Maths and numeracy on the farm

Suggested Participants – Primary 6/7 pupils

Farmers use maths on the farm on a daily basis. Counting livestock, working out how much to feed sheep, calculating how much fertiliser to use and working out lambing percentages are all examples of ways in which maths is used in a farming environment. Some of the maths they use is simple – like counting livestock whilst other calculations involve a bit more thought and calculation. The really hard calculations often have online tools to help formulate the answers.

What this pack contains: 

• All the resources to undertake maths on the farm with your p 6/7 class.

• Learning Intentions, Success Criteria and Suggested Experiences & Outcomes.

• Learning for Sustainability links.

• Lesson plan.

• Suggested additional activities.

Learning outcomes:

• We are learning to solve real life problems using data from the farm.

• We are learning to research a problem and collect data.

• We are learning to collect, organise and display data.

Success Criteria:

• I can collect and interpret data.

• I can discuss how and why data is collected.

• I can display data in a way others can understand.

• I can discuss what farm businesses can do to become more sustainable.

Experiences and Outcomes

• MNU 2-07a I have investigated the everyday contexts in which simple fractions, percentages or decimal fractions are used and can carry out the necessary calculations to solve related problems.

• MNU 2-20a Having discussed the variety of ways and range of media used to present data, I can interpret and draw conclusions from the information displayed, recognising that the presentation may be misleading.

• MTH 2-21a I can display data in a clear way using a suitable scale, by choosing appropriately from an extended range of tables, charts, diagrams and graphs, making effective use of technology.

• TCH 2-06a I can analyse how lifestyles can impact on the environment and Earth’s resources and can make suggestions about how to live in a more sustainable way.

Learning for sustainability:

• Goal 4 Quality education: achieve literacy and numeracy.