We are going to look at how to use current units of mass, length, area, volume and capacity in practical situations, and express quantities in terms of larger or smaller units.
We are also going to interpret and use graphs to inform our understanding of direct proportion linked to conversions. We are going to apply our understanding in practical situations including travel graphs and currency conversion graphs.
Extended learners will apply the idea of rate of change to simple kinematics involving distance–time and speed–time graphs, acceleration and deceleration. They will also calculate distance travelled as area under a speed–time graph.
Conversions can be a difficult topic to teach, because learners often learn rules without really understanding why these rules work. This can mean that they are then unable to apply these rules independently and in more complex, less familiar situations.
Because of the way they are introduced, and if links are not made, learners often think of different types of conversion as completely different topics, and do not make the wider link to proportional reasoning.
Securing an understanding of how to tackle proportional reasoning questions can help learners to approach problems given in a variety of contexts, instead of regarding them as unconnected topics.
The unit will develop pupil’s conceptual understanding by sharing alternative representations, which will provide students with a framework that will help them to apply their understanding of proportional reasoning to a range of contexts linked to conversions.
This unit of work is just one of several approaches that you could take when teaching this topic, and you should aim to adapt the resources to match ability level of your learners, as well as your school context.