Activity 01
Play-Doh Fair Share
Each pair of pupils gets a ball of Play-Doh and is asked to split it into two equal halves to share. They must then compare their two pieces to see if they are a 'fair share' and adjust if necessary.
Identify which shape is correctly cut in half.
Facilitation TipEncourage pupils to roll the pieces into balls or sausages again to make visual comparison easier.
What to look forTeacher observation during hands-on activities. Listen for pupils' use of key vocabulary and the reasoning they give to their partners.
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Activity 02
The Fold Test
Provide pupils with various paper shapes like squares, rectangles, and circles. They must investigate if they can fold the shapes exactly in half so that the two parts match up perfectly.
Explain why a shape cut into two unequal pieces does not show halves.
Facilitation TipPre-fold a few examples incorrectly to show what happens when the parts are not equal.
What to look forProvide a worksheet with various shapes. Pupils must colour in the shapes that are correctly cut in half.
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Activity 03
Sorting Halves and Not-Halves
Give small groups a collection of picture cards showing shapes and objects. Some are divided into equal halves, others into unequal parts. The group must work together to sort the cards into two piles: 'Halves' and 'Not Halves'.
Justify your decision about whether a picture shows a fair half.
Facilitation TipAsk each group to choose one card from each pile and explain their reasoning to the whole class.
What to look forShow a series of images on the board. Pupils use thumbs up/thumbs down to indicate if the image shows correct halves.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin with tangible items like Play-Doh, paper, or even a cracker, as children understand sharing physical objects. Emphasise the 'fairness' aspect, as this is a powerful and relatable concept for this age group. Constantly model the language: 'Are these two parts equal? Let's check if they match.' Move from 3D objects to 2D paper shapes, and finally to pictures and drawings.
After this lesson, your pupils will be able to look at a shape and decide if it is cut into proper halves. They will be able to explain that halves must be two parts that are exactly the same size.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Any line that splits something into two pieces makes halves.
Explain that 'half' is a special word in maths that means the two pieces must be exactly the same size. Use a balance scale with Play-Doh to show that two unequal pieces do not weigh the same, so they are not halves.
A shape can only be halved by cutting it down the middle from top to bottom.
Show examples of halving a square or rectangle with a horizontal or diagonal line. As long as the two resulting pieces are equal in size, it is a half.
You can't have a half of a group of things, only a half of one thing.
Use counters or blocks. Show a group of 6 counters and explain that you can split them into two equal groups of 3. Each group is a half of the original big group.
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