Ratio - Calculating Scale Factors - Starter

In a numeracy session for Year 6 students during the Spring term, the class engages in a 'Fluent in Four' revision exercise aimed at reinforcing their mathematical skills. The session begins with a mental maths activity where students are asked to estimate the size of an angle, providing an opportunity to apply their understanding of angles and estimation. Following this, the children tackle a subtraction problem, starting with the number 6,248 and subtracting 679, which involves removing 9 ones, 7 tens, and 6 hundreds from the original number. The students are expected to perform this calculation using the formal written method, demonstrating their ability to subtract large numbers accurately.

The lesson continues with a practical application of mathematical concepts, as students are presented with two shapes, labelled A and B, and are asked to determine whether shape B is three times larger than shape A. This introduces the concept of scale factors and proportional reasoning. The children then perform another subtraction, this time taking 1,204 away from 8,479. They are required to show their workings following the formal method of column subtraction, which helps to solidify their understanding of the algorithm and place value. Through these exercises, students develop their competence in estimating, calculating, and understanding the relationship between different geometric figures.