Examples of what pupils should know and be able to do
Generate quadratic sequences from a range of contexts.
- Find the first few terms of the sequence; describe how it continues using a term-to-term rule.
- Use algebraic expressions to describe the nth term, justifying them by referring to the context.
- When appropriate, compare different ways of arriving at the generalisation.
- FTM(S)Y789 p. 155 - Acrobat pdf document (36Kb)
- FTM(S)Y789 p. 157 - Acrobat pdf document (28Kb)
- FTM(S)Y789 p. 159 - Acrobat pdf document (40Kb)
Probing questions
Compare a linear to a quadratic sequence. What do you notice about the differences between succeeding terms?
What clues do you look for when deciding whether a sequence is quadratic?
What can you say about the nth term for a quadratic sequence?
What strategies do you use to find the nth term for a quadratic sequence?
What if pupils find this a barrier?
Adapt and use the Find the function activity in Teaching mental mathematics for level 5: algebra p. 18 - Acrobat pdf document (36Kb).
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