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Day 11 · Classify by factors, not appearanceYear 6 Maths · T1 W3–4 · Day 11 lesson

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Year 6 / Mathematics / Term 1 / Weeks 03 04

Part of the full two-week lesson sequence. Check the pack guide and taught point before teaching.

Open for this lesson: Pack guide · Sources and materials · Daily routes · Worked swaps · Fresh learner checks · Aids and text routes.

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Teacher copy: This page may include teaching prompts or answer keys. Answer keys in this public library can be viewed by anyone. Give learners a clean prompt, use checks as formative evidence, and change a case locally when prior access matters.

Learner prompts

Code: AC9M6N02. Goal: use a factor-array explanation to classify 1, 2, 12 and 16. Prepare: blank factor-array lab or text/tactile route, 16 counters/cards.

  1. Launch · 2 min. Ask whether a number can be both square and composite; collect a tentative answer without rating speed.
  2. Model · 5 min. Arrange 12 as 1 × 12, 2 × 6, 3 × 4; show factor pairs. Twelve has more than two positive factors, so composite. Arrange 16 as 4 × 4; it is square and composite (2 × 8 also works). Say why 1 has just one positive factor and 2 has exactly two.
  3. Guided · 6 min. Learners use tiles, drawn cells or spoken factor pairs for 1 and 2, then check 16. Name the rule greater than 1 for both prime and composite. Do not call “odd” a prime test.
  4. Choice · 6 min. One D11-A/B/C route: each requires a correct classification and factor evidence.
  5. Exit · 4 min. “Is 16 prime because its square array looks special?” No, since 16 has factors 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. “Is 1 prime?” No, it has one positive factor.
  6. Note · 2 min. Save factor language and a diagram/spoken explanation. If labels are memorised without proof, reteach with a new array.

Home/extension: Make 12 with bottle-cap substitutes or sketch boxes; no purchase. Extension: explain why every positive square above 1 has at least factors 1, n, n² (for n>1, these are distinct).