Ratio - short mental activities

Use these short mental activities to develop pupils’ confidence in using the language of ratio to compare quantities that are parts of a whole and quantities with each other more generally. This will support progress from additive to multiplicative thinking where the relationship between ratio and scaling is used.

Why use these mental activities?
To provide frequent, regular opportunities refreshing and refining pupils’ mental skills in using ratio as part of proportional reasoning.

Two sets of teaching activities:
1. Sweet ratio
Use the context of types of sweets in a selection to provide application of part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios, as well as connections between ratios and multiplying factors.

2. Splits
Use this presentation to promote mental approaches, which might include jottings, to share quantities in given ratios. This will help pupils to improve their understanding of equivalent ratios.

What else is available?
You will find further information to establish secure foundations to the understanding of ratio in the booklet What is a fraction?

Further classroom ideas are available in: