You can find a Butterfly Method Fractions activity within our Calculating Fractions and Decimals Maths scheme of work for Year 6, in Lesson 3.
Each of the lessons within this five-lesson pack contains:
Read on for the method >>
As a primary teacher, you’ll probably have taught several different methods for adding and subtracting fractions, but have you ever tried butterfly method fractions? This simple, visual method might just be worth a try with your KS2 class.
Start by writing out your calculation:
Now draw two butterfly wings by drawing two diagonal ovals:
Now draw two antennae, like this:
Multiply the numbers in the first oval and record the product:
Now do the same in the second oval:
Give the butterfly a tail and multiply the two bottom wings together:
This bottom number will now be your denominator…
...and you can add the two antennae numbers to make the numerator:
You can then convert or simplify your answer.
And there you have it! Butterfly Method Fractions. Easy, right?!
All you need to do differently is to subtract the smaller number from the antenna from the larger number.
Why not try using the butterfly method for adding and subtracting fractions with your class and see how they get on? As an added challenge, ask them to explain in their own words how the method works.
You can find Butterfly Method Fractions within our Calculating Decimals and Fractions Maths lessons for Year 6. Why not check out our fully-prepared library of primary Maths lessons?
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View full detailsI have purchased other topics from PlanBee which have been excellent. Just felt this one wasn’t as strong and could improve.
Using to help children struggling with their tables
We're so pleased to hear that this resource is helpful to you and your class, Elaine!
The kids really enjoyed this topic. My only suggestion would be to include Key vocabulary. Most schools require a topic page or some kind of key vocabulary sheet. It would be helpful not to have to go through each and every lesson and slide to find what you need.
Hi Cameron, thank you for your feedback - we are so pleased to hear that your class enjoyed these lessons! We are constantly working to update our resources, and including explicit key vocabulary is one of the things we are currently focussing on. If we can help you further or you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@planbee.com
All 54 countries! Amazing!
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review, Helen!
A good summary of the artist and activities linked to the objective. A few typos in the slides and would have preferred a PowerPoint that I could edit. Outcomes were okay but needed a lot of personalisation and editing.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback - we have corrected the typos and you can now redownload the amended files from your account. We use PDFs instead of PowerPoint to ensure that everyone can access them, no matter what version of software they have. We have sent you an email with further details on some free PDF readers and editors - we hope this helps! If we can assist you any further, you can contact us at info@planbee.com
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