Summer Term Focus: Rationale
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Title: Functional Skills - Cross-Curricular Embedding
Context/Rationale:
• National Strategy roll-out.
• ‘School Report Card’ (Oftsed). Key performance indicator = Number of
students passing the 3 Functional Skills’ at all levels.
• Expectation: to see cross-curricular embedding/integration – LEARNING IN
CONTEXT (APPLIED LEARNING) – NOT just lip-service.
Our role:
• To identify the most frequently occurring/most easily transferable
strands of each Functional Skills.
• Ideas factory of how each subject area can integrate the strands –
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES.
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An introduction to functional skills
New
qualifications
New ways of
working
What are Functional Skills? Why are
Defining functional skills
they being introduced?
Functional skills are core elements of English,
mathematics and ICT that provide an individual with
essential knowledge, skills and understanding that
will enable them to operate confidently, effectively
and independently in life and work.
Employers and educators have identified these skills
as vital for enabling young people and adults to
succeed in further learning, work and life in modern
society.
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The key is to
emphasise the
INDEPENDENT
APPLIED use of
ENG/ICT/MATHS
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What are functional skills qualifications?
Functional skills qualifications in English, mathematics and ICT are
available at
Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3, level 1 and level 2.
The skills criteria for functional skills qualifications specify assessment
outcomes for qualifications at each level in terms of skill standards,
coverage and range.
Each of the three skills has a set of performance standards based on
three key areas. For example …
Maths
Representing
Analysing
Interpreting
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Connections to functional skills
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Functional Skills: Overview
Functional skills are the skills in English, Maths and ICT which enable
people to:
• Apply understanding to everyday life
• Engage competently and confidently with others
• Solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar situations
• Develop personally and professionally as positive citizens
• It is a compulsory component of the Diploma and Foundation Learning
tier.
• It is going to be a key indicator for school achievement in the future
• It is built into the Maths English ICT GCSE’s but will also be examined
separately.
Worcester - FS Resources
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Overview of Standards for
Functional Maths
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• Understand and use positive and negative numbers in practical contexts
• Carry out calculations with numbers of any size, to a given number of decimal places
• Understand, use and calculate ratio and proportion, including scale problems
• Understand and use equivalences between fractions, decimals and percentages
• Understand and use simple formulae and equations involving two operations
• Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects
• Find area, perimeter and volume of common shapes
• Use, convert and calculate using metric and imperial measures
• Collect and represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate
• Use and interpret statistical measures, tables and diagrams
• Use statistical methods to investigate situations
• Use probability to assess the likelihood of an outcome
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Take a starter activity out of envelope A
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Fairly easy to integrate time related questioning into
units possibly already covered – Travel/My Day etc
Quelle heure est-il?
Quelle heure est-il si ma montre
retarde de vingt minutes?
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Pupils should also grasp calendar time problems too.
Timelines are valid ways of testing their concept of date
and also will bring in some proportional reasoning.
1066
1215
1945
1969
Use the images and dates to research these historical events.
Produce a more accurate timeline with three other events
of your choice and a few sentences about each.
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Obviously lends itself to timings…
Bleep test
Over rates etc
Over a series of weeks, run the 100m, but split level timing.
Pupils analyse their performance over first 50m, second 50m etc.
They monitor improvement weekly – this will involve time problems
using fractions of seconds!
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Distance/time graphs require
interpretation, such that the
majority of questions require
written answers.
In the example here, the focus
could be to be as imaginative as
possible, but keeping mathematical
“After trailing for the first three minutes, Jeff turned on his
principles intact.
jet-powered shoes. He caught up with Paul, but they only
lasted for two minutes and then he ran at the same speed
as before”
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
The PLANNING CLOCK
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Many avenues to use time:
reaction rates, experiment timings etc
Find the top speeds of these mammals/birds in metres/second
How quickly could they run a 100m race?
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Mathematics Focus One : Time
“Solve problems requiring calculation, with common measures, including time” (L1)
Watch a scene from a movie without sound.
Task the pupils with composing the background music.
They will need to use timings to ensure that their piece
matches the dramatic requirements of the scene at the
correct time.
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Take a starter activity out of envelope B
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
The family and home
Design a survey to collect as much information about
your classmates as possible…
Number of siblings, rooms in house, miles from school etc.
Produce charts to show your results
Compare your charts with those of another group
Can you make any comments on your findings?
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Many sources of data to use:
Climate graphs, tourist information, wealth/death rates.
Ethnic population vs. rise of far right politics
The key is making concise, relevant comments about the data
Design a sheet to record information about
the weather in Ledbury over the next fortnight.
Show your findings in a bar chart, pictogram
and for extra credit: a pie chart.
Try to find historical weather information for this
time of year and make comments against your findings.
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Using the data gathered from your 100m trials,
produce a scattergraph to enable you to comment
on whether improvements have been made.
Can you use your graph to estimate your likely
time if you continued for another 6 weeks?
Find out what nutritional requirements an olympic sprinter needs per day.
Design a weekly eating plan for the athlete using nutritional values found
on food packets and from tables given.
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Use data to write a newspaper report based around
something topical: climate change/the election.
“Coldest Spring in UK history!”
Investigate this statement and write a newspaper
article summarising your findings.
Ensure you include graphs and make comments
on trends you have noticed.
Should we be worried in the future?
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Prior to beginning a project with a broad focus, the task could begin by
conducting market research, or analysing sales information, in order to
establish what products are in demand. They can then make an informed choice.
The designing of data collection sheets and questionnaires is
well suited to ICT spreadsheet/database design.
Food technology could incorporate the analysis of
nutritional information on food packaging into a
project, prior to making a meal.
Graphs of obesity rates vs. number of fast food chains etc.
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Mathematics Focus Two :
Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
The science curriculum provides
ample opportunity for the drawing
of charts and graphs.
The mathematical focus can centre
on the drawing of accurate axes etc
However, it is the analytical comments
that pupils make during the commentary
that can really be exploited.
Mathematics Focus Two :
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Representing & Interpreting Data
“Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs” (L1)
“Collect & record discrete data and organise & represent information in different ways” (L1)
“Collect & represent discrete and continuous data, using ICT where appropriate” (L2)
Look at the Top 40 UK singles for the last month.
Split into genres, chart the results.
Make commentaries on the most popular styles of music in the UK
Look at primetime television schedules for the main 5 channels in the UK.
Split into genres, chart the results.
Survey classmates about their favourite type of television programme/movie.
Use the findings to choose a genre for a scene they will act out/create.
Competition where class/year votes for their favourite.
This will emphasise the benefit of data analysis.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Take a starter activity out of envelope C
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Use catalogues to look at the dimensions of white goods/furniture.
Draw a kitchen plan to scale and label the appliances in MFL.
Pupils think about maximising space etc.
Extend to giving them a budget, think about costs.
Design a ‘town of the future’ – similar to above, but using different vocabulary
and larger dimensions. Think about distances between amenities etc.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Projects on town planning, photographic imaging, contours.
Explores plan and elevation.
Map work, use scale in a variety of contexts.
Peters Map – looking at land mass in 2-D
Historical events using plans of buildings
Guy Fawkes Houses of Parliament
Hitler’s bunker
Make a scale ‘model’ on school field, re-enact scenario.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Ask the pupils to design a way of testing their skills in various athletics events.
Make them responsible for everything. including where, layout, markers etc.
They record results (incorporates previous focus).
Class then consolidate results and answer a series of questions
Who threw the discus furthest? By how much? What was the range? etc.
Pupils design and trial an orienteering course around the school.
Initial design can arise from looking at a scale 2-D plan of the school grounds.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Design a set for a re-enactment of a scene from a play/novel they’re reading.
Use principles of scale drawing to ensure it is as accurate as possible.
Think about problems – sofa big enough for two people? etc
Build a ‘doll’s house’ style model
of the set from the drawings.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
Any project involving plans for design are encompassing these skills:
Conversion between units, drawing to scale, building 3-D from 2-D plans
e.g. Design a new football stadium for 2018 World Cup bid (capacity 50,000).
Consider plot size, material costs, maximised seating etc.
Paint an artists impression from your plans.
Mathematics Focus Three:
Understanding scale and spatial awareness
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“Solve problems requiring calculation with common measures, including weight, length” (L1)
“Construct geometric diagrams, models and shapes” (L1)
“Recognise and use 2-D representations of 3-D objects” (L2)
The trade game
Give a team of pupils a challenge: create the strongest bridge.
Each team will represent a country and have resources specific to that country;
e.g. Brazil – paper, USA – wooden splints etc.
Teams design a bridge that they want, looking at current examples, then estimate
the resources they will need.
Trading for resources with other ‘countries’ begins. Will promote proportional skills.
Build the bridge from plans and then test at the end for a winner!
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Functional English
Functional ICT
Functional Maths
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