of symmetry: ask, ‘how could the design be halved and have both sides the same?’ An extension to exploring triangles would be to use 16 tiles with half coloured in triangles, and use the 4 x 4 grid to place them in different arrangements.	shape triangle diamond square How many Multiplication Times Division Add, addition, more, plus product, make, total Leave Difference Same as Symmetrical Line of symmetry Fold Match Mirror line, reflection Pattern Half, halved Triangle Square Clockwise, rotation, Top, bottom, left, right
Assessment strategy Performing the calculations confidently and recognising the rotation of shapes.

Pages 14 and 15: Scrambled

Application: A story where Buzz delivers eggs and manages to break the remaining ones on his way home. Questions about counting and dividing the eggs follow on the next page. 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 are presented with a problem about quantities in a story context.
Resources required: none
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Counting and understanding number. Calculations using multiplication. Problem solving: making decisions and using appropriate language to resolve the task.
Activities	Vocabulary/keywords
The story shows Buzz delivering eggs to the neighbours of Fizz. If reading this with a child, ask if he or she can count how many eggs have been delivered as they go through the story. On the following page the whole egg tray is shown, illustrating five rows of six eggs. Talk about multiplication and the way multiples of fives end on 0 or 5. Doing the calculations will help with learning simple multiplications by heart and recognize the words describing operations. Use cubes or objects if children have trouble in calculating the last two questions. Encourage children to work out the answer rather than guessing or looking at the picture.	Multiplication Repeated addition Addition Take away Remainder How many plus row
Assessment strategy Confidence in using multiplication, and combining addition or subtraction to reach an answer. More able children will begin to use the strategies for finding more difficult multiplications. By asking children to explain, their vocabulary will be extended using appropriate words.

Page 16: Curious Planet

Application: A picture puzzle that involves observation and reasoning. There are at least 22 different oddities to find. The secret puzzle of spotting a green robot carries through each spread of the magazine, including this one. (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. Most will spot the vinegar bottle on the roof, letterbox and a flying fried egg. Some may not be so easy to recognise. Encourage children to use language to describe why something is odd: would a space ship have a rocking chair or a washing line? Would there be a bus stop in outer space? 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 been 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.

Activity for the Whiteboard/PC: Picnic Share Out (available online: see BUZZ Activity)

Application: Share Out is an animated activity that will work on any computer that has Microsoft’s Powerpoint Player. Two versions are available (pre and post Powerpoint 2007 versions). Go to: http://www.circamaths.co.uk/white1.html If you don't have Powerpoint you can download a free Powerpoint player at www.microsoft.com/downloads A PDF of the recording sheet, designed to be used with the activity, is available online by clicking on the BUZZ button on the CIRCA Home page, go to Activity Sheets, and click on the relevant picture: http://www.circamaths.co.uk/buzzws8.html
working with remainders
Resources required: can be used with the whiteboard or on a PC, using Powerpoint Player
Learning objective taken from the Mathematics Framework: Knowing and using number facts, division and understanding number.
Activities		Vocabulary/keywords
This activity is designed to be accessible to several Year groups, and can be used at home on a computer as well as in the classroom with the whiteboard. Click on the file ending in .pps or .ppsx to open the activity (if it fails to open, Powerpoint may already be open and the file can be opened from there, (go to File menu, Open). It will also work to close Powerpoint and click on the .pps file again to open directly into the show). The scene opens up on a picnic and four children. Questions are posed on how many pieces each child gets of each item in the picnic, focussing on remainders, which many children find difficult. The activity waits for a choice to be made (be careful not to double click or click when not prompted, as this may skip the stages). Clicking on the correct box will take you to Buzz, who will say well done, or Fizz, if the answer is wrong. Several questions are posed. Discussions could be continued on what happens if another Buzz kid arrives, and how this would affect the divisions. Some computer systems may not play the music files with the .pps file, but the music (three files ending in .mp3), while adding to the enjoyment of the activity, is not essential. There are embedded sounds that should work on all systems. It is recommended to watch the show beforehand if preparing for a classroom activity. (It lasts about ten minutes.)		Dividing Divison Left over Remainder Add Total How many Least of Most of fewest Most
Assessment strategy A confidence in dividing quantities and understanding remainders.