1. COUNT ON US PRIMARY CHALLENGE 2017 PREPARING FOR THE PRIMARY CHALLENGE
2.45 register
3.00 start
5.30 finish
PREPARING FOR THE PRIMARY CHALLENGE

2. WHY TAKE PART?
Supports the aims of the Mayor’s Fund for London
Engagement, excitement and excellence in maths
Building pupils’ confidence and problem solving skills

3. WHAT DOES THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
IN SCHOOL PRACTISE
Hours of practise, fun and challenge in school via maths lessons, clubs and tournaments
60 Year 4 or 5 pupils
TOURNAMENT EVENTS
Regional Heats: qualifying round
Semi-Finals and Final at City Hall

4. FROM THE HEATS TO THE FINAL AT CITY HALL
Stage 1 Regional Heats
8 heats held in schools across London
Up to 15 schools at each event
Stage 2 Semi-Finals at City Hall
26 schools in two semi finals
Stage 3 Final at City Hall
14 schools
2 winning schools from each plus 10 next highest
4 winning schools from each plus 6 next

5. WHAT SUPPORT DO WE OFFER?
For you?
ONLINE SUPPORT
Video extracts from the training
Strategies / tips from teachers
Links to follow up activities
For your pupils?
PUPIL WORKBOOK
Tasks designed to give practise
Ideas for additional activities
Tips from previous Challenges

6. PUPIL WORKBOOK

7. PRIMARY CHALLENGE ACTIVITIES
Focus on three key areas:
Shape – Tangrams and Pentominoes
Number – Using the 24 Game
Code breaking
Teamwork and individual challenges

8. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Tangrams
Put pieces together to make a matching picture
3 minutes
Team activity
Pentominoes
Put pieces together as challenges
ROUND 1 SHAPE

9. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Tangrams: exploring
Play with the shapes, getting used to the pieces
Find different shapes you can make
Practising Tangrams: more directed
Make a bigger shape from two smaller ones
How many different ways to make the large triangle
Choose two pieces. How many different shapes?
ROUND 1 SHAPE

10. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Tangrams: developing key vocabulary
Find shapes with right angles
Take a piece and draw round it. How many lines
of symmetry?
Find shapes with parallel lines
Mystery Bag!
Practising Tangrams: almost ready!
Make pictures using all of the pieces (see links online)
ROUND 1 SHAPE

11. STAGE 1 - TANGRAMS

12. STAGE 1 - TANGRAMS

13. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Pentominoes: developing familiarity
Make any square or rectangle
Make a shape the same size using different pieces
Make any rectangle using three pieces only
How many different ways can you do this?
ROUND 1 SHAPE

14. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Pentominoes: getting harder
Make a 6x5 rectangle. Write the letter names down.
Use I, P, T, V, W to make another
ROUND 1 SHAPE

15. Can you make a square? What size is your square?
STAGE 2 – PENTOMINOES
Can you make a square? What size is your square?

16. Can you make a 4 x 5 rectangle?
STAGE 2 – PENTOMINOES
Can you make a 4 x 5 rectangle?

17. STAGE 2 – PENTOMINOES BONUS TASKS
Find the T pentomino piece. Can you use the I, P, V and Z pieces from the grid below to make a double sized T pentomino?
BONUS TASKS

18. 5 4 3 1 THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND? ROUND 2 NUMBER
Practising 24®Game: getting started
Use all four numbers – once only
Use any basic operation
ROUND NUMBER

19. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: getting started
x 4 = = 4
8 x = – 1 = 3
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

20. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: finding pairs
How many pairs can you find to make 24?
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

21. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: finding pairs
12 x x 2 = ÷ 4 = 2
32 – x 4 = = 8
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

22. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: Tournament rules
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER
Claiming a card
Hand on card. Last stage announced first.
Remove a card if…
Longer than 3 seconds to start claim
Make a mistake
Two players agree to pass (3 times in a round)
Scoring
Players keep cards won for that round.
Points added up and scored at end of round (1 dot = 1 point etc)
Moving around
Teams of three players: A, B, and C
A moves clockwise, B stays put, C moves anticlockwise

23. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the Caesar Cipher
Example using a 3 letter shift (offset)
ROUND CODE BREAKING
Round Code breaking
Plain text
Cipher text

24. L DP DQ HASHUW FRGH EUHDNHU
STAGE 4 – CODE BREAKING
SECRET MESSAGE:
L DP DQ HASHUW FRGH EUHDNHU
SHIFT: 3

25. SECRET MESSAGE: BPMZM QA I AXG IB KQBG PITT SHIFT: 8
STAGE 4 – CODE BREAKING
SECRET MESSAGE:
BPMZM QA I AXG IB
KQBG PITT
SHIFT: 8

26. The Challenge: What is in each round?
What pupils do at the heats….
Decode the names of London’s bridges (using a Caesar shift)
Use this information to work out the answer to a problem:
How long will it take to get from a to c?
The package has been hidden on the oldest bridge.
Where is it?
Team activity. Have to be able to work together at high speed to find solutions.
Scoring: points awarded for each correct destination and additional points for final answer to problem.
Round Code breaking
ROUND CODE BREAKING

27. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the Caesar Cipher
Use Simon Singh’s: The Black Chamber
Scroll down to ‘Offset’ box and select shift – eg 3
Type in word to encript (eg name of a pupil the class)
Click ‘Encipher plaintext’
Getting started in class
Give out a blank code breaking chart.
Give the Caesar Shift (offset).
In pairs, fill in the chart.
Give class an enciphered name.
Who is it?
Who is this: VDGLT
ROUND CODE BREAKING

28. THE CHALLENGE: WEBSITE

29. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT NEXT?
Assign a lead person to take responsibility for the Challenge
Set up a Challenge Club or identify practise opportunities in class.
Practise with all pupils as much as possible!
Run an in-school tournament. Select a mixed-gender team of three.
Arrange for a lead person and support to attend the qualifier with pupils. Remember the lead person will be a table referee so they need to know these activities well!
Complete and return photo consent forms
Ensure that all parental consent forms for heat events are complete.
Arrange transport and staff supervision to the regional heats (and finals, if successful).
A breakdown of what you need to do

30. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT NEXT?
MATHS: Lesson starters!
IT: Lots of online activities for Tangrams and Pentominoes. Apps too for ipads!
ART: Make patterns and images using tangrams. Explore symmetry and tessellation.
GEOGRAPHY/HISTORY/RE: Encode your learning objectives or questions that pupils need to answer by the end of the lesson
LITERACY: Instructional writing – pupils have to write instructions for a spy travelling across London. They have to encode up to 5 locations hidden within their instructions.
Across the curriculum….

31. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT NEXT?
Heats: Week beginning 24th April 2017
Semi-Finals: 9th June 2017
Final: 7th July 2017
KEY DATES AND RESOURCES
Count on Us Primary Challenge resource kits:
We have put together a fantastic resource pack consisting of:
3 x24 Game® Single Digits card sets.
1 x tub of Pentomino pieces
1 x tub of Tangram pieces
If you require further resources, these should be purchased from:
The Maths Zone:
Use discount code COU10 to get 10% off.