What is a half? One of two equal parts.
I Do:
Begin a discussion about what is ‘half’ with the viewing of Investigating half of familiar objects.
Discuss with students that when cutting or folding an object in half, the parts need to be equal.
Half a pizza
Further demonstrate half by cutting the pizzas into unequal and equal parts. Discuss with students that if each piece is put on top of the other and is the same or equal then the pizza has been cut in half.
We Do:
Find the matching half: In pairs students are to sort and match a bag of shapes that have been cut into two equal halves.
You Do:
Students experiment with different shapes, folding and cutting them into two parts so that each part is an equal half.
Shapes to cut in half ( print to A3 size)
Questions:
Which shapes can’t be cut into halves?
How did you check that the shape was cut into two equal parts?
Enabling: Use only rectangles ( of different sizes) to fold and cut in half.Extending: Shapes are folded and cut into quarters, eights or exploration of other fractions.