Max Maths, Year 6, Learn together, Mixed numbers (2)

In the Max Maths Year 6 curriculum, students are learning to work with mixed numbers and convert them into improper fractions. A mixed number is a combination of a whole number and a fraction, representing a value greater than one. For example, in an exercise where students observe coloured parts of squares, they might see a representation of two whole squares and three-fifths of another square. This is written as the mixed number two and three-fifths (2 3/5). To convert this into an improper fraction, where the numerator is larger than the denominator, students must first express the whole number as an equivalent fraction. In this case, each whole square is equivalent to five-fifths (5/5), so two whole squares are equal to ten-fifths (10/5). Adding the three-fifths from the partially coloured square gives a total of thirteen-fifths (13/5).

The process of conversion is further practiced with different examples. For instance, the mixed number three and two-thirds (3 2/3) is converted by multiplying the whole number three by the denominator three to get nine-thirds (9/3), then adding the two-thirds fraction part to arrive at eleven-thirds (11/3) as the improper fraction. Another example involves the mixed number five and three-sevenths (5 3/7), where five is multiplied by the denominator seven to get thirty-five (35/7), and then the numerator three is added, resulting in an improper fraction of thirty-eight sevenths (38/7). The students are reminded to multiply the whole number by the denominator and then add the numerator of the fraction part to complete the conversion. For further practice, the students are directed to workbook pages 144 to 146.