Fractions

Objectives

To understand fractions in terms of division calculations.

Resources

Abacus 4 Textbook 1 | Squared paper | Finding unit fractions of amounts (YouTube)

Today's Lesson

Main Activity

Ask your student to tell you the time. Ask what time it will be in a quarter of an hour, what time was it 10 minutes ago, what time it will be in 2 hours, and so on.

Turn to page 32 in Abacus 4 Textbook 1.

Remind your student that as well as being numbers that we might see on a number line, fractions can also mean dividing a number or shape into equal parts. The number of parts is indicated by the bottom number of the fraction – the denominator.

Watch Finding unit fractions of amounts (YouTube)

For example,

½ of 16 is the same as saying that we are dividing 16 into 2 equal parts:

16 ÷ 2 = 8, so ½ of 16 = 8

⅓ of 21 is the same as saying that we are dividing 21 into 3 equal parts:

21 ÷ 3 = 7, so ⅓ of 21 = 7

⅕ of 30 is the same as saying that we are dividing 30 into 5 equal parts:

30 ÷ 5 = 6, so ⅕ of 30 = 6

Once your student has understood the concept and is comfortable working with fractions, ask them to copy and complete the page. To complete Questions 14 – 17, your student must first work out the calculations and have an actual number before they can place the ‘<’ or ‘>’ symbols in between.

Citations

[1] www.youtube.com [2] www.youtube.com