Max Maths, Year 2, Try it, Odd and even numbers

In the Max Maths Year 2 curriculum, Jade introduces the concept of odd and even numbers to young learners using a practical and visual method. She takes 20 pencils and sorts them into groups of two. Whenever the pencils can be paired up without any leftover, the number representing that quantity is coloured red and identified as an 'even number'. Conversely, when pencils cannot be evenly paired, with one pencil remaining without a partner, the number representing that count is coloured blue, signifying it as an 'odd number'. This simple activity helps children understand that even numbers divide by two evenly, while odd numbers do not.

The 'Let's Try It' exercise encourages students to apply this understanding by circling the even numbers and underlining the odd numbers from a given list. The numbers to be circled as even are 2, 8, 14, 16, and 20, while the odd numbers to be underlined are 17, 1015 (assuming this is a typographical error and should be separated into 10 and 15), 9, 19, 11, and 13. In the 'Let's Practise' section, students are asked to find numbers that fit specific criteria. The answers are: (a) 4, an even number between 3 and 5; (b) 13, an odd number between 12 and 14; (c) 19, an odd number between 18 and 20; and (d) 10, an even number between 9 and 11. Pupils can then continue their practice on workbook page 29 to reinforce their understanding of odd and even numbers.