I'm going to sound like the sort of mother I don't want to be - but any maths teachers around?

[seeker]

My dd is just finishing year 7. She has always struggled with maths, but it seems to me that she is just starting to get it. She has been assessed at 6c, which has put her in set 4 of 6 for year 8. That's absolutely fine - and the right place for her, because they provide increasing levels of support going down the sets. However, as she has just started to "get"it a bit more, I am worried about her going backwards again over the holidays. She has to work so hard at it, it would be heartbreaking if she lost the ground she has made. So we have agreed that she will do a little bit of practice over the summer to keep her hand in. Can anyone recommend any books that I can buy that will be as much fun as possible? I really don't want it to be a drag!

My sister is a maths teacher, I have cut and pasted this into an e-mail to her and will post what she suggests back

Bumping this as ds could do with some practice as well. 6c at Yr 7 is hardly struggling, though Seeker, it's very good!

I know 6c is not struggling - she's done amazingly, but it is below average for her school, and she has worked her SOCKS off to get there! She doesn't have a mathematical cell in her brain, so nothing is obvious to her if you see what I mean, and she finds it hard to remember maths stuff. That's why I am really keen for her not to go back to school in September and discover she's forgotten it all. Thank you PJC - that's very kind of you.

I'll post back as soon as I hear...she can be a bit scatty with e-mails so bear with me! She's good at her maths though

I like the Collins KS3 Revision guide. Although not fun it explains things really well and there are little tests at the end of each section.
Bought it more for us than ds

Keep bumping for Doddle - she is maths guru!

Bumping for more ideas!

this thread might help

The embarrassment! I started that thread last year! [shame]

didn't notice that! I've hung onto it in my watches as I thought there were some great references on it.

Hope it helps

E-mail back from sis!

"There are some fun maths books called Tarquin, they are colouring with times tables etc. she could also look at a website called 'mymaths' and sort an individual login, she could look at 'active maths' online. there is also a resource called '10 ticks' again online. Most of these have stuff to try/print without having to login, however it won't be too expensive for an individual password. She could also purchase some SATs practice workbooks from CGP or Letts and be working through the level 5 material as consolidation.

I hope this helps and would say that the Tarquin books (try amazon) are the most fun...."

Hope this helps?

Thank you and your sister so much - what a quick reply! I'm off to Amazon as I type!

I don't understand the comment "she finds it hard to remember maths stuff." I have the crappest memory in the world and the only subject that I was good at was Maths. You don't have to remember much in Maths beyond the shortcut that is the times-tables. Everything else, if you can't remember it, can be deduced by process of logic from first principles.

Tables are a case in point. And the formula for working out the area of a square. And what to multiply/divide by what to work out a percentage. You can work things of from first principals, but I think you have to be good at maths to do that. Otherwise you get lost along the way - and even if you don't, it takes you ages to get to the place you'd be in two minutes if you could remember how you did it last time!

No advice but my stepdad used to be the sales rep for Tarquin books and they are great!

Seeker - no worries! Really pleased we could help you out