L3– WWW – Y1 Recognise Half of a Quantity

Working Without Worksheets – Year 1 Fractions: Finding Half of a Quantity Build on children’s understanding of fractions with this Working Without Worksheets lesson for Year 1 Fractions, where pupils learn to find half of a quantity by sharing into 2 equal groups. This lesson introduces halving numbers through practical activities, reasoning, and independent book recording—without worksheets. The lesson begins with a recap activity including: Drawing a line to show half of a shape Solving a simple word problem involving sharing Counting as high as possible together as a class The starter game is Odd One Out, where pupils decide which groups are equal and which are unequal—laying the foundation for halving quantities. Children then practise finding half by sharing counters into 2 equal groups, recording the matching number sentences in their books (e.g. 8 is half of 16 ). The independent activity turns pupils into maths detectives: Children walk around the classroom to inspect sorting hoops filled with counters. They decide if the groups are equal or unequal. In their maths books, they note the group number and mark ✔ or ✘ to show if the groups represent halves. If the counters do show half, they write a sentence such as “8 is half of 16”. The plenary reinforces reasoning by discussing which examples clearly show half, which don’t, and how to check fairness. What’s Included in the Pack? ✔ Full teacher planning with objectives, activities, and plenary guidance ✔ Recap: draw half a shape, solve a word problem, count aloud ✔ Starter: Odd One Out game recognising equal and unequal groups ✔ Vocabulary focus: half, equal, unequal, share, group, part, whole ✔ Practical activity: share counters into 2 equal groups to find halves ✔ Independent activity: Detective Challenge – explore sorting hoops to find and record halves ✔ Plenary: discuss equal/unequal examples and reasoning ✔ No worksheets—children record directly in their maths books Why Teachers Love This Resource: ✔ M