What is a starter?
Presumably inwards a lesson without a starter, students acquire inwards the classroom, sit down downwards together with at in i trial take away heed to an exposition. In a lesson alongside a starter, students produce unopen to maths at in i trial on arrival, before the principal pedagogy chemical factor begins. Lesson starters (or 'bell work') accept many forms. Every instructor has a unlike approach.
Purpose
My starters receive got i of iii purposes:
(a) recap together with practice of what students learnt inwards the previous lesson.
(b) prerequisite skills check to assess a starting point.
(c) a hook to engage together with intrigue.
Starters also assist to awaken my students' brains - they acquire into a mathematical means of thinking before I firstly pedagogy them something new.
Logistics
When students brand it I greet them at the door alongside their starter, usually a printed question. They're used to this format hence they sit down downwards together with firstly immediately. They produce the starter independently spell their peers brand it together with I laid up.
My starters are usually real brusk - no to a greater extent than than five minutes - because this minimises the variation inwards how long students accept to consummate them. H5N1 starter that takes anywhere betwixt 10 together with twenty minutes to consummate could travel problematic (early finishers are left waiting) but inwards a starter that takes 3 - five minutes this is less of an issue. The early on finishers stick their completed starter inwards their books together with yesteryear the fourth dimension they've done that, the residual are ready hence nosotros together with hence review it equally a class. There's rarely a indicate at which students are non occupied.
Sometimes starters atomic number 82 to interesting questions. Sometimes they effect inwards me changing my lesson innovation on the spot. This is a challenge for me, but I'm getting amend at thinking on my feet equally I acquire to a greater extent than experienced.
Typical Examples
I'll laissez passer you lot an thought of what my typical starters seem like. Bear inwards mind, equally I said earlier, every instructor does this differently. I've picked a theme at random: inwards iii lessons on inequalities alongside Year 10 final year, these were my iii starters.
In lesson 1 we're solving linear inequalities together with representing solutions on number lines. They've done this before hence I firstly alongside a skills cheque to brand certain they scream back the basics:
In lesson 2 we're going to firstly looking at graphical inequalities - for this they request to know how to plot direct lines hence I laissez passer them unopen to other skills cheque starter to run into if I request to become through this:
In lesson 3 we're looking at unopen to harder graphical inequalities hence I desire to remind them of what they did inwards the previous lesson together with laissez passer them a gustatory modality of the kind of inquiry they volition travel seeing today:
(b) prerequisite skills check to assess a starting point.
(c) a hook to engage together with intrigue.
Starters also assist to awaken my students' brains - they acquire into a mathematical means of thinking before I firstly pedagogy them something new.
When students brand it I greet them at the door alongside their starter, usually a printed question. They're used to this format hence they sit down downwards together with firstly immediately. They produce the starter independently spell their peers brand it together with I laid up.
My starters are usually real brusk - no to a greater extent than than five minutes - because this minimises the variation inwards how long students accept to consummate them. H5N1 starter that takes anywhere betwixt 10 together with twenty minutes to consummate could travel problematic (early finishers are left waiting) but inwards a starter that takes 3 - five minutes this is less of an issue. The early on finishers stick their completed starter inwards their books together with yesteryear the fourth dimension they've done that, the residual are ready hence nosotros together with hence review it equally a class. There's rarely a indicate at which students are non occupied.
Sometimes starters atomic number 82 to interesting questions. Sometimes they effect inwards me changing my lesson innovation on the spot. This is a challenge for me, but I'm getting amend at thinking on my feet equally I acquire to a greater extent than experienced.
Typical Examples
I'll laissez passer you lot an thought of what my typical starters seem like. Bear inwards mind, equally I said earlier, every instructor does this differently. I've picked a theme at random: inwards iii lessons on inequalities alongside Year 10 final year, these were my iii starters.
In lesson 1 we're solving linear inequalities together with representing solutions on number lines. They've done this before hence I firstly alongside a skills cheque to brand certain they scream back the basics:
 |
| Inequalities starter - lesson 1 |
In lesson 2 we're going to firstly looking at graphical inequalities - for this they request to know how to plot direct lines hence I laissez passer them unopen to other skills cheque starter to run into if I request to become through this:
 |
| Inequalities starter - lesson 2 |
In lesson 3 we're looking at unopen to harder graphical inequalities hence I desire to remind them of what they did inwards the previous lesson together with laissez passer them a gustatory modality of the kind of inquiry they volition travel seeing today:
 |
| Inequalities starter - lesson 3 |
The 'list the integer coordinates' business office of this inquiry is novel to them hence requires unopen to thinking. I seem it to generate questions which link smoothly into my exposition. I similar my students to intend that the direction of the lesson is prompted yesteryear the questions that arise during the starter, when inwards reality I've usually pre-empted their questions together with planned accordingly.
So you lot tin run into that my starters are naught special but to me they are an essential business office of the lesson.
Sometimes, peculiarly at H5N1 level, I exercise the starter equally an chance to produce an examination manner question. For event if I instruct a Year 12 lesson on finding the equation of a circle using these excellent activities from Mathematics Assessment Project, together with hence the side yesteryear side lesson I would laissez passer students an equation of a circle yesteryear examination inquiry on arrival. This gets them used to the format together with wording of examination questions together with recaps what they learnt inwards the previous lesson. H5N1 unmarried iv or five grade examination inquiry is the perfect length for an H5N1 grade starter.
With GCSE classes, I sometimes laissez passer a QWC examination inquiry (a 'star' question) equally a starter.
With GCSE classes, I sometimes laissez passer a QWC examination inquiry (a 'star' question) equally a starter.
More Inequalities Starters
So at nowadays I've described my typical starters, let's seem unopen to option activities. I've featured iii starters here, in i trial again focusing on inequalities.
Most maths teachers are familiar alongside Transum's 'starter of the day'. What I similar well-nigh the Transum website is that starters are also listed by topic. Here's an event of an inequalities starter.
Short card sorts tin travel good equally starters. This number draw of piece of occupation card matching activity is suitable for an inequalities lesson.
There's also a nifty card gibe (and other first-class activities) inwards Evaluating Statements well-nigh Number Operations from Mathematics Assessment Project. Some of these mightiness travel likewise long for a starter but would travel suitable for a principal lesson activity.
If you're looking for to a greater extent than principal lesson activities on inequalities together with hence these 2 resources are superb: Introduction to inequalities by Project Maths (activities towards the dorsum of the pdf) and Defining Regions Using Inequalities by Mathematics Assessment Project. There are lots to a greater extent than resources inwards my algebra resources library.
Sources of Starters
These ideas are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are loads to a greater extent than sources of starters - a classic is 30 Maths Starters from Subtangent. MathsPad has unopen to nifty interactives similar this Simplifying Magic Square. FlashMaths has skillful interactives too. I could become on but there's no indicate reinventing the wheel. Colleen Young has an amazing website 'Mathematics Starters together with Plenaries' which I highly recommend.
So at nowadays I've described my typical starters, let's seem unopen to option activities. I've featured iii starters here, in i trial again focusing on inequalities.
Most maths teachers are familiar alongside Transum's 'starter of the day'. What I similar well-nigh the Transum website is that starters are also listed by topic. Here's an event of an inequalities starter.
 |
| 'Less than' yesteryear Transum |
Short card sorts tin travel good equally starters. This number draw of piece of occupation card matching activity is suitable for an inequalities lesson.
There's also a nifty card gibe (and other first-class activities) inwards Evaluating Statements well-nigh Number Operations from Mathematics Assessment Project. Some of these mightiness travel likewise long for a starter but would travel suitable for a principal lesson activity.
 |
| When is the arguing true? - Mathematics Assessment Project |
If you're looking for to a greater extent than principal lesson activities on inequalities together with hence these 2 resources are superb: Introduction to inequalities by Project Maths (activities towards the dorsum of the pdf) and Defining Regions Using Inequalities by Mathematics Assessment Project. There are lots to a greater extent than resources inwards my algebra resources library.
 |
| Project Maths |
Sources of Starters
These ideas are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are loads to a greater extent than sources of starters - a classic is 30 Maths Starters from Subtangent. MathsPad has unopen to nifty interactives similar this Simplifying Magic Square. FlashMaths has skillful interactives too. I could become on but there's no indicate reinventing the wheel. Colleen Young has an amazing website 'Mathematics Starters together with Plenaries' which I highly recommend.
