Fractions - Recognise a half - Planning

In the Year 2 curriculum, a lesson on fractions focuses on helping students recognise and understand the concept of a half. The lesson uses differentiated sheets, teaching slides, and concrete resources to support learning. Students start by recapping previous knowledge, confirming their understanding that halving involves dividing a whole into two equal parts. They are introduced to the fraction notation ½, learning that the numerator (1) signifies one part out of the denominator (2), which represents the total number of equal parts. The lesson aims to familiarise students with the terms 'whole', 'part', 'half', 'halves', 'fraction', 'numerator', and 'denominator', and encourages them to explore halves in various contexts, such as dividing lengths, shapes, or sets of objects.

Through a series of activities, children engage in partner work to articulate their understanding of halves, using sentence stems to explain their reasoning. They examine pictorial representations to identify when an object is split into two equal parts and discuss the fairness of divisions, especially in practical scenarios like cutting a pizza. The lesson also addresses common misconceptions, such as the confusion that can arise when the visual representation of a fraction does not match the numerical fraction. As students progress, they are challenged with identifying halves in more complex shapes and quantities. The plenary session includes a 'Give me five' reflection exercise, where students consider what they've learned, the skills they've used, what they found tricky, what supported their learning, and what they promise to remember from the lesson. Differentiated activities cater to varying levels of ability, from 'Working Towards' to 'Greater Depth', ensuring that all students can engage with the concept of halves at an appropriate level.