Multiplication and Division - Divide by 1 - Planning

In a Year 4 mathematics lesson centred around the concepts of multiplication and division, students delve into the process of dividing by 1. The National Curriculum objectives targeted in this session include recalling multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12, using place value and known facts for mental arithmetic, and recognising factor pairs and commutativity. The key terms for this unit encompass a range of mathematical concepts such as multiplication, division, decimals, and arrays. During the lesson, children are encouraged to use counters and visual aids like bar models to explore division through concrete and pictorial representations. They investigate the outcomes when a number is divided by 1 or by itself, using stem sentences to articulate their findings, such as "5 grouped into 1s equals 5" or "5 grouped into 5s equals 1", thereby reinforcing the idea that any number divided by 1 remains unchanged.

The lesson includes a variety of activities to solidify the students' understanding. They begin with practical exercises using counters to represent division calculations, such as sharing 3 counters equally among 3 hands, or grouping 5 counters into groups of 1. Subsequent activities introduce bar models to visually represent division problems, prompting discussions about the correct representation for dividing a quantity by 1 or by the number itself. Key questions posed during the lesson aim to clarify the concepts of sharing and grouping, and children are asked to create their own worded questions that involve these division structures. To conclude, a reflective 'Give me five' session is held, where students evaluate what they have learned, the skills they employed, and what they found challenging, ensuring they understand the distinction between dividing by 1 and dividing by the number in question. The lesson materials cater to different levels of proficiency, from working towards understanding to achieving greater depth in division concepts.