Ratio - Calculating Scale Factors - Worksheet

In Lesson 7 of the Year 6 curriculum, students tackle the mathematical concept of calculating scale factors in the context of ratios. The National Curriculum objective for this lesson is to solve problems involving the relative sizes of two quantities, where missing values can be deduced using integer multiplication and division facts. The resources provided include differentiated worksheets and teaching slides to cater to various learning levels. The lesson's vocabulary encompasses terms such as 'scale factor', 'similar shapes', 'multiplication and division facts', 'length', 'width', and 'compare'. Students are taught that, in mathematics, 'similar' means one shape is an exact enlargement of another and use their knowledge of multiplication and division to find missing dimensions and scale factors for given similar shapes.

Key questions posed during the lesson include inquiries about the meaning of similarity in shapes, observations about the length and width of each shape, and the implications of a scale factor. For instance, students are asked to consider what a scale factor of 2 means and if a scale factor of 2.5 is possible. The exercises on the worksheets range from working with whole measurements in squares and rectangles to dealing with decimal measurements and identifying scale factors when shapes are not adjacent. The lesson progresses with reasoning and problem-solving activities where students draw squares and rectangles with given perimeters to understand enlargement and scale factors, addressing whether shapes are similar and if the same operation can be applied to all sides during enlargement.