Bring your Maths lessons to life with the Quirky Questions Workbook - a collection of engaging open-ended questions designed to get your students thinking deeply about number and place-value concepts. This versatile workbook provides rich opportunities for students to apply their understanding in creative ways, while giving teachers valuable insight into individual levels of understanding.

Open-ended questions encourage students to explore multiple solutions and explain their reasoning. This helps develop flexible thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as providing evidence of mathematical understanding. Your students will love the challenge of finding more than one answer to each question! We recommend providing access to concrete materials such as hundreds charts, counters, and tens frames to support hands-on exploration during these activities.

The Quirky Questions Workbook is designed for flexible classroom use. Whether used in whole-class lessons, small group rotations, or as an extension task for fast finishers, these questions will spark mathematical curiosity and promote meaningful discussions. The ready-to-use format also makes this workbook ideal for independent work, homework tasks, or Maths enrichment activities.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Apply understanding of number and place-value concepts in flexible ways
• ✅ Develop problem-solving and reasoning skills
• ✅ Communicate mathematical thinking with clarity
• ✅ Build confidence in exploring multiple solutions
• ✅ Foster creativity and deep thinking in Maths lessons

What’s Included:

• Quirky Questions Workbook featuring a variety of open-ended questions
• Designed to target important number and place-value concepts
• Ready-to-use printable format
• Suitable for whole-class, small group, or individual work

Materials Needed:

• Printed workbook pages or full workbook (consider stapling or binding for student use)
• Concrete materials such as:
  • - Hundreds charts
  • - Counters
  • - Tens frames
  • - Base ten blocks
• Pencils, erasers, and Maths journals or notebooks for recording answers

How to Use:

1. Print the workbook or select individual pages to suit your current teaching focus.
2. Introduce the activity by modelling how to approach an open-ended question and explore different solutions.
3. Provide students with access to concrete materials to support their thinking.
4. Students work independently, in pairs, or in small groups to explore multiple answers to each question.
5. Facilitate class discussions to encourage students to share their reasoning and learn from one another’s strategies.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use individual sheets as part of a whole-class Maths lesson to spark discussion and collaborative thinking.
• 💡 Include pages in small group rotations for targeted practice of number and place-value concepts.
• 💡 Provide as an independent extension activity for fast finishers to promote deeper thinking.
• 💡 Use workbook pages for homework or enrichment tasks to reinforce classroom learning.
• 💡 Encourage students to create and share their own quirky questions to extend the activity.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Print and bind the workbook for students to use as a personal Maths journal throughout the term.
• 💛 Keep a set of concrete materials easily accessible to support all learners during open-ended tasks.
• 💛 Differentiate by selecting or adapting questions to match your students’ readiness levels.
• 💛 Use workbook pages to support classroom discussions about reasoning, problem-solving, and mathematical communication.
• 💛 Encourage students to reflect on their learning by recording multiple solutions and discussing which strategies worked best.

The Quirky Questions Workbook is a flexible and engaging resource that supports deep thinking, creativity, and mathematical reasoning - a perfect addition to your Maths program for promoting a love of learning and a growth mindset in your classroom.