Year 5
Cows and Sheep
Teacher Notes
Begin by showing the group the picture in the problem. Rather than talking through
the text underneath it, ask some questions about what they see, for example:
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What can you tell me about the number of sheep and cows in the picture?
How many cows can each sheep see?
How many cows can each cow see?
How does the number of sheep a cow can see relate to the number of cows it
can see?
Children might well say things like "each cow can see more sheep than cows", so ask
them to be more exact. This may lead to statements like "each cow can see one more
sheep than cows", or "each cow can see one less cow than sheep".
Try looking at the first field together. Simply read out what it says and ask the
children to think about HOW they might find out the number of cows and sheep.
Invite suggestions from the class. Choose a way to try which captures the idea of
trial and improvement. If the children haven't had much experience of this, you
might want to model a way for them as a start. So, focusing either on the sheep's
view or the cows' view, try the smallest number that there could be to start with,
increasing this one at a time, checking to see whether the results fit with the
information at each stage. Emphasise that this way of approaching the problem,
(trying the simplest case and then working up a step at a time) is a very good way of
going about solving it as it means no possibilities are left out.
Wrexham Mathematics
Year 5
Cows and Sheep
Here are the solutions:
In field no.1 there must be 3 cows and 4 sheep because cows can't see themselves.
Notice how this child has used letters to represent the cows and sheep which
demonstrates using symbols - Level 5 communicating mathematics.
Similarly this child has used shapes and a key to represent the cows and sheep
therefore again demonstrating using symbols - Level 5 communicating mathematics.
In field no.2 there must be 2 cows and 3 sheep.
In field no.3 there must be 4 cows and 6 sheep.
In field no. 4 there must be 5 cows and 8 sheep.
In field no. 5 there must be 4 cows and 9 sheep.
Wrexham Mathematics