Thinking adventures

Join Max and his friends on a different adventure in each grade. Along the way, use maths to explore ideas, solve problems and explain your thinking. How the adventures work

How the adventures work

A route through the year’s maths, one stop at a time.

The route

Each adventure has a route through the maths for that grade. The route is organised into four term games and is being developed around South Africa’s Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). Its topics fall into five areas:

  • Numbers, Operations and Relationships
  • Patterns, Functions and Algebra
  • Space and Shape (Geometry)
  • Measurement
  • Data Handling

The stops follow a clear learning sequence, so earlier ideas help learners make sense of later work. Follow the route in order, or use the topic list to find a particular idea for extra practice or revision.

One stop, one maths idea

Each place on the game map is called a stop. It focuses on one maths idea.

Each stop helps learners understand a maths idea, practise it and use it to solve problems. Clear explanations and visual models show what the numbers mean and why the steps work. Practice in the game and on matching worksheets builds towards questions that ask learners to choose a method, explain their thinking and check that their answers make sense.

How the five levels work

Each stop has five activities, called levels. Begin with Level 1 and work through them in order.

  1. Number string

    Find the connections

    Your turn

    Work through the linked calculations in order. Look back at each answer: can it help you work out the next one? Explain the connection aloud or on paper.

    Why it helps

    Using known facts to work out new answers builds flexible calculation strategies. Learners develop a way to tackle numbers they cannot recall straight away.

  2. Knowledge

    Understand the idea

    Your turn

    Follow How it works one step at a time. Match each step to the picture and calculation. Use Watch again if needed, then press Start to try the questions.

    Why it helps

    The pictures and worked examples show what the numbers mean and why the steps work, preparing learners to use the method themselves.

  3. Application

    Use the maths

    Your turn

    Read the story problem. Work out what you need to find, choose a method and show your working. Check that your answer fits the story, including any units.

    Why it helps

    Learners practise recognising when to use the maths and choosing a method that fits a situation. They connect the calculation to what the answer means.

  4. Reasoning

    Explain how you know

    Your turn

    Read the answer, claim or method you are asked to check. Use a calculation, picture or example to explain your decision. If there is a mistake, show how to correct it.

    Why it helps

    Explaining a decision helps learners make sense of their thinking. It also reveals misunderstandings that a correct answer alone may hide.

  5. Problem of the day

    Choose, test and rethink

    Your turn

    Read the puzzle and its rules. Choose an idea to try, keep track of your moves or working, and check what happened. Change your approach if needed and explain what you found.

    Why it helps

    The challenge asks learners to make decisions and test ideas. Discussing their attempts helps them learn from what worked, what changed and another person’s approach.

As you work: follow each question’s instructions to type an answer or select a choice. Use Check where it is shown and read the feedback. Choose Hint when you need help with a step.

When you reach Finish the level, use it to complete the activity, then continue to the next level. The matching worksheet gives you space to draw, calculate and explain. One stop may take more than one session.

An online adventure with matching workbooks

Each adventure includes an online Thinking Adventure and matching printable workbooks. They follow the same maths topics and are designed to be used together.

Explore the examples and questions with Max on screen, then use the workbook to draw models, record calculations and explain your thinking. Move between the adventure and workbook as you learn, practise and revise.

Ways to use Thinking Adventures

In the classroom

Choose a stop that matches your lesson. Use its examples to teach the idea, its questions for practice and its thinking task for group discussion.

At home

Revisit an idea your child finds difficult. Work through the explanations together, then use the activities and worksheet to strengthen their understanding and calculation skills.

Revision for tests and exams

Use the topic list to choose work your child needs to revise. Try the questions and worksheet, discuss mistakes and return to an example when a step needs another look.

A full year’s maths When complete

The completed programme is intended to cover the year’s CAPS maths content through four term games. Check each grade for the games and topics currently available.

Getting started

Children: how to begin
  1. Log in. Use the username your teacher or parent made for you. Your own page opens on your grade’s adventure, and any work you have been set is at the top.
  2. Open a term game. Ask your teacher or parent to help you choose the one for the maths you need. Choose a place on the map or find a maths topic in the list below it. That place is your stop.
  3. Begin with Level 1: Number string. Work through the five levels in order. Use the guide above to see what to do in each one.
  4. Follow the question. Type your answer or tap a choice as instructed. Use Check when it is shown, read the feedback and use Hint if you need help. Have paper ready to show your working.
  5. Complete the level. Press Finish the level when it appears, then continue to the next level. Ask an adult for help when an example or hint is still unclear.

Parents: how to begin together

You do not need to remember how you were taught. The most useful thing you can do is ask your child to show you what they did — on paper, with counters, or by drawing it.

Three questions that work on almost anything: How did you work that out? Is there another way? How do you know it is right?

If an answer is wrong, resist correcting it straight away. Ask them to check it against something they already know — that is the habit that makes maths stick.

  1. Find the right maths. Choose your child’s grade and a term game that includes the topic they are learning or need to revisit. You do not have to begin with Term 1.
  2. Set a stop, or follow the route. On a term game’s route, press Set on a stop and your child finds it at the top of their own page. Or let them follow the route in order.
  3. Open a stop together. Use its map or topic list. Read the five-level guide above to see what your child will do and why each activity matters.
  4. Keep paper or the matching worksheet ready. Your child can use it to record calculations, draw models and explain their thinking. You can open the worksheet from the stop.
  5. Give help with the difficult step. Let your child explain what they tried. Look at the example or hint together, use objects or a drawing to explain the step, then ask them to try again.
  6. Finish by talking about the learning. Ask, “What helped you today?” or “Can you show me why that works?” Use their answer to decide what needs another look next time.

Keep sessions manageable. A stop can take several sessions, with time for discussion and practice.

Teaching a class? The Teacher’s guide shows how to turn a stop into a lesson.