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Framework for teaching mathematics

Making links between mathematics and other subjects

You need to look for opportunities for drawing mathematical experience out of a wide range of children's activities. Mathematics contributes to many subjects of the primary curriculum, often in practical ways. Activities such as recording the growth of a plant or an animal, measuring temperature and rainfall, or investigating the cog wheels in a bicycle can provide data or starting points for discussion in your mathematics lessons as well as opportunities to apply and use mathematics in real contexts.

English Mathematics lessons can help to develop and support pupils' literacy skills: for example, by teaching mathematical vocabulary and technical terms, by asking children to read and interpret problems to identify the mathematical content, and by encouraging them to explain, argue and present their conclusions to others. Equally, the literacy hour can support your daily mathematics lesson. For example, in Reception and Key Stage 1, stories, rhymes and songs can be chosen which rely for their appeal on the pleasure of counting, the sequencing of events, and the use of everyday words such as 'on' and 'under', 'up' and 'down' to describe position or direction. In Key Stage 2, the literacy hour can be used to read non-fiction in which mathematical vocabulary, graphs, charts and tables have to be interpreted.

Science Almost every scientific investigation or experiment is likely to require one or more of the mathematical skills of classifying, counting, measuring, calculating, estimating, and recording in tables and graphs. In science pupils will, for example, order numbers, including decimals, calculate simple means and percentages, use negative numbers when taking temperatures, decide whether it is more appropriate to use a line graph or bar chart, and plot, interpret and predict from graphs.

Art, design and technology Measurements are often needed in art and design and technology. Many patterns and constructions are based on spatial ideas and properties of shapes, including symmetry. Designs may need enlarging or reducing, introducing ideas of multiplication and ratio. When food is prepared a great deal of measurement occurs, including working out times and calculating cost; this may not be straightforward if only part of a packet of ingredients has been used.

Information and communications technology Children will apply and use mathematics in a variety of ways when they solve problems using ICT. For example, they will collect and classify data, enter it into data handling software, produce graphs and tables, and interpret and explain their results. Their work in control includes the measurement of distance and angle, using uniform non-standard then standard measures. When they use computer models and simulations they will draw on their abilities to manipulate numbers and identify patterns and relationships.

History, geography and religious education In history and geography children will collect data by counting and measuring and make use of measurements of many kinds. The study of maps includes the use of co-ordinates and ideas of angle, direction, position, scale and ratio. The pattern of the days of the week, the calendar and recurring annual festivals all have a mathematical basis. For older children historical ideas require understanding of the passage of time, which can be illustrated on a time line, similar to the number line that they already know.

Physical education and music Athletic activities require measurement of height, distance and time, while ideas of counting, time, symmetry, movement, position and direction are used extensively in music, dance, gymnastics and ball games.

The key to making the most of all these opportunities is to identify the mathematical possibilities across the curriculum at the planning stage. You should also draw children's attention to the links between subjects by talking frequently about them, both in mathematics and in other lessons.