Decimal - Fractions to decimals (1) - Planning

In the Year 6 curriculum, a lesson on converting fractions to decimals is designed to enhance students' understanding of the relationship between these two numerical representations. The lesson utilises a variety of resources including worksheets and a presentation, focusing on key vocabulary terms such as 'fractions', 'decimals', 'equivalent fraction', 'convert', and 'efficient method'. Students begin with a 'fluent in four' questions starter to recap on their previous knowledge. The class then delves into activities that require them to match fractions with their decimal equivalents and explore more challenging conversions by converting fractions to have denominators of 10 or 100, making it easier to translate them into decimals using place value knowledge.

During the lesson, students engage in partner discussions and group work to address misconceptions and compare reasoning strategies. They evaluate statements, such as Malachi's, to ascertain the accuracy of fraction to decimal conversions. Key questions prompt the students to think about the efficiency of different conversion methods and the usefulness of equivalent fractions. The 'Give me five' plenary encourages self-reflection on what they've learned, the skills used, and the aspects they found challenging. Differentiated activities cater to varying levels of understanding, with tasks ranging from converting simple fractions with denominators like 5, 10, 50, and 100 to decimals, to more advanced exercises involving the addition or subtraction of fractions before converting them to decimals.