Money - Four Operations - Planning

In a Year 4 summer term lesson on Money, students are introduced to the concept of the four operations within the context of financial transactions. The lesson begins with a starter activity that recaps previous learning and sets the stage for the day's topic. Key vocabulary such as 'Money', 'Problem', 'Four Operations', 'Bar Model', 'Value', 'Amounts', 'Digit', 'Pounds', and 'Pence' are introduced, with resources available to reinforce understanding. Students are encouraged to engage with practical activities, starting with using a bar model and link cubes to calculate a quarter of £48. This hands-on approach helps them visualise the problem and understand the value of the remaining amount after the transaction.

As the lesson progresses, students delve further into applying mathematical operations to money-related problems. They work in pairs and groups to solve problems involving calculating fractions of amounts and total costs for activities such as bowling, taking into account peak and off-peak times. The use of bar models continues to be a key tool in representing and solving these problems. The lesson also includes independent learning through differentiated worksheets, catering to varying levels of ability from working towards the expected level to achieving greater depth. Key questions prompt students to think critically about the operations used and how to effectively label their bar models. The lesson aims to address common misconceptions such as miscalculations when combining pounds and pence, and the challenge of multi-step problems. The plenary encourages students to reflect on what they have learned, the skills they used, and any difficulties they encountered, ensuring they leave the lesson with a solid understanding of how to approach money problems using the four operations.