L4– WWW – Y1 Find Half of a Quantity

Working Without Worksheets – Year 1 Fractions: Finding Half of Quantities Deepen pupils’ understanding of fractions with this Working Without Worksheets lesson for Year 1 Fractions, where children learn to find half of a quantity by sharing into 2 equal groups. This lesson builds directly on recognising half of quantities, moving children into practically halving numbers with engaging, hands-on activities. The lesson begins with a recap starter including: Recognising which groups show half of a quantity Solving a simple subtraction or sharing word problem Quick number formation practice for fluency The main activity introduces halving quantities practically. Pupils use counters, cubes, or small objects to share into 2 equal groups, recording matching number sentences in their books (e.g. 10 is half of 20 ). To make the concept visual and engaging, children then use a butterfly outline and bingo dabbers to represent half of different quantities, stamping equal spots on each side of the butterfly’s wings to show fairness. For independent work, pupils continue practising halving a variety of even quantities, recording both pictures and number sentences in their maths books. The plenary consolidates reasoning by asking pupils to explain how they know a group shows half, and why odd numbers cannot always be halved equally into whole numbers. What’s Included in the Pack? ✔ Full teacher planning with objectives, modelling, and plenary guidance ✔ Starter: recognise half of a quantity, solve a word problem, number formation practice ✔ Vocabulary focus: half, equal, share, group, fair, quantity, part ✔ Practical activity: share counters/cubes into 2 equal groups ✔ Visual task: butterfly bingo dabber activity to show halves clearly ✔ Independent recording: write number sentences in maths books ✔ Plenary: reasoning about halves and odd/even numbers ✔ No worksheets—children record directly in their books Why Teachers Love This Resource: ✔ Builds directly on recognising half of q