Number (fractions): Beach Clean-Up
The Problem
Bronwyn, a Year 4 pupil from a school in Bristol, decided that she would like to take part in The Great British Beach Clean. After one hour, Bronwyn had picked up 48 pieces of plastic. The pieces were a mixture of bottles, bags, cotton buds and toys. She decided to write down the fractions of the different items that she collected. You can see her fractions on the yellow bin opposite.
Can you convince yourself that Bronwyn’s fractions are right?
Compare your working out to a partner’s, and explore the reasons for any similarities and differences.
Did you know?
Scientists think that around 8 million pieces of plastic waste enter the oceans of the world every day. Most of this comes from litter that has been dropped on land and found its way into rivers that empty into the sea. Sadly,100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by plastic pollution every year.
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
Jamaal said, “Bronwyn picked up more plastic toys than cotton buds.”
Do you agree with Jamaal? How do you know?
