Fractions - Find a quarter - Starter

In a mathematics session for Year 2 students during the Spring Term's eleventh week, the focus is on developing fluency in understanding and working with fractions, specifically finding a quarter. The lesson starts with a 'Fluent in Four' revision task that includes a variety of arithmetic problems to warm up the students’ numerical skills. For example, children are asked to solve problems such as adding 4 ones to 5 tens and then adding thirty-nine, or finding the sum of 7, 6, and 55. These exercises are designed to reinforce their understanding of basic addition and the concept of time, as indicated by the reference to 'o'clock'.

Practical measurement skills are also incorporated into the lesson, where students are tasked with determining the lengths of different coloured blocks using a ruler and comparing them to identify the shortest block. This hands-on activity enhances their understanding of length and the use of standard units of measurement. Additionally, the lesson includes a visual recognition task where students must find images with a quarter coloured in, further solidifying their grasp of fractions. The exercises are presented in a way that encourages children to think critically about quantities, as they must decide if there are too many, not enough, or just the right amount of items, such as jars of honey for each bear, fostering their problem-solving and reasoning skills.