Fractions - Tenths - Starter

In this engaging activity for Year 3 students during the Summer Term, the focus is on understanding and working with tenths. The session starts off with a 'Fluent in Four' revision exercise, encouraging quick mental arithmetic by multiplying numbers to achieve the correct answer. The main task for the day involves identifying the fraction of shaded areas within given shapes. Students are prompted to express their answers both verbally and in fractional form, enhancing their comprehension of fractions as parts of a whole. For example, they might determine that half of a shape is shaded and represent this as five tenths.

The lesson continues with comparative exercises, where students use symbols to compare the value of coins, deepening their understanding of greater than, less than, and equal to. Additionally, they compare lengths using descriptive terms such as 'longer than', 'shorter than', or 'the same as', which helps them to grasp the concept of measurement and spatial awareness. These comparisons are presented in real-world contexts, such as comparing centimetres and metres or evaluating the difference in value between amounts of money, making the mathematical concepts more tangible and relatable for the students.