Mastering Equivalent Fractions
A comprehensive lesson for Year 5 students to master equivalent fractions. Students will move from visual representations to abstract calculation, learning to scale fractions up and down while maintaining their value.
Learning objectives
- Identify and name equivalent fractions using visual representations.
- Recognise equivalent fractions by multiplying or dividing the numerator and denominator by the same number.
- Simplify fractions to their simplest form using common factors.
- Solve problems involving finding missing numbers in equivalent fraction sequences.
Lesson plan (60 minutes)
Starter · 10 min
Mental Oral Starter: Rapid recall of 3, 4, 6, and 8 times tables to prepare for finding common factors/multiples.
Introduction · 15 min
Teacher-led explanation using the 4-step script and worked example. Focus on the golden rule: 'Whatever you do to the top, you must do to the bottom'.
Main Activity · 20 min
Differentiated worksheet activity. Students work through Support, Core, or Stretch tasks based on initial assessment.
Assessment · 10 min
Plenary: 8-question multiple choice quiz to assess understanding and address remaining misconceptions.
Wrap-up · 5 min
Summary and pack up.
Key vocabulary
- Equivalent
- Fractions that have the same value, even though they look different.
- Numerator
- The top number in a fraction, showing how many parts we have.
- Denominator
- The bottom number in a fraction, showing how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
- Simplify
- To divide the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor to make the numbers as small as possible.
- Factor
- A number that divides exactly into another number without a remainder.
Core worksheet (first questions)
- Write a fraction equivalent to 3/4.
- Find the missing numerator: 3/4 = ?/20.
- Simplify 10/15 to its simplest form.
- Simplify 16/36 to its simplest form.
Quiz (sample)
1. Which fraction is equivalent to 2/5?
- A. 2/10
- B. 4/5
- C. 4/10
- D. 1/10
2. What is 4/12 in its simplest form?
- A. 1/2
- B. 1/3
- C. 2/3
- D. 1/4
3. To make 3/4 equivalent to ?/12, what is the missing numerator?
- A. 6
- B. 8
- C. 9
- D. 12
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Support and Stretch worksheets, every answer and model answer, the teaching explainer and common misconceptions, editable and ready to print as PDF or Word.
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