List

Being Resourceful - Upper Primary Students

Being Resourceful - Upper Primary is part of our Being a Good Thinker - Upper Primary collection.

Good thinkers are resourceful and reflective. They think critically and can explain and justify the choices that they make. They become absorbed in what they are doing and show attention to detail. They look back on what they have done in order to learn from both successes and failures.

How can you become more resourceful?

These problems require careful consideration. Immerse yourself in them and appreciate that the journey is often as important as the destination!

You can browse through the Number, Measures, Geometry or Statistics collections, or scroll down to see the full set of problems below.
Rolling that cube
problem
Favourite

Rolling that cube

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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My dice has inky marks on each face. Can you find the route it has taken? What does each face look like?
Shaping It
problem
Favourite

Shaping It

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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These pictures were made by starting with a square, finding the half-way point on each side and joining those points up. You could investigate your own starting shape.
Dotty Six
problem
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Dotty Six

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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Dotty Six is a simple dice game that you can adapt in many ways.

Biscuit Decorations
problem
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Biscuit Decorations

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Andrew decorated 20 biscuits to take to a party. He lined them up and put icing on every second biscuit and different decorations on other biscuits. How many biscuits weren't decorated?
Make 37 Poster
problem
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Make 37

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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Four bags contain a large number of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s. Can you pick any ten numbers from the bags so that their total is 37?

Number Differences
problem
Favourite

Number Differences

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Place the numbers from 1 to 9 in the squares below so that the difference between joined squares is odd. How many different ways can you do this?
Shape Times Shape
problem
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Shape Times Shape

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?
First Connect Three
problem
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First Connect Three

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Add or subtract the two numbers on the spinners and try to complete a row of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?
Cows and Sheep
problem

Cows and Sheep

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Use your logical reasoning to work out how many cows and how many sheep there are in each field.
Magic Vs
problem
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Magic Vs

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?
Treasure Hunt
problem
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Treasure Hunt

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?
Nice or Nasty
problem
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Nice or Nasty

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...
Play to 37
problem
Favourite

Play to 37

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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In this game for two players, the idea is to take it in turns to choose 1, 3, 5 or 7. The winner is the first to make the total 37.
Shape Draw
problem
Favourite

Shape Draw

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Use the information on these cards to draw the shape that is being described.
The Remainders Game
game
Favourite

The Remainders Game

Play this game and see if you can figure out the computer's chosen number.

Cubes
problem
Favourite

Cubes

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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How many faces can you see when you arrange these three cubes in different ways?
Square Corners
problem
Favourite

Square Corners

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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What is the greatest number of counters you can place on the grid below without four of them lying at the corners of a square?
Same or Different?
problem
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Same or Different?

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Anna and Becky put one purple cube and two yellow cubes into a bag to play a game. Is the game fair? Explain your answer.
Sponge Sections
problem
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Sponge Sections

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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You have been given three shapes made out of sponge: a sphere, a cylinder and a cone. Your challenge is to find out how to cut them to make different shapes for printing.
It's a Tie
problem
Favourite

It's a Tie

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Kaia is sure that her father has worn a particular tie twice a week in at least five of the last ten weeks, but her father disagrees. Who do you think is right?
Four Go
problem
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Four Go

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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This challenge is a game for two players. Choose two of the numbers to multiply or divide, then mark your answer on the number line. Can you get four in a row?
Baravelle
problem
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Baravelle

Age
7 to 16
Challenge level
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What can you see? What do you notice? What questions can you ask?
Through the Window
problem
Favourite

Through the Window

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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My local DIY shop calculates the price of its windows according to the area of glass and the length of frame used. Can you work out how they arrived at these prices?

Shapes on the Playground
problem
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Shapes on the Playground

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Sally and Ben were drawing shapes in chalk on the school playground. Can you work out what shapes each of them drew using the clues?
Mystery Matrix
problem
Favourite

Mystery Matrix

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
Factor Lines
problem
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Factor Lines

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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Arrange the four number cards on the grid, according to the rules, to make a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line.
Dice in a Corner
problem
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Dice in a Corner

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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How could you arrange at least two dice in a stack so that the total of the visible spots is 18?
Two and Two
problem
Favourite

Two and Two

Age
7 to 16
Challenge level
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How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.

Frogs
problem
Favourite

Frogs

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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How many moves does it take to swap over some red and blue frogs? Do you have a method?
Square It
problem
Favourite

Square It

Age
11 to 16
Challenge level
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Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.

Dicey Operations
game
Favourite

Dicey Operations

Who said that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing couldn't be fun?