Max Maths, Year 6, Learn together, Prime and composite numbers (4)

Max Maths for Year 6 offers an engaging lesson on distinguishing prime and composite numbers. The lesson begins by explaining that composite numbers can be broken down into prime factors, which leads to a method for identifying all prime numbers up to 100. The first step in this process is to eliminate the number 1, since it is not considered a prime number. With 1 crossed out, the focus shifts to the number 2, which is a prime number. Students are then instructed to cross out all multiples of 2 from a list of numbers up to 100, as these cannot be primes being divisible by 2.

Following the initial step, the lesson proceeds to Step 2, where the next number in the sequence, 3, is identified as a prime number. Students are tasked with crossing out all multiples of 3, further refining the list of numbers by removing those that are not prime. Through this systematic approach, the remaining numbers that have not been crossed out are prime numbers. This hands-on activity not only aids in understanding the concept of prime and composite numbers but also provides a visual and practical way to identify prime numbers within the given range.