Flabbergasted

Starter of The Day Transum Mathematics Topics

Topics: Starter | Arithmetic | Factors | Mental Methods | Number

Transum,
This is a fascinating activity on a number of levels. It is accessible to pupils who have learned about factors and multiples and need practice but it also proves to be an interesting activity for older pupils who may analyse the situation from a more general perspective. Finding the best solution and being sure that it can't be bettered is a challenge for the most able. What strategies did your class come up with?
Mrs M,
Good to revise factors and multiples.
WKGS, Wirral
We got 18!
Paula, Portsmoiuth
I got 20!
Katy, Sydney
Got 21! Definitely going to this to extend my students.
Room 5, Cool School
WE got 21 too!! Took us afew goes but we think 21 is brilliant.
Mr S, Haslemere
We got 20, please post solution for 21.
Kai and Finn, 5M
Finn and I got 20. WOW!
Luca, Canberra, Australia
I got 20 but still working on it.
Oliver, Tenterden Joinior
Amazing I got the best score in my class 15.
Miss Collins,
This a really great starter for my class. It makes you think a lot.
Miss McElderry WMS, Twitter
Ten mins starter got year 6 thinking. Take away challenge to find longest sequence @Transum #WMSMaths pic.twitter.com/IiuL0ODV2O
— Miss McElderry WMS (@McelderryMiss) July 12, 2017
ImagineMath,
Here's a solution for 21:
{23, 1, 11, 22, 2, 14, 7, 21, 3, 9, 18, 6, 12, 24, 8, 16, 4, 20, 10, 5, 15}.
9M4, Pudsey
9M4 found 21 steps...had to start with a prime number nice challenge.
Year 6, Australia
This game is so fun, definitely recommended if you are learning factors and multiples. I can make a long chain but sometimes it is hard. Can you all the numbers?
Red Ho5 @NetZeroLee, Coppell, Texas
We loved this activity! Got 21!
MayV, Twitter
@Transum Loving #Flabbergasted this morning! Top score here is 20 in a row! @NetZeroLee #75019math pic.twitter.com/i2pUcyb7Su
— MayV(@MayV1) May 8, 2019

How did you use this starter? Can you suggest how teachers could present or develop this resource? Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world.
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Answers

Note to teacher: Doing this activity once with a class helps students develop strategies. It is only when they do this activity a second time that they will have the opportunity to practise those strategies. That is when the learning is consolidated. Click the button above to regenerate another version of this starter from random numbers.

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Educational Technology on Amazon

Teacher, do your students have access to computers such as tablets, iPads or Laptops? This page was really designed for projection on a whiteboard but if you really want the students to have access to it here is a concise URL for a version of this page without the comments:

Transum.org/go/?Start=May7

However it would be better to assign one of the student interactive activities below.

Laptops In Lessons

Here is the URL which will take them to the game version of this activity.

Transum.org/go/?Num=841