About Skill Builders

Are there certain mathematical areas that your child or student struggles with? The comprehensive Skill Builder range is designed to complement the Maths Mate programme and tap into your child’s full mathematics potential.

Three Skill Builder editions each spanning two year levels (3.2/4.1, 4.2/5.1 and 5.2) support quick, easy and helpful remediation for any student who has difficulty in any particular mathematical area.

Each Skill Builder consists of:

  • Step-by-step instructions on how to solve a typical question.
  • A worked example.
  • Practice questions.
  • Answers provided.

How to use Skill Builders

  1. Determine which Maths Mate questions pose a difficulty.
  2. Find the relevant Skill Builder on the Maths Mate worksheet results sheet.
  3. Look up any unknown terms in the Skill Builder glossary.
  4. Complete the relevant Skill Builders.
  5. Correct the Skill Builders from the Skill Builder answer sheets.
  6. Circle the completed skill numbers on the Maths Mate worksheet results sheet.
  7. Go back and repeat previous Maths Mate questions.

Maths Mate design and how Skill Builders relate

Any question on the Maths Mate worksheets is part of a set of 4 similar questions in the term. For example, consider sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4 in year 8 term 1. Question 12 on each sheet is similar in design, content and degree of difficulty. This grouping of question style is also true of the next set of four sheets and so on. Thus the Maths Mate tests made available in the Teacher Resource Book and on the CD, also reflect this grouping of question style and substance.

The Maths Mate worksheet results sheets found at the start of each term in each Student Pad (and in each Teacher Resource Book and on the CD) enable students to find out what they know and what they still need to learn and practice.

The relevant Skill Builder numbers are listed at the end of each set of 4 questions on the record keeping sheets.

SBworksheet

Skill Builders can be linked back to each set of four similar Maths Mate questions. These links are identified in the grid at the title of each skill. (See e.g. 13.3 below from Skill Builder 4.2/5.1)

SBgrid

The grid shown here for example, would relate a skill to question 19 in the last four sheets of MM Level 4.2 term 2, and the last four sheets of MM Level 5.1 term 1.

Once understood, these links will be helpful to students in their selection of Skill Builders and teachers, in their allocation of Skill Builders to students.

Skill Builders contain a Glossary of important terms that will provide instant help when students present with difficulties – view sample

Skill Builders also contain a list of Maths Facts – view sample