Max Maths, Year 2, Learn together, Equal sharing (2)

In a Year 2 mathematics lesson from Max Maths, students explore the concept of equal sharing through a practical example involving cookies and plates. Toby has a total of 12 cookies that he wishes to distribute evenly across 3 plates. This scenario provides a relatable context for children to understand division as an equal sharing process. By dividing the cookies, each plate ends up with an equal number of 4 cookies. To reinforce this mathematical operation, children are encouraged to express the action in the form of a division sentence, which in this case is 12 ÷ 3 = 4, clearly demonstrating that when 12 cookies are shared equally among 3 plates, each plate receives 4 cookies.

The lesson continues with a slight twist, adding an extra plate to the scenario, making it a total of 4 plates. The aim is for Toby to redistribute the 12 cookies so that each of the 4 plates has an equal share. Through this exercise, children discover that each plate now gets 3 cookies. This change provides an opportunity to discuss how the number of groups (plates) affects the number of items (cookies) in each group. Again, students are asked to write down the division sentence that represents this situation, which is 12 ÷ 4 = 3. This simple yet effective example helps to solidify the students' understanding of division as equal sharing and prepares them for more complex division tasks in the future.