ICT at key stages 1 and 2    (Year 6)

• Remind the children about their earlier work with spreadsheets and discuss mathematical investigations they have carried out. Tell them they are going to use a spreadsheet to explore a mathematical problem.

• Remind children how to enter a formula into a spreadsheet, such as '=c2/c3'. Ask the children to identify the formulae they would need to enter to calculate:
  • the area of a rectangle;
  • the perimeter of a rectangle.
• Ask the children to set up a spreadsheet to work out the area and perimeter of a rectangle. The length and width of the rectangle should appear so that the values can be changed.
• Ask the children to explore what happens when the data in the two cells is changed.

• Show the class how to copy fomulae from one cell to another. Ask the children to create a set of multiplication tables such as:
  

  number A	number B	number A x number B
  4	1	4
  4	2	8

  The spreadsheet should extend number B to 12. Ask the children to investigate changing number A.

• Show the class how to create graphs using the spreadsheet. Ask the children to investigate graphs such as y = x², y = 2x, y = x + 3.

• Ask the children to use a spreadsheet model to find out the maximum area that can be included in a rectangular field of fixed perimeter. Ask them to set up formulae in a spreadsheet and to try whole numbers for one side first. Ask them to look at a graph of the areas to see where the maximum point is.