Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• By the end of this week, learners should be able to:
• Recognise and name unit fractions, including halves and quarters, in diagrams and pictures.
• Demonstrate understanding of halves and quarters using concrete apparatus (e.g., cutting playdough, folding paper) and drawings.
• Explain that a half is one of two equal parts of a whole.
• Explain that a quarter is one of four equal parts of a whole.

Lesson summary

Introduction This week, we introduce our Grade 2 learners to the foundational concept of fractions. Fractions are not just numbers on a page; they are a part of our everyday lives. In South Africa, the concept of sharing (ukwabelana in isiZulu, deel in Afrikaans) is deeply embedded in our culture. We share food with our family, space in a taxi, and stories with our friends. This lesson builds on this intuitive understanding of sharing to introduce the mathematical concepts of halves and quarters. We will focus on the idea that a fraction represents an equal part of a whole.

Lesson notes

What is a Fraction? A fraction is a part of a whole. The most important word to remember is "equal". When we break a whole object into fractions, every part must be the exact same size. If you share a chocolate bar with a friend, you both want a fair share! That is what fractions are all about – fair sharing.

The Whole: This is the entire object you start with before you share or divide it. It can be one apple, one pizza, one loaf of bread, or one shape like a circle or a square.

Equal Parts: This is the most important rule of fractions. When you divide a whole, all the pieces must be the same size.

Example: Look at these two circles. The first circle is cut into equal parts. We can use these for fractions. The second circle is cut into unequal parts. These are not fractions! Halves (One Half - ½) When you take one whole object and share it equally between two people, each person gets one half.

How to get halves: You divide a whole into two equal parts. How many halves in a whole? There are two halves in one whole.