Number: Pizza Party
Australian Curriculum
This lesson plan could be used to support the teaching and learning of the following content description from the Australian Curriculum.
Year 5: Mathematics: Number
Solve problems involving multiplication of larger numbers by one- or two-digit numbers, choosing efficient calculation strategies and using
digital tools where appropriate; check the reasonableness of answers (AC9M5N06)
Solve problems involving division, choosing efficient strategies and using digital tools where appropriate; interpret any remainder according
to the context and express results as a whole number, decimal or fraction (AC9M5N07)
Aim: Key/New Words: Resources:
To solve division problems involving fractions. Divide, share, equivalent fraction, quarter, half, multiple. Lesson Pack
Success Criteria: Preparation:
I can recognise simple equivalent fractions. Pizza Party Problem Cards - as required
I can draw pictures to help me to solve problems. Differentiated Pizza Party Activity Sheet - one per child
I can explain my strategies to others.
Prior Learning: It will be helpful if the children know the multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12.
Learning Sequence
Jelly Bean Matching: The Lesson Presentation shows jelly beans with multiplication and division calculations
on them. The children must match up pairs of calculations with the same answer. How many can they complete
in three minutes?
Pizzas: Desta lives with her mum, grandma and her little brother Sid. Desta and her family share a pizza equally
between them. What fraction of the pizza does each family member get? Work through this question as a class
to ensure that children understand that they must use division to find the fraction.
Extra Pizza: This time the children need to share two pizzas between four people. Ask children to solve the
problem in pairs before discussing the answer. Using the diagrams on the Lesson Presentation, show how
each pizza can be shared into four, giving each person two-quarters of the pizza. Encourage the children to see
that this is equivalent to each person having half of the pizza, as two-quarters is equivalent to half.
Pizza Party: This problem can be tricky because the children need to divide three pizzas between ten people
and ten isn’t a multiple of three. Demonstrate that drawing a picture helps to illustrate visually that three pizzas
shared into ten pieces means each child gets three-tenths of the pizzas.
Pizza Party Problems: The children work in small groups to solve Pizza Party Problem Cards. Ask children to
start with one of the green cards, then to move on to one of the red ‘Extra Challenge’ cards if they feel confident
with using the method.
Envoys: One child from each group takes their card to another group. They explain the problem to the new group
and describe how their group solved it. The children in the new group must decide whether they agree with the
envoy’s group’s answer.
Pizza Party: Children complete differentiated Pizza Party Activity Sheet, solving division problems involving
fractions. Can children solve division problems involving fractions?
Children draw diagrams Children draw diagrams Children solve
to solve simple fraction to solve fraction more complex
problems using division, problems using division, fraction problems
and use multiplication and use multiplication using division, and
and division to calculate and division to and use multiplication
the answer to word calculate the answer to and division to
problems. word problems. calculate the
answer to word
problems.
Pizza Puzzle: Looking at the problem on the Lesson Presentation, children discuss in pairs before giving
feedback to the class. If all children assume that the statement cannot be true, encourage them to draw a
picture to represent the problem. How do they know the two pizzas are the same size? Use this problem to
emphasise the importance of reading problems carefully and not making assumptions about unknown facts!
Mathematics | Year 5 | Number | Solving Fractions and Division Problems |
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Pizza Party | Lesson 1 of 1
Masterit
Writeit: Children write their own pizza problems, making sure that they are written clearly and include all of the information. They then
give them to another group to solve. You could build up a bank of children’s problems and use them to make a class maths
problem box.
Planit: The children imagine that they are party planners. If there are 15 children coming to the party, how many pizzas will they need?
How many cakes? What fraction of the cakes and pizzas will each child get?
The children find out the most popular pizza toppings by designing a tally chart and surveying the children in their class. They
could then present this using an appropriate graph, using publishing software if possible.
Mathematics | Year 5 | Number | Solving Fractions and Division Problems |
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Pizza Party | Lesson 1 of 1
