Fair Share · Learner pages

Lesson 1 · Make fair parts

Recognise a half or quarter only when the whole is divided equally.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

A fraction describes equal parts of a chosen whole.

1. Choose one whole. Use one rectangular paper strip as the whole.
2. Split it equally in two. Fold so both ends meet. Two equal parts are halves.
3. Split each half equally. Fold each half in half. Now there are four equal parts.
4. Name one part. One of four equal parts is one quarter. Two quarters cover the same amount as one half.

Worked example: A strip is divided into four equal boxes. Shade one box: this shows 1/4. Shade two boxes: this shows 2/4, the same amount as 1/2.

1. A whole is cut into 4 unequal pieces. Is every piece a quarter?

   1. Yes · 2. No · 3. Only the biggest piece

2. One of two equal parts is…

   1. a quarter · 2. a third · 3. a half

3. How many quarters make one whole?

   1. 4 · 2. 2 · 3. 8

Discuss: Fold a paper rectangle to make equal halves, then quarters. Check that the matching pieces cover each other.

Lesson 2 · Count equal parts

Read and write fractions of one divided whole.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

The bottom number counts all equal parts. The top number counts the selected parts.

1. Count all equal parts. The whole strip has 4 equal parts. The denominator is 4.
2. Count the shaded parts. Three parts are shaded. The numerator is 3.
3. Read the fraction. The shaded part is 3/4, read as three quarters.
4. Find what is left. One quarter is unshaded. Three quarters and one quarter make the whole.

Worked example: A strip has 3 equal parts. Two are shaded: the fraction is 2/3. The remaining part is 1/3. Together, 2/3 + 1/3 fills the whole.

1. A strip has 4 equal parts and 3 are shaded. Which fraction is shaded?

   1. 4/3 · 2. 1/4 · 3. 3/4

2. In 2/3, what does the 3 tell us?

   1. The whole has 3 equal parts · 2. 3 parts are shaded · 3. There are 3 wholes

3. If 1/4 is shaded, what fraction is not shaded?

   1. 1/4 · 2. 3/4 · 3. 4/1

Discuss: Draw five equal boxes as one strip and shade two. Explain what the 2 and the 5 mean.

Lesson 3 · Find a fraction of a group

Find one half or one quarter of an evenly shared collection.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

For a group, equal shares must have the same number of objects.

1. Count the total. There are 12 counters altogether.
2. Make four equal groups. Deal one counter at a time into four groups. Each group receives 3.
3. Choose one equal group. One of the four groups is one quarter of the collection.
4. Check all the groups. 1/4 of 12 is 3. Check: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12.

Worked example: To find half of 10, share 10 counters equally into 2 groups. Each group gets 5, so 1/2 of 10 is 5. Check 5 + 5 = 10.

1. What is 1/4 of 8 counters?

   1. 2 · 2. 4 · 3. 6

2. What is 1/2 of 14?

   1. 6 · 2. 7 · 3. 12

3. Four equal groups each contain 4 counters. What is the whole collection?

   1. 4 · 2. 8 · 3. 16

Discuss: Share 16 counters equally among four imaginary teams. Explain the size of each quarter.

Final check · Set 1

Try one set after the lessons. Use the other set after reviewing any errors.

1. How many halves fill one whole?

   2 / 4 / 1

2. Which condition makes four pieces quarters?

   Same colour / Equal size from one whole / Different sizes

3. Two of four equal parts are selected. What fraction is selected?

   4/2 / 1/4 / 2/4

4. What fraction is unshaded when 3/4 is shaded?

   1/4 / 3/4 / 4/3

5. What is 1/4 of 16?

   8 / 4 / 12

6. What is half of 18?

   8 / 6 / 9

Final check · Set 2

Try one set after the lessons. Use the other set after reviewing any errors.

1. Two equal pieces from one whole are called…

   quarters / halves / thirds

2. Two quarters cover the same amount as…

   a whole / one quarter / one half

3. Three of five equal parts are selected. What fraction is selected?

   3/5 / 5/3 / 2/5

4. In 1/4, the 1 counts…

   all equal parts / selected parts / whole objects

5. What is 1/4 of 20?

   4 / 10 / 5

6. What is half of 12?

   6 / 4 / 8