Fractions - Fraction of an amount 3 - Starter

In this engaging mathematics session for Year 3 pupils, the focus is on understanding and calculating fractions of amounts. The lesson begins with a 'Fluent in Four' revision activity, designed to warm up the students' numerical skills. They face a variety of challenges including calculating half of a given number, such as finding the result of seventeen multiplied by half of sixteen. Other questions prompt the students to fill in the missing number in a multiplication equation that results in twenty-seven, and to complete a table by finding half and a quarter of various numbers.

The practical application of fractions is also explored through word problems. One scenario involves Ron, who has a total of six pounds and eighty pennies, and wishes to share half of this amount with his brother. Students must calculate that Ron's brother would receive three pounds and forty pennies. Another problem sets the scene in a car park, where students are asked to work out the number of cars present, given that there are forty wheels in total and each car has four wheels. The solution involves dividing the total number of wheels by the number of wheels per car, leading to the answer that there are ten cars. These exercises not only test the children's ability to work with fractions but also help to develop their problem-solving skills in real-world contexts.