welcome to Signposts for Support

Mathematics year 8

Welcome to the Signposts for Support page for your Year 8 Child. This page will provide resources and advice to support your child in making progress at home.

Using Sparx Maths to work on Next Steps

Your child's report will include skills they need to work on to step forward with their learning. The Sparx learning platform is an excellent platform to use at home to work on skills specific to your child. The glossary below lists all of the skills we learn during the year 7 curriculum. Each skill will have a code next to it. Your child can log on to Sparx and search the code next to the specific skill to work on their target area. There is a video below the glossary which will explain how to do this.

Link to Sparx Website Log in - https://www.sparxmaths.uk/

Number Skills

Unit	Topics	Topic Code	Building blocks - These will help your child to become more confident with the skills they need to access the main topics	Topic Code
Percentages of amounts	Finding percentages of amounts without a calculator	M437	Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages	M264
	Finding percentages of amounts with a calculator	M905	Fractions of amounts without a calculator	M695
			Fractions of amounts with a calculator	M684
Percentage change	Percentage change without a calculator	M476	Finding percentages of amounts without a calculator	M437
Percentage change	Percentage change with a calculator	M533	Finding percentages of amounts with a calculator	M905
Significant figures	Rounding integers using significant figures	M994
	Rounding decimals using significant figures	M131
	Estimating calculations	M878
Standard form and ordinary numbers	Using standard form with positive indices	M719	Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000	M113
	Using standard form with negative indices	M678

Fractions and recurring decimals	Using recurring decimal notation	M701	Using a written method to divide by integers to get a decimal answer	M262
Fractions and recurring decimals	Converting fractions to recurring decimals	M922	Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages	M264
Factors, multiples and primes	Finding the HCF and LCM using prime factor decomposition	M365	Venn diagrams	M829
			Finding the lowest common multiple	M227
			Finding factors and using divisibility tests	M823
			Finding the highest common factor	M698
			Finding prime numbers
			Prime factor decomposition	M108

Algebra Skills

Unit	Topics	Topic Code	Building blocks - These will help your child to become more confident with the skills they need to access the main topics	Topic Code
Index laws	Index rules with positive indices	M608	Calculating with roots and powers	M135
	Index rules with negative indices	M150	Simplifying fractions	M671
	Simplifying expressions using index laws	M120	Algebraic notation	M813
	Simplifying algebraic fractions by cancelling common factors	M568
Solving equations	Solving equations of the form (x+a)/b=c	M401	Solving equations with one step	M707
	Solving linear equations involving brackets	M902	Expanding single brackets	M237
	Solving equations with the unknown on both sides	M554	Solving equations of the form ax+b=c	M634
	Solving equations with the unknown in the denominator	M387	Solving equations of the form x/a+b=c	M647
	Constructing and solving equations	M957	Simplifying expressions containing a single variable	M795
			Substituting into expressions with multiple operations	M327
Term-to-term rules	Term-to-term rules for numerical sequences	M381	Using number lines	M763
	Term-to-term rules for sequences of patterns	M241	Adding and subtracting with negative numbers	M106
			Multiplying and dividing with negative numbers	M288
Position-to-term rules	Substituting into position-to-term rules	M166	Term-to-term rules for numerical sequences	M381
	Position-to-term rules for arithmetic sequences	M991	Term-to-term rules for sequences of patterns	M241
	Position-to-term rules for sequences of patterns	M866	Solving equations of the form ax+b=c	M634
			Substituting into expressions with multiple operations	M327
Coordinates and midpoints	Calculating midpoints	M622	Reading and plotting coordinates	M618
Coordinates and midpoints	Mixed problems: Coordinates and midpoints	M311
Plotting graphs and finding equations	Plotting horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines	M797	Reading and plotting coordinates	M618
	Plotting straight line graphs	M932	Substituting into algebraic formulae	M208
	Finding equations of straight line graphs	M544
Linear inequalities	Reading and drawing linear inequalities on number lines	M384	Using number lines	M763
	Solving single inequalities	M118	Solving equations with one step	M707
			Mixed problems: solving equations with two or more steps	M509
Double brackets	Expanding double brackets	M960	Expanding single brackets and simplifying expressions	M792
Fractions review	Calculating with fractions	M645	Adding and subtracting fractions	M835
	Calculating with mixed numbers	M619	Adding and subtracting mixed numbers	M931
			Multiplying fractions	M157
			Multiplying with mixed numbers	M197
			Dividing fractions	M110
			Dividing with mixed numbers	M265
Algebraic fractions	Simplifying algebraic fractions by factorising	M754	Calculating with fractions	M645
	Adding and subtracting algebraic fractions	M336	Simplifying algebraic fractions by cancelling common factors	M568
			Factorising into one bracket	M100

Measures Skills

Unit	Topics	Topic Code	Building blocks - These will help your child to become more confident with the skills they need to access the main topics	Topic Code
Calculating with money	Value for money	M681	Solving proportion problems	M478
			Adding decimals	M429
			Subtracting decimals	M152
			Using a written method to multiply decimals	M803
			Using a written method to divide by integers to get a decimal answer	M262
Ratio	Writing and simplifying ratios	M885	Finding the highest common factor	M698
	Writing ratios in the form 1:n	M543	Constructing fractions	M939
	Converting between ratios, fractions and percentages	M267	Writing numbers as percentages of other numbers	M235
	Using equivalent ratios to find unknown amounts	M801
	Sharing amounts in a given ratio	M525
Scale diagrams	Drawing and interpreting scale diagrams	M112	Writing and simplifying ratios	M885
			Using equivalent ratios to find unknown amounts	M801
			Writing ratios in the form 1:n	M543

Shape Skills

Unit	Topics	Topic Code	Building blocks - These will help your child to become more confident with the skills they need to access the main topics	Topic Code
Area and units	Finding the area of parallelograms	M291	Finding the area of rectangles	M390
	Finding the area of trapeziums	M705	Finding the area of compound shapes	M269
	Converting units of area	M728	Finding the area of triangles	M610
			Finding the area of compound shapes containing triangles	M996
			Converting units of length	M772
Area and circumference	Identifying parts of circles	M595	Calculating with roots and powers	M135
	Finding the circumference of circles	M169	Substituting into algebraic formulae	M208
	Finding the area of circles	M231	Rounding decimals	M431
Nets	Properties of 3D shapes	M767	Shape properties	M276
Nets	Nets of 3D shapes	M518
Surface area	Finding the surface area from a net	M884	Nets of 3D shapes	M518
	Finding the surface area of cubes and cuboids	M534	Finding the area of compound shapes	M269
	Finding the surface area of prisms	M661	Finding the area of compound shapes containing triangles	M996
			Converting units of length	M772
Volume	Finding the volume of cubes and cuboids	M765	Finding the area of compound shapes	M269
	Finding the volume of prisms	M722	Finding the area of compound shapes containing triangles	M996
	Converting units of volume	M465	Converting units of length	M772

Transforming shapes	Translation	M139	Reading and plotting coordinates	M618
Transforming shapes	Reflection	M290
Finding unknown angles	Angles in quadrilaterals	M679	Angles on a line and about a point	M818
	Combining angle facts	M319	Vertically opposite angles	M163
	Angles on parallel lines	M606	Angles in triangles	M351
	Using quadrilateral properties to find angles	M393
	Angles in polygons	M653

Data & Statistics Skills

Unit	Topics	Topic Code	Building blocks - These will help your child to become more confident with the skills they need to access the main topics	Topic Code
Drawing and interpreting statistical diagrams	Drawing pie charts	M574	Drawing angles	M331
	Interpreting pie charts	M165	Angles on a line and about a point	M818
	Drawing line graphs	M140	Fractions of amounts without a calculator	M695
	Interpreting line graphs	M183	Averages and range	M328, M934, M841, M940
	Drawing stem-and-leaf diagrams	M648
	Interpreting stem-and-leaf diagrams	M210
	Finding averages from diagrams	U854

Venn diagrams	Venn diagrams	M829	Writing probabilities as fractions	M941
	Probabilities from Venn diagrams	M419	Writing probabilities as fractions, decimals and percentages	M938
			Probabilities of mutually exclusive events	M755

Sparx Support for pupils - How to log in and access independent learning

Sparx Support for Parents and carers - https://sparxmaths.com/parents/

Other great websites to support with revision

Corbett Maths - https://corbettmaths.com/

BBC Bitesize- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zqhs34j