Maths help for parents of children aged 5 to 11
If a question involves both multiplication and addition then the convention is that the multiplication should be carried out first, then the addition.
So for 4 + 5 x 3
Firstly multiply 5 by 3 and then add on 4 to make 19.
Now some calculators do this (Scientific etc) but some work out each part as it is keyed in. This results in two calculators arriving at different answers: always interesting to show children!
By year 4 children are expected to know that:
1 week = 7 days
1 day = 24 hours
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds
This maths worksheet uses this knowledge to answer some straightforward questions. It also requires a calculator so more detailed information can be found, such as the number of minutes in a week. This, in turn, can lead on to some interesting investigative work, such as finding out how long a year is in minutes, and then how many minutes you have been alive (not forgetting leap years). It is quite an eye opener to realise how many precious minutes have been taken up in queues, traffic jams etc!!
This worksheet can be found in our Year 4 resources, under Measures
This is the second page on placing negative numbers on a number line, probably most suited to year 4 children. It asks for an arrow to be drawn to the correct position on the number line for each of the numbers shown.
Once again try to use the term ‘negative number’ rather than ‘minus’ which should be used in the context of subtraction.
Counting up and down a number line, passing through zero is a great way to show how negative numbers work and children will need to have done this before trying this worksheet.
When children begin division they usually write the question with a remainder. However, remainders can be written as fractions, making a more accurate and complete division answer.
For example a remainder of one when dividing by two can be written as one over two or one half. This is no longer a remainder but a part of the answer. So 17 divided by 2 is 8 remainder 1 or 8 and 1/2. Continue reading “Year 4 Maths worksheet: Division with remainders written as fractions”
This is a follow up page to the earlier solving division problems in your head worksheet. This has a range of different ways of asking division questions which children need to be able to recognise and there are a range of methods that can be used to work out the answers mentally.
It is important the tables are known so that the facts can be used. For example if it is known that 6 x 6 = 36, then 6 x 60 can be quickly worked out as 360, and in turn 360 divided by 6 is 60.
Another useful tip is when dividing by 5 mentally it is often possible to divide by 10 and then double the answer.
Please note: Factors need to have taught before trying this page.
Reading and writing fractions remain a bit of a mystery for many children, but our cunning foxes can help. This worksheet looks at how to read and write fractions from halves to tenths using numbers or words. As well as reading a fraction such as 1/3 as one third, it can also be read as a division sum: 1 divided by 3, or 1 divided into 3 equal parts, but this comes a little later.
These pages can be found in our Year 4 section, under Counting and Numbers.
Once the idea of equivalent fractions has been understood it becomes possible to compare two fractions to see which is the larger. The first thing to remember is that the larger the number on the bottom of the fraction, the smaller each part of the fraction is. So 4/100 is much smaller than 4/25.
Now this is also easy if the bottom number (denominator) is the same in each fraction eg 1/5 is smaller than 3/5.
The difficulty comes when the numbers are not the same. How do you compare 3/5 with 7/10?
The easiest way is to make the bottom number of each fraction the same, and in the case above this will mean converting the 3/5 into tenths. We can do this by multiplying the 5 by 2 to make 10 and we have to do the same with the top number, multiplying the 3 by 2. In this way 3/5 can be converted to 6/10.
3/5 and 6/10 are equal, or equivalent.
It is now easy to see that 6/10 is smaller than 7/10, so 3/5 must also be smaller than 7/10. Job done!
Later it will become harder to convert so that the denominators are the same; sometimes you have to multiply both fractions by different numbers, but this comes later! At the moment it is important to get the basics correct.
Division problems worksheet
Solving division problems ‘in your head’ can often prove to be tricky and a good knowledge of tables and multiplication facts is needed.
Here we have a set of questions all involving mental division.
There are a number of different skills which can be used to answer them. For example, dividing by 4 can be achieved by halving and halving again. Dividing £1 between 5 involves converting the £1 into 00p first.
Perhaps the trickiest question asks how many 10 cm lengths of wire can be cut from 156 cm of wire; of course there will be some left over, which in the context of the question can be ignored.
One of the hardest ideas to get over to children is equivalent fractions, but it is one of the most vital. These pages look at some of the easier equivalence, using sixths, eighths and tenths and relating them to halves. It is a good idea to have as much practical work as possible, either shading in or cutting into pieces. The aim is for the child to see a developing pattern of numbers: if the numerator doubles and the denominator also doubles then the fractions will remain equal. Tricky, as children are unused to the idea of different numbers being equal to each other.
These pages can be found in our Year 4 resources, under Counting and Number.
Remembering how many days there are in any particular month is a challenge for many adults, yet alone children. There is of course the rhyme, ’30 days hath September’ etc, which is included in full on the worksheet but I prefer the ‘knuckle version’ where you can use the knuckles and dips on your hands to work out the number of days.
Starting with the left hand, little finger knuckle as January, move to the dip between knuckles for February, next knuckle for March and so on until you reach July as the last knuckle (don’t use thumbs!) on the left hand and then continue with the first finger knuckle on the right hand for August, next dip for September etc. Which months have 31 days? All those that are on a knuckle! Easy!!
This page can be found in the Year 4 Measures section of the site.