Fractions - Compare and order (denominator) - Planning

In the second week of the Autumn term, Year 6 students delve into fractions, focusing on comparing and ordering them based on denominators. The lesson utilises a fraction wall as a visual aid and includes worksheets and a presentation to support learning. The key vocabulary for the session includes terms such as 'equivalent fractions', 'compare fractions', 'denominator', 'numerator', and 'convert'. Students start by completing 'fluent in four' questions to refresh their understanding of equivalent fractions. The class then explores how to compare fractions with different denominators by finding the lowest common multiple (LCM) to obtain equivalent fractions with the same denominator. Through activities involving bar models and partner discussions, students learn that a larger denominator means smaller fractional parts, and they practice using inequality symbols to compare fractions.

Further group work and reasoning activities solidify the students' comprehension, where they discuss efficient strategies for arranging digit cards to make correct comparison statements and the importance of finding the LCM for ease of mental calculations. The lesson progresses to ordering fractions in descending order, where students use their number sense, a blank number line, and their understanding of LCM to find equivalent fractions for comparison. The plenary encourages reflection on the skills learned, such as finding the LCM, times table recall, and the use of inequality symbols. Differentiated worksheets cater to varying levels of understanding, from working towards the expected level to achieving greater depth, with tasks ranging from comparing simple fractions to ordering fractions with multiple different denominators and finding missing numbers to maintain the order of a set of fractions.