Max Maths, Year 5, Work Book, Percentages

The 'Max Maths' Year 5 workbook offers a comprehensive section on percentages, providing a variety of exercises to help students grasp this essential mathematical concept. Practice 1 starts with an engaging activity involving 100 ice creams in four different flavours: vanilla, strawberry, lemon, and chocolate. Students are tasked with counting how many ice creams there are of each flavour. Subsequent questions prompt them to express the quantities as fractions and then convert these fractions into percentages, reinforcing their understanding of how percentages represent parts of a whole. This practical approach allows students to visualise percentages in a real-world context, making the abstract concept more tangible and easier to comprehend.

Another exercise within the workbook includes a large square divided into 100 smaller equal squares, some of which are coloured in various shades. Students must determine what percentage of the big square is coloured in each shade, and what proportion remains uncoloured. This visual tool is an excellent way for learners to connect the idea of percentages with area, enhancing their spatial awareness in relation to mathematical calculations. Additionally, there are activities designed to help students write percentages in words, read and write specific percentages, and calculate percentages of given numbers, such as finding 10%, 50%, or 75% of quantities like 240, 300, 500, and 420. These varied tasks not only reinforce the concept of percentages but also build confidence in manipulating and understanding them in different contexts.