Fractions - What is a fraction - Starter

In a Year 4 mathematics lesson, pupils are introduced to the concept of fractions, with a particular focus on understanding what a unit fraction is. The lesson begins with a "Fluent in Four" revision activity that includes a subtraction task where pupils calculate the difference between 2,810 and 628. They also tackle a more complex subtraction problem involving thousands and tens. This warm-up is designed to sharpen their arithmetic skills before diving into the world of fractions. During the lesson, students are asked to identify and write a unit fraction with a denominator of 9, exploring how many equal parts form this unit fraction and thus reinforcing their grasp of the basic properties of fractions.

Furthermore, the lesson incorporates practical application of place value knowledge through a series of number sentence completions. Pupils add or subtract tens from the number 537, helping them understand how numbers change with the manipulation of specific place values. In a real-world context, the lesson includes a task where students order the lengths of three different lizards—a salamander, a chameleon, and an iguana—from shortest to longest, converting measurements from millimetres to centimetres to metres as necessary. This exercise not only tests their understanding of length measurement but also provides a cross-curricular link to biology and the natural world.