Math lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Scaling problems: times as many and recipes
Multiplication and division
CCSS 4.OA.A.2England: Y5 Multiplication and division
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Scaling problems: times as many and recipes.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Multiplicative comparison (times as many)
Leads to: Approximate conversions between miles and kilometres
Materials: Counters for arrays, Multiplication grid, Base-ten blocks, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Multiplicative comparison (times as many)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Sam has 8 badges. Elena has 4 times as many. How many badges does Elena have? → 32Prompt: "4 times as many" means multiply by 4.
- A giraffe is 9 feet tall. That is 3 times as tall as a child. How tall is the child, in feet? → 3Prompt: The giraffe's height is the bigger amount.
- Diego has 12 badges. Hana has 8 times as many. How many badges does Hana have? → 96Prompt: "8 times as many" means multiply by 8.
Hook · 3 min
- Show an array of chairs, eggs or windows and ask how many there are without counting one by one.
- Share the objective: Scaling problems: times as many and recipes. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: A pancake recipe for 2 people uses 100 g of flour. How much flour is needed for 6 people?
- Step 1: 6 ÷ 2 = 3
- Step 2: 100 × 3 = 300
- Step 3: 300 g
- Answer: 300
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- A pancake recipe for 4 people uses 250 g of flour. How much flour is needed for 20 people? → 1250Prompt: How many times as many people is 20 than 4?
- Felix's plant is 8 cm tall. Ravi's plant is 4 times as tall. How much taller is Ravi's plant? → 24Prompt: First find the height of Ravi's plant.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- A pancake recipe for 2 people uses 100 g of flour. How much flour is needed for 6 people? → 300Prompt: How many times as many people is 6 than 2?
- Arjun's plant is 9 cm tall. Kwame's plant is 4 times as tall. How much taller is Kwame's plant? → 27Prompt: First find the height of Kwame's plant.
Watch out for
- Thinking multiplying always makes a number bigger.
- Dropping a zero in long multiplication when moving to the tens row.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Multiplicative comparison (times as many).
- Use concrete materials: counters for arrays.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Approximate conversions between miles and kilometres.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder