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Broadbent Maths - creative primary maths

What steps can we take with a gifted mathematician in my Y5 class?

A child that is exceptional at maths can be difficult to plan for - I have taught a few in my time and it is finding maths that engages them and also allows them to make progress. They want to show they are learning and like being challenged, but they do vary in the things that they actually enjoy doing. 
Some children like the routine practice of getting 'hard sums' right - the joy of doing something that looks difficult but is just a big procedure - and some children enjoy getting into a problem or investigation with that feeling of exploration and discovery.

A mix of the two works for me - calculation, shape and measures questions that are basically more difficult (so into KS3 and 4) and problems/investigations that get them to think mathematically.
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Definitely talk to your secondary school, as you suggest, as they will advise and also give resources and ideas.
 
I would balance this with problems and investigations that develop reasoning and problem solving skills. He will definitely make progress then, but perhaps not in a linear way towards higher level maths, but in the way he tackles​ problems.

You could give him a problem or investigation each week to solve - make sure he records​ in detail, including text, charts, graphs, algebraic expressions, photos or whatever - he can make his own 'Maths Portfolio' to show all his work. The site nrich.maths.org is obviously a good source of starting points for this type of activity.

You may want to balance this with a textbook for ​him to use, although I'm not sure what to recommend. ​Rising Stars are very good for Gifted and Talented resources - Brain Academy and Maths For the More Able are expensive but could be worth getting in. I would get in a lot of sample inspection copies from publishers ​and see which you prefer.


 

I have just read your article on challenging high attainers and hoped you may have some advice for me. I am currently teaching Y5 and have a very gifted mathematician in my class. He completed a L6 SAT paper without any L6 teaching.
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