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TEACHERS NOTES

These activities aim to provide learners at upper Primary level with a stimulating and creative approach to using and applying the mathematical concepts that are taught at upper Primary level. Using the world of film distribution as the context, pupils will work with all aspects of maths – from partitioning to fractions to shape, space, measure and data handling.

Respecting Creativity

Whilst giving pupils a real-world context for maths, the activities also aim to encourage children to think about the value of seeing a film at the cinema. Children will have access to some ‘behind the scenes’ information from a film industry perspective, and in learning about the business of film distribution, they will gain an understanding of the fairness of paying for a film that is chosen and viewed at the cinema, rather than taking it for free.

To find out more, visit:
www.launchingfilms.com
www.copyrightaware.co.uk
www.screenthing.piczo.com
www.ipo.gov.uk
www.filmeducation.org/switchedon
and specifically www.findanyfilm.com - which is a great way of finding out the full range of films available to you, and you can browse on this site with complete confidence that everything listed is a legitimate authorised service.

These activities will help to move pupils on from learning how to do the maths to learning why we use these methods - i.e. understanding the maths behind the day-to-day numbers that we use in a real-world context. Each section has its own theme, outlined in its title.

Please see the curriculum links in italics underneath each section breakdown:

COUNTING + CALCULATING

Problem solving activities to secure number facts:
  • Budgeting

    Challenge children's understanding of place value by working on 6 and 7 figure numbers.

    • Addition and subtraction
    • Mental methods: special cases
    • Written methods: whole numbers and decimals
    • Solving one and two-step word problems involving numbers, money or measures
    • Explaining methods and reasoning, orally and on paper, using words, diagrams, graphs, symbols
    • Finding fractions and percentages of numbers in a real world maths context

HANDLING DATA

Collect, organise, present and interpret information about a film from its synopsis:
  • Film Synopsis word cloud
    • Construct frequency tables, pictograms and bar and line graphs
    • Collecting, organising, presenting and interpreting data to answer related questions
    • Identifying further questions
    • Explaining reasoning using diagrams, graphs and text
    • Using ICT

YEAR 5

Children will:
  • Use written methods to add and subtract large whole numbers
  • Solve fraction problems
  • Find percentages of numbers and quantities

YEAR 6

Children will:
  • Use written methods to add and subtract integers and decimals
  • Use knowledge of tables fact to work out mentally decimal multiplications and divisions
  • Work out squares of multiples of ten
  • Learn to multiply and divide integers and decimals by one-digit numbers
  • Relate fractions to multiplication and division
  • Find fractions and percentages of whole number quantities