Developing Ratio Skills

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Curriculum Area & Level

Subject: English
Curriculum: UK National Curriculum (KS2 - Year 6)
Focus: Ratio and Proportion within Word Problems & Comprehension

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of this session, pupils will:

1. Understand how to interpret ratio-based word problems.
2. Analyse language patterns used in ratio questions.
3. Solve ratio-related comprehension challenges with accuracy.
4. Apply ratio skills in a creative storytelling activity.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (10 mins) – The Mystery Ratio Challenge

• Present students with a riddle-style ratio problem:
  "In a magical forest, for every 3 blue trees, there are 5 red trees. If there are 15 blue trees, how many red trees are there?"
• Encourage students to explain their reasoning using full sentences.
• Discuss the language of ratio (e.g. "for every", "in proportion to", "out of").

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2. Main Lesson (25 mins) – Ratio in Stories

Part A: Identifying Ratio Language (10 mins)

• Provide students with a short paragraph where ratios are embedded:
  Example:
  "In the castle kitchen, there were 2 jars of honey for every 3 jars of jam. The bakers used a 4:1 ratio of flour to sugar in their famous buns."
• Ask: What do these ratios mean? How can we rewrite them?

Part B: Word Problem Breakdowns (10 mins)

• Model how to break down complex word problems.
• Work through structured questions, gradually increasing difficulty:
  Example:
  "A school has a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1. If there are 6 teachers, how many students?"

Part C: Creative Ratio Storytelling (5 mins)

• Challenge students to write their own micro-story where ratio plays a key role.
• Encourage vocabulary linked to proportion, fractions, and scaling up/down.

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3. Plenary (10 mins) – Ratio Relay Challenge

• Students receive 3 sentence fragments and must correctly assemble them into a ratio-based question.

• Examples:

  1. "For every 2 cinnamon sticks…"
  2. "…they used double the amount of sugar…"
  3. "…so how much sugar was used if there were 6 cinnamon sticks?"

• Discuss effective reading techniques for breaking down ratio-based questions.

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Assessment & Differentiation

• Formative Assessment: Observing student responses in the Ratio Relay Challenge.
• Adaptive Support:
  • For struggling learners: Use visual representations (bar models, drawn ratios).
  • For confident learners: Introduce multi-step ratio problems from real-world contexts (e.g. recipes, maps).

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Homework / Extension Task

• Scavenger Hunt: Find examples of ratios in real life (e.g. cooking, sports, transport timetables) and bring examples to the next session.

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Teacher Reflection

• Did students demonstrate a clear understanding of ratio language?
• Were they engaged in the creative storytelling activity?
• How can the next lesson build on these skills?

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🤯 Outside-the-Box Twist:
For a future extension, consider using drama! Create "Ratio Roleplay" scenarios where students act out proportional situations (e.g. "For every wizard, there are 2 dragons... act it out!"). 🎭