Maths Circus Act 3

Maths Circus Act 3 is part of the Maths Circus Series of programs which provide practice and enhancement for a wide range of maths and problem solving skills. The programs in the series are not intended to be sequential in any way and are not designed for increasing age ranges, nor do they become progressively more difficult.

The software offers twelve puzzles with two degrees of challenge (Basic and Advanced). The five Basic levels of each puzzle are designed for children in the first two years of schooling, but can also serve as an introduction for older children. The five Advanced levels are designed for children in middle and upper primary, right through to adult. In total Maths Circus Act 3 contains 120 individual tasks. A wide ability range has been provided and the top levels will provide a real challenge to children of any age!

The puzzles encourage original thought. They work particularly well at the extremes - with pupils who are lacking in confidence and who do not like maths or who believe that they are no good at it, and at the other extreme for able pupils who need extension activities. The program is a fun way to develop numeracy skills. Because the puzzles require thought rather than specific knowledge, it is not possible to specify exact age ranges - indeed we have found that many eight-year-olds cope much better with the hardest levels than many adults! The software has been profitably used by students from three to eighty-five years old.

Range of Skills

  • Maths Circus Act 3 provides practice and enhancement for a wide range of maths skills. These include -
  • spatial awareness
  • three-dimensional geometry
  • addition and multiplication
  • lays the foundations for algebra
  • investigate direction and angle
  • compass bearings, time and vectors
  • positive and negative numbers
  • planning a sequence of moves in advance, and executing them later on

Who should use Maths Circus?

The puzzles provide an enjoyable way for the teacher to approach that very tricky area of problem solving - how to tackle a new problem for which there is no obvious technique. Students have to use their initiative, and learn by experience. However, the problems are easy enough to ensure that success, and a consequent boost in confidence, is reasonably easy to achieve provided the right level of difficulty is chosen.

Teacher controls and special needs

Teachers can control which puzzles and levels are available, and can inspect and print progress reports. The software can also be driven by a touch screen, whiteboard or a single or double switch, instead of a mouse.

The package also includes a set of worksheets and a manual containing the solutions for each puzzle.

Fork-lift truck puzzle
Use a fork-lift truck to arrange the boxes.
Jugglers puzzle
In this puzzle, the jugglers need some help to get the sum right.
Acrobats puzzle
Help the acrobats to make a pyramid with matching colours.
4 to 13 years
Subjects:Maths, Problem solving
National Curriculum:Key Stage 1-3
Scottish Curriculum:Level A-E
Author:Greygum
CD-ROM:Dual format Windows & MAC
Single User:£39.50
Site Licence:£158.00
  • Suitable for:
  • Windows 95, 98, ME, NT/4, 2000, 2003 & XP.

Whiteboard Compatible

All prices exclude P&P and VAT.

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