Making connections - Ratio Strips
The image of ‘ratio strips’ helps pupils to see ratio as a way of comparing one quantity with another by illustrating the connection between ratio and scaling. Use tried and tested classroom resources to develop and use this image:
- Ratio strips – Teacher prompts, resources and related problems
- Ratio strips – Interactive Teaching Program (ITP) and accompanying ‘How to use notes’.
What do the resources include?
All the resources draw on the image of ratio strips to secure pupils’ understanding of ratio as part of proportional reasoning. They are available as teacher notes and resource sheets or as a computer application:
Teacher notes – ratio strips image which provide prompts for:
- a sequence of lessons establishing connections between ratios and fractions
- a second sequence where this is extended to multiplicative relationships as ways of comparing quantities as expressed through ratios and their connected fractions
Resource sheets – ratio strips image with ratio strips drawn ready to use in hard copy or via a visualiser, webcam or interactive whiteboard. Also included are problems with contexts for applying ratio as part of proportional reasoning
Ratio strips ITP - Interactive Teaching Program
How to use Ratio strips ITP notes.
How will these resources help pupils?
Pupils will be familiar with images of ratio as a way of making comparisons between the parts that make up a single quantity. Develop pupils’ thinking about ratio as a more general comparison between quantities.
Use the ratio strips image to support more sophisticated understanding of ratio that will underpin pupils’ proportional reasoning skills.
Example of ratio strips image:
• no. of black blocks : no. of white blocks = 2:5
• no. of white blocks : no. of black blocks = 5:2
• no. of black = 2/5 × no. of white, no. of white = 5/2 × no. of black
• no. of black = 0.4 × no. of white, no. of white = 2.5 × no. of black
• no. of black = 40% of no. of white, no. of white = 250% of no. of black
What else is available?
You will find further information to establish secure foundations to the understanding of fractions in What is a fraction?.