Numbers Count posters

A series of 10 Numbers Count posters has been sent to primary and secondary schools across Scotland.

Heather Reid

Heather is a meteorologist. She forecasts and presents the weather, appearing on TV and radio hundreds of times every year.

Here are some facts about the world’s weather:

Hurricanes can form over tropical oceans with a surface temperature greater than 26°C
Hurricane Wilma had wind speeds of 280 km per hour
Sea temperatures around Scotland rise to about 14°C
Geostationary weather satellites are in orbit 35 780 km above the surface of the Earth
The record high temperature recorded in Scotland is 33°C

Lesson ideas to accompany the Heather Reid poster

Additional resource: Wind speeds

Martin Graham

Martin works in a Glasgow hotel and is part of the tourism industry. Tourism is very important for Scotland.

Here are some number facts about tourism in Scotland:

There are 412 million tourist visits in Scotland each year
Tourists spend £4.5 billion in Scotland each year
248 000 people are employed in the tourism industry in Scotland
Edinburgh Castle has 1 200 000 visitors each year
The average tourist spends £107 when visiting Glasgow

Lesson ideas to accompany the Martin Graham poster

Theresa Breslin

Theresa is a Carnegie Medal winning writer who has written 33 books, including 'The Dream Master', 'Remembrance', 'Divided City', 'The Medici Seal', and 'Whispers in the Graveyard'.

Theresa uses numbers as well as words every day:

My books have been translated into 18 languages
My longest book, ‘The Medici Seal’, has 387 pages and 137 703 words
I write 4 drafts of my story before it goes to the publisher
Each day, I begin writing at precisely 9 a.m.

Savee Bilon

Savee works in the financial sector. She deals with mortgages.

Here are a few facts you should know about mortgages:

You normally need a minimum of 5% of the cost of the house as a deposit
A mortgage can run for up to 25 years
The maximum loan you will get is 3 times your salary
Stamp duty is paid at the following rates:
- House value up to £125 000 - you pay nil
- House value £125 001 - £250 000 - you pay 1%
- House value £250 001 - £500 000 - you pay 3%
- House value over £500 000 - you pay 4%

Morag Ogilvie

Morag works in a hospital advising people with health problems how to get better through diet.

Here are some facts and figures about your food:

Eating too much salt can be bad for you
The recommended maximum amount of salt per day is:
- 4 to 6 year olds 3 g
- 7 to 10 year olds 5 g
- 11 years and older 6 g
When you read food labels they sometimes tell you sodium content instead of salt content
To work out the salt content multiply the sodium content by 2.5
1000 mg = 1 g

Val Stafford

Val works in the construction industry, building things including houses, walls and driveways. He works with plumbers, electricians, bricklayers and joiners.

In construction, every measurement must be accurate: