Multiplying and dividing fractions Spot the Mistake

KS2Gems2023 presents an engaging PowerPoint activity for Year 6 students, designed to enhance their skills in multiplying and dividing fractions. The resource, titled "Spot the Mistake," comprises ten deliberately incorrect calculations: five involving the multiplication of proper fractions and five involving the division of proper fractions by whole numbers. The aim of the activity is to encourage students to critically analyse each calculation, identify the error, articulate the nature of the mistake, and then correctly perform the calculation themselves.

The structure of the activity is interactive and thought-provoking, prompting students to apply their understanding of fractions in a practical context. Each slide presents a different fraction calculation error for the students to scrutinise. For example, one of the multiplication mistakes shows the fractions 2/3 multiplied by 8/12, with an incorrect product of 10/15. In the division section, an example error is the division of 8/12 by 4, incorrectly given as a quotient of 48/32. This exercise not only tests the students' computational skills but also deepens their conceptual grasp of fractions, multiplication, and division. It is an ideal resource for initiating discussions, enhancing mathematical vocabulary, and addressing common misconceptions in a classroom setting.