I have already written a few posts about the Understanding maths series by Schofield & Sims. It is a set of workbooks that I started using with my oldest just over a year ago and am now using the whole set with for my youngest (well planning on we are still working through them). They are Key Stage 2 books (so that is the UK school years of 3, 4, 5 and 6).
I like the way these books are set out – each page has a quick explanation followed by examples (we have found the explanations really well worded and set out). They are not busy pages – we don’t like workbooks where too much is crammed onto 1 page.
But I must say they don’t have pages and pages of practice examples. You get 1 page of examples so I do give him extra examples to practice – and honestly this is often just a case of me writing out more examples onto a piece of paper so he can practice some more. This series does also come with a practice book (Understanding Maths: Practice). And the practice book is very useful but it is 1 book, which contains 72 pages of extra examples for all the books in the series – so it covers all 8 topics in 1 book. So yes we find the practice book handy but in total honesty I am someone who believes Maths practice = Maths confident kids so I am happy to write out extra examples for the kids to practice on.
So for those of you looking for a fraction workbook here is what is included.
- How fractions are written / unit fractions of shapes (so the start of fractions but there is not a lot of this so if you are just introducing basic fractions to a child in Year 1 this is probably not the book for you)
- Mixed Fractions
- Equivalent Fractions
- Fractions of a Number
- Tenths
- Adding and Subtracting Fractions
- Ordering Fractions
- Hundredths
- Simplifying Fractions
- Fractions on a number line
- Common denominators
- Multiplying fractions by a whole number
- Thousandths
- Simplest Form
- Adding and subtracting mixed numbers
- Dividing fractions by a whole number
- Multiplying pairs of fractions
Scattered throughout the book they have 5 progress tests – which is basically revision of what has been covered. Also all answers are included at the book of the book.
We also think these workbooks make excellent revision books. My daughter has just worked through the entire fraction book by herself as a revision activity and it went really well. It highlighted a fraction activity that she did not fully understand, so did the job of a good revision tool.
I bought our workbooks directly from Amazon Understanding Maths: Fractions
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