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Fractions

Objectives

To find halves, thirds, and quarters of amounts.

Resources

Vocabulary

half | quarter | third | fraction

Today's Lesson

What to Get Ready

Cut out the 📄 Fractions cards (or ask your student to do this).

Introduction

Place 12 counters or bricks on the table.

Write on the board: \frac{1}{4} of 12 is ____

Discuss how we can find a quarter by sharing the objects into 4 piles.

Allow your student to do this and agree that there are 3 bricks in each pile.

Complete the equality: \frac{1}{4} of 12 = 3.

Add another 3 bricks so there are 15.

Write: \frac{1}{3} of 15 = _____

Ask:

How do you think we will find ?

Discuss how we can find \frac{1}{3} of an amount by sharing it into 3 piles. Do this and agree that \frac{1}{3} of 15 is 5.

Complete the sentence: \frac{1}{3} of 15 = 5.

Show 📄 Fractions: Bar models Sheet 1 and discuss what this represents.

Agree that the top number is the number of bricks or counters on the table. The number of parts in the second bar shows us the fraction. There are three parts here, so that is thirds, \frac{1}{3}.

Ask your student to help you divide 21 bricks into three piles.

Write and complete the sentence: \frac{1}{3} of 21 = 7.

Write 7 in each of the 3 spaces in the second bar on the sheet. Agree that three thirds is equal to one whole, and that the three piles of 7 make the total of 21.

Use the second bar model diagram on Sheet 2 of 📄 Fractions: Bar model and demonstrate how to interpret this. The top number is the number of bricks on the table. The second bar shows us the fraction. Here, there are four parts, so the fraction is \frac{1}{4}.

Complete the sentence: \frac{1}{4} of 40 = 10.

Write 10 in each space in the second bar. So, there are 10 bricks in one quarter.

Ask:

How many bricks would be in ?

Three quarters is three of the spaces, so that is three lots of 10, or 30.

Write and complete the sentence: \frac{3}{4} of 40 = 30.

Look at the third bar model on Sheet 3 of 📄 Fractions: Bar model.

Ask your student to work with you to find \frac{2}{3} of 12.

This video talks through using bar models to find fractions of amounts in this way.

Main Activity

Give your student the cut-out 📄 Fractions cards from Sheet 1, spread face down on the table.

Take it in turns to pick a card then select an appropriate 📄 Blank bar model to represent and help to calculate the fraction of the amount shown.

Fill in a bar model to match your fraction card.

Ask:

Can you do this using a halving strategy, or by recalling number facts?

You can share out counters to check.

Extra Challenge

Access Crystal Crash. Click 'Play Game'. Click 'Add Player'. Write your student's name in the box and add them as a player.

Select either '1/2 of numbers up to 20' or '1/2 of numbers up to 40'. You may also like to explore the other options.

Your student then needs to click on the crystal which includes the answer to the question at the top of the screen.

PLAY - Crystal Crash - Fractions of Numbers (Mathsframe)

Workbook

To help your student recap upon previous learning from this course, please ask them to complete the activities on page 39 of Abacus Workbook 2.

Citations

[1] mathsframe.co.uk