Fractions - Four rules with Fractions - Planning

In a comprehensive Year 6 lesson plan focusing on fractions, students are set to explore the four rules of arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—as they apply to fractions. The lesson kicks off with a warm-up activity where students revisit what they have learned previously by answering 'fluent in four' questions. The class then delves into the first activity, which involves solving for missing fractions, mixed numbers, and integers within bar models, discussing the operations used to find each answer. The second activity challenges students to tackle multi-operation calculations that incorporate mixed numbers, proper fractions, and integers. They are reminded to follow the BIDMAS order of operations and to simplify their answers where possible. In the third activity, students engage with word problems, translating them into number sentences and determining the correct order of operations to solve them.

Throughout the lesson, group work and independent learning are facilitated through reasoning tasks and differentiated worksheets, ensuring that each student can engage with the material at a level appropriate to their understanding. Key questions prompt students to think critically about the order of operations and to identify patterns within the problems they solve. The lesson also addresses common misconceptions, such as the correct application of BIDMAS and the selection of operations for word problems. To conclude, a 'Give me five' reflection exercise encourages students to consider what they have learned, the skills they have employed, and what they found challenging. The lesson plan outlines progression from working towards fluency with quarters and multiples of four, to expected levels using fifths, and up to greater depth with a range of fractions and more complex calculations.