Decimals and Percentages - Understand Percentages - Planning

In a Year 5 mathematics lesson focusing on understanding percentages, students are introduced to the concept through visual aids such as hundred squares and bar models. The lesson aims to help children visualise and identify percentages, particularly the proportion that is shaded on a given diagram. The key vocabulary for the lesson includes terms like 'percentage', 'parts', 'shaded', 'equal parts', 'bar model', 'hundred square', 'parts per hundred', 'percent', and 'cent', all of which are crucial to understanding the lesson's content. Students start by recapping previous learning, followed by a discussion on the etymology of 'percent' and its relation to 'cent', explaining that it signifies a part in a hundred. The class then engages in activities where they use hundred squares to recognise what 1% looks like and apply this knowledge to find out the percentage of shaded areas.

Further activities involve mind mapping what 100% represents and using bar models to determine the value of each part when the full bar symbolises 100%. Students work out percentages of shaded sections and calculate how many parts need shading to represent certain percentages, such as 5%, 25%, or 55%. The lesson includes group work where children tackle 'Reasoning & Problem-Solving' worksheets, encouraging them to share their answers and discuss different strategies. This interactive session aims to clarify common misconceptions, such as the confusion between 1% and 10% when a bar is divided into ten sections. The plenary session allows students to reflect on what they've learned, the skills they've used, and any challenges they faced. Differentiated worksheets are provided to cater to varying levels of fluency, from those working towards the expected level to those capable of greater depth, with the latter group handling more complex diagrams and word problems.