Topic ladders · Fractions, Decimals & Percentages · Family table

Family table: Fractions, Decimals & Percentages

All four rungs side by side. A younger child and an older one can do the same topic together, each at their own level.

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Step	Classes 1–3	Classes 4–7	Classes 8–10	Classes 11–12
Activity	Sharing Equally (Early Fractions)	Fractions, Decimals and Simple Percentages	Using Percentages in Real Situations	Advanced Applications of Percentages and Compound Change
Safety	Use real food only if hands and surfaces are clean; otherwise use paper models. Any cutting of food is done by a grown-up. Small objects must be too big to fit in a mouth, and kept away from babies and toddlers.	–	–	–
What you need	Paper circles and paper strips, or 12 small objects (or a real chapati or fruit if hygiene is managed) Paper and pencil	Squared paper with 10 × 10 grids (100 squares each), coloured pencils Ruler	Paper, pencil, calculator (optional) Real examples (discounts, exam marks, interest, recipes)	Calculator, paper (or a spreadsheet)
Notice	Sometimes we need to share things equally.	The same amount can be written as a fraction, a decimal, or a percentage.	Percentages appear in shops, results, bank interest and news.	Many real quantities change by percentages repeatedly (compound interest, population, depreciation).
Guess	If 2 children share 1 chapati, how much does each get? What about 4 children?	What is ½ as a decimal and as a percentage?	How do you calculate a percentage of a quantity or find the original amount?	How does compound change differ from simple change over several periods?
Try	Fold paper circles in half and in half again, or share 12 objects equally among 2 and among 4.	On a 100-square grid, colour squares to show ½, ¼, ¾, 0.1 and 25%, and write each in all three forms (½ = 50 squares = 0.5 = 50%).	Solve real problems: discount prices, percentage increase/decrease, simple interest, exam percentages.	Calculate compound interest, population growth, or depreciation over multiple periods. Compare with simple interest.
Observe	Look at the equal parts. How many parts make the whole? Are they really equal?	Compare the different ways of writing the same amount.	Check answers using different methods (mental, written, calculator).	Tabulate results and plot growth curves if possible.
Explain	Say "one half" or "one quarter" and show it.	Explain how to convert between fraction, decimal and percentage for simple cases ("per cent" means "out of 100").	Write clear steps and explain the method used.	Derive or use the compound growth formula and discuss assumptions (is the rate really the same every year?).
Ask another question	What if 3 children share? Try it with 12 objects, or fold a paper strip into three equal parts.	How would you show 20% on the grid? Can you shade exactly ⅓ using whole squares only? What goes wrong, and how could you do it if you split one square into three?	What is the difference between successive percentage changes and a single overall change?	How sensitive are long-term results to small changes in the percentage rate?

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